Honeyeater

by Kathleen Jennings

A richly imagined dark fantasy that pulses with the beautiful destruction of a town reclaimed by the natural world.

Sub-tropical Bellworth is founded on floodplains and root-bound secrets. And Charlie, remarkable only for vanished friends and a successful sister, plans to leave for good, just as soon as he deals with his dead aunt’s house. Then Grace arrives, desperate, with roses pressing up through her skin, and drags Charlie into the ghost-choked mysteries of Bellworth, uncovering the impossible consequences of loss and desire — and a choice Charlie made when he was a boy.

But peeling back the rumors and lies that cocoon the suburb disturbs more than complacent neighbors and lost souls. And Charlie and Grace are forced to a decision that threatens not only their lives, but all they believed those lives could be.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Gothic, Fiction, Adult, Novella, Contemporary

251 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 2, 2025

About the author

Kathleen Jennings is an illustrator and writer based in Brisbane, Australia. As an illustrator, she has been shortlisted three times for the World Fantasy Awards, once for the Hugos, and once for the Locus Awards, as well as winning a number of Ditmars. As a writer, she has won two Ditmars and been shortlisted for the Eugie Foster Memorial Award and for several Aurealis Awards.

Reviews

[Holly Hearts Books · Rating 1 out of 5]

I once knew a guy who would walk into a room and greet you with the most confusing statement. We would joke that he’d have half a conversation with himself on his way in. That’s this book. The writing is so weird. It’s confusing. I want to label it a flowery prose but I’d describe it as choppy. I highly recommend reading a sample before purchasing because you can tell immediately if you’re going to like it or not.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant, mud-drenched ghost story of a haunted family and its fragile secrets.

I love Kathleen Jennings' writing, even if most of the time I feel like I'm not fully absorbing everything I'm supposed to. I love the atmosphere her words evoke and this book was no exception - the creek was a character itself, and the ghostly happenings were bizzarre and unique.

Our protagonist, Charlie, finds himself tasked with cleaning out his dead aunt's house before he can be rid of the town of Bellworth for good. But then Grace shows up on the doorstep and the blue roses pressing on her skin from within demand answers.

What follows is wet and weed-choked, ghostly and haunting. Horror of a new kind is brought to life as secrets begin to rise to the surface, and Charlie will never be the same.

The writing is abstract and evocative, and takes precedence over storytelling - meaning must be plucked carefully from between snaking vines and piercing thorns. Those who like to linger over clever words will enjoy indulging in the imagery here, though those who prefer a faster pace may get tangled up in all the allusion and word play.

There's a special kind of horror to this one; a pervasive sense of not having enough air in the lungs rather than any kind of definable terror. It leaves the skin crawling but doesn't stoop to jump scares.

The characters don't have too much opportunity to develop fully, which I found mildly disappointing but also seemed to suit this richly detailed setting. I wanted to know them all a little better but I think it kind of adds to the secrets and mystery of the whole thing.

This was another lyrical fantasy horror that really absorbed me. At times I did find it a little confusing to follow but inevitably I was swept up in the words and still thoroughly enjoyed the telling.

This won't be for everyone, but horror fans looking for something different should definitely give this a go. There's also something quite beautiful in the writing so fans of literary fiction should appreciate this tale.

With thanks to Macmillan for an ARC

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 Stars
This is a short dark fantasy novella. The story felt reminiscent of previous popular books like Wilder Girls. If you love that one, you will likely love this one too.

The writing was nice and lyrical. The story certainly has a “vibe” or atmospheric tone. I wish this one had been darker and punchier, which is largely my issue with this entire subgenre.

My experience largely suffers from expectations. I want these stories to be cutthroat and instead they are soft. I want to love these kinds of stories but they never go far enough to satisfy me. If you enjoy these feminine dark fantasy, then you'll very likely be pleased with this one too.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

[Lexi · Rating 1 out of 5]

1⭐️

ARC REVIEW

The way I am so glad to be done with this book…😒😒😒…

Talk about the struggle is real. I mean, dang. This book was all the way boring, confusing, and just plain weird. But, let me back up for just two seconds. I won Honeyeater by way of a GoodRead’s giveaway. When I entered my name into this giveaway, I truly thought that I was requesting a book about a small town that contains ghosts, dangerous secrets, and juicy gossip. And while the synopsis hints that some strange things are happening in the town of Bellworth, the execution of this story doesn’t feel that way at all. In all honesty, Honeyeater is the type of book that claims to be one thing but, causes a reader to get lost in its translation. That is how bad the execution of this book truly is.

