Publishers Weekly
★ 08/14/2023
La Sala (The Honeys) balances inventive gruesomeness with thematic depth in this bewitching horror novel, a tale laced with spine-chilling gore. Greek American teenager Athanasios Bakirtzis has lived with his yiayia ever since his parents died in a fire when he was six. Though he pretends otherwise, he knows there’s a dark truth behind his grandmother’s superstitions surrounding mirrors: Athan himself has the Sight, an ability to see back in time when he looks at his reflection. After attending a party from which he’s the only survivor of a massacre, Yiayia disappears, and Athan meets Dom, a brown-skinned artist who sees right through the charm Athan uses to conceal his brewing guilt and anxiety. Dom believes there’s a conspiracy at work that’s connected to Bakirtzis family friend Uhler and the eerie wallpaper he designs. As the boys infiltrate an underground society to investigate, their connection deepens, and Athan learns new truths about the past he’s been fleeing for so long. Athan is a nuanced protagonist whose struggles with grief, intimacy, and his self-destructive nature drive a queer-positive narrative that unflinchingly tackles hard questions about perception and aesthetic obsession. The result is a top-notch horror novel and a tearjerker. Ages 14–up. Agent: Peter Knapp, Park & Fine Literary. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
Praise for Beholder
School Library Journal Best Book of 2023
★ "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
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
School Library Journal
10/01/2023
Gr 9 Up—When a strange boy in a butterfly bandana abruptly implores him to hide in a bathroom during a dinner party, Athanasios isn't sure why he obeys, but the horrific tangle of bodies awaiting him hours later certainly makes him glad he did. Despite Athan's inherited Sight, which allows him to rewind the events witnessed by any mirror in which he can see himself, he has no idea who is responsible for the carnage, though the police clearly think he is. To make matters worse, his beloved (but perhaps not-all-there) Yiayia has disappeared; Uhler, the family friend who has supported Athan and Yiayia since Athan's parents died, definitely knows more than he should about everything that's going wrong in Athan's life; and Dom, the boy who saved Athan's life, clearly knows more than he's letting on about not only these deaths but also others. Readers will easily immerse themselves in La Sala's writing style, at once outlining a grand and epic plot in immediate, tangible settings. The voice that seems to follow Athan without quite belonging to him offers companionship to readers' darker natures, poignant commentary on intrusive thoughts and the space between reality and reflection. Athan is a complex and charismatic character, often as confused as readers about how the pieces of the puzzle connect. Where The Honeys was cloying, summer-heat-sticky, this title darts quickly from shadow to shadow, picking at a distorted reality. VERDICT La Sala spins a devastatingly unsettling web with razor-sharp insight.—Allie Stevens
JANUARY 2024 - AudioFile
This book devours you. When a hot boy at a swanky party tells Athan to stay in the bathroom until he comes back for him, Athan doesn't expect to spend hours listening to frenzied screams and the sounds of destruction. Vikas Adam provides rich character voices and emotion that pull listeners into Athan's search for answers to the horrors of that night, as well as the disappearance of his grandmother and the fire that destroyed his family when he was a child. Athan can tap into mirror worlds, and the spidery quality that Adam's voice takes on as Athan reaches out from those worlds will haunt listeners. High society, art, cults, madness, and dark magic mix with a touch of wild romance. Sound effects and a high-octane performance don't let go. S.T.C. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2023-08-26
A teen with a dark past uses his unique talent to investigate a series of grim murders in New York City.
Athanasios Bakirtzis has avoided mirrors his whole life. He blames it on his paternal grandmother Yiayia’s superstitions, but the truth is much more unusual: Through mirrors, he can scry into the past as if rewinding through camera footage. After witnessing a brutal accident at a party, Athan is sought out by a winsome stranger named Dominik Rupasinghe, who convinces him to help investigate a string of murders that he believes are all connected to the party. Athan is charmed and intrigued by Dom, who seems to know more about him than he should, but as they work together, it becomes clear that Dom may have secrets of his own. Their hunt takes them into the corrupt underbelly of art world high society, where Athan’s scrying becomes instrumental to their activities. But as he searches mirrors for clues, he finds that, as Yiayia warned, something sinister is looking back at him—something that may have been watching for a very long time. 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. Athan’s family’s Greek immigrant background informs his backstory and motivation.
Gritty and imaginative: modern noir that’ll leave you wary of your reflection. (content warning) (Horror. 14-18)
