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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
I'm going to preface this review by saying: This is NOT a bad book!
Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me.
Truthfully, I don't think I'd have managed to finish this if I hadn't been trapped on an airplane with it for several hours. Not because it's not good - it is, I swear!! But it's a mind-bendy sort of good, given the main character has had his memories played with the the premise is dreams versus reality and the dreamspaces are all kinds of strange. I've never been particularly comfortable in mind-bendy stories.
"Inception meets The Magicians" is actually very apt, although the characters here were perhaps not quite as well drawn as in either of those, which was my other problem with the book. Part of this was certainly because Kane doesn't even know the characters throughout most of the story, and makes a lot of unfair judgments that color how they're shaped...or not shaped. Kane himself is a mess, which came through very well, but also didn't allow me to connect with him well.
Still, I liked the ending, and I even liked the story for what it was. There's a lot of promise here and I'm looking forward to seeing what Ryan La Sala has up his sleeve for his next book!
Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me.
Truthfully, I don't think I'd have managed to finish this if I hadn't been trapped on an airplane with it for several hours. Not because it's not good - it is, I swear!! But it's a mind-bendy sort of good, given the main character has had his memories played with the the premise is dreams versus reality and the dreamspaces are all kinds of strange. I've never been particularly comfortable in mind-bendy stories.
"Inception meets The Magicians" is actually very apt, although the characters here were perhaps not quite as well drawn as in either of those, which was my other problem with the book. Part of this was certainly because Kane doesn't even know the characters throughout most of the story, and makes a lot of unfair judgments that color how they're shaped...or not shaped. Kane himself is a mess, which came through very well, but also didn't allow me to connect with him well.
Still, I liked the ending, and I even liked the story for what it was. There's a lot of promise here and I'm looking forward to seeing what Ryan La Sala has up his sleeve for his next book!
First read of 2021 and what a start!
This was such a fun and unique story, unlike any other fantasy I've ever read! I really loved the premise, it sounded so cool when I first heard about the book and I did deliver to some extent. The concept of the reveries themselves was interesting, but I wish the characters were experiencing everything for the first time, instead of them hinting at the past all the time. A lot of the time they hinted at Kane's past and by the end, I didn't feel like we had explored everything, and would've like to have seen Kane go rogue. I did however love the villain, though their intentions were quite obvious. The reveals were surprising enough, for me to not have seen them coming until like two pages before it was revealed, which was fun.
I think in order for me to have enjoyed the story more, I should've read the whole thing physically. I started out listening to it (narrated by one of my absolute faves: Michael Crouch), but then I didn't finish it before it was due; then a month went by and I got around to reading it physically and by then, I was so detached from everything. So that's totally on me! I did enjoy the second half way more than the first, so once again: totally on me! By this point, I had forgotten about the side characters and their powers, especially had a hard time to tell Elliot and Dean apart, but by the end, I was all caught up and was able to enjoy the story just fine. The ending was a little too cheesy for my liking, but all in all this was a super fun fantasy and really great debut novel! Can't wait to read more by La Sala in the future!
This was such a fun and unique story, unlike any other fantasy I've ever read! I really loved the premise, it sounded so cool when I first heard about the book and I did deliver to some extent. The concept of the reveries themselves was interesting, but I wish the characters were experiencing everything for the first time, instead of them hinting at the past all the time. A lot of the time they hinted at Kane's past and by the end, I didn't feel like we had explored everything, and would've like to have seen Kane go rogue. I did however love the villain, though their intentions were quite obvious. The reveals were surprising enough, for me to not have seen them coming until like two pages before it was revealed, which was fun.
