Before We Disappear

I really liked this story. Although there were a few things that I wasn’t too fond of. Starting with something that I got over very quickly at the beginning. I’m not much of a fan of historical anything — this leaning more toward a historical fantasy. However, I quickly got out of that mentality since this story doesn’t lean too heavily on the historical part. The second thing I had issues with was about the way Wilhelm was being kept captive and a prisoner, and all the things that were being done to him made me feel so uneasy. It was uncomfortable having to read/listen to how Teddy speaks to him. Not that it was badly written or anything, but the mental manipulation being done to Wilhelm was uncomfortable and kind of depressing for me. Overall I think this is a solid read and deserving of its 3.5 stars. I did feel like some parts could have been a bit shorter, however that’s a personal preference.

A perfectly fine story but it was nothing groundbreaking. I liked Wil and Jack as a central couple and I liked the inclusion of a black, lesbian woman as a side character who was a strong and reliable lady. I even liked the magician shows and the descriptions of the illusions. All that was whimsical and fun.

The problems that I had with this book were as follows. It took forever for the central conflict of the plot to unfold. At several points different characters get into trouble that could lead them to physical harm but instead of just telling someone and asking for help they try to play the martyr card by saying things like “I can handle this on my own” or “telling you will only put you in danger!” And that is stupid. Teddy, who is the villain of the story, was so despicably evil and I felt that his storyline wasn't resolved in a satisfying way. We've seen him torture, murder, poison, and abuse his way through this book and yet we don't even get the satisfaction of seeing him get beaten up or anything? I would have liked more physical harm to come to Teddy after everything he did in this novel.

My biggest issue was with the last 30% of the book. Wil is too naive and too trusting for him to be realistic. You'd think that after being kidnapped as a child and forced to do horrible things for Teddy he wouldn't trust him and yet whenever Teddy says “take this medicine” or “do this or I'll hurt someone” he goes along with it? It made me angry that Wil KNOWS Teddy is a lying bastard who is willing to hurt people if he doesn't get his way but Wil also trusts that if he does whatever Teddy says that he won't hurt people? WHY WOULD YOU TRUST HIM WHEN YOU KNOW HES KILLED PEOPLE FOR LESS!?! Will's state of mind the entire book is essentially “If I don't help Teddy then he's going to hurt this person but if I do help Teddy then he's still going to hurt this person if I fuck up in the future”. Okay, so why are you helping him at all if he's going to hurt people either way? It doesn't make any sense and made me think of Disney movies were the “hero” couldn't possibly commit any act of violence because it would ruin their pure soul. Even if they would be doing so to save their own life or the life of someone else.

Overall, I enjoyed the book but I was getting very frustrated with the slow pace and Will's naïveté toward the end of the story.

Cute story.

the true magic was the queer squad they made along the way

Cara que livro maravilhoso. Não sei o que mais me fascinou nele, entre ver a relação dos personagens se desenvolver, conforme o Jack e o Wil se conheciam e se conectavam cada vez mais, Jack descobrindo a verdade sobre o Wilhelm aos poucos, sentir a aura de grandeza que a Enchantress emana, e explorar a Alaska-Yukon-Pacif Exposition em Seattle, 1909.

Todos estes elementos se juntaram de uma forma magnífica para formar a experiência de leitura magnífica que é esse livro. Um dos melhores livros de 2021, sem dúvidas, e uma viagem imperdível pela exposição de Seattle que estava comprometida a apresentar o mundo do futuro.

“Eu queria contar uma história que se passasse em 1909 e que fosse cheia de alegria queer, então tomei várias liberdades com relação ao que as pessoas marginalizadas em 1909 teriam podido fazer, e não sinto muito. Estávamos lá em 1909, quer as pessoas soubessem ou não, e enquanto a história de Jack e Wil não é realidade, gostaria de pensar que poderia ter sido.” - Notas do autor.

This was a great fantasy! I loved the setting of AYP Exposition since that's a time period I haven't read in a lot of books.

This will sound weird but I hope this stays a stand-alone book as those can be hard to find!

Given the beautiful cover and interesting setting, I was underwhelmed by this book. The writing style was straightforward but unremarkable. I liked the relationship between the MCs, but Wil was basically a damsel in distress, locked away and waiting for Jack to figure out a plan to free him. The female characters were actually more interesting and nuanced, especially Evangeline, who varied between maternal figure and conniving bitch. YMMV, especially if you are actually within the YA target audience.