Reverie by Ryan La Sala - Paul's REVIEW

*I received this book as an eARC from Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

                                                  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Reverie
Author: Ryan La Sala
Release Date: December 3, 2019


Synopsis: All Kane Montgomery knows for certain is that the police found him half-dead in the river. He can’t remember how he got there, what happened after, and why his life seems so different now. And it’s not just Kane who’s different, the world feels off, reality itself seems different.

As Kane pieces together clues, three almost-strangers claim to be his friends and the only people who can truly tell him what’s going on. But as he and the others are dragged into unimaginable worlds that materialize out of nowhere—the gym warps into a subterranean temple, a historical home nearby blooms into a Victorian romance rife with scandal and sorcery—Kane realizes that nothing in his life is an accident. And when a sinister force threatens to alter reality for good, they will have to do everything they can to stop it before it unravels everything they know.

This wildly imaginative debut explores what happens when the secret worlds that people hide within themselves come to light.

------------------------------------------------------------

Review: This book is so queer and I love it! Not only is the protagonist a gay teen, but the antagonist is a drag queen sorceress! Reverie is full of imaginative mini-worlds that are beautifully fantastical. They span genres and play with tropes in a fun way. Each time one of these reveries began, I got so excited to read about the details of this one and how they related to the person the reverie was spewing from.

This book isn't just a fun "magic girl" team fantasy. There's also some very universal queer themes. Kane has his past taken from him and has to quite literally find himself again. The theme of finding yourself and finding/making your own space is central to this story.

I really liked the team component of this book. It definitely has a Sailor Moon, Power Rangers, or Animorphs vibes in that each person of the time has their own powers they bring to the table as well as their own faults.

La Sala does an excellent job of revealing things slowly over time. When they're relevant. And when it really moves the story forward. This was not a slow read for me.

I obviously am giving this book a 5/5. This is such a beautiful book. I wish I had this book as a teen.


--PAUL