3/5

This book was a real strange one. It felt like it was trying a bit too hard to be too many things and not succeeding fully with any of them. There were certainly some good pieces there, I loved a section in the middle where we watched a woman slowly go into deep madness in a short span. It gave me chills. But that was about the only thing that did actually feel creepy.

There were some interesting bones of a story there but the way it was put together didn’t quite fit for me (though it seems that many people did like it). I just couldn’t quite suspend my disbelief when it just kept throwing more and more strangeness in to complicate the story more. It feels like half the pieces could have been thrown out entirely and it would have been a far better overall.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the main characters either, and every other dialogue between them was some sort of sexual innuendo which was also odd. I just didn’t really click with them and the annoying trope of them keeping too many secrets they didn’t share despite choosing to stay together. It felt very silly considering the circumstances they were in.

Overall I wish it had been cut down and more focused. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t something that worked for me.

ooo, this one was super fun! I feel like I would've really loved this in my teens, something about it felt nostalgic in a way I really liked - and I don't typically gravitate towards YA at all. solid (surreal, unnerving) horror without being over the top.
this book definitely gripped me right away, though my attention wavered slightly as I went, though I did appreciate the ending. I'd give this one 4.25 stars if I were to get really exact with it.

thanks netgalley and scholastic for the arc!

This was an interesting and compelling read. It was my first time reading Ryan La Sala's work, though I'd heard of him before via TikTok. The premise was fascinating, and you're thrown into a whirlwind from the get go. After the opening scene at the party, the first 15-20% of feel like a lot of trying to get the characters and the reader on board and started to drag. Okay, Dom is mysterious and has a plan but won't tell Athan. Athan wants to find his yiayia. Cool, we get it.

From there, it was a page turner. The whole thing feels very cinematic. I rarely cast characters in my head, but I did while reading this. Uhler is 100% Rainn Wilson. If you read this book, please picture Rainn Wilson in the Uhler role. 10/10 do recommend doing that. I haven't seen Inception in over a decade, but it also gave me Inception vibes. In the sense that you're like "woah... is this deep? This is SO deep. No, it's just unnecessarily confusing. Or is it deep?"

I really appreciated the author's note at the beginning discussing the pandemic, feeling trapped, and dealing with OCD. It was helpful for framing the story itself. At times the story felt a bit heavy handed in how it dwelled on those themes of can we trust ourselves, are we inherently good, look away from the void that's calling to you, etc. I almost wish it had engaged with those themes more deeply instead of repeating them and then focusing on plot so much.

One big issue I had with this book was the choice to write sections in the second person. It's SO rare to encounter a "you" voice in a novel, and for good reason. It's really difficult to pull off! Every time I got to the second person voice, I was like "huh???" I don't think it was effectively used here--I found it created more confusion instead of a powerful effect.

Similarly, while the spider-beauty-beast thing was a cool concept, it really did feel more like a concept than anything else. It was so vague and abstract that it was hard to picture it, especially in the climactic scene at the end. I felt more confusion trying to keep up with what was going on than horror or surprise at how things played out.

I loved the relationship between Dom and Athan and enjoyed watching them banter, get to know each other, and start to fall for each other. It was delightful. So of course (spoiler time), I loathed the ending. I hate when a main character sacrifices themself for seemingly no good reason. And the epilogue scene in the mirror of the bar bathroom was too cheesy for my taste.

I'm intrigued by La Sala's work and would be curious to read more in the future. This was a high 3--I'm giving it 3.75 on platforms that allow quarter star ratings. Folks who love YA, cult-y stuff, art world things, fantasy/surrealism, and queer lit would likely love this one!

Beholder is a wonderful combination of supernatural horror and contemporary teenage life held together like the gridded streets of Manhattan. Like The Honeys, Beholder shows both La Sala's incredible prose and ability to use magic to tell a truth about our world. Populated with fully defined characters who move the story across timelines and dimensions, Beholder is as much a delight as it is a horror.

Right from the beginning, Beholder, grabs you with an intense intro that sets the tone and once it has you in its web it pulls you deeper and deeper into this world of dark aesthetics, the occult, and culty underground art scenes. At times chilling and horrific, at times emotional and bittersweet, this is such a fantastic read.

