A review by rdubs15
Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson

adventurous mysterious 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

4.5

Before We Disappear review: 9/10, I really enjoyed it! Really fun to have real magic alongside illusionists. It’s got all the stuff you’d expect from a ya novel - shitty guardians, 16 year olds doing bonkers things, etc - and it’s an absolute blast. It’s set in 1909 in Seattle, which is a fun departure from your standard New York/ London. I wouldn’t call it an innovative story, but it’s a very good one (ex. There are twists that you can predict but it isn’t unpleasant to wait for the characters to get there). There’s magic, there’s crime, there’s escaping from various bad guys, there’s non-toxic expression of emotions from teenage male characters, there are some truly kick ass female secondary characters. Very gay, very fun, I’d give it a listen!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse

A child character is kidnapped and abused by his captor. He is forced to work for his captor. Some of his abuse is described on the page, mild to moderately graphic. This is a major plot point, so was referenced often through the entire story.