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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
slow-paced
| For the most part I really like this story. I mean, there's a drag queen sorceress and your day dreams come to life!! How can you not like it already?!?! I found Kane to be rather taxing; between his naïve child-like mentality and all the wtf choices in the book, it made me really uninterested in his internal monologue moments. This could be why I was never super invested in what happened to his character and a big reason I sat through most of the book wondering when it would be over.
This was a fun fantasy that I think teens will appreciate.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is fantastic, Ryan is a gem, and you need to get into it, Mary.
An excellent debut novel! Wonderfully written, imaginative, and engaging. Full of magic and dream worlds. A great read!
This book is fun and imaginative and flamboyant... and frustrating. But that's just because I have a particularly low tolerance for two tropes that are in heavy use here: amnesia as an opening plot device, and characters who are supposedly allies of the protagonist but who continually and very blatantly withhold information. But other than that, this book has a lot to love: a mad hatter-inspired drag queen sorceress who sashays through space and time, daydreams that will kill you if they can, stress-baking, RAINBOW MAGIC, self-aware literary trope mashups, loyalty! betrayal!, a haunted charm bracelet, explosions, lonely old ladies wHo wErE rOoMmAtEs, jewel-encrusted mecha monsters, gay kissing, and so many cups of tea.
When I first heard about Ryan La Sala's book, I was so excited. I love dreams and reality and I love books that play with the interconnection of both. So when I finally had the opportunity to read it, I absolutely didn't hesitate. However, the proof is sort of in the pudding and this one lacked a little flavor.
Reverie follows Kane, a young guy who recently woke up from a coma when he accidentally crashed his dad's car into an old mill. However, Kane doesn't remember anything about the accident, who caused it, and what happened to Maxine, a woman who was at the mill at the same time of the accident.
As Kane tries to gain control on his memory, four friends appear to help piece the puzzles of his memory back together. Reveries are dreams come to life; a subconscious desire from a single entity abruptly resets reality making those within the reverie characters acting out parts. However, Kane and his friends stay lucid through the reveries fighting and suppressing the reveries and returning reality to its normal state. But when a mysterious drag queen named Poesy appears, the reveries become more than
I teetered between 3.5 and 4 stars on this one because I really liked the story, but it wasn't perfect. For the most part, this story was great. I loved the usage of subconscious thought and desire to color the reveries. I love how Kane and his friends are lucid throughout using their powers to fight against the reverie and return the world to its normal self. While I wasn't a huge fan of Inception, I think it's accurate to use that metaphor to explain how Kane and his friends are able to stay "lucid" through the dreams.
But the best part is the fact Kane and his friends have superpowers. There's this Sailor Moon-esque feeling to the story, which I'm referencing because Ryan La Sala does twice (once in the book and another in his bio). Average people who come from different walks of life who have magical powers and fights against the monsters in the reveries? Yeah, that sounds deeply close to Sailor Moon. And guess who's Usagi? Well, it's no other than Kane himself as he finds out more about his destiny in this mess. Each character has their own specialty and they don't hesitate to use them inside the reveries as well as outside the reveries. I won't say any more since it'll probably give it away.
The action sequences were really fun to read and really moved the story forward. I will say that I freaked out when there was a giant spider/bug attacking everyone. My least favorite thing is bugs and giant bugs are definitely in that category. Yeesh! However, the story wasn't perfect and I really wish it was. The only big issue I had is the world building. I found myself quite confused about why things were happening. There wasn't an explanation why these reveries were happening or why Kane was chosen or why Poesy chose to use this world to create her reveries.
Because of the missing pieces explaining the world, the rest of it felt a little disjointed. Decisions were made that confused me and even new characters showed up that confused me with their existence. While you can still get through the story and just accept that things are happening, it would have made this book gold if the world was a little bit more realized and fleshed out.
Overall, this is a pretty solid debut from Ryan La Sala. I loved the little world Ryan La Sala built and I also loved the big love for the LGBTQIA+ community. It felt like falling down to Wonderland and I absolutely love that. Definitely take a minute to read his Acknowledgements at the end! I loved his writing here and I'll be excited to read whatever he publishes in the future.
I received a copy of this book from Sourcebooks Fire for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.
Reverie follows Kane, a young guy who recently woke up from a coma when he accidentally crashed his dad's car into an old mill. However, Kane doesn't remember anything about the accident, who caused it, and what happened to Maxine, a woman who was at the mill at the same time of the accident.
