Kane Montgomery was found nearly drowned in a river but has no memory of how it happened. Now three students from his high school claiming to be his friends are caught hiding supernatural secrets from him. Reveries (worlds born from individuals’ dreams) are becoming more frequent and dangerous, and only Kane and his friends can fix it. Meanwhile, a villainous drag queen is out to wreck havoc, and Kane starts falling for one of her minions.
Genres
Young adult, fantasy, queer
Description
All Kane Montgomery knows for certain is that the police found him half-dead in the river. He can't remember anything since an accident robbed him of his memories a few weeks ago. And the world feels different―reality itself seems different.
So when three of his classmates claim to be his friends and the only people who can tell him what's truly going on, he doesn't know what to believe or who he can trust. 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 only he can stop their world from unraveling.
Review
Reverie isn’t quite like any other young adult novel I’ve read. In some ways, it’s a mix of many different YA tropes, as the protagonists travel from different reveries, including a futuristic dystopia and a Victorian romance. The setting never stays the same and you never know quite what to expect next. It’s fast-paced and keeps you on your feet.
This book is at its heart a delightfully fun and light-hearted romp. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and its strangeness is embraced wholeheartedly. It makes the most of its queerness, hosting an entertaining magical drag queen, two queer old women longing to be together, and a gay romance between protagonist Kane and a boy who transforms into a nightmarish horse. It’s a wonderful and speedy adventure.
This is an important addition to queer literature. It’s criticized for focusing on fun escapades over world and character depth. To some extent that’s true. But the plot was so fun and enchanting that I couldn’t help but love it all the same. Queer people especially need a wide variety of stories, including an escapist fantasy. I couldn’t stop smiling while reading this book; it was a wonderful homage to common tropes and was at its heart just zany, adventurous fun. As a bonus, the cover is absolutely gorgeous.
If you’re looking for an escape from the world of negativity into a land of queer adventure, pick Reverie up as soon as possible.