I really loved this world of dark aesthetics and the story felt really unique and fresh with such an interesting concept. The twists and turns as we go deeper and deeper both in the world of the story and the secrets and pasts of our main characters are so well done and keep the tension going as we are eager to continue forward even as the sense of impending dread keeps rising. I felt there was a really good balance of the building of the relationship of Athan and Dom as they work together and get to know each other with some really lovely and lighter hearted moments contrasted against the chilling and horrific scenes encountered as things progress. The ideas of aesthetic and perception explored were also super interesting. Although, I now look at wallpaper and mirrors with fear and suspicion…

If you are looking for a fresh, compelling and chilling read that will draw you in right from the start, look no further.

I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Such an original and evocative horror novel! I read La Sala's description of their disparate inspirations for this book, including The Yellow Wallpaper, and I can absolutely see those echoes and patterns in the shape of this story. Also, the idea of rewinding reflective surfaces to view the past? Brilliant. And La Sala does an amazing job with keeping this relevant to the plot, not a cool conceit that then ends up abandoned (as occasionally happens). This is fresh and eerie, yet plays on some very deep-rooted phobias and fears ... all around, inventive and emotional and spooky.

Compelling setting and engaging characters. I found I lost some momentum halfway through, but I would have absolutely eaten this up as a teenager and I'm super excited for it to find its audience!

This was my first book by Ryan La Sala and it will NOT be the last. This book was so magnificent. And so terrifying. Chills down my spine for sure. The story itself was absolutely amazing. I love how well done it all was.

Content warning: loss of parents, mind control, death by one's own hand (not exactly suicide), abuse of power, body horror

So in THE HONEYS, La Sala creeped me out and made me look at honey bees in a new light, now I'm scared of wallpaper (thankfully I don't have any in my house or else I might think about ripping it down) and has made me think twice about what I see when I look into a mirror. Thanks for that?

BEHOLDER is a slow burn, time progresses at a different pace making you a little shocked when the characters mention how it's only been 24-hours or a few days. The more Athan learns, the more things get turned upside down. While Athan is a reliable narrator, he's also unreliable based on the trauma he's grown up with and the fears his yiayia has instilled in him.

And the twists... La Sala leads readers down one path only to take a sharp turn without notice so that the reading experience is slightly unsettling because you aren't sure what's going to happen next. You may think you know what's going to happen, but you don't fully know what La Sala has in store for you until everything is revealed.

The final battle is a good one, the outcome is interesting, and I appreciate that we aren't given any real winners. It makes all of it feel more realistic. And that final moment when Athan goes out to revisit a place he went to with Dom? UGH. It was beautiful, it was heartbreaking, it was powerful.

My one critique is that I'm not sure this will hold teen readers, this feels much more like a New Adult horror novel and I had to keep reminding myself that Athan and Dom are literally teenagers. Aside from that, I think readers are going to really enjoy BEHOLDER and I'd recommend this to anyone who read THE HONEYS and loved it... it's a different type of horror novel but with a similar vibe.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Scholastic, and PUSH in exchange for an honest review.

Phenomenal YA horror/coming of age. The evil eye premise is a fantastic hook and the horror elements were done extremely well - and this story is really all about Athan, who is trapped in the present at the beginning of the book, unable to look forward and afraid to look back, and I found his whole journey really sweet and moving.

And full disclosure I just moved away from NYC so maybe it’s the nostalgia speaking, but the way that throughout the book, no matter where the characters were (a loading dock or the Guggenheim, a rooftop or the basement apartment of a brownstone or the Red Hook IKEA), I could *feel* the city sprawling out behind them, and beside them - there, just out of the corner of their eye, terrifying and comforting in a way that dovetailed so perfectly with…. well, you’ll just have to read to find out!

I want to peek inside Ryan La Sala's scary, magical brain. Beholder is unlike anything I've ever read and is probably the biggest swing La Sala has taken yet. I wasn't sure how I felt at first, but, once the pieces start to come together, it makes for an eerie, unsettling, and thoroughly entertaining breath of fresh air. Sometimes I feel like it doesn't fully land and meet the heights of its ambition, but I can overlook it when the final product is so dazzling and out of this world. In any other hands, this wouldn't have worked, but Ryan La Sala is proving to be a necessary force in the YA realm.

