Honey by Imani Thompson

The first time, Yrsa doesn’t intend to kill.

But the Cambridge professor sitting opposite has manipulated her friend, stolen her research. When she flicks the bee into his Sanpellegrino, she thinks he’ll get a nasty sting.

Then he’s dead. And Yrsa, who – let’s face it – has been bored for a while, is alive.

It’s a sweet feeling, finally having some control.

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What happens when boredom, grudges, and tiny acts of mischief turn into something lethal?

Pre-Reading Thoughts

The premise is deliciously uncomfortable: Yrsa is clever, morally flexible, and fully aware of her own justifications. You know she’s not exactly “the good guy,” but the question is: how far will boredom and perceived injustice push her? I’m bracing for tense psychology and slippery ethics.

Post-Reading

As I thought…
Yrsa is sneaky, sharp, and chillingly logical in her own mind. The book immediately puts you in her perspective, making her justifications and decisions eerily understandable. You’re along for the ride as she tests boundaries, and the tension never lets up.

It surprised me by…
…how much I didn’t like her and yet couldn’t entirely dismiss her reasoning. The story lingers in that gray area where the target of her manipulation or wrath isn’t wholly innocent, which makes the moral tension addictive. And the ending? That abrupt stop instead of a neat conclusion is infuriating - but perfectly intentional. It leaves the discomfort with the reader, which is the point.

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Music Pairing

🎵 Featured Song: Criminal - Fiona Apple

🎶 Vibe Album: Strange Mercy - Strange Mercy

🎧 Artist Recommendation: Bat for Lashes - dark, introspective, and morally complicated.

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Vibe Check

Colour Palette: honey gold, shadowed amber, deep midnight

Soundtrack: quiet tension, buzzing insects, muffled city noise

Season: late summer - heat making people restless

Mood: uncomfortable, tense, morally grey

Scent: warm honey, bitter coffee, faint floral undertone

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Tarot Pull

7 of Swords

Yrsa embodies the classic trickster energy of the 7 of Swords. Clever, secretive, and morally ambiguous, she tests the boundaries of what she can get away with. The card also hints at the consequences lurking just out of sight, echoing the tension that runs through the book.

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For Fans Of

Book: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

TV: Killing Eve - clever, morally complicated women who walk the line between admiration and frustration.

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Honey publishes on the 7th of May, 2026. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.