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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
Check out my full review here: https://tintededges.com/2021/04/19/honeycomb/
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honeycomb has been languishing in my book shelf since mid September. It was in between six crimson cranes and the museum of lost things. Part of me often felt like picking something out of that stack, but between my book tour reads, the books i had started, and the arcs I was missing I felt like I couldn’t until late in December when I decided to use a tarot card method of picking out cards to pick out books. You’re supposed to medicate and then sort of hold your hands above the cards, in this case the book stack, and then pick out one that calls to you; that could be it feels colder or warmer or anything, you decide. This was how I picked up Honeycomb.
Opening up the book I wasn’t sure if it was a kids book or an adult book. Between the beautiful paper, cover, and illustrations, it felt like it couldn’t be for an adult. But it was. Especially at the end of the first story, where the midwife’s eye is plucked out of her socket.
She often dreamed that if she believed, then one of these trains would stop for her and take her to a world in which magic was as everyday as science was in her own world, where animals spoke; where Kings and Queens rubbed shoulders with monsters, and witches, and fairies, and where Love was an adventure, not an ending to a story.
Honeycomb involves a multiverse tied together with stories. Each story is interlinked even if you don’t see the connection immediately. The first obvious thread is the Lacewing King, but as time goes on other characters and stories come together to form the whole. There are queens, and princesses and princes in every way shape and form, there are women running away, train drivers and mermaids. You have a man who leaves a bit of his soul in everything; the Halloween King who gives up his own life for his sons; and an artist who paints the most perfect apples; and the barefoot princess, whose grandmother had the most unfortunate ending. Each story seems like a fairytale, they’re certainly written like fairytales, in beautiful lyrical prose; and then they end leaving you slightly mournful and a little disturbed.
Even though Haris has so many characters that appear in these stories, its easy to become invested in them, especially the ones that appear more and more. There was a moment where I wanted to stop reading just because I couldn’t bear to think about what had happened to the barefoot princess. And, after all he had said and done, I didn’t want anything to happen to the lacewing king.
While this was something I started in 2021, I’m glad to say that it’s my first 5 star read for 2022
This is a collection of short stories from bestselling author Joanne M. Harris and legendary artist Charles Vess. This collection is definitely worth a read. You will find the stories within reminiscent of old folk tales with a bit of a dark side. Illustrations are sprinkled throughout the book and give it a bit of an old school flare.
I want to thank NetGalley, the author and publisher for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.
I want to thank NetGalley, the author and publisher for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Gallery Books, Gallery/Saga Press for letting me read and review this interesting and uniquely imaginative collection of fairy tales and folklore with lovely illustrations. This is a book that's one story thread that can be followed through the book with it branching off to other tales along the way to give more background stories to each character and everything else.
The main story is about the Lacewing King that rules over the Silken Folk and also goes into stories about other characters that all interact with the Lacewing King and his story or live in the same world. The other tales woven into the story of the Lacewing King are intriguing as well like the story of the Spider Queen, the Harlequin, the Clockwork Princess, the Barefoot Princess, and the toymaker who wants to make the perfect wife to name a few. This is a fun, entertaining collection of dark fairy tales that can be a bit morbid at times, but also reading these tales transported me to this fantasy world and reminded me of the story of The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern.
If you like the Grimm fairytales and dark tales as well as The Starless Sea, then you'll enjoy this collection of stories as well.
The main story is about the Lacewing King that rules over the Silken Folk and also goes into stories about other characters that all interact with the Lacewing King and his story or live in the same world. The other tales woven into the story of the Lacewing King are intriguing as well like the story of the Spider Queen, the Harlequin, the Clockwork Princess, the Barefoot Princess, and the toymaker who wants to make the perfect wife to name a few. This is a fun, entertaining collection of dark fairy tales that can be a bit morbid at times, but also reading these tales transported me to this fantasy world and reminded me of the story of The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern.
If you like the Grimm fairytales and dark tales as well as The Starless Sea, then you'll enjoy this collection of stories as well.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
informative
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Infertility, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail
An excellent collection of entirely new but exquisitely classical fairytales with lessons more applicable to our modern times. Not every one is a winner IMO, but many are gems and the overall effect is cohesive and stunning.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love fairy tales and this book hit all the marks of a great folk tradition. These are not old characters like Baba Yaga or Red Riding hood, but they feel familiar as if they were despite being entirely new. That on top of the truly superb illustrations made me feel like I was enjoying the nectar of fairies in written form. I read this mostly on the train on my commute but I guarantee if you read this in the woods somewhere or by a cluster of dense trees you will find yourself peeking over the pages waiting for the Lacewing King to emerge.
I was shocked by how much I enjoyed this book!
Honeycomb is a kind of book that is difficult to describe. It’s a set of dark fairytales. It’s an interconnected group of tales. It’s a fantasy. It’s horror. It’s science fiction. It’s about family and growth and love and guilt. It’s about seeking perfection at the cost of humanity. It’s about different worlds that look different but share a heart. It’s about one family but also about many. It’s about war and peace and consequences of each. And as my 7 year old who keeps peeking at the stunning pictures has said repeatedly - it’s also about a lot of insects.
I’ve never read anything like this and I’m a little sad because I don’t know if I ever really will again. I wasn’t sure how I felt a few chapters in but by the end I wasn’t ready to leave this spectacular world.
Honeycomb is a kind of book that is difficult to describe. It’s a set of dark fairytales. It’s an interconnected group of tales. It’s a fantasy. It’s horror. It’s science fiction. It’s about family and growth and love and guilt. It’s about seeking perfection at the cost of humanity. It’s about different worlds that look different but share a heart. It’s about one family but also about many. It’s about war and peace and consequences of each. And as my 7 year old who keeps peeking at the stunning pictures has said repeatedly - it’s also about a lot of insects.
I’ve never read anything like this and I’m a little sad because I don’t know if I ever really will again. I wasn’t sure how I felt a few chapters in but by the end I wasn’t ready to leave this spectacular world.