Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review The Honey Witch by Sydney J Shields.

Marigold Claude has never been lucky in love.
So, upon the revelation that she could leave her high society life behind and take over the mantel of The Honey Witch from her dying grandmother Althea on the idyllic island of Innisfree all for the price of being cursed so that love may never find her, she jumps at the opportunity to get away and and start a new life amongst the bees. Who needs love when you have an endless supply of honey?

That is until Lottie Burke, a sour skeptical redhead who doesn't believe in Marigold’s so-called "mythcraft" is thrust into her life and Marigold sets out on a mission to prove the magic she has believed in her whole life is real. Only...... as the two spend more time together Marigold finds herself drawn to Lottie, unable to stop the feelings she has for her blooming like the flowers the bees drink their nectar from.

However..... danger lurks on the horizon, threatening the peace of Innisfree and Marigold and Lottie's happiness and future together in the form of Versa The Ash Witch who wishes to take Innisfree for herself and harness its power.....

To start on an emotional note, the relationship between Marigold and her grandmother Althea was one I really connected to and I was reminded of the grief I experienced myself when my own great grandmother passed as I'd been in a similar situation to Marigold helping to care for her before she passed.

The world of The Honey Witch is one beautifully crafted with imagery of gorgeous greenery and sweet honey to set the scene for a cosy sapphic fantasy that keeps you on your toes especially as the plot develops and the story slides into darker tones.

The romance between Marigold and Lottie was one I truly enjoyed especially with their grumpy/sunshine / skeptic/believer dynamic. Their devotion to each other and their relationship throughout the book was something I enjoyed watching develop and rooted for.

The main issue i would have with this book is Marigold herself though. Especially in the beginning of the book I found myself annoyed by her at times. Marigold is the type of woman who wishes to be free from societies expectations of her and run wild and yet doesn't seem to support other women that found their path in life if it's something she didn't want for herself to the point where her own grandmother calls her out on that behaviour (which i was glad to see). Eventually, as her relationship with Lottie started to develop I found Marigold warming on me in the end. Additionally while I enjoyed the book itself I felt as though it was lacking something, this is more of a personal issue I've seen many people who have enjoyed the book with no issue.

Overall I think The Honey Witch is worth a read for an easy cosy romantasy. I would also suggest checking the trigger warnings of the book as there are a few!

Rating: 3 ½ stars rounded down to 3

Thank you so so much to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an ARC copy of this book. It’s a beautiful story filled with all the springtime witchy cottagecore vibes and a perfect read for a warm sunny day.
This story is one of self growth, self belief and finding one’s true place in the world. We meet Marigold at a time where she is going through the motions in life, doing what is expected of her and yet knowing this is not the life she is meant to be leading. Enter a mysterious grandmother who starts Marigold down a path to finding exactly what she was born into this world to achieve, at the price of accepting a curse that she would never have true love. Marigold believes that this is a fair price to pay to finally feel like she is where she belongs… until it starts to feel a little too steep a sacrifice.
The journey that this book takes you on has you curled up in a cozy armchair feeling fuzzy one moment, then on the edge of your seat with bated breath the next. It’s a wonderful journey of love, loss, grief, magic and of course, honeybees.

This was a sweet, cozy read that I mostly enjoyed. Set on the magical island of Innisfree, the story follows Marigold as she steps into the role of Honey Witch, using honey-based magic to help her community. I really loved the concept; it felt unique and whimsical, and the setting was exactly the kind of soft, magical escape I was in the mood for.
Marigold’s connection to nature, especially the bees, and how she learns to channel her magic through honey was one of my favorite parts. I really enjoyed seeing her grow into it with quiet confidence.
The romance was soft and sweet, and I appreciated how the book centered on healing, both magical and emotional. I liked how their dynamic unfolded, with Marigold’s openness balanced by Lottie’s initial guardedness, and how their relationship deepened through simple, meaningful moments.
However, the pacing felt slow at times, especially in the beginning, and I found myself wishing for more depth in both the world-building and the character relationships. Things stayed mostly at surface level, which made it harder to get fully invested at times.
Still, there’s a charm to this book. If you're in the mood for something low stakes, a little magical and full of warm, comforting vibes The Honey Witch is a safe choice. This was a 3.75 read to me, rounded to 4.
Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.

