Ryan LA Sala really knows how to write a compelling and twisted book. You can definitely feel the tension and the mounting feeling of not really knowing what's real and how perspectives cam shift and change. Mirrors in horror are very common and they went along with the theme of the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Very clever storytelling. Definitely have to see what else is up Ryan's sleeve. Thanks Netgalley for an ARC of this one.

thank you so much to colored pages blog tours and the publisher for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review!!

all i can say know is that i'm afraid of looking too much in mirrors now 😂
i really enjoyed this book. the myths, the superstition, the angst, the desperation at not knowing what was happening. it's a perfect book for the spooky season specially because of the supernatural aspect and how it leaves you waiting for more, waiting for where or when it will strike next. sometimes it fell like a chase all around NYC but then i think that i wouldn't come up with even half of those clues or ideas and i can't help but admire the kids. all i wanted to do was hug Athan and Dom all the time, even though the last one made me mad a few times he still didn't deserve half the things he went through. and those two were like water and oil, so different and yet an amazing pair, their minds urgh, amazing
ryan la sala didn't dissapoint at all with this book. can't wait to see what he comes up with next!!

Groundbreaking horror that challenges the way teens see themselves in the world. Brilliant use of second person POV to draw the reader in even further. Truly the best of horror.

Horrifically creepy in the very best way! Did I have arachnophobia before reading this novel? No. Do I now? Debatable! The world that Ryan La Sala was able to create, and the unique depths of Athan’s powers, made for such a thrilling read. The mystery of his missing Yia Yia and who/what the killer was had me racing through this story, devouring of it as much as I could as fast as I could. A perfect read for spooky season and one I will definitely be recommending to anyone that will listen! Thanks so much to Ryan and PUSH for the advance reader copy!

As a thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher I write this honest review of Ryan La Sala’s “Beholder.” Ya’ll when I tell you I enjoyed this I absolutely did. The novel hit a lot of my go to elements in choosing “suspenseful supernatural” reads. I recommend this to be read during the fall around 5:30pm when the sun is setting. Grab your coffee or cocoa! You will not be remiss. The novel is set in New York City, and examines an experience in most large cities that of feeling invisible and highlighting the unique. Ryan creates his novel focusing on the artsy elite, giving his lead Athanasios “Athan” a reassessment of who he is and how he can tap into his own power. This novel has mystery, supernatural elements, a minor love-story and wonderful pacing. I enjoyed this immensely and am looking at that 88% point in the novel that literally made me gasp out loud. I gave this a strong four out of five stars on goodreads and cannot recommend this enough.

Ryan la Sala tells such compelling stories with endings that are necessary even if they’re not what I wanted. Did I like this ending either, though? No. I wanted a bit more of a happily ever after, but this ending was the way it needed to end to fit the narrative and truly accomplish the goal: I get that.

Ryan la Sala has the best writing style because it draws the reader into the mindset of the narrator and they’re always somewhat unreliable. His style invites readers in, creates a world with just enough magic that it doesn’t undermine what feels real and uses that to twist perceptions and thoughts. He’s great at diving just far enough into the uncanny valley to be creepy without taking it over the edge, and his storytelling/writing is a gorgeous yet delicate balance that pairs well with the themes and premises he’s crafting.

I like that we build into liking and learning about Athanasios and Dom because it’s natural. They don’t know themselves or each other, only how others have reacted to them. These characters are also so well rounded and have depth. We get annoyed with them, we want them to get on with things, but we also really want them to succeed and achieve happiness.

La Sala is also the best way to get into horror or enjoy the genre if you’re like me and everything scares you. His books are atmospheric and verge on the grotesque without digging too far in. I would definitely recommend this one for spooky season or if you’re looking for a way to dip your toes into the genre without committing to something intense and determined to psychologically scar you.

Let me start off by saying I don't read much horror.

That being said, I do enjoy a good mystery so I was intrigued by the synopsis and cover of this book. The cover screams mysterious, creepy, sci-fi. So hats off for that.

The book itself is like nothing I can recall ever reading, from its mystery to its imagery. I was always left wondering. I enjoyed it enough to continue at a leisurely pace, but I was never so engrossed I could not put it down. That is the reason I did not rate it higher. I do think if I was a more visual reader this might have held my attention more.

But all in all, it was a pleasant experience and I'd definitely check out more of this author's work.

Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. Here are reasons to read the horror book:

Powers - Athan has the ability to see back in time through reflections, a power his yiayia has strongly advised against

Tragedy - and he is ok with that. Until one night, at a party, he make a mistake that ends in tragedy

Mirror - looking into the mirror, he sees something stalking him, something that feels evil, and when he exits the bathroom, the scene is gruesome

Art - what is the connection to the world of art and home decor? And how is his family’s death connected?

