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s_sheppard18's review
4.0
I received an advance review copy for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
Without Disruption is a book that I devoured in one day, and it was a surprisingly engaging read. There was a lot more to this book than the surface of the plot, which is something I crave in science fiction. At first, I worried that the novel was going to be a shallow explanation of life happening to the main character, but I quickly realized that the narrative was only as deep and mature as the character telling it- and the narrative deepens and grows alongside him.
I have a soft spot for bisexual protagonists, and very much enjoyed that aspect of Harrison's personality. The author isn't heavy-handed with it and he doesn't fit into any of the negative bisexual stereotypes, which I appreciate. I also appreciated the emotional sensitivity Harrison showed throughout the story, and the way his friends rally around him and truly care.
I rarely give out five-star reviews, but this book was very close to achieving that. I would consider it a five-star novel if the story delved deeper into the cultural norms and customs of the different alpha-classes, and described the world in more detail. I felt deeply emotionally connected to the characters, especially Harrison, and I wish I could have felt this way about the world he lived in as well. I know it would have been a slower read this way, but I wouldn't have minded spending more time in this universe anyway. This book left me hungry for more, which is a compliment as much as it is a criticism.
I think part of the author's decision to describe the world the way they did was a stylistic choice- Harrison can't describe things to us that he doesn't understand or is censored from knowing- but I still wish I had something more substantial to hold on to than he did.
Overall, this was a novel that made me think, made me care about the characters, and made me question how we perceive our own joy in the context of the world around us. It was a delight to read, and I look forward to more from this author.
Without Disruption is a book that I devoured in one day, and it was a surprisingly engaging read. There was a lot more to this book than the surface of the plot, which is something I crave in science fiction. At first, I worried that the novel was going to be a shallow explanation of life happening to the main character, but I quickly realized that the narrative was only as deep and mature as the character telling it- and the narrative deepens and grows alongside him.
I have a soft spot for bisexual protagonists, and very much enjoyed that aspect of Harrison's personality. The author isn't heavy-handed with it and he doesn't fit into any of the negative bisexual stereotypes, which I appreciate. I also appreciated the emotional sensitivity Harrison showed throughout the story, and the way his friends rally around him and truly care.
I rarely give out five-star reviews, but this book was very close to achieving that. I would consider it a five-star novel if the story delved deeper into the cultural norms and customs of the different alpha-classes, and described the world in more detail. I felt deeply emotionally connected to the characters, especially Harrison, and I wish I could have felt this way about the world he lived in as well. I know it would have been a slower read this way, but I wouldn't have minded spending more time in this universe anyway. This book left me hungry for more, which is a compliment as much as it is a criticism.
I think part of the author's decision to describe the world the way they did was a stylistic choice- Harrison can't describe things to us that he doesn't understand or is censored from knowing- but I still wish I had something more substantial to hold on to than he did.
Overall, this was a novel that made me think, made me care about the characters, and made me question how we perceive our own joy in the context of the world around us. It was a delight to read, and I look forward to more from this author.
bellsb00ksandwritings's review
5.0
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thanks so much to the author!
This was such an interesting and intriguing story, and it's one I won't easily forget. I really liked the world building and how life is so very different from what we know, but the story is still fairly easy to follow, both because the core principles are still the same and because everything was explained so well. Most of all, however, I love that through Harrison's story, you automatically start reflecting on your own life, and because of that it's like he's taking you on the journey with him.
There's only one thing that annoyed me a little bit, which was the excessive use of exclamation marks. I get that they were meant to show how the characters felt (either happy or angry), but it was a bit too much and one simply cannot shout a whisper. Apart from that, I really loved this story, and I most definitely recommend it!
This was such an interesting and intriguing story, and it's one I won't easily forget. I really liked the world building and how life is so very different from what we know, but the story is still fairly easy to follow, both because the core principles are still the same and because everything was explained so well. Most of all, however, I love that through Harrison's story, you automatically start reflecting on your own life, and because of that it's like he's taking you on the journey with him.
There's only one thing that annoyed me a little bit, which was the excessive use of exclamation marks. I get that they were meant to show how the characters felt (either happy or angry), but it was a bit too much and one simply cannot shout a whisper. Apart from that, I really loved this story, and I most definitely recommend it!
lilaclicoricetissie's review
4.0
Wow! What a cool idea!
I’ll admit I always preferred my sci-fi with a dystopian flavor, so I might be a little biased here; still, Without Disruption is a real gem.
[Keep reading @ Bookshelves & Teacups]
I’ll admit I always preferred my sci-fi with a dystopian flavor, so I might be a little biased here; still, Without Disruption is a real gem.
