Scan barcode
bzliz's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
3.25
Reverie has a great blend of mystery and fantasy elements and the characters are wonderfully diverse. We get gay teens with hints toward teen lesbians, we get an elder lesbian couple (though they don’t have much impact on any character development), and we get an incredibly powerful drag queen for a villain.
I enjoyed the concept of these superhero type teens hopping into dreams to safely dismantle them. My favorite was the reverie of Helena. The crew are thrown into roles from a popular romance novel but they get the ending wrong. Kane is put in the role of a non-verbal character and although he figures out the true ending (that Helena is trying to run away with the main female character, not the male love interest), he is literally being silenced by the reverie and his friends get it wrong. It felt like an allegory for how queer voices are so often silenced for going against what is “supposed to” happen, even when their supporters (Kane’s friends in this case) think they’re helping. I don’t know if that’s what the author intended but that’s what I took away from it.
Honestly, the worst part was Kane as a main character. He almost goes out of his way to make some of the worst choices and his feelings of devout protectiveness over his sister make no sense with his memory loss and how much he actively ignores her or is rude/mean to her. He has people willing to help him understand but he chooses to isolate instead. It’s also pretty convenient that the villain does a full monologue complete with cackling for the heroes to execute their plan.
Over all, there was a lot of great ideas here but sometimes the concept got a little muddied and hard to understand. I do think a lot of authors could take some notes about inclusion of queer characters taking on many different roles, not just having one to tick off a checkbox for diversity.
I enjoyed the concept of these superhero type teens hopping into dreams to safely dismantle them. My favorite was the reverie of Helena. The crew are thrown into roles from a popular romance novel but they get the ending wrong. Kane is put in the role of a non-verbal character and although he figures out the true ending (that Helena is trying to run away with the main female character, not the male love interest), he is literally being silenced by the reverie and his friends get it wrong. It felt like an allegory for how queer voices are so often silenced for going against what is “supposed to” happen, even when their supporters (Kane’s friends in this case) think they’re helping. I don’t know if that’s what the author intended but that’s what I took away from it.
Honestly, the worst part was Kane as a main character. He almost goes out of his way to make some of the worst choices and his feelings of devout protectiveness over his sister make no sense with his memory loss and how much he actively ignores her or is rude/mean to her. He has people willing to help him understand but he chooses to isolate instead. It’s also pretty convenient that the villain does a full monologue complete with cackling for the heroes to execute their plan.
Over all, there was a lot of great ideas here but sometimes the concept got a little muddied and hard to understand. I do think a lot of authors could take some notes about inclusion of queer characters taking on many different roles, not just having one to tick off a checkbox for diversity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Dementia and Homophobia
Minor: Car accident
alisonfaith426's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
readingthroughinfinity's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This was an action-packed fantasy with a unique premise that played out in a really explosive cinematic way. I loved the found family vibes and the clever way the reveries came to life, but I clocked the villain as soon as they appeared and I found them a little too archetypal/caricatured at the end. On the whole though, this was a fun read and a solid fantasy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Car accident and Gaslighting
zoeelora's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Kidnapping, Murder, Blood, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Gore
More...