Review: Honeysuckle and Bone by Trisha Tobias
- Tom Odlin
- Jun 16
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 30
A lush, haunting YA gothic that wraps grief, family secrets, and quiet horror inside the beauty of a Caribbean paradise.
If you enjoy She is a Haunting or House of Hollow, Honeysuckle and Bone brings that same unsettling atmosphere to Jamaica’s sun-soaked shores.
Trisha Tobias delivers a debut that feels both intimate and eerie, balancing supernatural tension with sharp emotional depth.
🚀 The Setup
After a devastating personal loss, Carina Marshall relocates from her old life to an unfamiliar estate in Jamaica with her estranged father. What should feel like a fresh start quickly becomes something else entirely.
The house carries its weight of secrets, its own ghosts, and a growing sense of unease that Carina cannot ignore. Strange events begin to build. There are whispers in the halls, unexplained deaths, and an increasing sense that Carina herself is being watched.
As she tries to adjust to both the house and the unspoken class and family tensions swirling around her, the line between grief and supernatural danger becomes harder to see.
✨ What’s Good
The Jamaican setting is one of the novel’s strongest elements. Tobias brings a fresh and underrepresented backdrop to the YA horror space. The island is presented in full colour, with its beauty contrasted against the growing dread inside Carina’s new home. The setting is not just scenery but deeply connected to the themes of identity, privilege, and family history.
Tobias builds psychological horror with care and restraint. Rather than relying on sudden scares or shock moments, the story allows tension to simmer, creating an oppressive atmosphere that grows heavier as the pages turn. The sense of something lurking just out of sight is handled with impressive control for a debut.
Carina herself is a well-drawn lead. Her grief feels authentic, her relationships are complicated, and her gradual unravelling mirrors the horror closing in around her. The story’s emotional weight adds a level of depth that elevates it beyond a simple ghost story.
The exploration of class and family legacy runs quietly but effectively beneath the surface, adding another layer for readers who enjoy more than just surface-level scares.
⚠️ What’s Slightly Less Good
The pacing will not be for everyone. This is a slow-burn story that prioritizes atmosphere and emotional weight over action and plot twists. Readers seeking fast-paced horror or constant high-stakes peril may find that the early sections take some time to build.
Some of the secondary characters feel more like functional pieces of the plot rather than fully fleshed-out individuals. The tight focus on Carina means that other characters occasionally feel lightly sketched.
🧹 Final Thoughts
Honeysuckle and Bone is a strong, confident debut that brings a fresh voice to YA psychological horror. Trisha Tobias blends grief, identity, and supernatural dread into a story that feels deeply personal while still delivering a gothic atmosphere. The slow-burn pacing allows the horror to feel earned, making the final act even more unsettling.
This is a book for readers who enjoy psychological tension, complex emotional stakes, and horror that simmers beneath the surface rather than screaming for attention. The combination of strong setting, emotional depth, and quiet dread makes Honeysuckle and Bone a standout addition to the modern YA gothic shelf.