I first heard about this book by a reviewer friend of mine who was crowing about it from the tops of the mountains about how much we all needed to read this book. She absolutely loved Reverie and so when she told me the story had to do with dreams I was instantly curious to know more (I’m a sucker for the unconscious mind).

From the moment I picked up this book I knew it was something special. The writing from the very first chapter is crafted expertly by La Sala and his passion and enthusiasm for this story is evident in every chapter. I have so many favourite lines from this first chapter that I’m pretty sure my kindle was going to ask me if I just wanted to get on with it and just highlight the entire chapter!

The main character Zane, while 100% relatable with his snarky one-liners, is also wonderfully flawed. What I found most interesting was how La Sala straps you in for a rare journey of re-self discovery as our protagonists slowly uncoils and pieces his memory back together with an odd cast of other entertaining and heartwarming characters.

If I could describe the nature of this book it would be to call it a circus – but in the best way possible. There is so much wonder and awe, and brilliant shiny things I hadn’t seen before in a fantasy novel. I was clinging to my seat as La Sala, like the true ringmaster he is, welcomes you to an experience unlike any other.

If you enjoy mind-bending theatrics like The Matrix or Dr Strange and you enjoy a fast-paced read with hilarious one-liners then this is the perfect book for you. Delving into a person subconscious mind has never seemed so appealing or as entertaining as it was in this book and I completely recommend you give this book a go in order to change up the Fae/Vampire/Assassin books that are crowding the shelves nowadays.

When I read the synopsis of this book, I knew I had to have it. Reverie grabbed me from the get-go with a great first chapter that hooks you in. It was clear from the beginning that it would be one of the most imaginative books I've ever read and it didn't disappoint.

Kane Montgomery has lost his memories after an accident, and begins to stumble upon a magical world he may have been a part of - if he could just remember. Reveries are realistic dream worlds concocted out of other people's subconscious and magic (or etherea) and they're popping up all over the place, causing a real nuisance, and when he stumbles into one, he finds he may have been involved with this world in ways he can't even imagine.

The descriptions and creations of these worlds are fantastically done and the reader has the benefit of discovering them through Kane's eyes, as he attempts to figure it all out as well. The book is rich with a plethora of complex queer characters, another added bonus (Poesy the drag queen was fantastic), and entering the reveries were like entering another world - I lost track of all around me while I read. There's nothing better than a richly described new world that is balanced with great characters, and that is what La Sala has created. The only thing I would have liked more of was additional backstory about Kane and his sister's relationship. Sophia was so interesting and I loved learning about her, and I'm always fascinated by sibling relationships.

I am so eager to enter back into Kane's resplendent, richly-detailed world of dreams and hope a sequel is in the works! It was such a pleasure and so nice to read something TRULY unique.

One of my favorite occurrences in reading is when I begin a book, thinking I'll enjoy it, and end up ADORING IT. As in, ready to recommend across the world, purchase even though I have a free ARC, and happily promote it across all personal and professional channels, level LOVE IT.

I am happy to Say that Ryan La Sala's book crossed into this vaulted category about a third of the way through. It was interesting and at least a four-star read up until then, but as the world became more and more complete, and the stakes quickly raised, I became deeply invested in Kane and the Others, as well as understanding exactly what was happening in this world.

The premise of the book, that Kane awakes after a car accident without memory of what happened, is quickly abandoned (thank goodness). Kane discovers that dreams are coming to life around him and he is one of the rare ones that has the ability to stay lucid, i.e. he knows he is not in reality. Things quickly spiral from there as Kane learns more about his past, the struggles that left him in the position to have his memories missing, and the people who surrounded him through this time.

A few things that I thought were truly outstanding: representation was clearly important to the author, and not only does he include individuals who are homosexual, but a gender fluid individual is very prominent in the book. Kane's experience and perception is very understandable as he interacts with Poesy for the first few times, and helps readers with a model that is useful as they might interact with gender fluid folks in real life.

Romance is handled deftly but is easily of secondary importance. This is really great, as it often can overwhelm the plot.

