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eponineeurydice's review against another edition
4.0
Very weird (in a good way pretty much!), slow and with meh characters, but the writing was breathtaking and I love found family so! 3.75 stars!
sneeps's review against another edition
3.0
I had a good time with this one. I stayed up late to finish it, which has made my recollection of the end foggy, a disservice to myself and the book. I would criticize the ending for being a little confusing but that's my own fault so I'll say nothing.
This was a tropey ride I think, but they are tropes I'm not very familiar with/don't usually read, so it was just fun. I have never been a fan of the teens gaining mysterious powers trope in any medium (nothing against it, just never my thing (not counting the Gone series)), so this was fresh to me, though I know it's been done.
I really liked the idea of the reveries, and the idea of pocket dimensions and ~what is reality but our own perception???~ is very familiar to me, so I didn't find that confusing or unclear at all (some other reviews seem to be hung up on the mechanics here, but I thought it was all clearly laid out and well executed - picture the witches' lairs from Madoka).
One thing I was a little disappointed about was that the characters didn't really matter outside of Kane himself...they didn't seem to have arcs or strong personalities beyond what we initially see of them. This may tie into the theme somehow (another strike against me), and i don't think it's a huge deal necessarily --- this is Kane's story and his personal journey (what he learns though????), so Elliott not getting a satisfying arc (or dimensional personality) doesn't really matter to the story being told.
I regret that I really can't say more about theme or What The Point Is, but I can say it was enjoyable and sparked my imagination!
This was a tropey ride I think, but they are tropes I'm not very familiar with/don't usually read, so it was just fun. I have never been a fan of the teens gaining mysterious powers trope in any medium (nothing against it, just never my thing (not counting the Gone series)), so this was fresh to me, though I know it's been done.
I really liked the idea of the reveries, and the idea of pocket dimensions and ~what is reality but our own perception???~ is very familiar to me, so I didn't find that confusing or unclear at all (some other reviews seem to be hung up on the mechanics here, but I thought it was all clearly laid out and well executed - picture the witches' lairs from Madoka).
One thing I was a little disappointed about was that the characters didn't really matter outside of Kane himself...they didn't seem to have arcs or strong personalities beyond what we initially see of them. This may tie into the theme somehow (another strike against me), and i don't think it's a huge deal necessarily --- this is Kane's story and his personal journey (what he learns though????), so Elliott not getting a satisfying arc (or dimensional personality) doesn't really matter to the story being told.
I regret that I really can't say more about theme or What The Point Is, but I can say it was enjoyable and sparked my imagination!
hirvimaki's review against another edition
1.0
This was...painful. Cringe-worthy. The writing is sloppy. The plot...I assume there is one but I couldn't find it. Kane is unlikable. And for the love of Merlin, if you are going to base a story on a magical system, work out the details at least enough that readers aren't left guessing and guessing and guessing. It was a confusing mess, like someone threw up glitter.
ayudkin's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
noxii's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
shlebby's review against another edition
3.0
Reverie by Ryan La Sala was better than okay, but less than good. I gave it 3.5 stars, here's why:
1. Their was a lot of talk about friendship and relationships, that's all it was though. talk. There was no substance to any of the relationships, they all felt empty. We were being told that they were growing closer but the "friends" rarely talk, and when they do it usually ends in an argument, and they don't have any small relationship-building scenes like Kane and Dean have.
2. I LOVED Kane and Dean, I liked how their lil love story was not the main plot. There were enough hidden moments between them that made me feel fuzzy.
3. Let's make this simple cause the reveries were too confusing.
I know this is Ryan La Sala's debut novel so I was prepared for this going in. The reveries are dense abstract worlds. The concept is incredible and fantastic to read about, but it was not executed as well as it could have been. There were info dumps at the start of each reverie to describe setting, which kind of skimmed the surface of what the world looked like. It felt like I was missing pieces and I could never fully see the reveries.
Overall, Reverie was a fun easy read although somewhat confusing. I appreciated the amazing fantastical idea of dreams becoming reality, the queer main character, and the queer antagonist.
crimeofpoisson's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I was able to predict small plot points but not in an annoyingly contrived fashion: They were fun, illuminated surprises that revealed themselves fully as I read.