“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.”
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Trigger Warning: death, body horror, homophobia, transphobia, cancer, bullying, fire, fire injury, kidnapping
When I was in Waterstones a few weeks ago, I saw this books gorgeous gorgeous cover as I was just heading to the till, so it’s safe to say that this was definitely a judge the book by the cover situation, and I’m not disappointed. I was just a bit confused here and there.
After Mars’ sister, Caroline, attempts to murder him, killing herself in the process, he must learn to live with the fact that she was not well towards the end of her life. Soon after, he attends the summer camp where she spent the last few weeks of her life to try and figure out what went wrong.
One of my favourite settings in any form of media is a summer camp, and when spooky things are going down, it makes it all that better, so of course I enjoyed this one, no matter how confused I happened to be here and there when the magical elements came into play.
It was an odd book that I don’t think I would have picked up had I not been attracted to the cover, but I’m glad that I did end up giving it a go; queer horror stories are something that I need to urgently read more of, and I feel like The Honey’s is a great start in my journey.
I feel like the side characters could have been utilised a bit more, even if it made the book a bit longer; I would have loved to learn more about each of the Honeys, even if it was just the main ones we are introduced to.
Now that I’ve had time to think about this book since finishing it, I can safely say that it gives off the same vibes as Ari Aster’s 2019 film, Midsommar, and now that I’ve made that connection, it makes me so happy that I’ve spotted another reference; another one being to Jennifer’s Body (2009, dir. Karyn Kusama). The cattiness of it all also reminded me a bit of Heathers, of which I am in love with the musical; I definitely need to see it on its next tour!
All in all, I look forward to reading more from Ryan La Sala (he/they/she) in the future!
All the love,
Jade x
Tea Stains and Book Spines 
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