I don’t mean to sound rude or be harsh but, Honeyeater is not going to be a book for everyone. This book is difficult to comprehend. The author decided to make this book feel like a fantasy novel that needed to be all dolled up with overwhelming adjectives and incomplete sentences. It’s like the author’s thoughts were nowhere to be found. I can’t even explain what this story is about because I HONESTLY don’t know. I can’t determine if I liked the characters or not because I spent more time trying to gain an understanding of what I was reading. I have never read a book where I was left questioning if I knew how to read or not but, I guess, there is a first time for everything.

I knew I should’ve left this book on my DNF shelf and just took the loss but, my OCD just had to get the better of me. Having this one physical book ARC on my bookshelf left unread was not sitting well with my nerves. 🙄🙄🙄. Honeyeater officially marks my sixth ARC that I have read and have failed to enjoy. However, Honeyeater is by far the worst book out of all six. There truly isn’t much else to say besides: READ THIS BOOK WITH LOADS OF CAUTION!!! Disappointment is soon the follow.

I am officially hanging up my interest on any future reads written by Kathleen Jennings. I want to wish her nothing but the best on her future endeavors, especially her writing career.

Thank you Tor Publishing Group for granting me an Advance Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for my honest and personal opinion!!!

[CarlysGrowingTBR · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Stats:
📖: 272 pages
Genre: Gothic Horror
Publisher: Tor
Format: Physical Arc from publisher
Series: Standalone

Themes:
💫: Loss and Grief

Tropes:
💗: botanical setting

🥵: Spice: 🚫
Potential Triggers: **check authors page/socials for full list.

General Thoughts:
Honeyeater begins with some of the most lovely dark and atmospheric writing. The descriptions are giving all the vibes needed to really immerse yourself in this wet and dread-filled world.

The book really does just drop you into the story. There is not a whole lot of explanation or reasoning for why things are the way they are within the very first few chapters of this novel. This adds to the mystery and overall creepy feeling of the world where you're in this botanical and swampy setting without much explanation. As we learn more about the story and drive deeper into the themes, it becomes this dread filled mystery that encompasses a drowning flooded town and the ache of missing women.

Unfortunately, I did find Charlie to be a pretty flat character overall. A lot of his decisions didn't make sense because we just didn't know enough about Charlie and his motivation.

Unfortunately, partway through the story I do feel like the storyline dropped off a little bit and left me a little bit bored at times. While I was able to pretty easily finish the story, I didn't find myself a really invested in what happened at the end. This is most definitely a me problem and not an overall issue or problematic tendency with the book itself. I think many people will enjoy this story and it might have just been that I prefer T Kingfisher, and their ways of telling a dark atmospheric Gothic story better.

Disclaimer: I read this book as a physical ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Leanna Streeter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a strange but beautiful read. It’s eerie, gothic, and has that unsettling small-town vibe where you’re never sure what’s real and what’s being manipulated. The writing is atmospheric and a little chaotic at times, but honestly it really worked for the story it kept me on edge the whole way through.

I loved the way the setting came alive. The nature imagery is haunting sometimes soft and calm, sometimes violent and reclaiming and it gave the whole book this ghostly, otherworldly feel. It definitely felt like being dropped into a place that’s half-forgotten, half-wild, and fully alive.

The pacing was slower in spots, but once everything started unraveling, I was hooked. The blend of gothic horror, folklore, and family secrets made this such an interesting and memorable read. Definitely one for fans of weird, unsettling stories that blur the line between beautiful and creepy. Thanks to TOR publishing for the gifted ARC

[Morgan Wheeler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honeyeater is a beautifully bizarre plunge into a world both haunting and lush, where nature quietly—and sometimes violently—reclaims what once was hers. Though technically set in a dystopian version of Australia, the mood and setting evoked something closer to Appalachia for me: misty, overgrown, humming with ghost stories whispered between the trees.

If you were drawn to the eerie lyricism of Motheater or the dark mythic pulse of The Knight and the Butcherbird, this novel will feel like coming home—to a place that’s half-forgotten, half-feral, and entirely alive. Jennings masters the gothic and the ghostly, wrapping readers in a tale thick with root-bound secrets, aching loss, and the strange, wild beauty of decay.

I’ve been loving the recent wave of botanical horror—stories where the natural world isn't just a backdrop but a living, reclaiming force—and Honeyeater delivers on that theme in spades. And that cover? Absolutely stunning.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group | Tor Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts. This one will stick with me like the scent of rain on soil.