Most exciting to me were the reveries, or living dreams, themselves. We experience worlds as diverse as a dystopian future (complete with Katniss Everdeen-style heroine) and a romance novel setting (featuring a surprise ending with jewel-encrusted arachnids attacking our protagonists). These worlds were fully fleshed out, always subverted expectations, and were deeply enjoyable. They showed the author's ability to write in many worlds and his familiarity with tropes in each genre, which was so fun for a voracious reader like me.

This book could be a standalone, or not. I'm not at all sure of the plans for returning to Kane and the Others, but you better believe I'm in for the ride. Thank you for this imminently readable, very representative, and exceptionally exciting offering.

**I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.**

I really enjoyed this book. I think it was a really original story. I do think there could be characters that could be fleshed out more, but overall a great book. I will definitely buy it for my classroom library.

If you had told me this was a book about a gay teen whose powers include shooting literal rainbows of energy from his hands, I would have… well, let’s be honest, I would have picked it up just as quickly. Reverie is an anime-flavored, watercolor whirlwind of a young adult book, its flamboyant and glittering surface as interesting and valid as its more somber exploration of trauma and belonging.

We meet Kane in media res: there’s been an accident, an explosion, and he’s trying to recover a bunch of memories he lost in the incident. It doesn’t take long for the things he’s forgotten to come looking for him again, and he’s quickly overwhelmed by revelations that he was sure were impossible earlier in the week. There’s an abundance of magic bubbling up in his small town, turning residents’ reveries—lucid fantasies—into reality. Kane might be the only person capable of unraveling these reveries and saving reality, but that requires him to confront a past he can’t remember, and to reconcile his deep-rooted belief that he’ll never fit in with his own reality of family and friends who love and support him.

I’m not gonna lie: I cried. Like, more than once. It reminded me of all my favorite stories for all the right reasons, but with everyone gay, so a million times better. Harry Potter, The Matrix, Inception, 3 or 4 different animes, Marvel stuff: put ‘em all in a blender with a rainbow, strain out the terrible bits, and get Ryan La Sala to weave it into a story with lots of really good words. Without divulging any spoilers: I loved the dystopian reverie and am exactly the type of person who would read that 3-book YA series. I pictured Harold Perrineau as Poesy because I watched both Dumplin’ and Romeo + Juliet the week before I started reading this and I mean, why not. I don’t know if the current cover will be the final cover, but it’s beautiful and I love that it’s tilted, a forced perspective, totally on brand.

Reverie is the answer to every "Make it gay, you cowards!" shouted into the indifferent heavens when the franchises we love fail us queers again and again.

5 out of 5 stars.

Reverie is a MUST for my classroom now. I can't wait to purchase a few copies for my room. My kids need to see gay kids being themselves on paper and I am so excited for this book to mean so much to so many.

I think I need to preface this review by saying that I was absolutely fascinated by the premise of this story. Its comparison to the movie “Inception” and “The Magicians” was apt, and that certainly speaks volumes to just how much potential this story has. Unfortunately, I got lost somewhere in the delivery. One of the cool things about “Inception” are its intricacies and the director did a fantastic job of plotting the story to keep it interesting while simultaneously keeping the audience engaged and guessing. With “Reverie,” while I could see where the author was going, the balance of the storytelling was off creating sections of the story that were over explained and didn’t need to be while other passages felt rushed, confusing and underdeveloped. Writing a novel and writing a screenplay are two very different things, I think that’s why “Inception” worked, because we had the visuals and the more challenging parts of the story could be more fluidly explained through the dialogue. With “Reverie” the author had to provide their reader with both, and I think that’s where the author lost me. Don’t get me wrong – the dream sequences in Sala’s story are extraordinary and I could clearly picture them – it’s everything else that felt muddled and rushed.

Ultimately, as a screenplay, I think this could be brilliant and the representation is everything you need and more. I celebrate Sala’s innovation and can see the potential. While this debut was just a bit of a miss for me, I will be curious to see what the author has in store for us in the future. Also – the representation and story innovation will surely keep teen readers engaged making this a must add for library collections.