Ryan La Sala is up there with some of my favorite authors and I feel like this book was really written from a personal place. Yes it’s about a boy who has an interesting power and also there is a very creepy spiderlike thing tracking him. But the way he reacts to the people in his life, his yiayia, his found family…it all touched me in a way I didn’t expect. It’s horror, but this book has some heart.

Thank you Netgalley for this e-arc!

I will confess, I am totally new to La Sala's work. I have heard of him, but never read any of his work. And that was a mistake on my part, no, seriously. Some of the themes in this book are so dark that i sat in total awe, this is YA....IMAGINE WHAT HE COULD DO IF HE WROTE AN ADULT BOOK!

"Beholder" by Ryan La Sala is an exhilarating literary acid trip that takes readers on a mesmerizing journey into a world of art, obsession, and the enigmatic gaze lurking behind our reflections. From the moment I cracked open the pages of this contemporary queer fable, I was thrust into a bizarre and psychedelic realm, where mirrors hold dark secrets and every reflection conceals mysteries.

“Athan Bakirtzis, a charming young man, attends a high-society penthouse party in New York City, but a mysterious incident leaves him locked in a bathroom. While chaos erupts outside, Athan eventually emerges to find a gruesome scene of corpses arranged artistically, and he becomes the prime suspect as the sole survivor. As he races to clear his name, Athan discovers a supernatural mystery involving secret occult societies and eldritch horrors. He realizes he possesses a hereditary power connected to the emerging evil lurking within New York City, and it's now taking control of his life”.

What truly sets "Beholder" apart is its vividly visual and wildly imaginative descriptions. La Sala's prose dances with colors and shapes, creating a surreal atmosphere that feels like a hallucinogenic dream. The mystery of the mirrors and the malevolent force behind them unravels at a tantalizing pace, keeping me on the edge of my seat. While I might agree that the pacing could have been tightened, and the story slightly shorter, these minor quibbles do little to detract from the sheer uniqueness and creativity of this narrative. "Beholder" is a mesmerizing and thought-provoking read that lingers in your mind long after you've closed the book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who craves a literary journey into the weird and wonderful.

Athanasios “Athan” Bakirtzis lost his parents in a fire when he was young and now lives with his yiayia, his grandmother. It hasn’t been easy, and the pair have had to rely on the kindness of their family’s former business associates for help. And things are getting increasingly worse, as Yiayia seems to be losing herself to the family curse, one that affects both her and Athan. They can look into any reflective surface and see scenes from the past. Athan has learned not to look into mirrors, and never to catch his own reflection, for fear of getting lost in the visions. Over the years, Yiayia seems to have gotten caught up in her own visions and she is losing her hold on her sanity.

One night, Athan is at a fancy party, invited by his boss and benefactor, when he takes a chance and looks in a bathroom mirror. Suddenly, something erupts outside of the bathroom and Athan is warned by a boy his age to stay hidden. In the aftermath, Athan steps back into the apartment to find everyone dead. Not just dead, but it’s a massacre with the bodies artfully and horrifically arranged. Fearing he will be blamed as the sole survivor, and with no idea how to explain the events of the night, Athan flees.

To Athan’s surprise, he once again encounters the mysterious boy who helped him at the party. Dom knows more about what is going on than Athan, and while he is clearly keeping some secrets, even the little bit he reveals is horrifying. Something is killing people, or compelling them to kill themselves — and someone is behind it, making it all happen. Even worse, what is going on seems to be connected to Athan’s abilities. He is now not just seeing the past in reflective surfaces, but something evil, something threatening him and trying to get out. Now, Dom and Athan have to figure out who is behind the attacks, what they are trying to accomplish, and how to stop them before more lives are lost… including their own.

Beholder is a fascinating and engaging supernatural horror that really drew me into the story. The set up is such a great hook, with Athan attending this party and just missing the horrific slaughter that happens right outside the bathroom door. The action here is driven by Athan and Dom as they attempt to uncover just what is going on — and complicated by the fact that Dom clearly knows more than he is telling. There is sort of a forced proximity element to the story as the boys work together and grow increasingly close as they uncover the horrors and must rely on one another to keep safe. The plot is twisty and clever and just the right amount of scary. I would classify this as horror, but with a YA lens, so we have these two young men in the position of needing to be the saviors, of not having adults to rely upon and being forced to handle things themselves.

The title very much fits the theme of the story, as in “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” and La Sala does such a great job weaving this idea into the book. It is all about what is real and what is perception, how other people see us and how that affects who we are, and the external facades that cover the internal truth. It comes through in big and small ways throughout the story. It is the mirror that Athan looks into that reflects not his face, but past events. And even worse, sometimes untold horrors that are hidden from our everyday reality just waiting to strike. There are the fronts the boys put on, the self they show the world, versus who they truly are inside. It explores the question of who we are if no one sees us, and whether the act of being seen makes something real. And there are clever little elements dropped in, like the way the boys travel the city and find themselves in old spaces long since covered up or hidden by a new facade. It is just really cleverly done and adds such a nice depth to the story, tying all the various elements together so well.

