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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
There is only one word to describe this book and that word would be confusing. This book took me so long to read purely because of all the backtracking that took place of what is real and what isn't. The reason's I didn't dnf this is because I wanted to see what happened at the end so points for that also I payed the full price for it so I didn't want to give up immediately. I fell into a reading slump immediately after finishing because I forced myself to read it. So over all I would not recommend.
Took a long break between reading. Will read it again in 2025
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
3.5
I really liked this book, it has one of the most original and creative magic systems, world and plot I’ve ever read. The most wonderful aspect this book has is how queer and diverse it is. The main villain is a sorceress drag queen and I LOVED HER!
However, I didn’t have a strong connection to the characters at any point in the story and that definitely affected my rating because I love characters and character-based stories, I don’t necessarily think is the book’s fault I didn’t connect with them.
Ryan La Sala’s writing was incredible and I can’t wait to read more of his work in the future.
I really liked this book, it has one of the most original and creative magic systems, world and plot I’ve ever read. The most wonderful aspect this book has is how queer and diverse it is. The main villain is a sorceress drag queen and I LOVED HER!
However, I didn’t have a strong connection to the characters at any point in the story and that definitely affected my rating because I love characters and character-based stories, I don’t necessarily think is the book’s fault I didn’t connect with them.
Ryan La Sala’s writing was incredible and I can’t wait to read more of his work in the future.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rating: 4 / 5
“Dreams can be parasites we sacrifice ourselves to. Dreams can be monstrous, beautiful things incubated in misery and hatched by spite. Or dreams can be the artifacts we excavate to discover who we really are.”
Have you ever felt the desire to read a LGBTQ+ YA fantasy that has been compared to inception and is described in most book reviews as “wild” ? If so, this is 100% the book for you.
Creativity
One of my favorite things about this book was the creativity. There were YA teen tropes that appeared in some of the reveries (which are kind of like dreams), but the author very intentionally used these in those moments. Despite the fact that this novel has been called wild and compared to inception (both accurate statements), it is never confusing, but is simply very imaginative. I read a lot of fantasy and this was certainly unique. I’ve also seen it compared to a rollercoaster of imagination. There’s a lot happening in this novel but it never feels like too much for the book to take on.
Characters
I appreciated each of the characters and the author does a great job of creating each of them. I’ve seen some reviews where people say they aren’t as invested in the characters, or dislike one of them, but I was super intrigued by all of them. I think we learn about the side characters (including their own pain and flaws) as well, and it was nice having those details.
Tropes
In interviews, La Sala says “So much about 'Reverie' is about the stories we tell ourselves and the stories we learn, and tropes are a big part of that, but I was interested in subverting them.”
“Dreams can be parasites we sacrifice ourselves to. Dreams can be monstrous, beautiful things incubated in misery and hatched by spite. Or dreams can be the artifacts we excavate to discover who we really are.”
Have you ever felt the desire to read a LGBTQ+ YA fantasy that has been compared to inception and is described in most book reviews as “wild” ? If so, this is 100% the book for you.
Creativity
One of my favorite things about this book was the creativity. There were YA teen tropes that appeared in some of the reveries (which are kind of like dreams), but the author very intentionally used these in those moments. Despite the fact that this novel has been called wild and compared to inception (both accurate statements), it is never confusing, but is simply very imaginative. I read a lot of fantasy and this was certainly unique. I’ve also seen it compared to a rollercoaster of imagination. There’s a lot happening in this novel but it never feels like too much for the book to take on.
Characters
I appreciated each of the characters and the author does a great job of creating each of them. I’ve seen some reviews where people say they aren’t as invested in the characters, or dislike one of them, but I was super intrigued by all of them. I think we learn about the side characters (including their own pain and flaws) as well, and it was nice having those details.
Tropes
In interviews, La Sala says “So much about 'Reverie' is about the stories we tell ourselves and the stories we learn, and tropes are a big part of that, but I was interested in subverting them.”
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The main character was way too much a crier for me….every time something even minutely happened he was crying.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I can't possibly give this enough stars!
Boldly whimsical, equally fantastic, all while being unapologetically and authentically affirming.
Boldly whimsical, equally fantastic, all while being unapologetically and authentically affirming.