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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-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:
Complicated
Such a genuinely unique story! The shape of it felt so new and different to anything else I've read in the genre.
I liked it!
The dream world aspects and magic were so interesting and engaging!
We start with the main character at a loss with injuries he has no memory of and a world that thinks he lost it for a while. Kane loosing his memories isn't simply amnesia though, it's darker than that.
The trio calling themselves The Others have everything to do with that and he works to get close to them and the truth. The drag queen Posey seem like the key to finding out what happened.
And the mysterious boy who appears the moment Kane needs him and disappears. It was very mysterious!
One thing I was a little disappointed about was that the friendships didn't have the depth I was hoping for, mainly because it's all from Kane's eyes and he has no memory of them, not the way they do of time with him. So their arcs were weaker and lacked development a bit of depth. so Elliott, Ursula, Adeline, and even his sister Sophia did not get as satisfying arcs (dimensional personality) but I stil liked them.
They don't have the relationship-building scenes like Kane and Dean have.
The dream world aspects and magic were so interesting and engaging!
We start with the main character at a loss with injuries he has no memory of and a world that thinks he lost it for a while. Kane loosing his memories isn't simply amnesia though, it's darker than that.
The trio calling themselves The Others have everything to do with that and he works to get close to them and the truth. The drag queen Posey seem like the key to finding out what happened.
And the mysterious boy who appears the moment Kane needs him and disappears. It was very mysterious!
One thing I was a little disappointed about was that the friendships didn't have the depth I was hoping for, mainly because it's all from Kane's eyes and he has no memory of them, not the way they do of time with him. So their arcs were weaker and lacked development a bit of depth. so Elliott, Ursula, Adeline, and even his sister Sophia did not get as satisfying arcs (dimensional personality) but I stil liked them.
They don't have the relationship-building scenes like Kane and Dean have.
This rating is totally about my preferences. I just don't have an imagination/ability to picture worlds as I read, so this was too hard for me to follow.
Love the overall idea of the book though.
Love the overall idea of the book though.
I had a good time with this one. I stayed up late to finish it, which has made my recollection of the end foggy, a disservice to myself and the book. I would criticize the ending for being a little confusing but that's my own fault so I'll say nothing.
This was a tropey ride I think, but they are tropes I'm not very familiar with/don't usually read, so it was just fun. I have never been a fan of the teens gaining mysterious powers trope in any medium (nothing against it, just never my thing (not counting the Gone series)), so this was fresh to me, though I know it's been done.
I really liked the idea of the reveries, and the idea of pocket dimensions and ~what is reality but our own perception???~ is very familiar to me, so I didn't find that confusing or unclear at all (some other reviews seem to be hung up on the mechanics here, but I thought it was all clearly laid out and well executed - picture the witches' lairs from Madoka).
One thing I was a little disappointed about was that the characters didn't really matter outside of Kane himself...they didn't seem to have arcs or strong personalities beyond what we initially see of them. This may tie into the theme somehow (another strike against me), and i don't think it's a huge deal necessarily --- this is Kane's story and his personal journey (what he learns though????), so Elliott not getting a satisfying arc (or dimensional personality) doesn't really matter to the story being told.
I regret that I really can't say more about theme or What The Point Is, but I can say it was enjoyable and sparked my imagination!
This was a tropey ride I think, but they are tropes I'm not very familiar with/don't usually read, so it was just fun. I have never been a fan of the teens gaining mysterious powers trope in any medium (nothing against it, just never my thing (not counting the Gone series)), so this was fresh to me, though I know it's been done.
I really liked the idea of the reveries, and the idea of pocket dimensions and ~what is reality but our own perception???~ is very familiar to me, so I didn't find that confusing or unclear at all (some other reviews seem to be hung up on the mechanics here, but I thought it was all clearly laid out and well executed - picture the witches' lairs from Madoka).
One thing I was a little disappointed about was that the characters didn't really matter outside of Kane himself...they didn't seem to have arcs or strong personalities beyond what we initially see of them. This may tie into the theme somehow (another strike against me), and i don't think it's a huge deal necessarily --- this is Kane's story and his personal journey (what he learns though????), so Elliott not getting a satisfying arc (or dimensional personality) doesn't really matter to the story being told.
I regret that I really can't say more about theme or What The Point Is, but I can say it was enjoyable and sparked my imagination!
This was...painful. Cringe-worthy. The writing is sloppy. The plot...I assume there is one but I couldn't find it. Kane is unlikable. And for the love of Merlin, if you are going to base a story on a magical system, work out the details at least enough that readers aren't left guessing and guessing and guessing. It was a confusing mess, like someone threw up glitter.
fast-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
Reverie by Ryan La Sala was better than okay, but less than good. I gave it 3.5 stars, here's why:
1. Their was a lot of talk about friendship and relationships, that's all it was though. talk. There was no substance to any of the relationships, they all felt empty. We were being told that they were growing closer but the "friends" rarely talk, and when they do it usually ends in an argument, and they don't have any small relationship-building scenes like Kane and Dean have.
2. I LOVED Kane and Dean, I liked how their lil love story was not the main plot. There were enough hidden moments between them that made me feel fuzzy.
3. Let's make this simple cause the reveries were too confusing.
I know this is Ryan La Sala's debut novel so I was prepared for this going in. The reveries are dense abstract worlds. The concept is incredible and fantastic to read about, but it was not executed as well as it could have been. There were info dumps at the start of each reverie to describe setting, which kind of skimmed the surface of what the world looked like. It felt like I was missing pieces and I could never fully see the reveries.
Overall, Reverie was a fun easy read although somewhat confusing. I appreciated the amazing fantastical idea of dreams becoming reality, the queer main character, and the queer antagonist.