I think in order for me to have enjoyed the story more, I should've read the whole thing physically. I started out listening to it (narrated by one of my absolute faves: Michael Crouch), but then I didn't finish it before it was due; then a month went by and I got around to reading it physically and by then, I was so detached from everything. So that's totally on me! I did enjoy the second half way more than the first, so once again: totally on me! By this point, I had forgotten about the side characters and their powers, especially had a hard time to tell Elliot and Dean apart, but by the end, I was all caught up and was able to enjoy the story just fine. The ending was a little too cheesy for my liking, but all in all this was a super fun fantasy and really great debut novel! Can't wait to read more by La Sala in the future!
I feel like this book fits the whimsical, fairy tail vibe perfectly but sometimes books get so whimsical I struggle to keep up or follow the order of things & I definitely felt like that with Reverie but I still liked the story!!
Yeah no ma'am.
This felt so underdeveloped and it was trying to be unique and offer something new to fantasy, but it was just confusing. The characters weren't fleshed out well at all and just yikes, I'm glad it's over.
This felt so underdeveloped and it was trying to be unique and offer something new to fantasy, but it was just confusing. The characters weren't fleshed out well at all and just yikes, I'm glad it's over.
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Really enjoy the gender fluid nature of the bad guy(good guy)? But ultimately couldn’t finish this.
✨Review✨
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“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” {J.K. Rowling}
•
What if all of those hours you spend daydreaming could destroy your world as you know it? Kane wakes up from an accident of which he remembers absolutely nothing and finds himself bombarded with a new reality - a world in which reveries exist. Reveries, defined as “worlds born from a person’s private fantasies,” may sound like fun and games, but they can become so all-consuming that they destroy the person’s life.
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I’m going to be very upfront with you. One of the main reasons I requested this title from @netgalley is because of the fact that it contains a drag queen sorceress, and you’ll find that as the main consensus in the Goodreads community as well. Does that not sound badass?! I was so hyped to read it!
•
Alas, I have found myself rather disappointed. I thought I was walking into a YA Fantasy, but I felt more like I was reading a middle-grade fantasy. Though the drag queen sorceress is pretty awesome, I felt that the overall LGBTQ themes in this book held a lot of potential that went undeveloped; the surface was grazed, but nothing more. The characters themselves lacked depth, and I am walking away from this book not having resonated with a single one of them. On another note, the world building of the reveries is quite amazing. It’s vivid, beautifully horrifying, and very imaginative.
•
At the end of the day, I’m glad I read Reverie, but it didn’t do too much for my tastes.
•
Thank you to Netgalley for my free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Reverie by Ryan La Sala to be published 1/7/20!
•
“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” {J.K. Rowling}
•
What if all of those hours you spend daydreaming could destroy your world as you know it? Kane wakes up from an accident of which he remembers absolutely nothing and finds himself bombarded with a new reality - a world in which reveries exist. Reveries, defined as “worlds born from a person’s private fantasies,” may sound like fun and games, but they can become so all-consuming that they destroy the person’s life.
•
I’m going to be very upfront with you. One of the main reasons I requested this title from @netgalley is because of the fact that it contains a drag queen sorceress, and you’ll find that as the main consensus in the Goodreads community as well. Does that not sound badass?! I was so hyped to read it!
•
Alas, I have found myself rather disappointed. I thought I was walking into a YA Fantasy, but I felt more like I was reading a middle-grade fantasy. Though the drag queen sorceress is pretty awesome, I felt that the overall LGBTQ themes in this book held a lot of potential that went undeveloped; the surface was grazed, but nothing more. The characters themselves lacked depth, and I am walking away from this book not having resonated with a single one of them. On another note, the world building of the reveries is quite amazing. It’s vivid, beautifully horrifying, and very imaginative.
•
At the end of the day, I’m glad I read Reverie, but it didn’t do too much for my tastes.
•
Thank you to Netgalley for my free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Reverie by Ryan La Sala to be published 1/7/20!
Big Library Read, though I’d have read it no matter how I discovered its existence.
A few too many moving pieces made it a difficult audio read, but I enjoyed this book.
A few too many moving pieces made it a difficult audio read, but I enjoyed this book.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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