Honey witch was a book I've had a pretty big expectations for. And while it wasn't perfect, I've liked it very much.

In the story we follow Marigold, who's very tired of balls, suitors and society's expectations. She was always more drawn to the nature than social functions, so when her grandmother arrives and tells her she could be the next Honey Witch at the island of Innisfree, she quickly accepts. There's one drawback though: a curse for the honey witch to never be able to find love.

The thing that made me quite hesitant in the beginning was that it's written in third person, present tense. I've realized I don't like that combination as I tend to feel less connected to the character, a bit as if I'm pretending to see the action when it isn't there, instead of someone recounting the things that happened in the past. I've gotten used to it during the story though, and it didn't bother me after I've read a bit.

The relationships of characters was honestly what made me love this book and get very invested into the story. I think my reading speed might have been a new record. And while it was at times predictable, it just felt as if it contained some true magic. There were some important themes like grief and loneliness talked about in, my opinion, a smart way.

There was one more topic that spoke to me, which I feel could be a spoiler, so I won't mention it.

The ending felt a bit jarring to me as the pace got from slow to very fast and the tone shifted a lot. I think that's what made me give it ⭐⭐⭐⭐ instead of five, but overall it was a really good time!

The Honey Witch has a intriguing premise, promising to be a cozy, soft, witchy and sapphic read that immediately had me drawn to it.

Whilst I still enjoyed this to an extent, it was just fine for me. I may not be the target audience for this book so instead I will list the things I did enjoy about this book in case you wanted to give it a try:

-the atmosphere
-the magic
-the Romance (give me all the sapphic)

Thank you to the publishers for giving me the chance to read this one early.

It's the 1800s in Bardshire: people are getting married and doing all the other things expect of them - but Marigold feels like she doesn't really fit in and would much rather stay alone. Fortunately for her, her aunt Althea shows up and reveals that Marigold is destined to be a Honey Witch, protecting the little island of Innisfree. The only downside? A curse that will mean nobody can ever love her. As Marigold doesn't see this as a particular large cross to bear, they quickly set off and Marigold is taught the ways of the Honey Witch - and soon discovers that life alone on a small island is perhaps not really the idyllic reality she was hoping for.

This book starts out super cozy and quaint - even a little to the point where it feels like we might be squeezing a few too many 'cutesy' things in. Fortunately it picks up a bit around the 25% mark and I thought the story was actually quite engaging. The book lacked a little depth in the characters for me, and the romantic storyline feels a little awkward to me. I also felt like the 'battle against evil' that comes up later should have probably started much earlier and been woven in throughout the story. Overall this was a pretty fun and relaxing read, and there was some nice queer representation in it.

I loved this at first, but that love dwindled the more I got into the story. I liked the premise and the magic SO MUCH, but I feel like this wasn't the best version of the story. It's not that it feels undercooked, it just feels like there was a better way to execute it.

One of the things that stilted my enjoyment a bit was the relationship development and the dialogues. The dialogues felt a bit stiff, like they didn't match what they were supposed to convey. Also, a lot of things felt quite rushed, especially towards the end, and I didn't feel tension at all.

Granted, it's a cozy fantasy, but the thing is that the stakes were higher than they usually are with cozy fantasies, so I should've felt tension or at least a sense that the characters were at risk, but I didn't. Everything was resolved immediately and without too much trouble, so I was never shocked or emotional, and the author clearly wanted me to be.

Overall, I loved the magic system, the characters were fine, it's queer, and it's very easy to get through. However, I feel this had a lot more potential!

"The Honey Witch" is an incredibly cozy and comforting book.
I really enjoyed both the story and the characters, who were equally charming and flawed, making them very human and loveable.
The plot was really nice as well, giving the reader a perfect mix of a cozy and adventurous story, about finding out what makes you happy and fighting for it.
I especially adored the vivid descriptions of the magical island "Innisfree" and it's various mythical inhabitants.
The honey based magic was also very unique and interesting to me.

So all in all this is the perfect read for any fans of cozy fantasy, tender sapphic love stories and of course bees :)

This was so lovely! I was sucked in from the very beginning, and I was glued to the page until the end. I loved that it was set in the regency era, and that it gave this era a whole new vibe. I really enjoyed Marigold, especially the sassy side of her. And can I live in a cottage on an island, pretty please? This book is definitely one I can recommend!

A nice cosy read but left me wanting slightly more.
Cover is gorgeous and I’d heard a lot of hype surrounding this book. But it just didn’t quite hit the mark.

A solid 3/3.5 from me though!

Perfect sapphic cosy read, I cannot believe this is a debut! I look forward to seeing this author pop up more and more because her writing is incredible.

