A review by bratatouille
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.75
Thrilling, haunting, gorgeous. I am a sucker for eerie fucking creepy cult-ish stories. Every time I thought I knew where this was going it would subvert my expectations with slight and startling jabs. This is queer horror, but the horror isn’t tied to the queerness. Likewise; there’s trauma, but it isn’t based in uncertainties or insecurities about queer identity. I will admit to thinking that the gender conversation is a little bit funky in this. However, I don’t turn to my YA entertainment reads for fleshed out criticisms on gender structures.
The novel starts off sprinting and oscillates between a trot and a sudden mad dash. I quite enjoyed how sporadic it could feel. This is a tantalizing and destructive ode to grief and nature. There are so many bees. I’m trying to be less up my ass about rating books so this gets five stars and I’m sticking by it. I haven’t felt this way while reading a book in a while. Did I mention it’s surreal? Bc it was gonna be.