DNF at 20%. From the pitch, I was SO excited for this book, but alas, the writing style just didn't do it for me. I normally at least skim through to the end to see what I can recommend to students, but in this case, I couldn't do it. I feel like the style/tone is more MG than YA, and a lot of my students would have the same issues with it that I did.

Reverie had me hooked from the first page. No spoilers, but this book was a delight and one of my favorites of all time. Love the characters, love the writing style. I couldn't put it down. What a fun journey.

Reverie is a delightfully original fantasy tale that, while it has its moments of rainbow fun and glittery whimsy, ultimately struggled to fill the size-12 drag queen heels it presents the reader.

I really cannot emphasize how unique this was - I read *a lot* of YA fantasy and I cannot think of another book even remotely like this. It’s bizarre, at times super flamboyant, and full of whimsy. It captures the struggle of feeling “other” and acts out the fantasy of erasing a world that has failed so many people in favor of something a little more... fabulous. Ryan La Sala captured the weird, non-sensical nature of dreams and fantasies, and added his own twist to it.

However, I felt like this book just scratched the surface of this world and these characters. The world building was vague and confusing. While this worked at the beginning - the story opens with Kane, our MC, struggling with memory loss from a head injury - as the story went on I didn’t feel any more enlightened. I didn’t quite understand how the powers worked or what the rules of the magic system were. Some of this can be written off as dream logic, but I felt unmoored for large chunks of the book. I didn’t understand the villain’s motivation, where she came from, or what her goal was. The characters were mostly flat and reminded me of the Scooby Gang. Despite being upperclassmen, they read young on page, perhaps because the writing style felt more like middle grade than YA. This book will probably appeal most to tweens and younger teens.

However, the writing was good, the author has a strong voice, and I saw SO MUCH potential here. Most of the issues here are issues I have with many debut novels, and are issues that resolve themselves as the author grows. Ryan La Sala clearly has original stories to tell and he’s not afraid to wrap them in glittery rainbow unicorn paper. I am genuinely excited to see what La Sala comes up with next - he's an author to watch.

I love all the representation in this book. I especially enjoyed that none of it felt like the author was adding diversity for the sake of it.

This is what it says on the tin: a fun, irreverent mix of Inception with The Magicians.

I most particularly enjoyed the fact that the biggest screw-up some of the characters make in the story is due to heteronormativity. This is the kind of excellent content I like to see in my unashamedly queer books.

Would have a liked a little more fleshing out of Poesy, rather than just this amorphous, unknown figure of incredible power - where did Poesy come from? Where did her power come from? Sisters are mentioned towards the end; do they exist, and if so, how do we know they do? Where did she find Ms Daisy?

Still, it was an enjoyable read that delivered a fun book and solid plot.

This book was interesting in the context of it. It is also refreshing to see a book where the main character is gay and it describes a romance. This is very important to have a book that shows a hero that is gay. I think it will definitely help young people to see this.
Kane is a gay teenager who feels lost in the world and he wakes up in the hospital with no memory of his recent actions, which have gotten him in trouble with the police. Posey poses as a dr who is there to help Kane as long as he can get the information that Poesy needs. Kane soon finds evidence of his life and friends and while eavesdropping on a conversation between his friends where they are conspiring against him.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if your dreams or daydreams became real? What if this happened without warning and the people around you were suddenly part of this new world? While running away from his friend Ursula, Kane runs through a door that leads him to one of these dreams, known as reveries. Kane and his friends Ursula, Adeline and Elliot have been chosen to keep peace in these reveries and they have been gifted with their own unique powers drawn from their biggest fears. They are lucid in these dream worlds while the rest of the characters only know of the setting they are in. Kane also discovers a mysterious boy, Dean who has been following him but doesn't want the others to know. Dean is not what he seems but this doesn't push Kane away. Kane must remember how to use his powers to the full extent before anyone gets hurt or trapped in their dream world forever.