[Korynne · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 13%

I just can’t push through anymore. I am bored and very confused and I can’t tell you a single thing that I just read. This story is written in a very flowing stream-of-consciousness style, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. It is unclear what the plot is, what the setting is, who the characters are, or what the entire point of the story is. I got nothing from this and reading even these ~35 pages was a struggle. I tried to push through but I cannot. If you are interested in this book, read a free sample first, because you will be able to tell very quickly whether the writing style will work for you or not. It did not work for me in the slightest, and I do not recommend this book.

[Toribetweenpages · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you liked Wilder Girls or What Moves the Dead you might enjoy this twisted tale.

The town and murky unsettling water is the main character. The setting is alive and manipulating our characters. Naturalistic body horror. A town with lots of backstory.

The setting is the star of the book. The characters were a little flat for me. The circumstances around the characters peaked interest

[Mallory Ventry · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're someone who thrives on the eerie beauty of dark fairytales and spine-tingling, mesmerizing horror, this book is an absolute treat. From the very first page, the author draws you into a world that feels both hauntingly familiar and entirely new—an uncanny dreamscape where magic hides behind every shadow and danger breathes just beneath the surface.

The world-building is nothing short of immaculate. Every scene feels like it was painted in vivid, surreal brushstrokes. The imagery alone is worth the read; it lingers in your mind long after you’ve put the book down.

I’d wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone in love with fiction—especially those who seek stories that are as beautiful as they are unsettling.

[Marcus (Lit_Laugh_Luv)]

body horror? cli-fi? dark fantasy? gorgeous cover (don't be shy Goodreads - upload it)...i am SEATED

[Ceinwen Langley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating little ghost story set in a deliciously dank version of Queensland that I'm really thrilled to see being published internationally. The literary world needs more Australian Gothic, and the world in general needs more currawongs and paperbarks.

[Kelsey Seifert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, atmospheric, nature-based body horror, and a hint of mystery. Honeyeater was a quick, unsettling read that will do well with fans of T. Kingfisher or C.G. Drew’s.

[Alix · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Kathleen Jenning’s Flyaway is one of my favorite books, so I was excited to pick up her latest. This novel features her signature lyrical prose, rich in description and atmosphere. As with her other work, nature is at the heart of the story, this time centered on waterways and the roots of earth.

Our main character, Charlie, encounters a strange woman with blue roses growing out of her skin, and together they set out to uncover who she is and how to help her. Set in a small town where history and its roots run deep, this book had quite the fantastical feel. At times I struggled to fully grasp what was happening, though the atmosphere kept me hooked. It was fairly predictable who was behind the vanishing people, but the “why” took longer to untangle.

Overall, I liked the prose, the mood, and the characters. This was an enjoyable, if sometimes elusive read. It was perhaps a bit too flowery for my taste which is why I didn’t rate it higher.

[Cheesecat777 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC! this is an ARC review.

Dnf, but I have read enough of it to give it a rating.

It definitely has some good parts and the writing style is very pretty. It is sprinkled with these little legends regarding the town in which it is set. However, those little legends are the most interesting parts of the book and I find the main story to be pretty boring.

I think the main story isn’t helped by the fact that the characters are pretty flat. I find that some of Charlie’s (MC) decisions aren’t very well explained so they end up not making sense. Like for example Grace, who has flowers growing from her skin, is clearly sick and not okay when she shows up at Charlie’s doorstep, but he decides to not call a hospital? Even though this takes place in Australia where healthcare is free/affordable? And his reasoning is just “oh clearly this is supernatural so therefore no hospital needed.” And the motivation for that is just not explained further.

Speaking of this book taking place in Australia, I had to do some research to figure out that this does in fact take place in Australia, or at least a fictional odd version of it. It feels like the author expects the reader to just know that this is Australia because she’s from there. I don’t know very much about Australian wildlife so I was confused on where exactly this takes place and you’re kinda just expected to figure it out based on the plant life and to just know where honeyeaters come from. I haven’t even heard of that bird before reading this.

In short, definitely needs a re-edit. Make more clear where this takes place, the characters’ motivations need to be more clearly established.

[Dan Trefethen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my review of her earlier novel 'Flyaway', I compared Jennings to Shirley Jackson. The comparison seemed apt, as Jennings has a master's degree in Australian Gothic fiction (which I didn't know was a thing, but makes perfect sense).

