I love the cover, I love the premise, and I think a lot of readers will love it.
I myself, however, wasn't invested in the characters, and when the drama/action started to pick up, it didn't move me as much as the author intends to. So all in all, not for me, but I'm curious to see what other people will think of it!

The Honey Witch was a book that was a bit frustrating to me because I really wanted to love it but sadly there are things that make me just like it.

What I did like was the writing. This is where I see the most potential in this author. Her descriptions are really pretty and my favourite scenes in this book were the ones where a small task was descripted in detail. I wished to have gotten way more of it because some scenes had so much potential to be beautifully written but were cut short i.e. Asters wedding.
From the writing I also got a great sense of what the world and it's people look like which was great.

The characters and interactions between them were a 50/50 for me. I really liked Mari interacting with all of her family and Mr Benny. Sadly the interactions with August and Lottie fell flat for me. While I got a really good sense of the dynamics of Mari and her family and why they act the way they act and why they like each other I didn't get that for her friends at all and while August has the benefit of being a childhood friend Lottie doesn't and even to the end I really don't know WHY they like or love each other.

I liked the handling of grief in this book and also Mari learning that longing for love isn't something to look down upon which she did a lot in the beginning which I did not like.

The thing I liked least was sadly the magic system. I think it was underdeveloped and I couldn't get over the whole Honey and Ash being the 5th/6th element. I wouldn't call these elements just conduits and it doesn't even make sense to set up elemental magic in the first place if we never see a witch with another element. Also why are Fire and Ash Witches different things when the Ash witches can also burn stuff down? And then there is a Moment when it is said honey witches control water and air and Ash witches ground and fire - So why are there other Elemental Witches in the first place?

There have also been inconsistencies. Althea tells Mari very early on that they don't do spells that interfere with a persons free will but then Mari uses a spell to make a modiste forget something and therefore not have her own free will. Or at the end when Mari says she prepares a lot of defensive spells for the final attack but then never uses them in the fight?

The villain is also really flat in my opinion and her making Mari grow lots of foliage just for her to burn them down over and over again felt comically evil and I couldn't understand her motivation behind that at all.

The twist was so obvious it was so frustrating that the MCs didn't figure it out sooner. I suspected Lottie being an Ash witch the first time we encounter her because the red hair for an Ash/Fire witch being such a trope but then there were so many more hints that from 30% onwards I actually got angry at Mari for not realising what was happening.

Okay final words: There is potential here for sure and I'm willing to give this author another go but the plotting, pacing and world building need work. I did finish this book and it is bingeable but I just can't overlook all these issues.

The Honey Witch by Sydney J Shields is a warm witchy sapphic novel featuring a honey witch named Marigold.
Marigold (one of three siblings who has always felt like she is a misfit) finds out that she is a honey witch when her maternal grandmother appears to teach her everything she knows before she dies. However, the magic comes at a price: she will never be able to find true love. They move to a beautiful isle where the training takes place. The story centres around the honey witch learning to use magic and the threat of the ash witch who wants her dead.
The story is written in the present tense which I found slightly off putting but once I got past that, I really enjoyed reading this book and immersing myself in their world. I really hope there is a sequel!

The highlight of the book were the cozy, mossy vibes. But I wasn't able to feel a connection to the characters or get invested in their problems. Perhaps I wasn't the right audience for the book? I do love a cozy read and this was alright but I also kept wanting more

This book was cute.

I enjoyed the magic system and the family relationships. The romances were predictable but still a joy to read.

The ending made me feel happy.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Little, Little Brown book and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. My review is my own and not influenced by others.

First of all, the cover of this book is beautiful and it was what my attention drew towards this book. I didn’t quite knew what to expect from this book after reading the description so I went in without any expection.

I found the characters and the world building flat to be honest, I couldn’t see the world building good enough because of its descriptions in the book. The characters didn’t have any true chemistry with each other and lacked of depth to feel any connection with them.

Marigold has always felt different, in society as well as her family, & a visit from her Grandmother will finally explain why, allowing her to find her place in the world. A magical romance, we follow Marigold as she comes into her power & considers the curse that prevents her from loving her soul mate. We are in a universe where same sex relationship are common place & accepted which is a refreshing addition to the fantasy genre.

