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purplesaturday's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I do like books that start midway into the story, and it was interesting to watch Kane try to decipher what’s true or not as he made sense of his lost memories. I did find some of the characters frustrating at some points, but I enjoyed the villainess and the interesting concept of the reveries. I also found Kane really sympathetic and relatable, especially at the beginning of the book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Homophobia, and Bullying
bzliz's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Reverie has a great blend of mystery and fantasy elements and the characters are wonderfully diverse. We get gay teens with hints toward teen lesbians, we get an elder lesbian couple (though they don’t have much impact on any character development), and we get an incredibly powerful drag queen for a villain.
I enjoyed the concept of these superhero type teens hopping into dreams to safely dismantle them. My favorite was the reverie of Helena. The crew are thrown into roles from a popular romance novel but they get the ending wrong. Kane is put in the role of a non-verbal character and although he figures out the true ending (that Helena is trying to run away with the main female character, not the male love interest), he is literally being silenced by the reverie and his friends get it wrong. It felt like an allegory for how queer voices are so often silenced for going against what is “supposed to” happen, even when their supporters (Kane’s friends in this case) think they’re helping. I don’t know if that’s what the author intended but that’s what I took away from it.
Honestly, the worst part was Kane as a main character. He almost goes out of his way to make some of the worst choices and his feelings of devout protectiveness over his sister make no sense with his memory loss and how much he actively ignores her or is rude/mean to her. He has people willing to help him understand but he chooses to isolate instead. It’s also pretty convenient that the villain does a full monologue complete with cackling for the heroes to execute their plan.
Over all, there was a lot of great ideas here but sometimes the concept got a little muddied and hard to understand. I do think a lot of authors could take some notes about inclusion of queer characters taking on many different roles, not just having one to tick off a checkbox for diversity.
I enjoyed the concept of these superhero type teens hopping into dreams to safely dismantle them. My favorite was the reverie of Helena. The crew are thrown into roles from a popular romance novel but they get the ending wrong. Kane is put in the role of a non-verbal character and although he figures out the true ending (that Helena is trying to run away with the main female character, not the male love interest), he is literally being silenced by the reverie and his friends get it wrong. It felt like an allegory for how queer voices are so often silenced for going against what is “supposed to” happen, even when their supporters (Kane’s friends in this case) think they’re helping. I don’t know if that’s what the author intended but that’s what I took away from it.
Honestly, the worst part was Kane as a main character. He almost goes out of his way to make some of the worst choices and his feelings of devout protectiveness over his sister make no sense with his memory loss and how much he actively ignores her or is rude/mean to her. He has people willing to help him understand but he chooses to isolate instead. It’s also pretty convenient that the villain does a full monologue complete with cackling for the heroes to execute their plan.
Over all, there was a lot of great ideas here but sometimes the concept got a little muddied and hard to understand. I do think a lot of authors could take some notes about inclusion of queer characters taking on many different roles, not just having one to tick off a checkbox for diversity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Dementia and Homophobia
Minor: Car accident
bookwyrmknits's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a neat story that considers our dreams (the hopes and goals version of dreams, not the REM sleep version) and daydreams and fantasies, and how they impact our lives and our selves. It is a book that somehow seemed grounded in reality and completely fantastical all at the same time.
The characters were a lot of fun, and (even though the ones I felt the most connection to were the older adult side characters, instead of the teenage protagonists) I enjoyed reading their story.
I think this is a case where the resolution will stick with me longer than the rest of the book. I can imagine the details of the story fading, but the general impression of the epilogue sticking around.
The characters were a lot of fun, and (even though the ones I felt the most connection to were the older adult side characters, instead of the teenage protagonists) I enjoyed reading their story.
I think this is a case where the resolution will stick with me longer than the rest of the book. I can imagine the details of the story fading, but the general impression of the epilogue sticking around.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Homophobia and Dementia
ehmannky's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This was an incredibly fun, fast-paced, queer-as-hell, mysterious thrill ride. I loved the drag-queen sorceress, the slow uncovering of the main character's lost memories, and the fantastic dream-magic that is never completely explained but that's alright because it's all dreams anyways. Kane's slow discovery of his past and his sense of self was a delight to read, and it allowed for a feeling of loss as you learned about his lost friendships and loves right along with him. The plot is fun and I liked the broader look at what escapism means for the world you're trying to escape from. I liked that La Sala challenged the concept of escapism, in that he questions whether you're using your dreams to withdraw from the world and your responsibilities to yourself and your community or are you using your dreams to push for a better reality for all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia and Bullying
Minor: Vomit and Dementia
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