Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson

Before We Disappear

by Shaun David Hutchinson

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!

It’s a new star-crossed romance about the magic of first love from the acclaimed author of We Are the Ants and Brave Face, Shaun David Hutchinson.

Jack Nevin’s clever trickery and moral flexibility make him the perfect assistant to the Enchantress, one of the most well-known stage magicians in turn-of-the-nineteenth-century Europe. Without Jack’s steady supply of stolen tricks, the Enchantress’s fame would have burned out long ago.

But when Jack’s thievery catches up to them, they’re forced to flee to America to find their fortune. Luckily, the Enchantress is able to arrange a set of sold-out shows at Seattle’s Alaska–Yukon–Pacific World’s Fair Exposition. She’s convinced they’re going to rich and famous until a new magician arrives on the scene. Performing tricks that defy the imagination, Laszlo’s show overshadows the Enchantress, leaving Jack no choice but to hunt for the secrets to his otherworldly illusions. But what Jack uncovers isn’t at all what he expected.

Behind Laszlo’s tricks is Wilhelm—a boy that can seemingly perform real magic. Jack and Wilhelm have an instant connection, and as the rivalry between the Enchantress and Laszlo grows, so too does Jack and Wilhelm’s affection. But can Jack choose between the woman who gave him a life and the boy who is offering him everything?

It’s a stirring tale about the magic of love from award-winning author Shaun David Hutchinson.

Reviewed by lessthelonely on

4 of 5 stars

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4.25/5 stars.

Do your eyes deceive you or am I reading a book released very recently, as in, last month or so? No, they're not deceiving you, but I should say I didn't have any plans of reading this book this quickly or this close to when it was released, yet here I am! If you want to know, usually what happens when I decide to read a book is that I pick the first one that sparks joy in my brain at the time of choosing.

I wish I was kidding. To give myself some credit, during Summer, I did have a little plan to read books, as in, as I was reading one book, I had a little list of the next few titles (usually just two or three), but since I had a reading slump, I dropped that. Maybe I can get into it again at some point, but I guess we'll see with College starting this Monday (October 11th) where I'm studying.

Either way, let's talk about this book. This book is by Shaun David Hutchinson, who I had only read one book of, namely the one that people seem to hold to the highest standard - We Are The Ants. I read that a long while ago on my Mom's work tablet, way before I even realized I could get a Kindle and read there. We Are The Ants, even if I felt like it was the sort of perfect contemporary book at the time, disappointed me in the romance regard. As I've stated a lot of times here, I like it when romance is transformed into plot, where pining, little touches, and accidental stuff happens, only to combust into flames with some very cliché (yet very satisfying for people like me) big moment like a drunk make-out session or something along those lines.

The way I see it, I liked this book way more than We Are The Ants, though I understand it's hard to compare the two because they deal with very different themes, but I digress. I feel like this book is a We Are The Ants rehash with different themes and characters, sure, but, at the same time, the main difference is that this book is closer to historical fiction and fantasy than contemporary. What I'm trying to say is that this plot reads extremely contemporary most of the time, and it was a very interesting read because Mr. Hutchinson knows how to make an intriguing contemporary plot.

At the same time, the romance is pretty much similar, though I'll give it to Mr. Hutchinson saying that he kept the anticipation going for way longer than I was expecting him to, and I found it glorious even if I still think this romance is a bit underwritten. It's just the right amount of written for you to be able to want stuff to happen and the couple to be together, but it's not that much so you lose your shit every time something romantic happens. As someone said in a review I read for this book, there is a lot of telling involved, which is still cute! This book isn't any sort of high fantasy where stuff is usually way more thought through and thus more complex to read - though it deals with very unnerving and terrifyingly realistic portrayals of abuse both emotional and physical, I would call this one of the lightest reads of the Summer.

One reason for this is that the abuse that I just mentioned has a little bit of violence sprinkled throughout, nothing I would consider to make people more than the expected amount of uncomfortable and mad, yet I think that the realistic part of it would go over a lot of people's heads because of how subtle it must be to someone who isn't unfortunately used to being abused themselves or just isn't educated on the matter.

This is still a great read despite all of that: I think any queer boy, girl, or enby will find this an entertaining and satisfying read, even with the romance being a victim of too much telling. At the same time, I saw some complaints about how some current problems are handled and a bit shoehorned in with, once again, a lot of telling. I do agree, but under the risk of talking out of place even if I have no ill intent, I don't think it's detrimental to the cause to read the way these were handled in the book.

Give this one a try! I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 8 October, 2021: Finished reading
  • 8 October, 2021: Reviewed