A review by katharine_opal
Strange Bedfellows by Ariel Slamet Ries

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This story was so goddamn good. After Oberon has a mental breakdown in the middle of a lecture at college, his life seems to be spiraling out of his control. He distances himself from his friends, drops out of college, and spends a lot of time dreaming. In his dreams, he starts dreaming of his high school crush, Kon, who went missing shortly after high school ended. Until Kon appears outside of those dreams as an apparition! Together, they slowly try to turn Oberon's life back around. This story was so interesting, and I adored both Oberon and Kon. They felt like real people and their struggles, though futuristic, were very relatable. Also, I really like how slang was written in this story. It feels like something kids of the future would use, but they also included "outdated" slang that older people use! It was a little detail that really helped add some reality to the story. The art was GORGOUES. I loved the art style so much, and the dream scenes were so pretty. I don't want to say too much about the story because it was so good. It's also a solar punk utopia style of a story that acknowledges the dystopia that it rose from. Please just go read it for yourself, it's worth it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

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