I was intrigued by the concept so I gave it a chance. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t like it. It was hard to follow the characters and timeline. I also was confused by who and which narrator even though there was one main. Also there was a jump between a timeline of 5 years? It was hard to keep up. I also thought the character development was lacking - specifically Shael. I did like them but felt there was not much to like. The concept of Between was in interesting that maybe if it was developed more I could see it be successful! I didn’t hate the writing.

Bravo to Karasik for writing this exquisite study of the intersections between gender, humanity, and politics. This book would make a beautiful literary comparison with Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness- I couldn’t help but notice the similarities of philosophies and cultural analysis. Like much speculative fiction aims to do, Disobedience succeeds in highlighting the structures within humankind through a creatively mythical context, revealing modern vulnerabilities with futuristic fiction.

A few times I sensed it flitted between conscious and unconscious influence, sometimes neglecting circumstances or characters to push a metaphysical train of thought. Though I felt connected with the characters and relatively satisfied with the historical background provided, I think some concepts like the between gender classification and political hierarchy/world order were used as baselines to support the abstraction of thoughts behind the work. I would have liked to see a deeper description of mentioned conditions.

I feel it’s most beautiful strength was the expression of humanity’s commitment to better itself with each generation. The dedication characters show to the current youth and future generations inspired a satisfying belief in the potential for a better world. By connecting the fluidity of sexuality, gender, power, priorities, and so much more, the reader is exposed to ideas of reality beyond the world in which they live in and the one they read about.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“And if the struggle were to stop existing because we won? Would we go mad, or invent new kinds of struggle just to keep ourselves occupied?”

“What other options were there, besides suicide? Is it really an act of resistance just to want to stay alive? When they contrast this will to survive with Coe’s militancy, the way he risks life and freedom to fight the oppressive conditions that afflict everyone in the camp, they’re embarrassed by the comparison.”

“We have always done this. We have always been asked to do this, always been able to do this. Not only console or counsel, but mediate between darknesses. Practice a cartography of transformation in a zone of unmarked roads. Foster the imagination of a future whose ethical foundation could be a goodness without innocence. A decency won by struggling through guilt. Not for the sake of a transcendent moral order—but for each other’s sake.”

I struggled with this a lot. The concept and description drew me in, but the writing felt clunky and not to my taste. I felt like we were just plonked into the world with not a lot of context, and following Shael I didn't really understand their motivations/dreams besides a desire to be free. I wanted to be in the action, but a lot of it was described to the reader which can feel a bit boring at times.

I did enjoy the Riverwish trials, the action amped up a tad and more of the politics came into play - but I feel like it needs to be reworked a tad to really grip a reader. The topics are important to discuss, and I felt like adding another perspective via another POV could have helped flesh it out. I want to connect to the characters more!

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

I truly enjoyed this book, the concept was fascinating and it kept me hooked from start to end.
The author's writing style is easily accessible and made it a fantastic story.

I really liked the book, won't give five stars, because in the middle of the book I got a little confused, and the narrative got a bit slow

I don't think I really enjoyed reading this story. The writing wasn't my sort of taste but I will say that it was a topic that is something that needs to be discussed. I find that fiction is a great place for bringing it up since it gives perspective to your own life or what other aspects you may be surrounded by. Nevertheless, the characters were okay, I didn't feel entirely connected like I thought I would. I think this would touch someone in similar situations, kind of, I can see someone finding themselves in the pages of this book, but it just wasn't for me and that's okay!

This book starts amazingly. From the beginning I started caring for Shael and rooted for their relationship with Coe. I really enjoyed their transition from camp to their freedom (?) until you kinda realize there’s no perfect place? There’s so much politics going around, so much unexplained “us versus them”. I was bored around 60% through the end. I really did not understand why the story was so dragged. This might be some set up for future books, but overall I could not connect to the silvershore people. They kinda seemed high on their fake freedom and then suddenly you realize there’s a spy…

Anyway, this had some cozy queer friendly vibe, but the topics were not cozy at all. There’s good plot points and excellent first 30%.

Thanks netgalley for the review copy!

