Reverie - by Ryan La Sala

About the Book

"While recovering from an attack that leaves him without his memory, gay teenager Kane Montgomery stumbles into a world where dreams known as reveries take on a life of their own, and it is up to Kane and a few unlikely allies to stop them before they spillover into the waking world"--

Book Synopsis

B&N's YA Book Club Pick * Walmart Buzz Pick * Indie Next Pick * Book of the Month Club YA Box

A "joyously, riotously queer" (Kirkus) young adult fantasy from debut author Ryan La Sala, Reverie is a wildly imaginative story about the subconscious becoming reality, perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and Laini Taylor.

A few weeks ago, Kane Montgomery was in an accident that robbed him of his memory. The only thing he knows for certain is that the police found him half-dead in the river. The world as he knows it feels different--reality seems different. And when strange things start happening around him, Kane isn't sure where to turn.

And then three of his classmates show up, claiming to be his friends and the only people who can tell him what's truly going on. Kane doesn't know what to believe or who he can trust. But as he and the others are dragged into increasingly fantastical dream worlds drawn from imagination, it becomes clear that there is dark magic at work. Nothing in Kane's life is an accident, and only he can keep the world itself from unraveling.

Reverie is an intricate and compelling LGBT young adult book about the secret worlds we hide within ourselves and what happens when they become real.

Praise for Reverie:

"This outstanding debut novel will light readers' imaginations on fire...Imaginative, bold, and full of queer representation, this is a must-purchase for YA collections."--School Library Journal *STARRED REVIEW*

"This fantasy offers readers something wonderfully new and engaging...a gem of a novel that is as affirming as it is entertaining."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"The story's many LGBTQ characters are prominently represented and powerfully nuanced."--Publishers Weekly

"A darkly imagined, riveting fantasy... thrilling."--Shelf Awareness

"Joyously, riotously queer... The themes of creating one's own reality and fighting against the rules imposed by the world you're born into will ring powerfully true for many young readers."--Kirkus Reviews

Review Quotes

"Reverie is a dreamy escapist fantasy that will keep you entertained and on your toes. With beautiful prose, fantastic landscapes, and a drag queen sorceress who I'd let step on me any day, you won't want to miss this debut." -- Tara Sim, author of the Timekeeper trilogy

"Reverie is easy to fall in love with. La Sala is an exquisite wordsmith and he puts those talents on display as he crafts the intricacies of the reveries and the astonishment of the rainbow-colored magic battles. Reverie makes a strong, late-season case as one of the best young adult fantasies of the year." -- Tor.com

"[An] inclusive and dazzling debut." -- POPSUGAR

"A darkly imagined, riveting fantasy... thrilling." -- Shelf Awareness

"A joyfully queer fantasy thriller... Exciting, romantic, and truly original." -- Lillian Tschudi-Campbell, Red Balloon Bookshop (St. Paul, MN)

"A spectacular, imaginative tale unlike anything you've read all year... You don't want to miss this book!" -- Paste Magazine

"A unique addition to YA collections that represents diversity in the book's characters and the author." -- School Library Connection

"A unique, clever fantasy with a strong protagonist." -- Booklist

"Forget following your own dreams; follow Ryan La Sala's into Reverie, a vivid, exciting, and profoundly original tale of identity, imagination, and, of course, villainous drag queen sorcery." -- Alex London, bestselling author of Proxy and Black Wings Beating

"I don't know that I've ever encountered a book quite like Reverie before. It wears its queerness and its narrative weirdness on its sleeve and it paints outside the genre box, even as it gleefully pulls tropes out of that same box and flings them around like confetti. It feels like something fresh and different, and I'll be fascinated to see if it leads the way for a new YA trend. Queer, dream-bending mystery fantasy may well be the next big thing, and I'm here for it!" -- NPR.org

"Innovative... Featuring magic, monsters, and a drag queen sorceress, Reverie promises to open entirely new vistas in the world of LGBTQ fiction." -- Goodreads Blog

"Joyously, riotously queer... The themes of creating one's own reality and fighting against the rules imposed by the world you're born into will ring powerfully true for many young readers." -- Kirkus Reviews

"La Sala created a work that toys with fantasy -- as in dreams contrasted with reality -- and the fantasy genre itself, which for so long has had a narrow concept of who gets to be heroes. "Reverie" kicks open the doors to new voices, rainbow fire and all." -- The ARTery (WBUR)

"Powerful... [La Sala] is a model for what an authentic queer writer can be, and it comes through in his debut." -- Medium

"Readers will be guessing to the end of this wild and weird and crazy ride, and they'll love every minute of it." -- Sam J. Miller, Nebula-Award-winning author of The Art of Starving

"Ryan La Sala's debut is effervescent. Reverie is unlike anything I've read." -- Zoraida Córdova, award-winning author of Labyrinth Lost

"Ryan La Sala's debut novel is a fever nightmare of epically queer proportions. Told in a commanding voice and with both wit and style, Reverie is the kind of magical, twisty adventure that made me feel at home. This novel is truly a dream come true, and I can't wait for queer teens to get lost in its hypnotic tale." -- Mark Oshiro, author of Anger is a Gift

"Smart, sensitive, and unabashedly queer, this atmospheric debut reshaped my heart. Reverie has the makings of a YA sensation." -- Amy Rose Capetta, author of The Brilliant Death and The Lost Coast

"Stunning and terrifying to behold." -- Hypable

"With its fresh take on a diverse cast, its queer-power narrative, and its unique rendering of dream magic, this fantasy offers readers something wonderfully new and engaging...a gem of a novel that is as affirming as it is entertaining." -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books