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.

Honeyeater by Kathleen Jennings is dark and rich, a fantasy full of mystery, intrigue, and vivid descriptions, where secrets slowly emerge and the dead rise. I love how the supernatural is written and the story is interspersed with haunting little tales that are evocative. The story is a beautiful blend of creepy and beautiful, terrible and emotional. 

Charlie and Grace are both intriguing characters, each with their own point of view and Charlie is dragged into learning the truth of the mysteries of Bellworth, whether he wants to or not, part of those secrets are the consequences from choices Charlie made as a boy. Grace peels back the layers of truths and with the help of a witch, finds a way to deal with those consequences as Charlie also deals with family secrets. 

If you like dark and rich fantasy with mysteries and secrets, complex relationships and haunting endings, you will love Honeyeater. It is unexpected, it is lyrical and it is full of mysteries, not all of which are explained but all will leave you wanting more. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 ghosts

MacMillan Publishing

Kathleen Jennings website