What an incredible work! Left me feeling so many emotions from beginning to end. Ryan La Sala has really become such a master in queer horror, first with The Honeys and now with this work, and I am so excited to see where he goes next from here! I am mostly impressed with how he has managed to blend the themes of grief and identity and "being seen vs unseen" along with the real horrors within this book and just simply how much perception is played with in all aspects throughout the plot.

"Beholder" by Ryan La Sala is a thrilling and chilling contemporary fable that explores the intertwining worlds of art, aesthetics, and the darker aspects of human nature. This novel offers readers a unique blend of mystery, the supernatural, and psychological horror that will keep them captivated from beginning to end.

The story centers around Athanasios "Athan" Bakirtzis, who finds himself in the midst of a gruesome and enigmatic event during a penthouse party. As the sole survivor of the night's horrifying events, Athan becomes the prime suspect in a macabre massacre that appears to be a work of art in itself. La Sala's narrative unfolds with a tense and mysterious atmosphere, taking readers on a journey that blurs the lines between reality and the supernatural.

One of the novel's strengths lies in its exploration of the concept of the gaze and how it plays a role in both art and human perception. The themes of self-identity, obsession, and the uncanny are expertly woven into the plot, creating a thought-provoking and unsettling reading experience. Athan's connection to a hereditary power and the malevolent force lurking behind his reflection add layers of complexity to the story, as he must grapple with his own inner demons and the horrors that threaten to consume him.

La Sala's writing is immersive and evocative, painting a vivid picture of the eerie and macabre events that unfold throughout the novel. The pacing is well-calibrated, with a perfect blend of suspenseful moments and quieter, introspective scenes that allow readers to delve into Athan's thoughts and emotions.

"Beholder" stands out as a uniquely crafted tale that offers readers a combination of supernatural intrigue, psychological depth, and the exploration of the darker facets of art and humanity. Ryan La Sala's storytelling prowess is on full display in this gripping novel, making it a must-read for fans of horror, mystery, and thought-provoking narratives. As readers delve into the labyrinthine world of "Beholder," they will find themselves absorbed in a haunting and unforgettable journey.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Scholastic for providing me with an eARC of Beholder in exchange for my honest review!

I've been interested in checking out Ryan La Sala's work for a long time, and I'm very glad that Beholder was my introduction to their writing. The psychological terror that they're able to conjure up by creating such vivid imagery on the page really does wrap me up. As someone who's a bit arachnophobic, some fear certainly raced through me in response to all the spider content in this book. The deployment of mirrors to further flesh out the atmosphere is great, too. I'll admit that there are points where the story doesn't feel as moving as it could be, where it's riding along more on the style than the substance. But that's all right, since I was generally enthralled by Athan and Dom's mission to uncover the sinister force that's waiting for the right opportunity to strike at them. The trauma that these characters deal with and the endearing dynamic they form together is quite compelling.

Overall, I'm officially rating Beholder four out of five stars, and I'm excited to read more of La Sala's books.

4.5 stars! Not only is the cover art extremely eye-catching but this book really started off with an intense scene that grabbed my attention and did not let it go until the end.

Beholder was so extremely different from La Sala's previous book, The Honeys, but still had that extremely immersive and creepy writing style throughout. This storyline was so incredibly unique and at some points I definitely feel like I was under the influence of some kind of drug in the best way. I went in not knowing a whole lot about this story and I highly recommend going in that way if you're able to!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Push for my review copy! If you enjoyed his previous book, The Honeys, definitely pick this one up when it publishes October 3rd.

First off, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an e-ARC of this book! I loved Ryan La Sala’s horror works, and having previously enjoyed The Honeys, I was very much anticipating this book. And I was truly blown away! I’m not sure how to describe it, but the author just has a way of writing stories that send shivers down the readers’ spines. They are creepy, creative, and so twisted deep down, and Beholder is no exception.

Of course, I cannot write a review about this book without mentioning how much I loved the inclusion of the “voice”. It not only adds that creepy element, but the way in which the identity of the voice was revealed at the end was spectacular and so unexpected! I personally thought that the “voice” would simply remain a third-person voice — almost like an unreliable narrator providing a different perspective to the situation happening — but the fact that a face is given to the voice at the end was one of the key highlights that made this book so memorable to me.