The Honey Witch by Sydney J Shields

Paperback publication Date: 13th May 2025

Thank you so much to Little, Brown Book Group for this magical ARC!

What a gorgeous springtime read this book turned out to be, too! Marigold was a really delightful main character, with various little quirks and emotional depth - though, I will admit, I was slightly fonder of cynical Lottie. Suffice to say the romance between the two was also adorable, and i enjoyed reading all of the the ups and downs! I also loved the atmosphere: from the rich imagery, to the descriptive language and the world-building - it really all brought the magical isle to life, which was great. This book even did a great job of pinpointing certain very, very specific emotions and putting them into words, in a way that I have never seen before.

However, this is cozy fantasy, with emphasis on cozy and its focus on romance. it feels like a cottagecore hallmark romance with magic, and anyone expecting anything more may find themselves misled. As for my occasional gripes, I did find some of the side characters to be a little two dimensional, the plot could be predictable, and the emphasis on everyone finding true love and living happily ever after was something that ended up finding a little too trite - which I keep finding as two common downsides of both cozy fantasy and romantasy, at the moment. But perhaps I am just too cynical for this rose-tinted, joyous piece of fluff.

if you do believe in magic and are in search of a little sweetness, though, I would definitely pick this up!

First of all thank you to Netgalley as weil as the publisher for providing me with a cooy of this magical read.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields! The story offers a charming blend of magic, humor, and heartfelt moments that kept me engaged from start to finish. The characters are lovable and well-developed, and the enchanting setting adds a delightful touch to the narrative. Sydney Shields's writing style is warm and inviting, making it a perfect read for anyone looking for a cozy, magical escape. I highly recommend this book to fans of whimsical fantasy and feel-good stories!

Thank you to the publisher for the earc!

I was really excited to read The Honey Witch, but it’s possible my expectations were too high. I feel at certain points it was too dark to be a cozy fantasy. If I read a cozy fantasy, I want it to be heartwarming and happy and… you know, cozy. But the majority of this book felt none of these. And that “battle” at the end was so rushed.

I did loved the setting, and the magic system! The characters were also good, though I cannot say I was surprised by the big plot twist. Who didn’t see it coming?

If you’re looking for a cozy fantasy, you might be disappointed by this story.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an arc in exchange for my honest review

3.5 stars 🌟

I really enjoyed this book, I loved the cosy witch vibes and how the spells and potions ingredients and how to make them were explained, the omens that witches needed to lookout for and the spirits! I loved all of that and of course the bees too🐝

Something that I did find a bit annoying, without giving any spoilers, was that Marigold was at times, very obvious to things that were right infront of her, either that or she was in denial till towards the end when things finally clicked into place for her.

I would recommend this to people who are here for the cosy witch vibes 🫶🏻

2.5⭐️

A grumpy/sunshine sapphic romantasy with a cosy, cottagecore aesthetic? The premise for this one promised A LOT and I really thought I was going to love it. And while I can really see what this was TRYING to be, it just really didn't live up to its potential in my opinion.

First of all, there were lots of things I really liked. The aesthetic definitely came through nicely in places, evoking Studio Ghibli and even Stardew Valley with a helpful farmer running around a beautiful island helping out all the different inhabitants and forming relationships with some of them. The magic system was incredibly cool and was one of the few things that intrigued me about this book that actually fully delivered. The idea of a witch curating the flowers bees use to make their honey so she can use that honey for magic is awesome and such a unique and creative concept!

The central romance in this book had some ups and downs for me. While it felt a little too much like insta-love for my taste, especially since at first I felt zero chemistry between the two women, it did improve over the course of the book. I thought the curse aspect offered an interesting conflict and there were some genuine moments and lines that I thought were super romantic. While I had my issues with occasionally childish dialogue, I did think their relationship was sweet and the grumpy/sunshine element did come through which I enjoyed.

