'The Honeys' by Ryan La Sala - Blog Tour & Review

7/23/2022

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala - Tour Schedule

Continue below to read my review of the book and be sure to follow this link - [TOUR SCHEDULE] to check out the rest of the stops on 'THE HONEYS' blog tour brought to you by TURN THE PAGE TOURS, SCHOLASTIC PRESS, and RYAN LA SALA!

The Honeys
Ryan La Sala

Published by: Scholastic Press
Publication date: August 2nd, 2022
Genres: Horror Young Adult LGBT Contemporary Mystery Queer Thriller Fiction Mystery Thriller Boarding School

Synopsis:

From Ryan La Sala, the wildly popular author of Reverie, comes a twisted and tantalizing horror novel set amidst the bucolic splendor of a secluded summer retreat.

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 gender fluidity 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.

r e v i e w
rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (5 / 5 stars)

I absolutely love this author. I can't say it enough.

Back when I read his debut, Reverie, I.. like I'm sure many of you out there, knew he was something special. His stories are not only original, they're so full of unique concepts that they give me that opening page excitement all the way through. Honestly, he's so good that it's impossible to really retain HOW good he is between releases.

This one starts off with a bang. It's such an intense opening scene that I'm hard-pressed to think of another book that can meet that first page 'wow' factor. While media has taught me to assume most wild occurrences in stories have simpler explanations, La Sala's stories go against the grain. His explanations are never simple. They're complex, richly layered creations.

Mars is a deeply likeable character dealing with a lot of heavy emotions. In addition to the loss of his sister, he's got his own fair share of past trauma to carry, and some seriously unfair expectations regarding social appearances due to his parents' high profile careers.

The moment he gets to Aspen, both those emotions and the atmosphere around him just seems to become even heavier. The behavior of those around him feel so wrong, that it adds to the tension you feel as a reader, knowing what you do about his intentions going in. There's nothing quite like that feeling of dread that you get because you know something is coming.

If you love a good mystery with a serious case of the creeps and a touch of the unexplainable, this is the book for you. I highly recommend any of La Sala's work.

About the Author

Ryan La Sala writes about surreal things happening to queer people.

Ryan resides in New York City, but only physically. Escapist to the core, he spends most of his time in the astral planes and only takes up corporeal form for special occasions, like brunch and to watch anime (which is banned on the astral planes).

Ryan is the author behind the riotously imaginative Reverie, and the brilliantly constructed Be Dazzled. He has been featured in Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Tor.com, and one time Shangela from RuPaul’s Drag Race called him cute. Right in the middle of the road downtown! So. Pretty big deal all around, yes?

AUTHOR LINKS: RYANLASALA.COM | GOODREADS | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

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