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The Honeys Hardcover – August 16, 2022
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Mars has always been the lesser twin, the shadow to his sister Caroline's radiance. But when Caroline dies under horrific circumstances, Mars is propelled to learn all he can about his once-inseparable sister who'd grown tragically distant.
Mars's genderfluidity means he's often excluded from the traditions -- and expectations -- of his politically-connected family. This includes attendance at the prestigious Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy where his sister poured so much of her time. But with his grief still fresh, he insists on attending in her place.
What Mars finds is a bucolic fairytale not meant for him. Folksy charm and sun-drenched festivities camouflage old-fashioned gender roles and a toxic preparatory rigor. Mars seeks out his sister's old friends: a group of girls dubbed the Honeys, named for the beehives they maintain behind their cabin. They are beautiful and terrifying -- and Mars is certain they're connected to Caroline's death.
But the longer he stays at Aspen, the more the sweet mountain breezes give way to hints of decay. Mars’s memories begin to falter, bleached beneath the relentless summer sun. Something is hunting him in broad daylight, toying with his mind. If Mars can't find it soon, it will eat him alive.
- Print length352 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPUSH
- Publication dateAugust 16, 2022
- Grade level9 - 12
- Reading age14 years and up
- Dimensions5.75 x 1.25 x 8.5 inches
- ISBN-10133874531X
- ISBN-13978-1338745313
- Lexile measureHL700L
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Review
Praise for The Honeys
★"La Sala gives real-life fears a supernatural twist, cleverly using folk horror and psychological-thriller elements to heighten Mars' understandable tension and infuse this idyllic location with dread.... The eerily ambivalent conclusion is pure horror gold." --Booklist(starred review)
★ "La Sala's slow plot reveal is gripping, and the narrative's lush prose crafts both deliciously creepy horror scenes and a nuanced, self-assured protagonist consumed by grief and longing for acceptance." --Publishers Weekly(starred review)
★ "This layered, complex, and at times truly disturbing novel creates an ever-heightening level of suspense, ratcheting up to an explosive conclusion that readers will not see coming but will find imminently believable and completely unforgettable. A sparkling and powerful exploration of grief, gender roles, and escaping the strong grip of expectations..." --School Library Journal(starred review)
"La Sala delivers a sharply observed, imaginative tale of grief, destruction, and the transcendent nature of the reinvention that follows the aftermath of death.... As rich and complex as dark amber honey." --Kirkus Reviews
"A dark and redolent tale of familial bonds, grief, and a secretive summer camp tucked away in the heart of forests vast and dizzyingly wild. The Honeys creeped me out and I loved every moment of it." --Erin A. Craig, New York Timesbestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrow
"Novel after novel, La Sala proves himself to be a powerhouse in the YA space worthy of all the flowers that come his way. With crisp prose, a hauntingly stellar cast, and a main character we can't help but root for, The Honeys is a perfect successor for fans of Midsommar and Hereditary chomping at the bit for their next great obsession. Just, watch out for the bees." --Kosoko Jackson, author of Yesterday Is History
"The queer horror hive has a new queen! In The Honeys, La Sala pulls readers into a darkly poetic, razor-sharp satire of gender binaries -- and the binary of good and evil. A grim, beautiful exploration of the human body, its horrific surprises as well as its transcendent power."
--Adam Sass, award-winning author of Surrender Your Sons and The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers
Praise for Beholder
★ "La Sala balances inventive gruesomeness with thematic depth in this bewitching horror novel, a tale laced with spine-chilling gore.... The result is a top-notch horror novel and a tearjerker." ----Publishers Weekly(starred review)
"New York City, with all its grime and shine, is a fitting backdrop for this novel, which also weaves in elements of folklore and urban fantasy, giving the story a uniquely ominous and epic feel.... Gritty and imaginative: modern noir that’ll leave you wary of your reflection." --Kirkus Reviews
"This book is a wild ride..." --USA Today
"Unnerving, intricate, and glittering with La Sala's trademark wit. You'll be scared of your own reflection after this one." --Rory Power, New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls and Burn Our Bodies Down
"Beholder takes readers through a glass darkly, and into a spellbinding, spine-tingling world no one but Ryan la Sala could have dreamed up."--Caleb Roehrig, author of Last Seen Leaving and The Fell of Dark
"If it's unhinged horror of the mind, you know it's a La Sala. This berserk beauty is a joy to behold, and when you're done reading, you'll be avoiding mirrors for weeks!" --Adam Sass, award-winning author of Surrender Your Sons and Your Lonely Nights Are Over
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : PUSH (August 16, 2022)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 352 pages
- ISBN-10 : 133874531X
- ISBN-13 : 978-1338745313
- Reading age : 14 years and up
- Lexile measure : HL700L
- Grade level : 9 - 12
- Item Weight : 15.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.75 x 1.25 x 8.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #82,413 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Ryan La Sala writes about surreal things happening to queer people. He is the author of wildly imaginative REVERIE, which was selected as a Barnes & Noble book club pick, a Kids’ Indie Next pick, and an Amazon Best Book of the Month, and the crafty breakup romance BE DAZZLED (also a Kids' Indie Next pick). His forthcoming YA horror, THE HONEYS comes out May, 3, 2022, with Scholastic. Visit Ryan at www.ryanlasala.com, or on social media: @theryanlasala
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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The first chapter was enticing right off the bat. Marshall ‘Mars’ Matthias is attacked by his twin sister Caroline at home while she is supposed to be at summer camp and through the struggle they fall from the second floor where she dies (not the cause of death though). Mars then decides to go back to Aspen Conservancy camp to stay the remainder of the summer and learn about Caroline’s life over the past year.