This book continues the feeling. It focuses on poor, hapless Charlie Wren, returning to the town of Bellworth to clean out the house of his dead Aunt Ida who raised him and older sister Cora. A 'mysterious stranger' turns up who calls herself Grace, who may not be human, but Charlie takes her in and helps her recover despite the strange plants growing out of her body.

The appearance of Grace seems to portend strange ghostly happenings, and when immaculately dressed and perfect sister Cora turns up, the question arises of just what is happening and is it all in Charlie's fervid imagination.

Jennings writes 'place' very well, setting a tone that matches the action. It's a subtle, ambiguously mordant feeling that pervades the book. There are secrets, of course, but what kind? And held by whom? And the ghosts - are they remnants of past disappearances or something else?

'Flyaway' felt very Jacksonian (if that's a term I can use). However, this book reminded me of the fiction of Jack Cady, a little known but highly talented writer and teacher whose books often held elements of ghostliness and fantasy, stewed in a unique vocabulary specific to those places and people. The ghostly and fantastical elements, of course, are caused by human activity - past and present. People (and towns) can't escape their past, they must reckon with it or be destroyed by it. Cady's books were often set in the rain and gloom of the Pacific Northwest since that's where he lived and from which he drew inspiration. Jennings is Australian through and through, and the dreamtime of Australia and the flora and fauna play a large part in her writing.

I think readers of subtle horror would really appreciate Kathleen Jennings's work. If this sounds appealing to you, try one of her books and see if she becomes a new favorite of yours as well.

[Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

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Thank you Macmillian Publishing for this book in exchange for an honest review

This book is honestly unlike anything I’ve read before. Jennings writes with this dreamlike, poetic style that makes the world feel strange and familiar all at once with a folk tale vibe. The plot twists through family, secrets, and that deliciously unsettling edge between the real and the magical. The characters are prickly, layered, and so vividly drawn that even when they frustrated me, I couldn’t stop reading.
It’s clever, it’s eerie, and it lingers in your mind long after you finish which is the kind of story that makes you want to sit with it, turn it over, and spot all the little details you missed the first time.
Overall, Honeyeater is a sharp, haunting gem which will be perfect if you like your fantasy a little strange, a little beautiful, and impossible to shake.

[James 🦤 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Tor!

The atmosphere this book creates is absolutely perfect. This book just feels like hearing a scary story late at night. I've seen a lot of people compare it to T. Kingfisher--particularly the Sword Soldier series--and that's exactly the sort of vibe I pick up from it. I *loved* it.

I'm really glad we are seeing an uptick in botanical horror books because I'm loving it. The plant themed body horror with Grace was so perfectly unsettling. The story itself was incredibly interesting and had me very invested. You're given all the pieces to put together the end twist before the characters do, but I still didn't manage it entirely!

Spoiler: I laughed at the author dedicating the book to her "kind, well-adjusted" sisters after that ending. Blink twice if you need help

[Isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

a botanical fever dream, incredible

[RottingInThePlot [Julia] · Rating 4 out of 5]

((3.75 for me)) Thank you NetGalley & Tor for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts! 💞📚

The writing really is chaotic and peculiar.
I think it added to the charm and really fit the vibes of the setting in their odd little town of Bellworth, in my opinion. I could see how it would really turn people away. But, I enjoyed it!! It really had me on my toes. The way Jennings had me gasLIT to believe Charlie was the sole problem… girl. You sneaky. Sneaky. Sneaky. WOW.

I just had to sit with it. Let it sink in the way the roses worked their way through Grace. I was a little gobsmacked by some of the twists. What an interesting tale of kinda the butterfly effect of ghosts, reclaiming a space, and family evil/secrets.

I look forward to exploring some more of Jennings’ work!

[Bianca Rose (Belladonnabooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honeyeater is a bog drenched story of haunting family secrets, with dark nature at its centre. It blurs the line between dark fantasy and horror, giving it a fantastical yet eerie feel.

The prose is lyrical and flowery. I found it beautiful. It’s what many would describe as ‘weird fiction’ and I feel the writing style will be divisive. Some will love it, others not so much. It has a tendency to be muddy and confusing, but this adds to the evocative nature of the book.

This isn’t jump scare horror, this is crawl under your skin horror. More scary if you ask me.

Comparisons: What Moves the Dead, House of Hollow, the Bog Wife, Motheater.

Thank you so much to Pan MacMillan for my review copy and signed book plates!

