Spoiler Free Review: Reverie by Ryan La Sala

Title: Reverie

Author: Ryan La Sala

Pub. Date: December 3rd 2019

Genre: YA Fantasy/LGBTQIAP+

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Pages: 416 Pages

GOODREADS | BARNES & NOBLES | AMAZON

🖤ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review🖤

Nearly a month has passed since I read Reverie yet it’s still so fresh in my mind & that’s simply because of how unique & wild this book really is! Granted, it won’t be everyones cup of tea but I personally found it to be this odd little gem of a story I could easily get sucked into. Goodreads has it described as Inception meets The Magicians which I find to be pretty accurate. In the world of Reverie the real danger lies in the fantasies created by people, ones that come to fruition with the purpose of claiming their creators. We meet Kane after he’s survived a car accident that left him with Amnesia. His path crosses with The Others, a group of friends with a skilled set of powers & answers to all of the holes Kane has in his memories. With or without his memories, Kan plays an important role with The Others & is quickly thrust into the fascinatingly odd world of Reveries. Fantasies they enter & must unravel by playing whatever role assigned in said fantasy without ever breaking character. We get everything from a Victorian Romance to a futuristic rebel world & a cast of characters who derive their powers from inner based fears.

Content Warning: Talk of suicide, bullying, Homophobia

Of course this wouldn’t be a fantasy without the inclusion of a villain but a more refreshing, colorful, and truly evil villain like Posey we have NOT seen. Posey is a Drag Queen Sorceress who appears to befriend Kane but clearly has ulterior motives. Posey is always ten steps ahead & provides a level of comfort for Kane that he lacks in his reality. Kane is a Gay teenager in a small town were he is bullied & The Others provide escapism from an otherwise cruel world. I LOVED the ingenuity with which this world was created & how it kept me up at night effortlessly reading my hours away. I loved how often I chuckled at some witty banter or ridiculous scene. I loved the friend group & how perfectly they fit together. I also really loved the romance that took place sort of in the background, the mystery behind it & how it evolved. This book isn’t without its flaws, mostly they lie within plot pacing. Sure I can sit here and say certain things didn’t make sense but much of what didn’t I chucked off to the wild trip this story took me on to begin with. I’m a lover of odd stories & worlds created out of thin air which is why Alice in Wonderland will forever be a favorite of mine. Reverie in many ways gave me nostalgic feelings of Alice in Wonderland & allowed me to suspend disbelief while vividly playing out in my mind. For a debut book, this was a solid start & it put La Sala on my radar for any future publications 🖤