[Keep reading @ Bookshelves & Teacups]
mimosaeyes's review
5.0
This book may give you an existential crisis.
Based on the first few chapters, I would not have predicted that. Initially, I found the narrative voice false-sounding and the dialogue stilted. Every character, even the protagonist, seemed artificial. I worried that the author had a poor ear for natural speech and a writing style that would grate on me more and more. I braced myself for another insipid book about everyone living in a simulation under an evil AI that a messiah-like main character eventually manages to foil. Blah blah free will, blah blah humanity.
I'm so glad to have been proven wrong. The direction this story takes really delivers on its high-concept premise. Not only is the ending fantastic and ironic, prompting both despair and comfort, but the structure works really well in developing Harrison's personality and gradually unveiling the world that the author has imagined. The chapters where he struggles with depression and his sense of self also hit me especially hard.
There are questions that remain unresolved and will continue to haunt me, along with the disquieting feel of this book. It makes me ask myself scary questions about the compromises we make in our reality, and the endless chase for contentment, even happiness, that capitalism and the social contract trap us in. Definitely a book that will stay with me for a long time to come.
I received an advance review copy via BookSirens for free, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
Based on the first few chapters, I would not have predicted that. Initially, I found the narrative voice false-sounding and the dialogue stilted. Every character, even the protagonist, seemed artificial. I worried that the author had a poor ear for natural speech and a writing style that would grate on me more and more. I braced myself for another insipid book about everyone living in a simulation under an evil AI that a messiah-like main character eventually manages to foil. Blah blah free will, blah blah humanity.
I'm so glad to have been proven wrong. The direction this story takes really delivers on its high-concept premise. Not only is the ending fantastic and ironic, prompting both despair and comfort, but the structure works really well in developing Harrison's personality and gradually unveiling the world that the author has imagined. The chapters where he struggles with depression and his sense of self also hit me especially hard.
There are questions that remain unresolved and will continue to haunt me, along with the disquieting feel of this book. It makes me ask myself scary questions about the compromises we make in our reality, and the endless chase for contentment, even happiness, that capitalism and the social contract trap us in. Definitely a book that will stay with me for a long time to come.
I received an advance review copy via BookSirens for free, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.
bellebookcorner's review
3.0
"We can never go back, always forward."
This book has a unique world building with a really good writing style to explain how this dystopian world works with the different classes and the how Vie, the AI who control the life of the people in it.
Harrison is an interesting character to follow, the readers will slowly travel through different environment and meet different people each time he enter a new class. The readers get to understand more about Harrison; about his mind and his decision throughout the story.
However, I feel the pacing is slower in the first part and become rushed near the ending. At some parts, it was a bit confusing to understand as well.
Also this book has an open ending type which leaves the readers to decide what it means for Harrison in the end.
Overall, this is a pretty good read. It has some powerful message that can relate to our reality and how we live our life as well.
If you're a huge fan of sci-fi dystopian books, then you can check this one out.
"You can’t live your life for other people, not only is it a disservice to you, but you’re also putting your friend in a dangerous position."
I received an advanced review copy for free from the author, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book has a unique world building with a really good writing style to explain how this dystopian world works with the different classes and the how Vie, the AI who control the life of the people in it.
Harrison is an interesting character to follow, the readers will slowly travel through different environment and meet different people each time he enter a new class. The readers get to understand more about Harrison; about his mind and his decision throughout the story.
However, I feel the pacing is slower in the first part and become rushed near the ending. At some parts, it was a bit confusing to understand as well.
Also this book has an open ending type which leaves the readers to decide what it means for Harrison in the end.
Overall, this is a pretty good read. It has some powerful message that can relate to our reality and how we live our life as well.
If you're a huge fan of sci-fi dystopian books, then you can check this one out.
"You can’t live your life for other people, not only is it a disservice to you, but you’re also putting your friend in a dangerous position."
I received an advanced review copy for free from the author, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
emilyjwrites's review
4.0
This was a truly thought-provoking book. I'm still trying to decide how I currently feel upon finishing it
fairestofthestars's review
3.0
Without Disruption has a very interesting premise, and that's what initially made me interested in reading it. I went into the book knowing very little about the plot, and I think that is the best way to go into it, so this review will have as few specifics as I can manage while still making sense!
Without Disruption follows Harrison, and while he changes it during the course of his life, I will use this one to not give away too much. Harrison's world is an almost-utopia, everyone lives in different alpha classes, communities that prioritize different aspects of living, and different values and lifestyles. The whole system is run by Vie, an AI system that's revered almost as a god. The premise is that the system benefits everyone, as you can change your alpha class for another, better fitting one, if you are not content. The only catch is, once you leave an alpha class, you can never go back. As the book says - "No one can move backward. No decision can be undone."