[Stephanie B. •literaryland_livin• · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ rounded down for Goodreads

Honeyeater is haunting, lyrical, and beautifully strange. The atmosphere alone here is an absolute star with its lush, eerie, folklore, and botanical horror woven into every page. The ghost stories and town legends sprinkled between chapters were an amazing addition, giving the whole book that haunting ghostly tales under moonlight vibe that lingers. That said, as a character driven reader, I did struggle a bit. The characters feel slightly flat for me add in the shifts in the POVs that were sometimes confusing, and I never quite was able to feel connected with them emotionally. The plot also while being whimsical and eerie but also left more questions than answers by the end. Still, the writing is gorgeous, as is the cover, and the atmosphere unforgettable. If you love ghostly folklore, small town legends, and prose that feel like dark poetry this could be your perfect read.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you call it climate fiction, gothic horror, or both, Honeyeater is a wonderfully weird little book that honestly won't be to everyone's taste. Its prose is lush, its structure demanding. This is not a book that you can read with one eye on the television, and you may not want to take it to the beach. It is unsettling, full of ghosts, and makes you wonder if that rustling in the bushes was a squirrel or something else.

If you like a weird little book, though, this is absolutely for you. Honeyeater is a marvelous tale of strange beasts and ghosts, family secrets, love, ambition, and what we owe to each other as human beings. Heady stuff for a 272 page book, but Kathleen Jennings is proving to be adept at packing as much meaning as possible into a single, lyrical sentence. Her 2020 novella Flyaway gave readers a similarly airy weird book but at just 176 pages it didn't quite have the space to expand upon its ideas, leading to a story that was more abstract and somewhat less satisfying than Honeyeater.

That's not to say that Honeyeater lacks abstraction. A weird little book like this one revels in abstracted ideas and images that let the reader come to their own conclusions regarding its themes, meaning, and even what happens in the end. A less confident author would overstate their themes and repeat themselves to ensure the reader knows exactly what they were thinking at every moment to the detriment of the story. Fortunately, Jennings writes with a sure hand and faith in her readers, giving us a spellbinding story that pulls you in and doesn't let go until the bizarre, beautiful ending.

So as we approach the changing of the seasons, and as nature reminds us that nothing lasts forever, pick up a copy of Honeyeater. Then hide your smartphone for an afternoon, put on some eerie music, and let Jennings work her magic.

–

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the advance copy for review.

[Em Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

surreal, wet, and puzzling. the closest vibe comp I can think of is the third story in Netflix's THE HOUSE anthology, where those cats are struggling to get along in a drowning world.

but this book has more ghosts.

to be honest, I'm still not totally sure what happened there at the end, and I can understand that this level of dreaminess might now be everyone's cup of tea. but honeyeater was a lush, lyrical fever dream of a novel, and i enjoyed every moment basking in its strangeness.

[Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woven together with foliage and flowers, Honeyeater is a delicious botanical fever dream.

Everyone around Charlie disappears. His sister eclipses him, his relationships fizzle out, and even the police don’t consider him interesting enough to suspect. He wants to wash his hands of Bellworth for good, but first, he has to deal with the house his dead caretaker left behind. Of course, Bellworth isn’t the kind of town that lets you leave easily.

As Charlie lingers, nature begins to reclaim what’s hers in this eerie little town and it finds him in the form of Grace, a young woman with flowers splitting through her skin and a mind that may be rotting… or blooming.

This book is soaked in atmosphere. Gothic to its roots (literally), it drips with strange beauty and unsettling decay. Think fairy tale (but Grimm-coded, not Disney) dark woods, creeping rot, and a love story made of dirt and delusion.

The prose is rich and haunting. Honestly, it reads like poetry at times. One of my favorite techniques was the way some paragraphs would end on a dramatic or terrifying cliffhanger only for the next paragraph to deliver a calm, sometimes absurdly mundane answer. It’s disorienting and brilliant, and it gave the book a unique rhythm that I loved.

Charlie is pitiful. Dense, fumbling and grief-stricken but it works. He’s incapable of understanding what’s happening around him, but desperate to hold onto Grace as she slowly unravels. Her descent is equal parts beautiful and gruesome, and Charlie’s need to save her feels hopeless, and maybe even selfish.

If you enjoy:
• Nature horror / botanical horror
• Gothic prose and fairy tales
• Rot as metaphor and magic
• Books where the setting feels alive

…then Honeyeater will crawl under your skin in the best possible way.