Filled with magic, sweetness & lots of love (romantic & otherwise). In The Honey Witch Sydney J Shields has crafted a promising debut novel & I hope we get more stories from this world.

The magic system in THE HONEY WITCH was such a breath of fresh air, I loved how specific and original it was to this world. That and the Ash witches and the balance of the two. Following along our MC as she learned to brew potions and make tinctures was so enjoyable.

THE HONEY WITCH is perfect for readers who love cottagecore, Bridgerton, and sapphic romance, but also have been craving a new type of magic.

This book was beautiful, it felt like a warm hug!

We have Marigold a woman feeling pressured by society and her mother to settle down, but Marigold doesnt wish to be confined to certain expectations she wants to revel in nature and does as she wish. We then get introduced to Althea her grandmother who wishes Marigold to take over her responsibilities as a Honey Witch.

We also get introduced to Lottie & August who were fabulous characters. Lottie is a complete skeptic and this drives Marigold to want to prove Lottie wrong. There’s also a threat looming of an Ash witch seeking immortality and poses a threat to Marigold.

A shoutout to Mr Benny as well because god that character broke my heart at points, what a genuine kind soul!

I truly loved this book it was stunning.

I found this book refreshingly novel. The themes were dark but presented in a way that made them easy to digest. The magic system was fun and not something I've ever heard of and the world building was detailed enough to capture the imagination without being too much for the type of story (one of people and emotion rather than adventure). This wasn't a 5 star read for me purely because I found the tense it was written in strange to start, but I think this is also part of the reason the story was so captivating. I also thought the story got far better in the second half where the pacing became faster.

Rating: 3.5 stars
The Honey Witch, a debut novel by Sydney J. Shields features the sweet but savoury story of Marigold Claude, a girl who longs for more than to get married and live amongst those in high society. She soon goes to the magical isle of Innisfree where she becomes an apprentice of her grandmother as she trains to become the next Honey witch. Marigold has to nurture her power to endure her whimsical magic, curses, and love, a concept said to be unprocurable by the fellow witches of her consort.
This story felt like taking a bite from a sugary candy bar and for that I adore it, the writing was beautiful, and although it was fast-paced; I was surely never bored. Marigold’s love interest is Lottie Burke, a skeptic who is rude and insolent at first but as she opens up, she becomes a blossom in the night.
I believe this story is so beautifully written and I highly recommend this to anyone seeking cottage-core vibes featuring sapphic love and bees, lots of bees.

What happens when a witch cursed to never be able to find love meets a girl who doesn't believe in magic?

The Honey Witch is a spellbinding tale of curses, magic and, most importantly, love. It follows Marigold, a young woman who finally finds her place in the world when she comes to find she has the choice to become a Honey witch like her grandmother and be cursed to never be loved or lose access to her powers.

I adorared this book, I loved the cosy, cute cottagecore vibes that throws you into a world of magic and how much love truly means when you can't have it especially when there is a danger lurking aroud the corner. I laughed, I cried, I think I went through the whole range of emotions reading this book and it all came together with a wonderful conclusion and the whole book is fantastically written. Definitely a book I will be thinking about for a while. 5 stars, I loved everything about this book.

I was one of the very lucky people who got to read this book before its release, and it was a pleasure.

I have to say that it did take me a chapter or two to understand this story and its themes but once I got into the bulk of the story I was hooked!
It was the cosy, cottage core, story I needed to settle down with at the end of the day.
The characters were driven and entertaining, I knew their motivations throughout.

The story was very fast-paced in parts, in my opinion, but that meant that I was entertained continuously. Although when the story did take a moment to breathe, and took the time to let the characters develop, it was a charming story to get lost in.

The whole story in the end was a 3.5 star for me. It is very enjoyable and relaxing to read.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

3.5 stars

Thia is a saccharine sweet tale of a girl, Maria, finding her place in the world as a Honey Witch, finding friendship and love along the way.

I adored the first half of this book, watching the main character bloom under the instruction of her wonderful grandmother as she learns the witchy ways of a honey witch. The small island she lives on is idyllic; a veritable paradise of flowers, bees, friendly spirits and, of course, a cat. The lore, though a little info-dumpy, was engaging.