The whole setup of the book, and the world were really interesting. Initially, the concept reminded me of books such as Divergent and Scythe, though I will say it is not actually like either of them. The system of alpha classes is very interesting, and we find out more information as Harrison makes his journey. I really liked that aspect of the book, the world-building felt slow and deliberate, and it constantly left you wanting to find out more. It is, however, quite open, both during the book and with how the ending is written, so if that's something you do not particularly enjoy, this might bother you.
Harrison is an interesting character to follow. He leaves the class he was born in, and we watch him as he tries out different things, and meets different people. I will say, this book took me a while to really get into it, as I didn't really follow his train of thought, and how he makes his decisions. Early on, with his first class change, he meets Niam, who he almost immediately falls for, and has a serious relationship with. But the issue was, I didn't understand at all why there were together. I felt like I missed a few chapters, to be honest. It definitely was obvious they were interested in each other, but the relationship jumped from 0 to 100 in next to no time. When asked, the most he said as a reason is that Niam is charming, so I was slightly confused on which common ground this relationship was built on. I said Harrison is an interesting character, and that is because I couldn't really guess what he'll do next, but his personality felt underdeveloped at times, as did for some of the other characters. The book is written in a way that more tells than shows, so I ended up feeling quite removed from all of the characters. The relationship he and Niam have is a significant one, causing both of them to make many irreversible choices - and yet I couldn't tell you why they were together. That relationship had a lot of potential, but was very underdeveloped, especially with how much of the book was centered on it.
The book is not focused solely on that relationship, of course, and I much more enjoyed the second half of it. That's where I felt like I could see much more of Harrison's personality, and what drives him. That's where we get to see more of the world, and understand better how it works. It was really interesting, especially watching cracks form in Harrison's worldview. This society is governed by the AI, in such a way it leaves no room for doubt, the idea is that the system is always good, and if it's not working for you, it's just because you haven't found your place yet. Here I'm not going into specifics because I don't want to spoil anything. We watch Harrison as doubts form in him, and as his motivations change, and I thought that was very well done. The book also incorporates the history of that world, and how it came to be this way. I really enjoyed that as it added a lot of depth to the world.
As I said, I enjoyed the second half of the book more, but I feel like it was a bit rushed, especially compared to the first part. I felt like the first part was just establishing the setting of the story, but with a certain storyline, it ended up dragging a bit, so the second part was rushing to get us all caught up. The ending was also very interesting, while I did guess it could be a possibility, I perhaps still hoped for a different one. The ending is slightly ironic and bittersweet but also hopeful in a way. It is interesting to see, as a general commentary on such a society. It is interesting, as all of the flaws of the system were laid out already, so it brings the question of are we doomed to repeat the cycle? Does it always end the same, or will it be different the next time? Especially if the system is trying to convince you it cannot be it that's wrong in any case.
Overall, I did think this book was really interesting, and it made me think about some of these themes and how they translate to the world in general. If you enjoy dystopian lit, and this book seems interesting to you, I would recommend it!
Thank you to BookSirens for providing me with the ebook in exchange for an honest review!
Without Disruption follows Harrison, and while he changes it during the course of his life, I will use this one to not give away too much. Harrison's world is an almost-utopia, everyone lives in different alpha classes, communities that prioritize different aspects of living, and different values and lifestyles. The whole system is run by Vie, an AI system that's revered almost as a god. The premise is that the system benefits everyone, as you can change your alpha class for another, better fitting one, if you are not content. The only catch is, once you leave an alpha class, you can never go back. As the book says - "No one can move backward. No decision can be undone."
The whole setup of the book, and the world were really interesting. Initially, the concept reminded me of books such as Divergent and Scythe, though I will say it is not actually like either of them. The system of alpha classes is very interesting, and we find out more information as Harrison makes his journey. I really liked that aspect of the book, the world-building felt slow and deliberate, and it constantly left you wanting to find out more. It is, however, quite open, both during the book and with how the ending is written, so if that's something you do not particularly enjoy, this might bother you.