Did not finish book. Stopped at 13%.

i really wanted to love this book, but it i just couldn't do it. the prose was honestly just awful, full of oddly stitched sentences that didn't match with the character's own knowledge and awareness. how does shael have deep knowledge on the working of the carceral system in the narration, but somehow believes all the lie's of the camp when interacting with anyone else?

the dialogue is also honestly not great. it doesn't read like conversation, more like abolitionist 101 tumblr posts. and obviously, if that was the political stance i disagreed with, i wouldn't have requested this book. my issue is that the author simply told you the themes and philosophical musings of the book in every other line of prose or dialogue, rather than allowing for the readers to intuit it themselves from reading the story. given how lackluster the actual development of this novel was, i can only conclude that it was because the author could not trust themself to create a story that would allow for that happen.

i think this author's writing style and focus is simply not suited for fiction. i'm all for political themes, but the purpose of a fiction novel first and foremost is to tell a good story.

I really really wanted to like this book because the summary seemed right up my alley. However, this was just not good.

First off, the prose was clumsily written. There were run on sentences mixed with short unformed clauses which broke up the pace of my reading.

I also have no idea who Shael is and they are our main character. I have no idea of their personality, wants, wishes or dreams beyond a vague hope for freedom. They were entirely passive throughout the book and very rarely took action for themselves. Everything happened to them or around them including the idea to leave the oppressive camp which is the catalyst for the story!

The side characters were more archetypes than people which I assume was intentional as this was meant to be 'speculative scifi'. But you can write a speculative book without making your characters flat.

Everything about the world was also incredibly vague. There are companies? And the mountain and a camp run by one of those companies? Then we have the rebellion camp that's caught between? None of these places have any definition to them and don't seem fully thought out.

And there's no plot. Nothing happens beyond the escape, a rescue mission and some discussion of a spy. Aside from Shael participating in the rescue mission, they aren't involved in anything but are merely a spectator. Events are described to the reader instead of being shown to them. Which is super boring.

I do think the best parts of the book are the trials in Riverwish as there is some action in them. However, they seem set up to be an excuse for philosophical arguments within the text. But sine I don't care about the characters (because they are archetypes and not people), why would I care what they have to say? Karasik's musings on power and freedom are interesting, I just wish there was a better story constructed around them.

Honestly, this should have been a multi POV book with Shael in the camp, Calla coming from the Mountain and then a 3rd character already in Riverwish. We could see how their different upbringings and experiences shape how they view the world and what the future should look like.

I was hooked for the cover and so glad I was able to read this, it had a great overall concept and worked with the world that was created. The characters were really interesting and glad they felt like real people in this world. It was a beautifully done story and I was engaged with the plot. Daniel Sarah Karasik writes a strong story and characters that felt like they were supposed to.

Disobedience touched on important social issues plaguing our society all while in a different world than our own. I was wrapped up in the dystopian, sci-fi universe where global warming and pollution has changed the surface of the planet.

Shael is a relatable and endearing character. Their struggles are unique to them, while also being understandable enough to gain my empathy. An outstandingly well written character who is constantly being subjected to impossible situations both social and physical.

In this book, capitalism has gone to the extreme. There are also themes of race, class, sexuality, gender, and environmentalism. Disobedience does a great job at dissecting all of these themes and doing them justice.

It appears that this book may be set up for an entire series and I am HERE FOR IT

DNF @ 11%

I really liked the writing style of this book. The world-building was vivid and I was able to imagine what was going on.

The main reason I DNF’d the book was because it felt rather rushed in the first chapter and I am not a massive fan of it. Throughout the first chapter I was questioning what was going on, and at the start of the chapter I was thinking I had missed a whole series when this book is a standalone.

Shael lives in a vast prison camp, a monstrosity developed after centuries of warfare and environmental catastrophe. As a young transfeminine person, they risk abject violence if their identity and love affair with Coe, an insurrectionary activist, are discovered. But desire and rebellion flare, and soon Shael escapes to Riverwish, a settlement attempting to forge a new way of living that counters the camp’ s repression. As the complexities of this place unfold before Shael, Disobedience How can a community redress harm without reproducing unaccountable forms of violence? How do we heal? What might a compassionate, sustainable model of justice look like? This is a remarkable work of queer and trans speculative fiction that imagines how alternative forms of connection and power can refuse the violent institutions that engulf us.

Cool and heartbreaking story about a girl trying to survive in a prison camp.. While sad and upsetting, there is still an overall feeling of hioe in the narrative and I couldn't put this one down. Highly recommended!