My interest unfortunately began to wane a little when the love interest became involved. I just could not feel the chemistry. Where the main character is sweet and kind, the love interest is unfriendly and mean to begin, to the point where I couldn't see why Mari would pursue a friendship with the love interest in the first place. As the relationship develops the author introduces a fair bit of spice that I didn't feel fit the cosy, cottagey tone of the book. It felt a little clumsy and spicy for the sake of being spicy.

It was a decent enough read and I really did adore the first half, it's just a shame the last half let it down for me.

First off: perfect release date!! I wish I was reading this book in spring/early summer because it's just THE MOOD for those days! I love the writing style and that it felt whimsical and bittersweet at the time. The characters are great and I wished to see even more of them than we already got. Great witchy story!

Thanks to net gallery for this arc in exchange for a honest review.

This is the kind of book that makes me wish I was reading it in summer rather than winter. It’s very much a summer book, made to be read outside with a cool breeze and warm sunlight. It’s a cosy sapphic story of witches and magic that melts like honey in the mouth. I wish there was more so I could spend more time in Innisfree with Lottie and Marigold, but all good things come to an end. I can only hope they all end as sweetly as this book does.

The Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. A curse that is her’s to bear alone. But when a young women who doesn’t believe in magic arrives on her island, sparks fly in this deliciously sweet novel of magic, hope and love overcoming all. Marigold Claude has always preferred the company of the spirits of the meadow to any of the suitors of her hometown who have tried to woo her.

When her grandmother whisks her away to the family cottage on the tiny Isle of Innisfree with an offer to train her as the next Honey Witch, she accepts immediately. But her newfound magic and independence comes with a curse: no one can fallen love with the Honey Witch. When Lottie Burke, a notoriously grumpy skeptic who doesn’t believe in magic appears on her doorstep, Marigold seizes the opportunity to prove to her than magic is real.

Marigold begins ti care for Lotties in ways she never expected. And when her darker magic awakens and threatens to destroy her home, she must fight for much more than her new home. She could risk losing het magic and her heart all at once. A novel that is a sweet and warm as fresh honey from the hive. A story that explores love, loss and loneliness in a way that is both heartbreaking and bittersweet with the joy of seeing magic in all things. A novel that will charm you with it’s incredibly beautiful setting, charming characters and story that love may just conquer all.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘺 𝘚𝘺𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘑. 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘴

The world of this novel felt vert immersive and I instantly felt brought into.the works, a great read overall.

I was utterly captivated by every moment within the pages of this extraordinary novel. The narrative unfolds in a beautifully inclusive world, embracing queerness as the norm and introducing readers to a captivating magic system.

Marigold, our protagonist, is a truly delightful character. As the unconventional member of her family, her unique status as a honey witch adds an extra layer of intrigue to her story. The exploration of honey witches, their magical prowess, and the endearing relationship between Marigold and her grandmother, Althea, was an absolute delight.

The plot's evolution, coupled with poignant depictions of loneliness, resonated deeply with me and will linger in my thoughts indefinitely.

The portrayal of Marigold and Lottie's relationship was a highlight, with their interactions eliciting numerous smiles throughout the narrative. A particularly sensual moment, the tattoo scene on the boat, stands out as one of the most evocative passages I've encountered in quite some time.

Having had the privilege of being an arc reader for this book, I've been unable to shake its enchanting grip since. Even in its early stages, "The Honey Witch" unfolded as a beautiful mix of magic, love, and loss. I devoured the entire tale in less than a week, cementing its place among my top reads of the year. Sydney's writing, whether in small snippets or the entirety of this book, consistently leaves me yearning for more.

Every character, from the main protagonists to the smallest side figures, became dear to my heart. Sydney skillfully breathes life into each, making them authentic and relatable in their own unique ways.

I can guarantee you won't regret immersing yourself in the enchanting world of "The Honey Witch."

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5909838450

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for approving my request to read an arc of this book.

The Honey Witch has been on my radar ever since saw the stunning front cover months ago. I was so excited when I saw it on NetGalley and I’m very grateful I got the chance to read it early. I enjoyed this book immensely and it had such a unique take on magic that I haven’t seen before. The characters were amazing and the story was so much fun. I really enjoyed the dynamics of Marigold and Lottie and it was brilliant reading as their relationship developed from irritation and annoyance to love and adoration. I highly recommend this book. My favourite aspect of The Honey Witch was that despite the historical setting, there was zero homophobia or racism. It was such a refreshing change and one I hope more writers will follow