First and foremost I would like to thank NetGalley, Ryan La Sala, and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC.

Reverie is a fast paced, magical explosion. I was intrigued by the mystery of what happened to Kane from the moment we met him. I loved the fact that this book represents LGBT+ in so many fantastic ways! I read this book in 2 days! Kane is such a complex character who truly grows through the book.

This YA urban fantasy walks the line between fantasy and reality as we watch Kane and his crew unfold these mindbending Reveries, which are imagined worlds turned real. These can have dangerous results as they navigate through each one.

I really enjoyed this book!! I love the self exploration, the courage, the doubt. This was just what I needed after reading a heavy political fantasy! Watching people’s dreams become nightmares, and Vice versa with a super gay magical drag queen really made for such a fun read!

I recommend this book to anyone who loves magical realism/urban fantasy/YA mysteries!

4/5 stars!

This was great - exceptionally queer, so many rainbows, much love for all things gay. I would 100% read another book in this world and can I please have a fairy drag mother immediately

The book starts after Kane Montgomery after an accident. He can't remember what happens or how he got the weird scars on his head. Kane tries to piece together clues including figuring out who the three other people are that he's with in a photo (it is a picture looking down at their shoes, so not as easy as you might think).

As he's piecing together these clues he steps into a reverie which he later discovers is how he knows the others. The whole concept of a reverie is interesting. To describe it quickly you might say that it is a world based off of someone's dream. Kane and his friends are the only ones lucid in the reveries and they have to figure out how to unravel them.

Kane and his friends need to find out what is causing these reveries and how to stop them from happening anymore.

This was a really intriguing concept and I look forward to future novels from Ryan La Sala.
#NetGalley #Reverie

*eARC provided by NetGalley and Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review.
An #OwnVoices debut about the worlds we hide within ourselves and what happens when they become reality.

What I Loved:
-The romance is adorable. It’s really nice to see a gay character get an adorable romance arc.
-The entire concept of a reverie was amazing and well written.
-I don’t want to spoil anything, but the way Ryan writes supernatural powers to keep any one person from abusing them is nothing short of genius.

Who Should Read It:
-Readers who like magic and supernatural elements.
-If the idea of dreams coming to life and needing to be battled appeals to you.

My Rating: 4 stars. The magic was well written and the plot held my interest. I also love Kane.

For Full Review, including what I didn't like: https://youtu.be/j58WXajKyRA

Exactly how does one describe Reverie? Like, HOW!
Living in a shining, glittery liminality, this #OwnVoices gleefully queer book has everything from the way friendships and first love leave us vulnerable, to the power of dreams to reflect, refract, and change us.
I loved Kane and his Cadre. Each character is challenged by their power, and their ideas of self, which is beautiful.

However, I had one little niggle. The main antagonist is an evil drag queen sorceress. The author has a lovely explanation as to why he loved creating a gender-bending, larger than life, beautiful, genre-breaking villain. With so few representations of Drag on the screen or the page, I would have been interested to see something a little more positive. Or perhaps a character who is fluid rather than a performer. That's just my little whinge, though.

A+ for world building
A+ for queer representation
A+ for characters that I would probably adopt as my new foster babies.

(Also, Ryan, if you need a new mother? I'm all yours)

4.5 glitter balls out of 5

Disclaimer: eARC was provide via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Reverie has been on my radar for a while now, and when I finally got to read it, it exceeded every single one of my expectations. I picked it up to reread almost as soon as I finished this.

It follows a teenage boy, Kane, trying to figure out the gaps in his memory and how they came to be, alongside having to deal with manifestations of people's daydreams - reveries.

Now it may seem obvious what part these reveries play in the plot, considering the title of the book and all, but they were so well developed, but in a way that ignites the reader's curiosity and basically makes Reverie unputdownable. Without going into too much detail so as to avoid spoilers, each reverie is written in such a way that they have their own unique tones, and come to life as stories within the main plot, adding an extra dimension to the already dynamic plot. Major kudos to Ryan La Sala for coming up with stories within this one; I would have read a full novel for each one.

