Reverie caught my attention a few months ago when I was perusing the shelves at Gay’s The Word bookshop. Amongst the many books written about the LGBTQ+ community, Reverie stood out because it was a young adult fantasy with queer characters at the helm of the story. I am thrilled that LGBTQ+ fiction has evolved into fantasy. Most queer fiction I had read to date regarding ‘gay men’ had left a bad taste in my mouth. I resented the fact the characters in gay fiction only followed cliches, (sex, drugs, coming out), always resulting in sad endings. I craved for a story with the same epic love that Xena and Gabrielle had or even the page turning grittiness of Tipping the Velvet. Thankfully gay fiction is moving into a new realms utilising fantasy and SciFi, meaning young gay men can find idols in their favourite genre.
Kane Montgomery is recovering from a near fatal accident that has left him suffering with amnesia. He is desperate to uncover his past at all costs even if it means confronting three peculiar kids from school who seem to know him. However, Kane soon learns of the strange powers this group of teens posses, and the strange realms they travel into. The dream worlds known as Reveries.
Reverie felt like a spiritual cousin to the popular anime Sailor Moon; the main character (Kane) is a crying bratty teenager who is infatuated by a mysterious boy who seems to turn up in a crisis. Sound familiar? The fact the main character’s superpower is to shoot rainbows from his hands certainly had me envision parts of this book as a wonderful Japanese anime. Ryan La Sala makes great use of LGBTQ+ characters whilst adding context to the rules that govern the land of dreams. The use of different worlds and the fact each character has superpower linked to their vulnerabilities in the real world had a real appeal to me.
If rainbow superpowers do not cut it for you then surely a powerful drag queen sorceress will. Poesy is the perfect villain she’s theatrical malicious and stereo-typically manipulative. I love classical villains so maybe I am biased. Personally, I hated the main character Kane and his brooding/moaning behaviour, but I also found Harry Potter irritating for the same reasons.
My only real criticism with the book was the ending. It all read a tad inconclusive, I wanted to know why the Reveries still needed to be unravelled, and what happened to the dreams in Poesy’s sanctuary. Nevertheless, the book was fabulous queer-fest and I would highly recommend for anyone looking for something fresh to read from 2019.
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