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Honeysuckle and Bone
(2025)(The first book in the Honeysuckle and Bone series)
A novel by Trisha Tobias
‘Eerie, propulsive, and sumptuous, Honeysuckle and Bone is a trip to Jamaica you won’t soon forget.’ —Ayesha Curry
A Goodreads Editors’ Pick · A Kirkus Best of January for Young Readers · An Indie Next Pick
On the run from her own dark secrets, a teen girl becomes thenanny for a prestigious family on their Jamaican estate, where she quickly discovers even paradise may be haunted.
Carina Marshall is looking to reinvent herself, and what better place to do it than Jamaica, her mother’s alluring homeland where she conveniently has access to an au pair gig for the wealthy and powerful Hall family. After months of being the target of vicious rumors and hate online, Carina might have found everything she wants at the luxurious Blackbead House: a world of mango trees, tropical breezes, and glamorous parties—and a place to disappear.
Once there, Carina finds herself settling right into her busy, but comfortable, new life. Yes, the family runs a tight ship, and yes, there is some tension between the Halls, but Carina is content flying under the radar and hanging out with her new friends—not least, the handsome and charming Aaron. But when inexplicable things start happening to her in the house, only getting worse each night, Carina realizes that someone, or something, is out to get her. Is it the Halls? The house itself? Or is her own past catching up with her? With Aaron’s help, she must figure out what is haunting her, and fast, before she’s forced out of Blackbead House for good.
Honeysuckle and Bone is a deliciously atmospheric and utterly spooky young adult novel, perfect for fans of She is a Haunting, following an imperfect yet courageous teen as she seeks to remake herself in the homeland she always idealized, discovering that new beginnings don’t always come easy.
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
A Goodreads Editors’ Pick · A Kirkus Best of January for Young Readers · An Indie Next Pick
On the run from her own dark secrets, a teen girl becomes thenanny for a prestigious family on their Jamaican estate, where she quickly discovers even paradise may be haunted.
Carina Marshall is looking to reinvent herself, and what better place to do it than Jamaica, her mother’s alluring homeland where she conveniently has access to an au pair gig for the wealthy and powerful Hall family. After months of being the target of vicious rumors and hate online, Carina might have found everything she wants at the luxurious Blackbead House: a world of mango trees, tropical breezes, and glamorous parties—and a place to disappear.
Once there, Carina finds herself settling right into her busy, but comfortable, new life. Yes, the family runs a tight ship, and yes, there is some tension between the Halls, but Carina is content flying under the radar and hanging out with her new friends—not least, the handsome and charming Aaron. But when inexplicable things start happening to her in the house, only getting worse each night, Carina realizes that someone, or something, is out to get her. Is it the Halls? The house itself? Or is her own past catching up with her? With Aaron’s help, she must figure out what is haunting her, and fast, before she’s forced out of Blackbead House for good.
Honeysuckle and Bone is a deliciously atmospheric and utterly spooky young adult novel, perfect for fans of She is a Haunting, following an imperfect yet courageous teen as she seeks to remake herself in the homeland she always idealized, discovering that new beginnings don’t always come easy.
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Praise for this book
"Guilt and desperation saturate the pages as vividly as the Caribbean heat. Luminous and claustrophobic, Honeysuckle and Bone knows it's not just the ghosts you can't escape-it's yourself. Carina's accumulating lies make for a reading experience as acutely uncomfortable as bingeing a season of Dexter." - Amelinda Bérubé
"When folk magic and unquiet spirits are the least of your worries, that's good horror. Tobias has crafted a debut that's a bit of a miracle: a gothic that has its (honeysuckle-scented) cake and eats it too. Sweeping and foreboding, but never stuffy thanks to its vibrantly realized setting, likable characters, and a narrator who'd be her own worst enemy, if not for all her actual enemies and the swirling mystery she's dug herself into." - Adam Cesare
"A beautifully lush and haunting gothic tale, Honeysuckle and Bone is both a chilling mystery and a heartbreaking portrait of all the ways grief leaves its mark. I gasped at every shocking twist and harrowing reveal as Carina unearthed the dark secrets of Blackbead House and discovered that no matter how far she ran, the ghosts of the past were always right behind her." - Linda Cheng
