From the moment that I read that this book was a sapphic vampire story, well, I knew that I was going to need to get my hands on it. Vampires are definitely in vogue at the moment and they are something that we have seen done to death (oof! I did not mean that pun!) but Belle has written a book that is very aware of that fact and gets a little cheeky with it. There is also a freshness to this story that I think comes with our leads being teenage girls who feel like teenage girls but not only that, Honey is smart, plus-sized and self-assured whilst also being unafraid to let her geekiness shine through; everything about Honey’s characterisation is so irresistibly charming and you can’t help rooting for her throughout the story. Belle’s choice to make vampirism quite messy and a bit cannibalistic also gives this book a decidedly unique take on the old lore.

In this book, neither character labels their identities however Honey states that for her it is both girls and boys whereas for Sadie it is only girls. There isn’t a feeling that these are characters who are struggling or unsure in their identities however they may not have had the chance to physically explore their identities. There is something sweet in the way that these characters get excited when they get to kiss a girl for the first time and it is just a joy to read.

One thing that I really appreciate authors doing is writing books that are exactly the length they need to be to tell the story that they want to tell and this is another way that Honeybloods has been crafted to perfection because this book is a svelte novella that clocks in at around the 135 page mark and is approximately 30,000 words. The pacing of this book feels exactly right as we don’t experience unnecessarily long detours or pages and pages of road trips, each moment feels as though it counts and it is important.

I am incredibly excited to see where Honey and Sadie’s story goes next and will be eagerly anticipating the release of Honeybites in May.