This book wasn't for me. At the time I was hoping to read anything with queer representation, but I probably shouldn't have strayed too far from what I know and love. Whilst the book does take on some heavy topics, the execution itself left much to be desired.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Disobedience is a phenomenal, gripping read. A mix of climate dystopia and queer futurism, this book is filled with suspense but also the power of community.

Thank you to NetGAlley for providing a copy of this for my honest review.
I was very excited to read this just based on the description and the beautiful cover too. Overall, I was not disappointed. My only real criticism's would be is that it suffered a little bit from a very choppy writing style. Especially in the first half it did seem to jump from scene to scene in a way that was not smooth at all. To the point that some of the earlier scenes felt like they were not even finished before jumping to the next. Another minor criticism is that the title is not easy to read on the cover.
Right now that bit is out of the way, I can tell you all the things I loved. I really loved the characters and could imagine myself in their situation and wondering what choices I would make. I also appreciated the portrayal of the effect that a traumatic environment can have on how a person finds solace and even enjoyment. The plot was great and if anything could have easily had another 100 pages to feel more complete. I would have enjoyed more world building in the beginning to understand better how they ended up in the society.
I also can't do this review justice without mentioning the Trans and Non-Binary rep in this book. This was an element that I was excited to read and see included. Overall, I thought it was pretty good rep. My only issue really was the over sexualisation in the beginning and the pairing the transfeminine person with the type of sex was uncomfortable to read as I felt it played into some negative/harmful stereotypes. Equally, I understood there was a progression there with the characeters but that wasn't really followed through with fully.
I will look out for more titles from this author because I overall enjoyed the book and would recommend it to those that like dystopian stories that leave you thinking deeply about the world we live in. I also think people that are character driven may enjoy this too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Book*hug Press for the advance reader copy.

I didn’t have a great time reading this and felt that there needed to be a few more edits especially with the dialogue. There’s a lot of empty space within the story and some characters don’t feel like they’ve been properly thought about for the story.

It was great seeing a non binary character as the lead of this book and them being able to find their group and feel welcomed.

I think overall there was a lot of potential in this book but it needs some help getting there.

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.

I wanted to love this, but it fell a little flat for me. The writing felt a little juvenile and I found myself unable to really connect with the story.

Apologies for the confusion. Let's correct that:

**Book Review: "Disobedience" by Daniel Sarah Karasik**

Daniel Sarah Karasik's "Disobedience" is a poignant exploration of familial bonds, cultural identity, and the struggle for personal autonomy set against the backdrop of a tightly-knit community.

The novel unfolds in the insular world of an Orthodox Jewish community in North London, where traditions and expectations weigh heavily on its members. At the heart of the story is Ronit Krushka, who returns to this community after the death of her father, a revered rabbi. Her homecoming reignites unresolved tensions and forbidden passions, particularly her rekindled relationship with Esti, her childhood friend and former lover.

Karasik's narrative is both introspective and incisive, delving into themes of faith, repression, and the consequences of breaking societal norms. Through vivid prose and nuanced characterizations, Karasik paints a complex portrait of individuals grappling with their desires against a backdrop of religious duty and familial obligation.

The characters in "Disobedience" are rendered with empathy and depth, each wrestling with their own inner conflicts and desires. Ronit's rebellious spirit contrasts sharply with Esti's internalized struggle for acceptance and authenticity, highlighting the novel's exploration of personal liberation and the price of conformity.

Karasik's writing style is atmospheric and evocative, capturing the tensions simmering beneath the surface of daily life within the community. The novel's pacing is deliberate, allowing moments of quiet reflection to juxtapose with bursts of emotional intensity, keeping readers engaged and invested in the characters' journeys.

Thematically, "Disobedience" is a meditation on identity and belonging, as well as the sacrifices one makes in pursuit of personal truth. It challenges readers to confront the complexities of cultural heritage and the impact of societal expectations on individual happiness.

In conclusion, "Disobedience" by Daniel Sarah Karasik is a compelling novel that resonates with its exploration of love, faith, and the pursuit of self-actualization within the confines of tradition. Karasik's nuanced storytelling and rich character development create a narrative that is both intimate and thought-provoking, making it a poignant read for anyone interested in the intersections of personal freedom and communal responsibility.

The description of this book really drew me in, but I found that the execution fell flat. I really appreciated the discussion of gender and social issues, but had a hard time getting interested in the characters.

I got about 15% into this and genuinely tried to enjoy it, but I couldn't find any part of myself that did. As a non-binary individual, I was super excited to read this and read about the intricacies of gender from the perspective of another enby, but I just. Ugh. Not for me. I personally feel that this book should have gone through a few more rounds of editing before pub, as I'm finding a lot of run-on sentences and flat writing, generally, but maybe that was a stylistic choice that I'm just not vibing with.

Thank you to Karasik & Book*hug Press for the ARC.