The story is told from Athan’s first-person POV and he is our key narrator. It works well, as it allows us to really understand his abilities and what he is seeing when he looks in those mirrors. It also keeps Dom a bit unknowable at first, which is befitting as he keeps secrets that slowly get revealed. I also liked how each chapter begins with a section told in second-person point of view. It is a strange POV and one that only works in very specific situations and I think La Sala uses it to maximum effect here. (Second-person has the narrator essentially speaking to the characters about what is happening.) At first, it was a little jarring, but soon I found myself completely sinking into these portions. I think why it works so well is that there is this idea running through the story of some sort of otherworldly being wreaking chaos. It is what Athan is seeing when looking in the mirror and the threat that they are trying to stop. So there is this eeriness to the POV, as if this being is somehow talking right to Athan.

As I noted, this book is a horror mixed with young adult. Athan and Dom are about 17 or 18 from what I can tell, but both very much on their own. This is not a genre romance, but there is a bond and connection that forms between them that is critical to the story. Just don’t go into this expecting a traditional happy ending for them as a couple, as this is not that type of book. I’ll admit, I did want a little more of a clear cut ending, as my brain likes things tidy like that, but I do think the fact that the ending is a little open to interpretation fits well with the rest of the book. Overall, I just found this one really engrossing and, while it is a pretty long book, I just couldn’t put it down. This one has great intensity and is so well done, and I can highly recommend it.

**Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5)/5**

I became an instant Ryan La Sala fan after reading The Honeys in the last year, and I was so excited to get my hands on Beholder. Hauntingly beautiful both in its writing and plot, Beholder was a clear 5-star read for me, and my favorite horror of the year!

Beholder follows Athanasios “Athan” Bakirtzis, a charismatic young man burdened with a terrible family power that allows him to see the past when he looks into mirrors. At a party held by a wealthy family friend and benefactor, Athan is trapped in a bathroom by a mysterious boy, who warns him not to leave—or else he may not survive. When Athan finally allows himself to leave the bathroom the next morning, he finds everyone else at the party has fallen victim to a horrible crime, with their bodies now arranged in a disturbing sculpture. As far as Athan can tell, he is the only person who still seems alive. In the aftermath of the party, the mysterious boy reappears to try and convince Athan that what happened is part of something terrible going on in New York City—and Athan’s dangerous powers might be the only way to stop it.

Reading this book once again made me really appreciate La Sala’s writing, I was so captivated by not only the story itself but the way that he told it. I was sucked into the mystery, the horror of it all, and was hanging on until the very end—truly, there are no notes. I’m still thinking about this book today!

I would highly recommend Beholder to young adults and adults who want a captivating thriller. I’ve already ordered Beholder for the students at my library, and I can’t wait to share it with them.

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and PUSH, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

Sometimes a book comes around that revitalizes your confidence in a genre, and perhaps reading altogether. Beholder by Ryan La Sala is that book for me. As beautiful is the prose as it is unnerving in this cosmic and surreal horror novel, it’s easy to be distracted away from the grotesqueness of characters impaling themselves on artwork or crushing another’s bones in a frenzied attempt to run from hallucinogenic wallpaper at a crowded party. Much like all of Athan’s projected color and shine is “meant to lure people close enough that they can’t see all of [him], like moths made dizzy by an artificial light they’ve mistaken for the moon,” then the malevolent forces at work within Beholder, and the author himself, similarly know how to use their manipulation of art to mesmerize their audience.

Beholder is as much about the false pretenses we display as defense mechanisms, learning to find worth in yourself, and falling in love as it is about unknowable entities, secret art societies, and the destructive obsession of obtaining influence through art. ⁣It’s a novel that begged me to read it slowly, in order to savor each soft moment between Athan and Dom, each dizzying scene of peering back into the past through reflections, and each uncanny exchange between the entity peering back from mirrors and art and characters in the novel. ⁣

Beholder represents everything I adore in a horror novel, from its deliciously creepy body and psychological horror as well as gorgeous prose to its endearing disaster main characters and angsty semi-tragic love plotline. I finished the book in utter awe that La Sala wrote this wholly strange and unique book that breathes fresh life into the genre and in tears over the raw emotion so evident in its pages. It’s a book I’ll be gushing about for the remainder of this year and beyond and one I highly recommend for readers who love their trippy horror with a side of heart-rending narrative. ⁣
⁣
Thank you so much to PUSH and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for review.

