August 10, 2022

Ryan La Sala: "The Honeys" (ARC Review)

Title: The Honeys [on Amazon | on Goodreads | special book page]
Series: None
Author: Ryan La Sala [Site | Goodreads]
Genres: Contemporary with a Twist, Supernatural, Thriller/Mystery, Horror
Year: 2022
Age: 14+
Stars: 5/5
Pros: Original, immersive, twisty. Debunks gender divide and socially assigned roles.
Cons: There's a lot of build-up, that, though never boring, might discourage those who'd rather have their stories more straightforward.
WARNING! Contains a number of gruesome/violent scenes and the (tame) prelude to an unconsummated sexual encounter.
Will appeal to: Lovers of magical-realism-meets-isolation-thriller-meets-gender-issues. Patient readers who can let a story tick and finally go BOOM.

Blurb: Mars has always been 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...(Amazon excerpt)

Review: First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on Edelweiss. Thanks to Scholastic for providing an ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

POWER UNIT

After loving La Sala's debut Reverie (and skipping his sophomore novel Be Dazzled only because contemporary + romance isn't my thing), I was looking forward to reading more from him - but for a while I was on the fence about The Honeys, because a few Goodreads reviewers had marked it as "dark academia" and I was afraid I'd be catapulted in the middle of a clique of competitive, catty girls or something. So, if you have the same concern, let's get it out of the way: though I understand, on a level, why some readers have used (or are still using) the "dark academia" label for this book, I think that it's not accurate, and more than a little misleading. The Honeys is a story about grief, siblinghood, self-actualisation, survival in a (most of the times subtly) toxic environment, pursuit of truth, and ultimately a tribute to the inner (sometimes terrifying) power of the female species. And the fact is, I thought Reverie's spectacular villain - drag queen sorceress Poesy - had prepared me for the Honeys, but La Sala pulled the rug from under my feet so well. Their only common denominator? Women - or folks who identify as female - are a force to be reckoned with, especially when they have one another's back. I wish I could say much more on this subject, but I can't very well spoil the story for you, can I? 🙂 Only, forget (your average) dark academia. [...]

HAPPY AND ADRIFT*

The Honeys marked my first time reading about a genderfluid character, and even if, as a cisgender woman, I can't claim to KNOW what it means, I was definitely able to sense the amount of honesty and truth the author put into bringing Mars to life. Now, during the course of the story, they spend most of their time as a biological male embracing their feminine side (which makes sense, given the context), but there's this conversation where they explain what it's like to be genderfluid and "drift" from shore to shore, and reject the roles society requires you to perform either as a boy or a girl, and it's so simple, yet so illuminating. As I said, I don't identify as genderfluid, but I've always embraced my femininity only so far and refused to adhere to a number of its standards, to the extent of sometimes taking my cue from men instead (admittedly, peculiar men, but still 😉) - so, if Mars' explanation resonated with me, I can't even imagine what it could do for all the people (teens especially) who prefer to live their life in the middle or not to stay on a shore for too long.

*Note: "Happy and adrift" is a direct quote from Mars' explanation that I referenced in this paragraph.

SWARMING UP

Plot-wise, The Honeys starts with a bang, then slows down and stays quiet (so to speak) until the last chapters, but that doesn't mean it gets boring. There's a well-orchestrated crescendo, and a constant sense of foreboding, of bracing for certain things to happen - though they ultimately aren't the ones you expected, or if they are, they still don't follow the pattern you thought they would, and that's brilliant. The truth is wilder than you could have anticipated, and the ending has an open quality to it that still feels satisfying - and holy moly, the writing is so evocative, and Ch.29 starts a little nebulously until it hits you in the guts. Sorry, I've probably been nebulous myself, but I hope what you took away from my review is that this is an important story, and a heartfelt one, and a poignant one, and even a funny one at times, and you need to savour it like good honey (I don't even eat honey, but whatever - also, the honey here is a terrible thing, but a thing of beauty too), and it will grow on you - I know it did on me (all the way from 4 to 4.5 to 5 stars). I'm looking forward to buying a physical copy for my shelves and reading it again and again.

For quotes from this book click here. (ARC quotes not available, at the publisher's request. I'll add them when I buy my own finished copy).
For more books that defy categories click here.