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This is marketed as YA horror, but it’s definitely soft horror. This book represents a lot from Mars’ gender fluidity to the outcome and trauma of bullying. We have the atmospheric, maybe light academia vibes with the summer camp, the enigmatic and effervescent Honeys, and the mystery behind Aspen itself along with the mysterious deaths/ missing people. First, I loved the Honeys, a group of mysterious, very into themselves, almost whimsical girls who live farther away from the camp and much closer to the bee hives. Second, I did not see their secret coming, what a twist. I enjoyed La Sala’s writing too and the way he wrote from Mars’ “is this happening or am I crazy” perspective. I was mostly just going with the flow unsure of what was coming and kind of confused (but in a good way) until about half way through the book with the first real plot twist. The last half of the book was pretty trippy but such a fun read and I also loved the connection of Mars and the bees in the end. Really I feel that’s all I can say without spoiling it but this was such a great book!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The first chapter was enticing right off the bat. Marshall ‘Mars’ Matthias is attacked by his twin sister Caroline at home while she is supposed to be at summer camp and through the struggle they fall from the second floor where she dies (not the cause of death though). Mars then decides to go back to Aspen Conservancy camp to stay the remainder of the summer and learn about Caroline’s life over the past year.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
This is marketed as YA horror, but it’s definitely soft horror. This book represents a lot from Mars’ gender fluidity to the outcome and trauma of bullying. We have the atmospheric, maybe light academia vibes with the summer camp, the enigmatic and effervescent Honeys, and the mystery behind Aspen itself along with the mysterious deaths/ missing people. First, I loved the Honeys, a group of mysterious, very into themselves, almost whimsical girls who live farther away from the camp and much closer to the bee hives. Second, I did not see their secret coming, what a twist. I enjoyed La Sala’s writing too and the way he wrote from Mars’ “is this happening or am I crazy” perspective. I was mostly just going with the flow unsure of what was coming and kind of confused (but in a good way) until about half way through the book with the first real plot twist. The last half of the book was pretty trippy but such a fun read and I also loved the connection of Mars and the bees in the end. Really I feel that’s all I can say without spoiling it but this was such a great book!
This books was such an expected gem. Horror, mystery, suspense, mixed in with gender-fluid representation and a really deep commentary on society/misogyny - YES! Add in beautiful writing, multidimensional characters, and a perfect setting this book really has everything to make it incredible.
Think summer camp meets Get Out with a hint of dark academia.
I think what really struck me was this is too familiar of a setting. I grew up in a very wealthy, very white, often very traditional community. As we’ve watched many of the topics covered in the book develop there’s a divide of those who are willing to let go of tradition for traditions sake. It’s an interesting discussion.
Top reviews from other countries
I really enjoyed the start of this book - it was dark and intriguing. Mars's twin sister, Caroline, attacks him one night in attempt to kill him and, in the ensuing fight, ends up dying. This sets Mars off on a quest to find out more about his sister and the summers she spent at Aspen Conservatory, a sort of holiday camp for rich, privileged kids - and which Mars himself left years earlier under a cloud. The camp is much as you'd expect - except for the area where the Honeys reside - beautiful, confident girls who swoop into the main camp as and when they feel like it but who, otherwise, remain aloof, tending to Aspen's apiaries. Yet as the novel unfurls, there is something dark and altogether 'other' about the Honeys.
What I did like about this novel was Mars himself, and the way he described his gender fluidity. You could feel his yearning to be like the Honeys and his refusal to be pinned down or defined. He was intelligent, plucky, sensitive and fun. And the banter between him and some of the boys was brilliant. However, the novel soon began to drag. There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between the forest, the hut where the Honeys lived, and the camp. And then what started out as dark and mysterious just became silly and weird. I don't want to say too much and spoil all of the plot for people who may choose to read the book - but whilst, as a reader, I can accept (and enjoy) the paranormal, this sort of meandered into the realms of fantasy, but without the requisite world building. The author has come up with a strange (almost New World Order-esqe) storyline involving global dominion and control that's linked to, um, bees. The concept of some ethereal 'lace' (a network through which the Honeys command some sort of hive consciousness and awareness of future events) was just silly. It was confusing at first and didn't make much more sense as the novel progressed. I just think it was a step too far into the surreal. I tend to like my fantasy more grounded. This was abstract and, oddly, not a particularly exciting explanation for the shenanigans going on at Aspen.
I felt like this was a book I should have enjoyed more. It certainly had a lot of elements that I'd normally love - but I just found myself wanting to get to the end of it so that I could start on something else. Definitely not my cup of tea, but I can see how other people might enjoy it.