I devoured this book, I enjoyed it so much. I was so excited to get an early copy and it made me even more excited to get that beautiful Fairyloot edition. Marigold is such a lovely MC to follow and a cosy fantasy is so hard to resist at the moment. This book promised cosy and it delivered.

A beautiful cosy fantasy romance that will fill your heart and bring the biggest smile to your face - loved every moment.

Marigold is a Honey Witch who is cursed. After just finding out she is a witch, she also finds out she is cursed to never find true love. She moves to the Island to get instruction from her dying Grandmother on how to keep the darkness at bay and to tend the bees that provide the healing magic she can wield.

Lottie is the grumpy non-magic believer that turns up at Marigold’s door and challenges her to prove magic is real.

I loved the gorgeous imagery in this book from the natural elements and the developing love story between Marigold and Lottie that develops. From the moment they meet its sparks. I did pick the dark elements in this story and where and who they were pretty early on but I was intrigued as to how it all unfolded.

Thanks to Little Brown Book Group UK for a review copy. 4.5/5

Thankyou to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit for a free e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

I was really excited going into this book from how it was described. Something was missing however and i didnt quite connect with it. I am a very characters focused reader and i just didnt really care about any of the characters.

Lovely descriptive writing though, so i 100% would read again from this author and if you consider that its a debut author its fantastic.
I would definitely recommend to others.

3 star

This was not for me sadly. I was pulled in by this beautiful cover and the synopsis but that's really as far as it went.
I would have given up on it early on but I saw a lot of reviews and thought maybe it would progress into something cool.
I didn't enjoy the characters as I felt they were quite basic and bland. The setting sounded lovely! The idea of this little cottage and the surroundings really had me whisked away but it fell flat. It was as if the whole story was on the periphery the whole way through.... It could have been something so good but it lacked proper depth and clarity.
I did however enjoy the last 20 pages! The end scene was good. Shame the whole book couldn't have been more like that.

This is just my view and hopefully someone else gets enjoyment out of this story.

Many thanks to the Author and Publisher through Netgalley for a DRC.

Thank you Net Galley for the e-ARC of this book.

Thoughts/Opinions: I want to be a honey witch! I was raised by women who had a remedy to cure all manner of ills and this book has all the charm of cottage core romance, friendship, complex family relationships, enemies to lovers, grief and the natural world in equal measures which stirred many memories and feelings!

I would describe this book as cozy and whimsical. The use of bees, animals and the natural world as a main feature and not a side line is skilfully done. I loved the writing style and story development within this book. It is a truly enchanting and uplifting story, with strong female leads who meet the world with strengthen and determination with a refreshing amount of pride and joy 🏳️‍🌈

Recommendation: I would recommend you add this book to your TBR as I loved it! ❤️

Whimsical, sweet and hopeful - and left me craving honey!

This is a delightful cosy fantasy, with such gorgeous vibes - the bees, the meadows, the little cottage, the spells - all of it was just so lovely. This was one of those books that just felt utterly peaceful (so admittedly, I didn't feel allll that concerned about the conflicts), and I loved each and every character. It was the kind of world I wished I could visit, and I'm so sad the isle of Innisfree doesn't actually exist! There is a beautiful grandmother-granddaughter bond portrayed in here, as well as a charming sapphic love story. As I said, the stakes didn't feel all that high, and the ending was a bit predictable - BUT, if you're looking for a lovely, sweet read, just a gentle time, I would highly recommend this!

Thank you for providing me with a copy of this book. I absolutely loved reading The Honey Witch! The world building and description of magic was so vivid and has some of the most enjoyable world building and magic storytelling that I have read so far! You really become part of their world whilst reading this book. The story is happy and sad and adventurous and mysterious all at once which I loved and all of the characters and their stories are so likeable and interesting. I would definitely love to read more from this author!

I would definitely and highly recommend The Honey Witch to other as a cozy fantasy with lots of adventure and all of the emotions.

Loved this!!!

A thoroughly enjoyable cosy-adjacent fantasy with a darker twist.

The Honey Witch is a story of belonging, discovering who you are, and being willing to take chances to find that person, with an added splash of magic and many, many bees.

The magic system was interesting - I love the idea of honey and ash witches balancing each other - and I would definitely read more from this author in the future.

DNF @ 25% (Chapter 9)

I liked the premise of the book (sapphic, cottagecore vibes, bee/honey magic) but the entire execution fell flat for me. Plus, I think I went into it with the wrong expectations as I thought that it would be adult fantasy while it is more a coming-of-age story with a young adult main character as Marigold is only 21 years. (Given the very young feeling of the story, I have the feeling that the author's claims of 'it will be spicy' are not fulfilled either. The entire marketing seems to be so unfitting.)

