Reverie

Kane Montgomery wakes up with amnesia after an accident, remembering nothing about how he ended up half-dead near a burning mill. As fragments of memory return, he discovers he has the power to manipulate dreams and alter reality. Kane learns he is part of a group called the Others who can enter and control "reveries" - dangerous shared dreams that break into the real world. He must work with a team to contain these reveries while uncovering the truth about his missing memories and a mysterious figure who seems to be stalking him. The story combines reality-bending supernatural elements with LGBTQ+ themes and self-discovery. Magic, romance, and dream logic intertwine as Kane grapples with his identity and powers while trying to protect both the dream world and reality from collapse. The novel explores themes of truth versus illusion, the power of imagination, and the struggle to define oneself when memories and reality prove unreliable. Through its fantasy elements, it presents a metaphor for the experience of coming to terms with one's authentic self.

Readers praise the vibrant imagination and LGBTQ+ representation in this YA fantasy, particularly highlighting the dream-like descriptions and Kane's character development. Multiple reviews note the creative weaving of drag culture elements into the magic system. Common compliments: - Fresh take on dream/reality themes - Diverse characters feel authentic - Strong friendships between characters - Colorful, detailed worldbuilding Common criticisms: - Plot pacing drags in middle sections - Some find the dream sequences confusing - Writing style can be overly flowery - Secondary characters need more depth Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (8,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (240+ ratings) BookBrowse: 4/5 Notable reader comments: "Like lucid dreaming in book form" - Goodreads reviewer "Beautiful prose but sometimes gets lost in its own metaphors" - Amazon reviewer "The queer rep feels natural, not forced" - BookTube review

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🌈 The magical worlds Kane creates in his reveries are inspired by his real-life love of drag culture and performance art. 🎭 Author Ryan La Sala wrote Reverie while working as a project manager in Manhattan, often writing during his lunch breaks and commute. ✨ Many of the novel's surreal scenes were influenced by the author's own experience with lucid dreaming and sleep paralysis. 📚 The book was part of a significant wave of YA fantasy novels featuring openly queer protagonists published in 2019-2020. 🎨 The striking cover art was designed by Sarah Creech, who deliberately incorporated elements that appear to shift and change when viewed from different angles, mirroring the book's themes of reality versus fantasy.