However, the rest of the book sadly didn't quite deliver the same charm. The world-building was just so paper-thin, and this wasn't helped by the anachronistic and frankly quite juvenile writing style. So many things about this world took me completely out of the story by just how ridiculous and non-sensical they were. For example, the line of honey witches was cursed to never find love in an attempt to end their bloodline? Like love is necessary for having children? And the grandma in this story literally had a child ON HER OWN with no partner, so what's the point of the curse at all? This is also a completely queer-normative world where same-sex partnerships and marriages are commonplace, but it still follows the misogynistic, rigid social structures of the regency period. There's a whole thing about the men not being allowed around the women without a chaperone, but nothing about same-sex couples facing the same restrictions - it just doesn't make sense. These characters are basically made to have modern values about queerness and gender-equality, but the society they live in just doesn't reflect that at all so it doesn't make any sense. There's also a massive plot point that it's illegal to have tattoos and even one will lead to you being a social reject?? We're TOLD this but it just doesn't fit in with the more modern attitudes we're SHOWN these people have. Oh and also apparently ash is the elemental opposite of honey? Since when? It all just felt a little bit random and like the author just made up whatever she wanted to happen to move the plot forward without really thinking about whether it made sense.

And the writing... I don't want to be mean, and I do think this is just personal taste, but I found it so hard to immerse myself in this story when apparently Regecy-era ADULTS are saying things like 'Dammit. Escape attempt number one has failed', 'You are my favourite witch in the whole wide world', and 'Oooh, notice me, love me, I'm just a silly girl and I want a silly husband'. It's difficult to maintain a cosy, cottagecore, regency-inspired aesthetic when your characters speak like children who spend too much time on TikTok. There were sections of lovely prose, especially in descriptions of the island, but the dialogue consistently pulled me out of the narrative. It absolutely read more like a YA novel, which would have been fine, except there's also spice, so it clearly is MEANT to be for an adult audience.

That all being said, I did still have a good time with this one. Like I've said, the vibes were there, and there were a few sections I quite enjoyed. At the end of the day, I just think the writing style didn't work for me and prevented me from being immersed in this story at all. But if you're comfortable with a more YA style of writing, love cosy sapphic stories, and can suspend your disbelief when it comes to world-building, I think you'll love this! Sapphic romantasy is a genre I'd love to see explored more, especially in the mainstream, so even if this one wasn't quite right for me I'm still happy to see its success and am really glad its found an audience.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with this eARC in return for my honest review.

I really liked this book in the beginning. I absolutely fell in love with Althea’s character. However, I feel like the pacing was off: the beginning felt very slow (not in a bad way), there just wasn’t a lot happening; and then suddenly, a whole lot happened in a very short amount of pages which felt very un balanced. The ending was a bit rushed in my opinion. I loved the lore and the story of the Honey Witches and the Ash witches. I do wish we learned more about the Ash Witches because they are presented as evil for most of the book without really questioning it or talking a step back and acknowledging that they just do magic differently than Honey Witches.
Still a fun entertaining spring read.

“Wild women are their own kind of magic.”

I loved everything about this book! The unique kind of magic, the cottagecore vibes and especially the relationship between Marigold and her grandmother.
I flew through this book and am beyond excited to read whatever this author has next up her sleeve!

I really wanted to love The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields, but unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me. While the story between Marigold and her grandmother was genuinely sweet and one of the more touching aspects of the book, the rest fell flat for me. The third-person point of view created too much distance from the characters, and I struggled to stay engaged.

There were moments of warmth and potential, but overall, it didn’t deliver the magic I was hoping for.

The cover of this book is really cute and the premise set things up for a fun sapphic witch romance. In some ways it lived up to this. I loved the cozy vibes of describing the meadows and woods and surroundings. But a lot of this story felt like it was waiting for something to happen instead of making something had. This made the plot drag at times.

Sadly, I was not a fan of The Honey Witch, at all.

For a cosy fantasy, I felt that the writing style was too simple and matter of fact, with multiple instances of unnecessary over-explanations, whilst still remaining quite shallow. It completely lacked atmosphere, and meant I couldn't immerse myself in the story.

The plot was so slow and boring too, which can work, but slow pace needs to be balanced with something like beautiful prose, complex characters, detailed world building. Unfortunately, this book severely lacked in every aspect.

I enjoyed this book a lot. The way Marigold's character changes and grows is wonderful. Such a sweet and cozy read

One of the best books I've read so far this year alone. So so good. The characters are fantastic and the story is immaculate. 5 stars from me.

Review: The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book UK, and the author for providing me with an ARC of this magical debut!