"Honeysuckle and Bone is a deliciously uncomfortable journey into a suffocating world of wealth and secrets. Tobias's talented storytelling will demand your attention as she explores not only our fear of ghosts, but the fear of being witnessed for who we really are. It's one thing to admire an extravagant exterior-it's another to venture into dark corners and find what's lurking in the shadows. Carina is a messy, vulnerable narrator and I loved her, shadows and all." - Jas Hammonds
"Honeysuckle and Bone will haunt your days and nights long after you've closed the book; this is a story that wraps you in warmth and lures you in with lush beauty, only for you to realize that the cold dread lurking beneath the vibrant tropical air has already worked its way under your skin. Here is proof that no matter where we go, our ghosts will always find us and demand a powerful reckoning-and that sometimes, it's our own secrets that hound us harder than the dead." - Sarah Glenn Marsh
"Honeysuckle and Bone is a gripping tale of Caribbean folklore and mysticism that pulled me in right away. Tobias brings Jamaica to life with vivid sights, sounds, and colors, creating a setting that is lush and imaginative. The story seamlessly blends horror with themes of grief, loss, and love, while also authentically exploring the bonds of found family. With unflinching social commentary on class and privilege, this haunting tale delves into what happens when secrets-and the dead-just won't stay buried. Honeysuckle and Bone commands a space in the horror genre, and I'm here for it!" - Lisa Springer
"Immersive, beguiling, and teeming with sinister secrets, Honeysuckle and Bone is a tense coil of a mystery that crackles with energy and haunting, vivid beauty. The voice is magnetic, the setting is undeniably alive, and the ghosts are insistent with devastating truths. This is a gorgeous, pulse-pounding debut." - Nova Ren Suma
"Rich and haunting, Honeysuckle and Bone is an eerie ghost story that delves deep into an exploration of identity and class. Tobias's masterful handling of a teenage girl's exploration of grief and her homeland shapes a propulsive narrative that you won't want to put down." - Joelle Wellington
"When folk magic and unquiet spirits are the least of your worries, that's good horror. Tobias has crafted a debut that's a bit of a miracle: a gothic that has its (honeysuckle-scented) cake and eats it too. Sweeping and foreboding, but never stuffy thanks to its vibrantly realized setting, likable characters, and a narrator who'd be her own worst enemy, if not for all her actual enemies and the swirling mystery she's dug herself into." - Adam Cesare
"A beautifully lush and haunting gothic tale, Honeysuckle and Bone is both a chilling mystery and a heartbreaking portrait of all the ways grief leaves its mark. I gasped at every shocking twist and harrowing reveal as Carina unearthed the dark secrets of Blackbead House and discovered that no matter how far she ran, the ghosts of the past were always right behind her." - Linda Cheng
"Honeysuckle and Bone is a deliciously uncomfortable journey into a suffocating world of wealth and secrets. Tobias's talented storytelling will demand your attention as she explores not only our fear of ghosts, but the fear of being witnessed for who we really are. It's one thing to admire an extravagant exterior-it's another to venture into dark corners and find what's lurking in the shadows. Carina is a messy, vulnerable narrator and I loved her, shadows and all." - Jas Hammonds
"Honeysuckle and Bone will haunt your days and nights long after you've closed the book; this is a story that wraps you in warmth and lures you in with lush beauty, only for you to realize that the cold dread lurking beneath the vibrant tropical air has already worked its way under your skin. Here is proof that no matter where we go, our ghosts will always find us and demand a powerful reckoning-and that sometimes, it's our own secrets that hound us harder than the dead." - Sarah Glenn Marsh
"Honeysuckle and Bone is a gripping tale of Caribbean folklore and mysticism that pulled me in right away. Tobias brings Jamaica to life with vivid sights, sounds, and colors, creating a setting that is lush and imaginative. The story seamlessly blends horror with themes of grief, loss, and love, while also authentically exploring the bonds of found family. With unflinching social commentary on class and privilege, this haunting tale delves into what happens when secrets-and the dead-just won't stay buried. Honeysuckle and Bone commands a space in the horror genre, and I'm here for it!" - Lisa Springer
"Immersive, beguiling, and teeming with sinister secrets, Honeysuckle and Bone is a tense coil of a mystery that crackles with energy and haunting, vivid beauty. The voice is magnetic, the setting is undeniably alive, and the ghosts are insistent with devastating truths. This is a gorgeous, pulse-pounding debut." - Nova Ren Suma
"Rich and haunting, Honeysuckle and Bone is an eerie ghost story that delves deep into an exploration of identity and class. Tobias's masterful handling of a teenage girl's exploration of grief and her homeland shapes a propulsive narrative that you won't want to put down." - Joelle Wellington
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Used availability for Trisha Tobias's Honeysuckle and Bone