Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson
Published by HarperTeen on September 2021Genres: Young Adult
Pages: 512
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon Goodreads
The Prestige meets What If It’s Us in Before We Disappear, a queer ahistorical fantasy set during the 1909 Seattle Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition, where the two assistants of two ambitious magicians find themselves falling in love amidst a bitter rivalry designed to tear them apart.
Jack Nevin’s clever trickery and moral flexibility have served him well his entire life—making him the perfect assistant to the Enchantress, one of the most well-known stage magicians in early-twentieth-century Europe. Without Jack’s steady supply of stolen tricks and copycat sleight-of-hand illusions, the Enchantress’s fame would have burned out long ago—not that she would ever admit it.
But when they’re forced to flee the continent for America, the Enchantress finds a new audience in Seattle at the 1909 Alaska–Yukon–Pacific World’s Fair Exposition. She and Jack are set to make a fortune until a new magician arrives on the scene. Performing tricks that defy the imagination, Laszlo’s act threatens to overshadow the Enchantress and co-opt her audience. Jack has no choice but to hunt for the secrets behind Laszlo’s otherworldly illusions—but what he uncovers isn’t at all what he expected.
What makes Laszlo’s tricks possible is, unbelievably, a boy that can seemingly perform real magic. Wilhelm’s abilities defy all the laws of physics. His talents are no clever sleights-of-hand. But even though Laszlo and Wilhelm’s act threatens to destroy the life Jack and the Enchantress have built, Jack and Wilhelm have near-instant connection. As the rivalry between the Enchantress and Laszlo grows increasingly dangerous and dire, Jack finds he has to choose between the woman who gave him a life and the boy who is offering him love. It's a new star-crossed romance about the magic of first love from acclaimed author Shaun David Hutchinson.
This book was so much fun. It has the perfect blend of romance, magic and adventure.
Jack will be the guy you want to explore the world with. He’s clever with a little bit of criminal in him. I love his confidence and his attitude and how easily he move through the world, knowing what tricks to use and how to find the information he needs.
Wilhem is sweet and scarred and very very lost. His situation is truly horrendous and it’s a very warm story to read how these two opposites find each other and heal.
Of course I love the magic bits. Illusionist or real magic aside, I really enjoyed the descriptions and overall imaginative tricks the two magicians were playing on each other. The world was fun and even though familiar, there were some awesome surprises too. And as the story builds and Jack and Wil’s relationship grows, so does the danger. I really felt like each of the characters were in serious trouble a few times. It wasn’t like one of those stories where you think – oh yeah, nothing bad will ever happen. Because in this book, sometimes it did and I like having that real and present urgency carrying the characters towards their finale.
That’s not to say it’s all doom and gloom. The danger of the outside world is a solid balance to the budding relationship of Jack and Will as they learn how to trust each other and what family really means. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but I certainly didn’t think I would be glued to it the entire time I was reading it. I think I skipped a dinner or at least a lunch.
Very entertaining and engrossing with illusionists, magic, twists and some double crossing. It was a well written and fast paced story. I hope there’s a sequel. There’s two characters that I would like to follow….
Kimberly majored in Songwriting and currently works full time in the music industry. When she's not listening to music, knitting or writing, you can find her outside reading her favorite genres: Young Adult, Adult Fiction, Mystery, and Romance.