I did struggle with the main character a lot because to become a honey witch is to give up love (or well, they have to give up love due to a curse), which is something that isn't an issue for Marigold as she constantly fights against society and their expectations of young women (aka marrying and becoming mothers). Unfortunately, as soon as she learns about a soul mate spell, she is obsessed with love and I think it stems from her constant feeling of being unloved by her family. The latter is certainly just imagined by her because she is loved by her parents and siblings, her mother just had hoped that her eldest would follow another path instead of becoming a witch. Aside from this issue, she is so fucking judgemental of those who aspire to become wives and mothers. I can understand if it isn't what she wants for herself but acting like she is better than others? Hell no. Her grandmother calls her out on it in chapter 8 but I don't think that it did stick. The constant anti-marriage, anti-men, anti-children, ... phrases annoyed me rather quickly. I don't want children either but I don't begrudge anyone who wants to have them. (Also, and then I will end my rant about her: she has no development. A potion and some mediocre training are all that is required to become a strong witch. I would have loved to see experiments, a learning curve, interactions with the nearby village, creating a bond with the community, ... as the two last points would also add to the cosiness and the 'found family' trope.)

My second issue with the book is the writing style. It reads extremely juvenile and unfinished as if it had been pulled directly from Wattpad. Of course, you can find good fanfictions that will read as if they have been traditionally published but The Honey Witch would fall into the 'poorly written' category. Everything is 'telling and not showing', which results in an overdescriptive style where the sky isn't just red, it is maroon-coloured, the clouds are steel-grey and the dresses are yellow like honey (despite honey having various hues). In addition, the entire writing is very clunky and reads partly as if someone took bullet points and tried to rewrite them into sentences.

Aside from these two issues, there are a few more issues that I have with the book:
1) I found the book rather predictive and despite meeting Lottie just once, it is clear who she is related to as it is supposed to add some tension.
2) All the side characters up to the point where I gave up are so stereotypical and underdeveloped. Marigold's childhood best friend? A ray of sunshine. His partner? Arrogant and snobby. His female best friend (who is Lottie)? Grumpy, rude and mean.
3) The world-building is so flawed. Honey magic and Ash magic are supposed to be opposites although they should exist together as the grandmother explains that both rely on each other (aka it's a thinly veiled play on Life & Death and how life can happen after death). The author is extremely inconsistent with the kind of magic that Marigold can perform as well, which just adds to the flawed world-building. And please, do not get me started on the fucking curse. The curse was created to stop the Honey witch line from falling in love and from having children. A few sentences later the grandmother explains how she had Marigold's mother without a man and states that Marigold will be able to have a child of her own without a man as well. Why do you implement the curse if there's a workaround? That's so stupid, I'm sorry.


TL;DR: A bland and boring book that lacks world-building, character development, a cosy atmosphere and an actual plot with good pacing (because there's neither).

Originally published on Hina Loves To Read

From the moment I laid eyes on the cover of “The Honey Witch” by Sydney J. Shields on NetGalley, I was enchanted. The art—a quaint cottage nestled in a vibrant explosion of flowers—felt like an invitation into a magical world, and indeed it was. Sydney Shields’ debut novel is a tapestry of magic and romance, woven with the kind of charm that makes you wish you could step through the pages.

Marigold Claude, the protagonist and our Honey Witch, lives a life that’s as sweet and intricate as the honey she crafts. Her magical abilities connect her deeply with nature, particularly the bees whose enchantments are pivotal to her potions and spells. Learning about her journey, from discovering her powers to grappling with a curse that prevents her from finding love, felt like watching a friend navigate the trials of life.

What truly drew me into the story was the slow-burn romance between Marigold and Lottie Burke, a skeptic whose disbelief in magic challenges Marigold to prove not just her mystical abilities but also her beliefs about love and self-worth. Their relationship, highlighted by a tattooing scene that was unexpectedly spicy and intimate, added a thrilling layer to their growing affection.

However, as much as I was captivated, I found myself occasionally pulled out of the story by the setting—an early to mid-19th century England that seemed at times too accepting and modern for its era. The contrast between the historical setting and the progressive themes was stark, making parts of the story feel more like a fantastical utopia than a reflection of the times.

Despite these moments of disconnect, the narrative’s exploration of women’s autonomy and the right to self-determination resonated with me deeply. Shields’ writing is both accessible and evocative, brimming with thematic richness that champions the strength of women and the transformative power of love.

In the end, “The Honey Witch” left me with a mix of emotions—from joy at the whimsical depiction of magic to a pang of sadness for the struggles the characters endured. I gave this book a heartfelt 3 out of 5 stars. It’s a promising start for Sydney Shields, and I’m eager to see where her imagination takes us next. This book is a sweet reminder of how sometimes, the most magical stories are those that speak directly to our hearts.

I absolutely loved The Honey Witch, such a strong debut novel! This book reminded me of a Disney classic good vs bad, happily ever after film but imagined in the modern day. Would definitely recommend!