And yes, I’m also completely obsessed with the cover.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[nyna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honeyeater is a sumptuous, rose-choked ghost story that is, at times, difficult to access. Plagued by a trail of missing friends and unsettling dreams, Charlie returns home to Bellworth to help his sister settle their aunt’s affairs when Grace, full of vines and ruin, stumbles onto their front steps. Together, Charlie and Grace strive to uncover secrets about themselves, their weary neighbors, and the town that envelops them.

Redolent in camphor and bloom, this botanical horror offers lush prose that has its intricacies. You will flounder picking your way through this text, with payoff that is highly subjective. It didn't quite work for me, but I still found the language exquisite. My favorite element of the novel were the interstitials depicting uncanny small town lore that preceded each chapter. Strange, eerie, propulsive; I would have liked these to be expounded on more throughout the main narrative, which was both sinuous and murky. Once again, it’s a plot you really have to pry and prod at.

Beyond that, most characters fell flat, especially Charlie, our protagonist, who is stagnant and lacking any development throughout. Grace's concept was excellent—all floral rot and delicate bones—but only in theory. She, like the rest—Charlie’s disappeared friends, his sister, the taxi driver’s daughter, and Liddy—suffered from dull characterization, seeming only half formed.

It felt like Jennings had all the right pieces to a compelling narrative, but ultimately couldn't find a way to fit them together right.

I would perhaps recommend this one to readers who can forgo strong characters and enjoy puzzling out a shrouded, obscure story with luxuriant writing.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie is done with Bellsworth, he’s done with the town where everyone surrounding him disappears, he’s done with his visions being dismissed, but this town isn’t done with him, and nature will do what it has to to claim him as it’s own.

It just so happens that nature finds him in the form of Grace, a woman with thorns and roses erupting from her skin and the memory of his last name. Maybe she’s rotting at the very core or maybe she’s blossoming into something more terrifying.

Lush and lyrical, dark and gothic, this book oozes with atmosphere, the Aussie bush has never felt so sinister before.

🥀 Read if you like:
- What Moves the Dead
- Wilder Girls
- Green Fuse Burning
- Picnic at Hanging Rock, the TV Show
- The setting is a character

With some of the loveliest, poetic language, the descent and madness of Charlie and Grace is so easy to slip into, you don’t realise how far into the madness you truly are and at that point, it’s too late and the botanical horror has taken over.

Unsettling and a fever dream of a book, there were times I had no idea what was happening honestly, but the writing was so lovely that I just… went with it.

Weird and eerie, this Australian gothic captures perfectly the unsettling heaviness of walking in the Aussie bush, alone. It’s so much older and more magical than you can imagine, there’s power and Honeyeater gets that.

Thank you so much @macmillanaus for this copy!

[Josie (thebookgoblin13) · Rating 4 out of 5]

You already know the cover was my vibe so I clicked request on netgalley.

This was a bizarre and beautiful read, ghostly and gothic. I really liked the imagery of this world, it was lush and haunting. There is a lot of nature that's pretty, calm and quiet but also violent and taking back what belongs to ot. The feeling of this for me was kind of a ghost story told between the trees and the characters were just there for the ride. Living in the unsettling town being manipulated along the way. I read someone else's review that said this sort of felt like coming home to a place that's half forgotten, half feral and entirely alive and that is 100% how I felt. I really enjoyed this and seeing how everything unraveled and rewrapped to the ending. The first half of the book I did feel the characters were a bit flat and their reactions seemed odd but the story and everything in this world really had me hooked.

[John Rennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a character driven or plot driven story so if you like a story with strong characters and/or lots of action you should probably step away from the book now. Looking at the reviews I see lots of low ratings from people who should probably have stepped away but didn't.

What we have here is a lyrical and flowery (literally!) work describing an ever so slightly sinister small town. Everything seems normal at first but events get stranger and stranger as the book goes on. I loved the gentle descent into strangeness, though it did get a little slow in the second half of the book, and you'll have worked out who the bad guy is by halfway through the book.

I enjoyed the book, but you'll need some tolerance for the slow and whimsical approach to story telling so this book won't be for everyone.

[Beatrice · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as the premise piqued my interest, the rest fell flat for me. I had to push through, even though it was less than 300 pages.
I prefer reading the mini chapters in between the main storyline. Those little stories actually captured my attention more than the main story itself.

I give kudos to the author for vivid descriptions of the little town. It's dark, lush, and surreal. Almost hauntingly beautiful.

I would definitely check out other books by this author, but this book was not for me.

*ARC