22 comments:

  1. I had been wanting to read this so I'm glad I didn't see it referred to as dark academia because i would have skipped it. Hopefully my library will get it soon.

    Could we have SEVERAL of the same books that we read and like??? lol

    Karen @For What It's Worth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right??? What happened??? LOL. Though honestly, I've been reading the same old stuff - you're the one who's branching out 😉.

      Delete
  2. "Debunks gender divide and socially assigned roles."

    "and Mars is certain they're connected to Caroline's death..."

    Well, THAT got my attention. I love the sense of foreboding as well- why do I like reading something that makes me uneasy lol?- and even though I tend to kinda like dark academia, I'm glad it's not necessarily just that.

    "I can't even imagine what it could do for all the people (teens especially) who prefer to live their life in the middle or not to stay on a shore for too long."

    THIS. Wow I'm quoting you left and right in this one, but that sentence... just makes me think that people are going to see their situation maybe reflected here, or at least it will resonate with them, and thank goodness for that. Drifting from shore to shore- and rejecting an arbitrary society's established roles... yes please.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I feel like an author now - all those quotes LOL.

      Seriously, La Sala is doing a lot of good out there. All while writing teen books that resonate with adults too (I know they do with me) and are just frigging entertaining!

      Delete
  3. Ok, wow. This sounds stunning.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sooo this is the comment you thought you had left...which obviously you did...only it went straight to spam and I didn't notice 🙈.

      Delete
  4. That sounds so cool. :) I like books that feature gender-fluid and trans characters (I haven't found many, so I'll look into that). Also as a lover of murder mysteries/thriller, I like the idea of the thriller aspect of it.
    -Quinley

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There didn't use to be many, but there are more and more of them lately. Also non binary (I've recently read The Sacrifice by Rin Chupeco, which has an NB lead).

      Delete
  5. Wow, awesome review. I've been curious about this and I'm pretty sure I'd love it too. I had no idea there was a gender fluid character, you don't see that representation that often, sounds like it's amazingly well done!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I was intrigued by Mars' perspective - it seems like we're getting more NB/trans/GF reps in books lately (with YA paving the way), and I'm looking forward to reading more of them!

      Delete
  6. I love books that explore gender (which you probably know), so that part sounds great and like it was really well done. The whole book sounds interesting too! I love honey, so your simile works well for me :-P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe it's not in one of your usual genres, and I know you didn't care much for Reverie, but if you are able to get this one from the library, giving it a chance wouldn't hurt!

      Delete
  7. Funny, I read the one La Sala book you didn't (and it was great). Glad this was a hit for you. So many great themes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, I remember! Of course you would and I wouldn't 😂. The man can write though.

      Delete
  8. Okay I NEED this book in my life! It sounds so good! I am literally leaving this review, and putting it on my wishlist. You've sold me! (Well- you had mostly sold me with your blurb review, but now I am 100% certain heh.) The vibe sounds perfect, and I looove when books take turns you don't see coming! Cannot wait to read it, wonderful review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I hope it will work for you, also because...uh...I feel responsible now 😅.

      Delete
  9. This sounds like a great story. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. I'm going to put it on my TBR. :D

    ReplyDelete
  10. I thought I had left a comment on this one, but maybe not. I haven't read this one but it does sound like it would be a good read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was awesome...in a dark, yet hopeful way.

      Delete
  11. I definitely want to read this book. I've been curious about it, and this seals the deal for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I hope you'll love it as much as I did.

      Delete

Welcome to Offbeat YA! I love hearing from you and always - I mean always - acknowledge your comments. This used to be a full democracy place, because anyone could comment, regardless of being a registered member of any community. Unfortunately, I had to turn off the Anonymous comment option, because I was getting too much spam that didn't get filtered. So, you’ll need to have a Google account (Gmail will suffice) in order to comment. Sorry about that. Anyway, jump right in! Come on, you know you want to...😉 And be sure to leave a link!
BTW...I don't care if a post is a million months old - you comment, I respond. And you make my day 😃.
Note: this is an award/tag free blog. Sorry I can't accept nominations due to lack of time.

As per the GDPR guidelines, here's the link to my Privacy Policy.