As Kane tries to gain control on his memory, four friends appear to help piece the puzzles of his memory back together. Reveries are dreams come to life; a subconscious desire from a single entity abruptly resets reality making those within the reverie characters acting out parts. However, Kane and his friends stay lucid through the reveries fighting and suppressing the reveries and returning reality to its normal state. But when a mysterious drag queen named Poesy appears, the reveries become more than
I teetered between 3.5 and 4 stars on this one because I really liked the story, but it wasn't perfect. For the most part, this story was great. I loved the usage of subconscious thought and desire to color the reveries. I love how Kane and his friends are lucid throughout using their powers to fight against the reverie and return the world to its normal self. While I wasn't a huge fan of Inception, I think it's accurate to use that metaphor to explain how Kane and his friends are able to stay "lucid" through the dreams.
But the best part is the fact Kane and his friends have superpowers. There's this Sailor Moon-esque feeling to the story, which I'm referencing because Ryan La Sala does twice (once in the book and another in his bio). Average people who come from different walks of life who have magical powers and fights against the monsters in the reveries? Yeah, that sounds deeply close to Sailor Moon. And guess who's Usagi? Well, it's no other than Kane himself as he finds out more about his destiny in this mess. Each character has their own specialty and they don't hesitate to use them inside the reveries as well as outside the reveries. I won't say any more since it'll probably give it away.
The action sequences were really fun to read and really moved the story forward. I will say that I freaked out when there was a giant spider/bug attacking everyone. My least favorite thing is bugs and giant bugs are definitely in that category. Yeesh! However, the story wasn't perfect and I really wish it was. The only big issue I had is the world building. I found myself quite confused about why things were happening. There wasn't an explanation why these reveries were happening or why Kane was chosen or why Poesy chose to use this world to create her reveries.
Because of the missing pieces explaining the world, the rest of it felt a little disjointed. Decisions were made that confused me and even new characters showed up that confused me with their existence. While you can still get through the story and just accept that things are happening, it would have made this book gold if the world was a little bit more realized and fleshed out.
Overall, this is a pretty solid debut from Ryan La Sala. I loved the little world Ryan La Sala built and I also loved the big love for the LGBTQIA+ community. It felt like falling down to Wonderland and I absolutely love that. Definitely take a minute to read his Acknowledgements at the end! I loved his writing here and I'll be excited to read whatever he publishes in the future.
I received a copy of this book from Sourcebooks Fire for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.
Freaking stunning is all I can say about this book. From the very beginning I was drawn into Ryan La Sala's fantastical world. Wow.
If I could give this book more than five stars I would. Wow. Thankyou Ryan, Sourcebooks fire and Netgalley for this review copy.
Full review will be up shortly on my blog http://itsmejayse.wordpress.com
If I could give this book more than five stars I would. Wow. Thankyou Ryan, Sourcebooks fire and Netgalley for this review copy.
Full review will be up shortly on my blog http://itsmejayse.wordpress.com
To everyone at work who knows how I am about queer rep in books, this is the dream. It was amazing and I felt like I was a young girl again reading about my favorite characters except no one cares who they like or how they dress. I loved it
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this! Off the bat, obligatory acknowledgement that it's fantastic that several of the characters (including the protagonist and his foil) are queer - and that it's not the main focus of the story, simply a fact woven into the plot. The concept reminds me a little of Inception, that movie from last decade, in that a person's dreams can affect their reality and be manipulated from within - but it's nice to see a new take on the idea in that they're not a self-made exploration, they're a formative challenge for our young heroes (are they heroes, though?).
The writing is a tad bit clunky and the dialogue feels much like I'm reading Twilight again, in the sheer obviousness of what the next line will be - but overall, I really enjoyed the story. Weaving the supernatural into a story while acknowledging the queer elements, all while not making either into a stereotype or tired trope, is hard - and La Sala does a pretty great job of both, in an entertaining and gripping way.
The writing is a tad bit clunky and the dialogue feels much like I'm reading Twilight again, in the sheer obviousness of what the next line will be - but overall, I really enjoyed the story. Weaving the supernatural into a story while acknowledging the queer elements, all while not making either into a stereotype or tired trope, is hard - and La Sala does a pretty great job of both, in an entertaining and gripping way.