And yes, I admit that, right after I finished reading this book, I feared looking at mirrors for a short while because of how they were painted to be. But this just goes far as to show how well of a written story Beholder is. It not only simply writes about the fantastical elements about the dark powers that we oftentimes perceive mirrors may have, but it also explores the way in which mirrors could be something more metaphorical — as a medium that gives form to themes like oppression, hopelessness, and fears that live deep within each and every one of us.

Overall, this was a marvelous book — fast-paced and full of unexpected twists. No one writes horror like Ryan La Sala does, so for fans of this genre, definitely pick this book up once it’s released!

Beholder tells the story of Athanasios "Athan" Bakirtzis. Athan hasn’t had the easiest life, after a tragic fire he was orphaned at a young age. He’s made his way through life as an art handler and has had to depend on the kindness of family friends to care for his aging grandmother he calls Yiayia.

Athan also has a secret. He has the power that to rewind the reflection in any mirror, peering into its recent past. Superstitious Yiayia calls the family ability a curse, and has warned him not to use it.

Athan is invited to a party by New York’s elite art society. When he arrives, he decides to take a quick trip to the bath room to turn his reflection and soon hears a scream. only to be pushed back in by a boy his age. The boy gravely tells him not to open the door, then closes Athan in. Before Athan can process what's happening, more screams follow, and the party descends into chaos. When he finally emerges, he discovers a massacre where the victims appear to have arranged themselves into a disturbingly elegant sculpture and Athan's rescuer is nowhere to be found. Something evil is moving people to commit destructive acts, a presence that's been hiding behind Athan's reflection his whole life, watching and waiting. Soon, he's swept up in a supernatural conspiracy that spans New York, of occult high societies and sinister setups.

First off, I have a couple of questions.
How is this labeled as young adult? As a middle aged women Beholder absolutely terrified me.
Also why isntbthis book talked about more?
It deserves all the hype and then some!

Just like in the honeys, La Sala’s vivid imagery speaks to all of the readers senses making them feel as of they are in the story with Athan. Not only is this story a bone chilling horror tale but it also has psychological thriller elements. The story is unforgettable, it's been a few days since I finished this one and it's still on my mind. This book is the perfect book to kick off spooky season and I highly recommend it to all horror fans!

Beholder by Ryan LaSala will be available on October 3. Many thanks to Push/Scholastic and NetGalley for the gifted copy!

I loved the story, the mystery kept me going and I just needed to know what happens next. HOWEVER, I just did not buy any of the present-moment reactions from Athan. He behaved inconsistently, which usually makes sense for characters with trauma, but that's when the internal monologue leads up to it. It didn't, here. But it's to the story's credit that despite that, I enjoyed reading this book.

This was such a good read! I immediately fell in love with the cover. The artwork is very eye catching. As well as the story. I found my self binge reading it until the early hours of the morning. I’m super excited to get a physical copy when it comes out!

Hey there, fellow readers! Let's talk about "Beholder" by Ryan La Sala. This book took me on a wild ride, and I'm here to spill the tea.

First off, the world-building? A total win. La Sala's imagination knows no bounds, and the magical universe he's created is both enchanting and unique. You'll find yourself lost in a world filled with wonder, mystery, and a sprinkle of chaos.

The characters are a mixed bag of loveable, quirky, and sometimes frustrating (in a good way, I promise!). They feel real, and their struggles and triumphs kept me invested throughout the story.

Now, the plot is where things get interesting. Twists, turns, and unexpected surprises are the name of the game here. Just when you think you've got it all figured out, La Sala throws in a curveball that'll have you flipping the pages faster than you can say "magic."

So why the 4 stars? Well, as much as I enjoyed the ride, there were moments that felt a bit rushed or left me wanting more. A few plot points could have used a bit more fleshing out, but hey, that's just me being picky.

All in all, "Beholder" is a fun, engaging read that'll take you on a magical journey you won't soon forget. If you're in the mood for something fresh and exciting, give this one a go. It's a solid 4 stars from me, and I can't wait to see what La Sala comes up with next!