The Honey Witch is a warm and whimsical sapphic fantasy set on the enchanting Isle of Innisfree. With a charming cottagecore aesthetic, sweet romance, and a unique magical premise, this book casts a gentle spell over the reader. Marigold, destined to be the next Honey Witch, is cursed never to find true love—but that becomes complicated when Lottie, a skeptic who doesn’t believe in magic, arrives and stirs something unexpected.

The writing style is simple, easy to read, and flowed well throughout. While I loved the cozy atmosphere and queer joy, I did feel the pacing was a bit rushed in places, especially as the romantic and magical stakes built up. Also, the present tense narration wasn’t quite to my taste (a personal preference!), but it might not bother others.

If you enjoy gentle fantasy with heart, found family, and a bit of grump-sunshine romance, this one might be for you!

So the reason I wanted to read this book is honestly because this has been on my TBR for over a year due to me loving all of the marketing towards it when it initially come out. When I saw that it was an ARC I was surprised because as far as I knew this book was already out but I didn't hesitate to apply for it. Friends this book was all I wanted it to be and more. I cannot tell you how much pure joy this book filled me with to see so much queer love portrayed the way that it was. I am not lying when I tell you this book made me sob both happy and sad tears at multiple points. I loved that we learned how the magic system worked along with Marigold and how it genuinely felt like we were on the Isle of Innisfree with everyone. I loved how we got to know so much more about not only Marigold but also the side characters because it made me fall in love with them all so much more and made it easier to emphasize with all of them. It was also so cool to see how strong and important Marigold's relationships were with all of the women in her life and I loved seeing the strong bonds between them. Hell, even the men in Marigold's life seemed to be perfect in every way. All in all, I would recommend this to anyone who wants a cute, mostly cozy queer romantasy to fall in love with and I will definitely be picking up the physical copy of this book as soon as I can.

Thank you so much for granting me access to this earc.
I felt so ready for the cottagecore witchy cosy fantasy vibe that this book was giving and my goodness it delivered. I absolutely loved this book.
Marigold and Lottie, August and Frankie. Omg. I just love the characters so so much. My heart ached for them most of the way through but I was so glad for the ending.
I loved the slowly drawn out plot that helped you to engage yourself with the characters and immerse yourself with the world and just enjoy being apart of it. I can’t count the amount of times I got lost within the pages of this book and had to be brought back to reality by my partner.
I immediately bought myself a copy of this book when I had finished reading! I can’t wait to read more by Sydney!

so much to like about this book. the magic. the not magic. the magical characters. the not magical character. the grandmother, oh the grandmother. she had my whole heart. and soul mates. but curses. and true love. and friendships. but decisions. and the beating of evil to follow your heart. oh and did i mention the magic. for it held its place both in its most basic form but also in what we "see" and "believe" to be magic and this doesnt always need to be spells, fairies and witches brew.
the cover swept me in to this book and im so glad it did. the world Sydney creates is magical in itself. from that first sight of the front cover those tones seep into the rest of the book. the light, the glimpses, the golds and shimmers. it was a perfect description for the book and what the characters were going through.
Marigold is a bold one. shes a little tyke and i love her for it. when he grandmother offers to teach her to be the best witch she can be she is all for it. she doesnt want what most people want so this from her grandmother feels like a freedom in itself. there is one issue. the witch she wants to become has a curse handed to her which means she cant have love. but she doesnt mind that does she. pft...
that is until she meets Lottie. who doesnt believe in all this air fairy nonsense. but they start to believe in each other. except the thing that keeps them frightened. the ash witches curse. so Marigold knows she must and will fight for her future. and for those futures of her kingdom. the Ash witch wants power over her little community and she wont take it anymore!
a fab book. totally unique from anything ive read previously.

if there were witches in Bridgerton you would get The Honey Witch. Magical, friendship, enemies to lovers? If she can thaw her skeptical heart.
However as the Honey Witch Marigold is cursed to never have love, ( cursed by the Ash Witch) this honestly kept me on the edge of my seat reading their adventure and obstacles of whether she can break the curse. It broke my heart and made me question whether I liked girls 🤔 and convinced me that soul mates exist! ( I did skip chapter 6 on the advice of a friend, due to a personal trigger)
Confession time, I’m now vegan, but even before then I hated honey 😂and there’s a lot of honey in this book.