When I first read THE HONEYS over a year ago, I didn’t consider myself someone who liked horror. But something about that book made me want to dig that much deeper into a genre that is, by definition, horrifying. So it feels full circle to come back to Ryan La Sala’s newest horror book with a newfound love for the genre, and to appreciate all the more horrifying things about this book. While I was less scared by this book, I think it’s all the more terrifying, in a way that sinks its way into your brain and stays there. Here, the horror isn’t so much wrapped up in queerness (although that is an essential element to Athan’s story), but what feels like a simultaneous unraveling of the mind and if the heart is being squeezed. This book is plenty scary, and absolutely well-worth the read not just because of that, but the very human element that makes it that much better.

BEHOLDER hits the ground running, and never quite lets up the breathless pace. One of the brilliant things that La Sala does in their horror is they let the characters and relationships flesh themselves out, sometimes creating moments or chapters that seem straight out a YA romcom before pivoting into a gruesome, ritualistic murder. I definitively care about the characters and am enmeshed in their stories, making the happier moments reflect even higher stakes. It’s barrelling toward a somewhat bittersweet ending wrapped in obsession, and you just have to hold on and hope you make it out in one piece.

For THE HONEYS, the thread that connected me was summer camp and the deeply cult like atmosphere that comes out of it. For BEHOLDER, it’s art and the nature of beauty and the absolute obsession that comes along with it. It’s situated in a very real world with this tinge of the uncanny, like the real is too close and too immediate. It is two boys falling for one another and the horrifying underbelly of the elite art and design world. It’s twisty and terrifying and so absolutely worth the read. I could not recommend it enough.

Overall this was a really interesting read, but I wasn't the biggest fan of the writing style. It was just a bit difficult to get into so most likely I just wasn't the right person to read this one. It definitely also got to be A BIT MUCH at the end. I love a crazy and ridiculous story, but this one was a lot. I just needed it to be toned down a bit and maybe a different writing style and I would have probably loved it.

BEHOLDER by Ryan La Sala is a young adult supernatural horror story. It's equal parts terrifying and beautiful, and I particularly enjoy the thematic elements involving self-perception. It's a strong novel to follow up The Honeys, and it's genuinely scary with great characters and development. Give it a read if you enjoy a good scare!

A YA fantasy with horror elements and two queer characters, chased around by evil people and on the hunt for a magical artifact, nothing can go wrong, except maybe I am going to avoid mirrors for the foreseeable future, thank you very much.
Beholder is Athan’s story. Athanasios Bakirtzis has mostly avoided looking into a mirror for fear of what it will show. His Yiayia (grandmother) has always warned him against checking his reflection. So when he ’sees’ it at a party, just for a sneak peek, things go wrong and what results is a massacre. The only reason he survives is because a mysterious boy locks him up in a room telling him to not leave the room.
Now running for his life and also trying to find his grandmother who has disappeared, Athan is not sure if he can trust anyone including the boy who saved his life.
Beholder takes place in the heart of New York amidst rich people and their private parties. Falling in love with Athan is unavoidable I fear. He went through something terrible in the past when he was a kid. You can’t help but feel for both Athan and Dominik as teenage boys who never really get to act their age.
Athan wanting to go back to that one mirror that saw them happy for a few minutes when they were dancing at a party is the kind of stuff one should think about when writing love stories. Beholder doesn’t have a romance subplot, the story takes place within the time frame of 2-3 days so not getting a lovesick confession makes sense.
The plot keeps you on edge the whole time. You want to know what's happening but you also want to protect both protagonists from whatever danger they are stepping into.

Loved this!! The author does such a good job at writing queer characters and horror. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, truly unnerving at moments. Can't wait for more from him!

4.5/5 stars!!

Beholder is just as multi-faceted in genre as it is in twists and turns.

I couldn't believe this was being marked as YA, it was genuinely so tense and horrifying in places I was sure it would have been Adult. Not necessarily because teens wouldn't understand or would be too scared but that it just *felt* different than other YA horror I've read. I never got my hands on The Honeys but I definitely need to after this.

I ADORED the lore in this. The Greek family ties and secrets. We don't usually get to see that in fiction and I ate it up! The mirror imagery was so interesting and different. I really enjoyed how cerebral this was without seeming pretentious. I was so happily surprised by how much I loved this.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

4.5 Stars!

This started off with a bang and didn't let up. I really loved reading this. This had the perfect amount of horror and creepiness for me. I am so glad that this author is diving into horror as I have loved both this and The Honeys.

I loved the use of mirrors in this and it truly left me uncomfortable about them. Both within the story and the larger themes around them. The writing is good and I just devoured this. The use of 2nd person in parts worked so well, something that I love when it's used right.

I just simply loved reading this and I am so happy that I was able to read this.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e arc!