Book Review: Honeysuckle and Bone by Trisha Tobias

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 320 pages

Published: January 14, 2025

Publisher: Zando – Sweet July Books

Genre: Teens & YA, Mystery & Thriller, Horror

I am part of the Hear Our Voices Blog Tour and I extremely excited to talk about a 2025 debut that should be on your TBR pile for the year, Honeysuckle and Bone by Trisha Tobias, a haunting and atmospheric YA horror that is full of vibrant Caribbean history and culture.

Carina Marshall is on the run from her dark secrets, so Jamaica, her mother’s homeland, is the best place to do so. Having conveniently been hired for an au pair job for the wealthy and powerful Hall family, living in the luxurious Blackbead House, a life full of glamorous parties, making a new life in tropical paradise is at her fingertips. But trouble brews in paradise as strange things happen to Carina in the house. Someone or something is out to get her. Is it the family? Or is it the house itself? Or worse, her past is coming back to haunt her. Whatever it is, Carina must figure out what or who is haunting her before she is forced out of Blackbead House permanently.

If you are looking for the perfect horror to get you through the winter, then “Honeysuckle and Bone” should be on your list. Tobias gives readers tense and ominous feelings that make them feel trapped inside Blackbeard House. The house and Carina’s hidden secrets will have readers on the edge of your seat. But along the way, it perfectly combines an engaging coming-of-age story with a determined teen trying to make a new life for herself in a country she always admired.

Speaking of the setting, you feel like you are in Jamaica as you read the rich descriptions and sense the beautiful scents of the island. It made me want to visit the islands right now! The story is rich with Caribbean folklore and culture, and readers will enjoy this brief visit to a hot island during this winter season. You will want to immediately buy a ticket to Jamaica after reading this book.

Honeysuckle and Bone is a dark and ominous YA horror that will be an exciting journey for readers who enjoy Black Horror and atmospheric reads. We can look forward to more stories by Tobias due to this very strong debut.