Harrison is an interesting character to follow. He leaves the class he was born in, and we watch him as he tries out different things, and meets different people. I will say, this book took me a while to really get into it, as I didn't really follow his train of thought, and how he makes his decisions. Early on, with his first class change, he meets Niam, who he almost immediately falls for, and has a serious relationship with. But the issue was, I didn't understand at all why there were together. I felt like I missed a few chapters, to be honest. It definitely was obvious they were interested in each other, but the relationship jumped from 0 to 100 in next to no time. When asked, the most he said as a reason is that Niam is charming, so I was slightly confused on which common ground this relationship was built on. I said Harrison is an interesting character, and that is because I couldn't really guess what he'll do next, but his personality felt underdeveloped at times, as did for some of the other characters. The book is written in a way that more tells than shows, so I ended up feeling quite removed from all of the characters. The relationship he and Niam have is a significant one, causing both of them to make many irreversible choices - and yet I couldn't tell you why they were together. That relationship had a lot of potential, but was very underdeveloped, especially with how much of the book was centered on it.
The book is not focused solely on that relationship, of course, and I much more enjoyed the second half of it. That's where I felt like I could see much more of Harrison's personality, and what drives him. That's where we get to see more of the world, and understand better how it works. It was really interesting, especially watching cracks form in Harrison's worldview. This society is governed by the AI, in such a way it leaves no room for doubt, the idea is that the system is always good, and if it's not working for you, it's just because you haven't found your place yet. Here I'm not going into specifics because I don't want to spoil anything. We watch Harrison as doubts form in him, and as his motivations change, and I thought that was very well done. The book also incorporates the history of that world, and how it came to be this way. I really enjoyed that as it added a lot of depth to the world.
As I said, I enjoyed the second half of the book more, but I feel like it was a bit rushed, especially compared to the first part. I felt like the first part was just establishing the setting of the story, but with a certain storyline, it ended up dragging a bit, so the second part was rushing to get us all caught up. The ending was also very interesting, while I did guess it could be a possibility, I perhaps still hoped for a different one. The ending is slightly ironic and bittersweet but also hopeful in a way. It is interesting to see, as a general commentary on such a society. It is interesting, as all of the flaws of the system were laid out already, so it brings the question of are we doomed to repeat the cycle? Does it always end the same, or will it be different the next time? Especially if the system is trying to convince you it cannot be it that's wrong in any case.
Overall, I did think this book was really interesting, and it made me think about some of these themes and how they translate to the world in general. If you enjoy dystopian lit, and this book seems interesting to you, I would recommend it!
Thank you to BookSirens for providing me with the ebook in exchange for an honest review!
seekingdystopia's review
5.0
I had originally rated this a 4 but I can’t stop thinking about it so I think I need to bump my rating to a 5.
I have been trying to scratch my brain for an adjective that describes how this book makes you feel while staring at the wall after finishing the last page. I’m sure it exists either in English or another language but I just don’t know what it is.
My all time favorite book is 1984. I want to be very clear: the plot is nothing like 1984. But the adjective that I’m searching for to describe Without Disruption is probably the same one that I would use to describe 1984. Something like melancholy with a side of nihilism.
Our main character, Harrison, lives in a world that guarantees contentment by committing to a highly specific lifestyle. He isn’t content in the society that he was born into, nor is he content in the second, nor the third. As he starts to dig into the truth about his world, he begins to run out of options.
This is a government dystopian book - where the government tries to convince its people that they live in a utopia and that the heavy surveillance is for its citizens benefit. This is one of my favorite types of dystopian books!
The character building was absolutely brilliant. Harrison was interesting and complex. The supporting cast brought a wide array of representation, personalities, and loyalties (or lack thereof).
The story was incredibly unique and the writing style was pleasant to read and easy to follow.
Do yourself a favor and pick this book up!
I have been trying to scratch my brain for an adjective that describes how this book makes you feel while staring at the wall after finishing the last page. I’m sure it exists either in English or another language but I just don’t know what it is.
My all time favorite book is 1984. I want to be very clear: the plot is nothing like 1984. But the adjective that I’m searching for to describe Without Disruption is probably the same one that I would use to describe 1984. Something like melancholy with a side of nihilism.
Our main character, Harrison, lives in a world that guarantees contentment by committing to a highly specific lifestyle. He isn’t content in the society that he was born into, nor is he content in the second, nor the third. As he starts to dig into the truth about his world, he begins to run out of options.
This is a government dystopian book - where the government tries to convince its people that they live in a utopia and that the heavy surveillance is for its citizens benefit. This is one of my favorite types of dystopian books!
The character building was absolutely brilliant. Harrison was interesting and complex. The supporting cast brought a wide array of representation, personalities, and loyalties (or lack thereof).
The story was incredibly unique and the writing style was pleasant to read and easy to follow.
Do yourself a favor and pick this book up!
gayathri_u's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Something about Carrie's writing has you hooked to the book from the first page. I couldn't put it down until I finished it! Her descriptions are so vivid, clear, and immersive that you feel connected to Harrison's character right from the start. Oh, and the prose! It's so, so beautiful! 5/5 will recommend.