Honeysuckle was <i>perfect</i>

Daye and Rory's story was everything. Seeing the change between innocent childhood friendship to the romantic feelings you start seeing from Rory's POV and becoming all encompassing... the way it was written was amazing. Seeing the relationship change so drastically while touching on the question of consent between Daye and Rory really gets you thinking about what consent and body autonomy can really look like when it comes to the creator and the created.

The book really makes you think about how so much changes, even things like the seasons changing completely changes Daye. The seasons, people, relationships, just general life plans - everything <i>will</i> and has to change.

Such a beautiful book which I will for sure be picking up physically and re-reading to see what changes <3

The cover alone is reason enough to buy this book. Absolutely stunning.

The story lives up to it.
It starts off innocently enough, but by the time I finished that last page, my thoughts on the characters had changed completely.
The whole idea of a Blodeuwedd is fascinating in its own right, but all the experiments add another element.
I enjoyed the voice of Faye being used more as the story progressed.
A little bit dark and unnerving at times, a whole lot of good though, I very much enjoyed this one.

An unsettling sense of foreboding runs through the story, both horrifying and captivating even the most distant reader.

The atmosphere draws you in completely, and the slow unraveling of Daye and Rory's innocence is portrayed with remarkable precision.

Beautifully written, the novel explores themes of consent and female empowerment, while questioning the very nature of love.

Gorgeously macabre, this modern fairytale that blossoms and decays in equal measure, mirrors the complexities of womanhood in today’s world.

Beneath its tragic beauty lie striking parallels to the challenges women continue to face—expectation versus autonomy, societal pressure cloaked as protection, and the relentless push to bloom even in hostile soil.

Inspired by the Welsh myth of Blodeuwedd and Frankenstein, the tale is reimagined through a gothic, feminist lens, resulting in something both powerful and strikingly original.

Rory and his sister are alone in this world.
His sister gives Rory a companion, Daye, a curious creature.
Time goes by. and everything changes, so does everyone.

Based loosely on Blodeuwedd, this is a modern horror fairy tale which is exquisitely written and ties the relevant themes and topics into narrative very well.

Loved the craft, the mood, and the story.

4.75 Stars

Honeysuckle is a beautifully written literary horror inspired by the Welsh mythology of the Blodeuwedd. What begins as a seemingly innocent exploration of the possibilities of this magical system of engineering gradually becomes much darker and more disturbing as the childhood companionship between Rory and Daye becomes increasingly codependent and the power imbalance deepens.

The most striking part of this book for me was the examination of the concept of bodily autonomy, consent, and coercion. Watching Rory's love for Daye become twisted into obsession, objectification, and coercive control while Daye's adoration and loyalty turns to fear and resentment was both heartbreaking and enraging.

I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys gothic horror.

This was a really interesting and topical read. So many question raised around consent, ownership and control - all told through a creative concept. Thoroughly enjoyed!

Firstly this cover is absolutely beautiful with the writing to match. This story felt very empowering but also very unnerving at times.

It highlights the slow unraveling of Daye and Rory, it flowed smoothly and quickly and the characters were all very interesting and intriguing. I would recommend this book to my book club when it is published!

Thank you NetGalley for sending over this arc!

Honeysuckle brings such a delicious genre blend: Part fantasy, part horror, with a budding love story, it drew me right in. The vivid, concise prose made me turn the pages, and so did the big questions about ethics, humanity and consent. If you loved The Snow Child, The Bear and The Nightingale and/or Frankenstein, this book is definitely for you. Lush and magical and unsettling too, I'll be thinking about Honeysuckle for a long time.