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A review by yomireads
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is everything I yearn for in a horror novel. Supernatural with humanity centering as a villainous force is the perfect sweet spot for me.
The intersection of different types of "hive minded" species is really compelling. From the haunting bees introduced as early as chapter four, to the aspen trees that share a root network and seem to watch the interlopers of the wood, and then mirrored back once more in the way peer pressure and group psychology seems to create a single organism bent on attacking all things other.
The pacing was phenomenal, easily pulling the reader into the same sense of security Mars reflects without the writer telling the audience that's what Mars is feeling.
The tackling of gender binary and the sense of real life horror when life-lines in safety and trust are severed, and a queer child is left isolated and afraid, is chilling and well handled. It adds a lot to the atmosphere of tension that something could go wrong at any moment in the story.
The intersection of different types of "hive minded" species is really compelling. From the haunting bees introduced as early as chapter four, to the aspen trees that share a root network and seem to watch the interlopers of the wood, and then mirrored back once more in the way peer pressure and group psychology seems to create a single organism bent on attacking all things other.
The pacing was phenomenal, easily pulling the reader into the same sense of security Mars reflects without the writer telling the audience that's what Mars is feeling.
The tackling of gender binary and the sense of real life horror when life-lines in safety and trust are severed, and a queer child is left isolated and afraid, is chilling and well handled. It adds a lot to the atmosphere of tension that something could go wrong at any moment in the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Homophobia, Gaslighting, and Transphobia
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Classism, and Confinement
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Rape, and Dysphoria