While I loved the concept of this book, and I’m excited to see more representation of nonbinary and trans characters, it fell a little flat to me. I did enjoy it, but would like to see a bit more character development, and a little more juice to the story, world building, and interpersonal relationships. I think there’s some people I’ll be excited to recommend this to, but I can’t say it’s a blanketed “must recommend” for my circle.

This one's tricky, because I love the politics of this book, and some of the discussions and "what-ifs" around how to navigate community building in the face of fascism are important to address; many of them are questions that folks who have spent time in community-building spaces will recognize.

As a book, though? There are SO MANY SCENES in here that are just conversations between people who live in this (unfortunately plausible) dystopian spec-fic world, and the world is just different enough from ours that I really wanted to see more instead of just TALKING about it. There were a few scenes where we got to see the various societies in practice --- my favorite was scene where a mediation between two characters plays out in ways that I found very engaging and unexpected. I wish there had been more of that.

The best parts of "Disobedience" were reminiscent of "The Free People's Village" and "I Hope We Choose Love." I've struggled with how to rate it because I think that if the author and I sat down to have a conversation, we'd agree on a lot of things, and I would probably walk away from that discussion feeling smarter than I am now. As a book, though, I wanted more things to happen to make the story engaging... or for Karasik to drop the pretense of the fictional world entirely and just write an extended essay in clear terms. My attention wandered during the extended Socratic debates, and I was often confused about what things were supposed to look like, how old people were, etc.

Tl;dr: It's worth a read for people who are thinking about community-building and social justice. I think this would be great for a book group, particularly in an LGBTQIA+ community space.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I'd like to thank Daniel Sarah Karasik, NetGalley and Book*hug Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

For being so short, landing at only 220 pages this book is dense and full to the brim with peak science fiction dystopian plot that you ache to learn more about. There is so much here, and one call tell how much work the author put into this book. Things were left out and unexplained on purpose, and while I don't quite understand why, I understand it was supposed to be that way.

Our main character Shael is a Between, a person born between the binary genders, illegal in the camp where they were born. Their lover Coe is an activist, he strives to get them out to the Waste, beyond the camp and free amongst others who've escaped.

At first I thought I was going to rate this book 3 stars, because it feels like the middle of a story, it starts after the beginning and ends before the ending, and I want to see more of it. I want the history of how the camp was made, what happened to the earth that everything is the way that it is. I want to know more about Shael, who I feel I only attached to about halfway through the book. There is a subtle underlying sadness and power to this book, and a scene near the end is what solidified me giving this four stars.

On NetGalley there are quotes below the book you've requested, to give you info on how others perceived the book. The quote in question here mentions "kinky rebellion" which just rings so disingenuous once completing the book. There are on page intimate scenes, but they're full of desire and love and need and humanity. Though I suppose one could classify some acts as kinky I just think its so much more than that.

The trigger warnings I gathered: war, wrongful imprisonment, abuse, domestic abuse, suicide, death, violence, body horror, sexual assault (mentioned), child death (not on page)

‘Disobedience’ follows Shael as they navigate life in an oppressive and highly surveilled, prison-like system. We follow Shael as they endeavour to escape and, alongside their found family, defy the society they have grown up in.

The themes of transformative justice, identity, queerness, and community (to name a few) are explored within a dystopian world not all too different from our own. Daniel Sarah Karasik is evidently very knowledgeable and in touch with these themes, and this shines through throughout the story, which I really appreciated and long to see more of in fiction.

Unfortunately, the overall story and the prose itself left me disappointed and wanting more. Whilst I enjoyed my time getting to know some of the characters and seeing a glimpse into their worlds, I couldn’t help but long for more detail. With some additional world-building, character-building, and overall fleshing out, this could easily have been a new favourite for me.

If you are interested in these themes and don’t mind a narrative that may leave you longing for more, then this may still be worth checking out if it is already on your radar.

Daniel Sarah Karasik is definitely one to watch, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they do next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc. All opinions are my own.

This book was in need of about two more ruthless edits before being published. That alone would raise the story into a 3 star review for me and probably garner even higher praise from other readers. Specifically, further editing was needed to tighten up some inconsistencies in characterization that made it hard to get a concrete understanding of who the characters are, especially the main character from whose POV the story is told. In the opening chapter and scenes I put Shael at around 15 years old based on their relationship with their mother and younger siblings and living situation. Also based on their maturity.

But then they were sneaking off to have sex with a man in what was a well established bondage/discipline dynamic. So are they in maybe their 20s then? Or was an age difference between their lover and them part of the power dynamic? I couldn’t figure it out but more clarity on the ages of the sex partners would have been helpful for this reader in trying to identify and relate to any of the characters, especially as their sexual preferences and that relationship was our first introduction to them and who they were as a person. Call me prudish if you want, but as a gay identified man I’m sensitive to the trope that young male-bodied persons are preyed upon by older male-bodied persons and it wasn’t clear to me whether or not that was happening here.