The writing style itself was breathtaking. There were several part where I had to put my kindle down because the writing was so visceral, and as great as the book was, I really didn't want to be sucked in literally. It also changed in subtle ways for each reverie that made it so I could picture exactly what they would be like if I were sitting in a movie theatre watching them on the big screen. I'm honestly still not over how beautiful this book is.

The writing is not alone in what makes Reverie so magical and wonderful. The magic system in this, with the etherea that creates the reveries and the powers that characters possess, is a large part of how compelling Reverie is as a story. It worked similarly to science, in a way that reminded me of A Wrinkle in Time; even though it was at times complex (which goes to show the thought that Ryan La Sala put into it) everything made sense. Also, where can I apply to do Poesy's degrees?

The characters themselves are all fantastic. Poesy especially was really well written, multidimensional with compelling motives that felt completely natural, even though unfortunately we live in a world where (as far as I know) there are no reveries. Kane, the main character, was extraordinarily relatable as we followed his journey through the book, and even though part of the plot revolves around his loss of memories there is a very strong sense of who he is as a person, but he also has good character development. Also, he's gay, and we really could use more fantasy that has gay main characters but doesn't centre around their struggles, at least with regards to sexuality. I could go on an in-depth rant on how great some of the characters who show up later in the book are, but we'd be here for days and I'd like to avoid spoilers. What I will say, though, is that Sophia is the best sibling ever, and Kane is lucky she's on his side.

The plot itself is just twisty enough to keep the reader at the edge of their seats, but not so twisty that it launches them into space. The different elements of the book come together to enhance the plot, not detract from it, and lend themselves well to creating a perfect pace, balancing well with the twists and the suspense.

TL;DR: Everyone should read this as soon as it comes out. It is such a fantastic book that whenever someone asks me how much I liked it, I loose all knowledge of the English language. Whether you're a plot person, a fan of great antagonists, or a lover of magic, you will not feel deprived.

At first I found Reverie to be a little more middle grade than I expected but it did end up being a tad bit mature later on but not so much so I would feel uncomfortable letting my middle grade reader read it. In fact I might insist.



Reverie is extremely LGBT friendly. Though I am not personally a part of this community I fully support it and think it’s great to have diverse work out there. The main character happens to be gay, other characters are implied gay and there is an esquisite drag queen. Is that an integral part of of the story? You bet in the vein of self acceptance. Can the same story be told with straight characters? Sure, we all have insecurities. But it’s perfect the way it is.



The underlying picture with Reverie seems to be acceptance of one’s self. Being okay with who you are as well as with the way others are. There is a little bit of mental health talk as well but not so much that it darkens the feel of the story. Over all that it is a really good Urban fantasy story. I felt the story was a little different than most about magic. I thuroghly enjoyed reading this book and am sorry my reading slump made me take so long to get through it.



Now to the synopsis:

Kane Montgomery is recovering from an accident. The police seem to think it was no accident that Kane drove his dad’s car into the historical Mill on purpose. The problem is he remembers nothing.


As he tries to figure out what happened and why it quickly becomes apparent that there is something more going on around Amity. Stranger and stranger things begin happening and people who he think are friends seem to be something else as well.



And then it happens, he gets sucked into a Reverie. More astonishing is that he has the magical ability to destroy it.

When someone he thought was helping him turns out was truly just using him a Reverie ends up deadly. Kane tries to withdraw again to keep those he loves safe but in the end Kane and his friends end up in his sister’s Imaginings and it cultivates an epic showdown that could end them all.



I love the characters and the world building in this book. It is very imaginative. Ryan La Sala is an artist with words.



So my bookling friends, I would recommend Reverie by Ryan La Sala for a fun, magical Urban fantasy read.

I give Reverie a fabulous 4 out of 5 stars.



Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book for a fair and honest review.

Reverie is due to release January 2020.


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Tagged book review, dreams, magic, Reverie, Ryan La Sala, Urban fantasy, YA