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vaporization's review against another edition
3.0
a bit heavy handed. Lucia is the most interesting, there should have been more of her
minslibrary's review against another edition
I tried to finish this, I really did, but it just became such a chore towards the end that I couldn't do it. And it's not like I'd enjoyed it much if at all until this point anyway.
I would describe the writing of this book as clumsy. It was repetitive, sometimes the characters felt inconsistent, and there were a lot of things that didn’t make sense.
I wasn’t invested in the central romance, either, nor was I impressed by the characters. It’s not necessarily that I disliked the characters themselves, it’s more like I disliked the way the author wrote them. They could’ve been interesting to read about, but the way they were written was aggravating.
This book tried to touch on some really heavy topics, but I don’t think the author handled that as well as they could’ve—it just felt like the subject matter was far too heavy for how the characters reacted to it or handled it.
By the end, it just became physically painful to try and continue reading this, which is unfortunate because from the premise alone I thought I was going to love this.
I would describe the writing of this book as clumsy. It was repetitive, sometimes the characters felt inconsistent, and there were a lot of things that didn’t make sense.
I wasn’t invested in the central romance, either, nor was I impressed by the characters. It’s not necessarily that I disliked the characters themselves, it’s more like I disliked the way the author wrote them. They could’ve been interesting to read about, but the way they were written was aggravating.
This book tried to touch on some really heavy topics, but I don’t think the author handled that as well as they could’ve—it just felt like the subject matter was far too heavy for how the characters reacted to it or handled it.
By the end, it just became physically painful to try and continue reading this, which is unfortunate because from the premise alone I thought I was going to love this.
horatios_ghost's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
this book was just not for me, man. the plot was pretty predictable and i found a lot of the cast to be one-note. on the positive side, despite the actual length, it was a quick read, and i cared about wil quite a bit! if you're in the mood for queer historical romance without the period-typical homophobia, this will scratch your itch (though because racism and sexism are mentioned throughout the novel it does feel weird that being gay is a-okay <- words of a person with Thoughts on this)
emilythemarsh's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
frenchhornchild's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wistyallgood's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
notblue's review against another edition
4.0
I don't know how a book can be so exciting and so slow at the same time :o
3.5/5
3.5/5
courtneysbooks's review against another edition
4.0
*Thank you NetGalley for sending me an eARC In exchange for an honest review* 3.5/Before We Disappear is an enchanting LGBTQ+ fantasy taking place in 1909 at the Seattle Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. Two assistants, of rival magicians, fall in love under difficult circumstances.
Wilheim and Jack are the highlight of this book for me. Their relationship is sweet and well-developed. It was easy to fall in love with the side characters as well — Ruth, Jessamy and Lucia were all so interesting. Teddy can choke.
I did find myself incredibly frustrated with pretty much everything Jack did in this book lmao but it was still a fun read.
Wilheim and Jack are the highlight of this book for me. Their relationship is sweet and well-developed. It was easy to fall in love with the side characters as well — Ruth, Jessamy and Lucia were all so interesting. Teddy can choke.
I did find myself incredibly frustrated with pretty much everything Jack did in this book lmao but it was still a fun read.
sdematos1443's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75