Later in the story, Shael does appear to be older, maybe in their 20s, but I had trouble aligning that with the overall story of when their parent broke free from the prison camp and, again, the age of their younger siblings, the back story of their mother…it all just needed attention in the editing process. As did minor details such as the publisher summary of the book indicating we were in the world after “centuries of warfare” yet it seems in the story that early 21st century is within living memory of the more senior of the population and even Shael’s generation has heard stories of how the world was by someone who was there. And the books they read in the prison camp (both authorized and smuggled) somehow were leftover from that time or referenced it? I don’t know - it was confusing on how they were getting information, and endos, or even a super “feminine” and illicit corset to wear during their sex play when everyone of any gender dressed in robes.

Same thing later in the story with the child Potenza who initially seemed about 5 but then maybe 10 or 8 or 12 years old based on the level of care she seemed to require, her level of comprehension and communication skills. More consistency, please, because trying to figure out the basics like that distracts the reader from the overall story.

And the overall story explores some really interesting ground when it comes to human nature. How do we pick our leaders in environments where leadership is necessary? Of what value is a warrior mentality? Pretty high value when you’re a rebel breaking out of a prison camp? But what does a peaceful society do with people with that mentality when it’s not wartime? Then how are those people valued? Those are some interesting questions and the story makes some attempts at teasing out how they may be answered by a society, humanely and inhumanely. Unfortunately, the writing here wasn’t able to support the potential raised by introducing those topics.

Nice to have a story written from a nonbinary character POV but disappointing in the overall result. Thanks to the author and #netgalley for the free download of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Rating: 2.5 stars

In Daniel Sarah Karasik's "Disobedience," readers are plunged into a dystopian world rife with surveillance, oppression, and the struggle for identity and love. Shael, a young transfeminine person, navigates the confines of a vast prison camp, where revealing their true self and their forbidden love for Coe, a militant activist, could mean facing violent repercussions. As these dangers converge towards a tipping point, Shael escapes to Riverwish, a settlement striving to defy the camp's repression and forge a new way of life.

Karasik’s novel is adeptly interwoven with elements of queerness, liberation, and transformative justice. From the outset, the exploration of "between" as a gender identity offers a refreshing perspective, resonating with those who feel they exist beyond the binary. Shael's gender journey, especially in relation to their parents, offers a refreshing perspective on gender identity and heritage.

The book delves into the insidious nature of oppression and control, cultivating an immersive surveillance atmosphere and reflecting on the limits of obedience. Karasik's commentary on the shackling of imagination under capitalism resonated with me, reflecting on the erosion of individuality and creativity in the face of capitalist control.

Despite the thematic richness, some aspects of the book fall short. The prose at times feels clunky, hindering the immersive experience. Additionally, the narrative felt unfocused and the pacing uneven, leaving certain plot points unresolved and character development lacking. While the exploration of transformative processes and abolitionist ideologies is commendable, the execution may leave readers wanting more cohesion and depth.

Overall, "Disobedience" offers a thought-provoking exploration of identity, love, and resistance in the face of oppression. While the book grapples with complex themes and ideas, its execution may leave some readers, including myself, wanting more. While I appreciate Karasik’s reflections on power, freedom, and collective liberation, I think this needed a few more rounds of edits and could've benefitted from additional length.

Content / Trigger Warnings: Violence (minor), substance use (minor), substance abuse (minor), torture (minor), sexual content (severe)

DISOBEDIENCE feels like an extended worldbuilding exercise, especially in the first half of the book. The pace of events is pretty slow, and most things involve a lot of explanation or Shael thinking through how they feel about some dynamic in play. Feeling like a fable, the first half seemed too densely detailed to actually be a story, through this did change towards the end as the consequences of some things set up earlier began to play out. There are strong themes of justice, consequence, and the nature of punishment, as well as explorations of gender dynamics in who is expected to serve the needs of the society. and how NIMBY attitudes play out in a small community. The camp where Shael was born is a prison, with strict gender roles and frequent punishments. The community they escape to has its own strict gender roles, meant to counteract the early programming of those who came from the camp or the mountains, but which in practice seem to encourage thinking along gendered lines. Most of the Betweens (loosely encompassing nonbinary, genderqueer, etc.) in the community live together because even here they are othered. They're treated as a third gender in a way that was frustrating to read, but which underscores this point that there is no perfect middle way that fixes everything.

I like this overall! I'm interested in reading more by this author, especially if future work expands on the world established here.

This had the bones to be a very interesting and compelling read, however it felt like a lot was missing. The story felt rushed; there was a lack of... something. The characters didn't feel fleshed out, the story felt rushed and it was as if we were being told how to feel and who to trust and distrust, who to like and dislike. There was nothing in the story that made me feel much of anything, really.

I really wanted to like this book however I nearly DNF it multiple times and had to push myself to finish it. The story could have been longer, with more to the backstory. It could have delved more into the camps, into the mountains and into Riverwish - the ideas were there for it but nothing felt complete.

I gave it one and half stars purely because the story does sound good. I just needed more.

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!