I really wanted to enjoy this book but sadly it wasn't for me.

It felt a bit slow and disorganised and I struggled to relate to the characters.

This book definitely has potential and I would encourage those interested to give it a chance.

I would read more from this author in the future

Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for providing me with this arc

DNFed at 28% (end of part 1)

I was so excited for this book. Cosy fantasy with cottagecore vibes and a sapphic romance, all sounds so amazing! Unfortunately this book just fell flat for me. I found myself incredibly bored and just not interested in anything going on. The sapphic romance element hasn’t even been introduced yet. If the romantic partner is who I think it might be, they have only appeared once very briefly and barely said two words so far. Just not for me unfortunately.

From the cover and the author's reels on instagram, I expected something drastically different. However, I still decided to give it ago only to be disapointed.
I loved the setting and the story idea itself wasn't terrible. But I didn't like the main character, she often put other women down for being feminine and she never reprimanded for it. I also didn't like that romance seemed to be the only thing you need if you don't want to feel lonely. For some reason platonic relationships didn't seem to be enough. The romance also didn't make any sense to me. The love interest was rude the entire time and suddenly they're in love with each other?
There were also some plotholes throughout the story which unfortuantely took me out of it.

The premise of this book sounded so intriguing and whimsical and cozy, but I struggled to connect with the characters and the plot, and I had to trudge through the chapters to the end of the book.

Synopsis: Honey and Ash, opposites maintaining balance. A new Honey witch is needed, a witch to protect Innisfree from the Ash witch who only wants power. But the Honey witches are cursed, cursed to live a life of solitude – is Innisfree and the Honey magic enough to fill the hole loneliness leaves behind?

CW/TW: Violence/death/pain/grief/loss/others may be present.

Rep: Sapphic MC (Bi/pan), Sapphic LI, MLM side characters, Queernormative.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
3.5 Stars!

The Honey Witch by Sydney J Shields is a book that is a sweet as honey yet dark as ash.

The Honey Witch is an atmospheric read with a refreshingly unique take on magic. With engaging and easy prose, you fall into this book with ease. The atmosphere of this is the core of the book, with the richness of honey magic, to the Innisfree itself, you cannot help but get wrapped up in the world and emotions of this story.

I really enjoyed the magic in this book, it was a refreshing take with unique magical components. Though the wider worldbuilding is limited, the magic itself is captivating and I loved every minute of it. The idea of Honey and Ash was uniquely engaging, and the effort behind the magic made it even easier to appreciate it when the characters use it.

Though I adored the magic and atmosphere, I felt a tad underwhelmed by the overall story – perhaps because I found it rather predictable. I also wanted more from each of the characters, some felt rather one-dimensional and I think it would have been nice had we seen more of them.

Overall, The Honey Witch by Sydney J Shields is a compelling, refreshing and atmospheric read that will draw you in.

*Thank you to @orbitbooks for the Netgalley eARC in exchange for an honest review!*

The premise of this book was incredibly enticing, and the vibes were definitely on point, but the story just didn’t deliver. The setting was charming, creating a cozy atmosphere for a love story, but the pacing was sluggish and the plot felt all too predictable. While it has its moments, it ultimately didn’t resonate with me.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

#TheHoneyWitch #NetGalley

This Heartwarming Saphic book has a curse thats lasted generations that must have a cure right? This sweet, magical book was everything I hoped it would be. This is one of my most anticipated releases and I was lucky enough to receive an arc and WOW this did not disappoint. I would hooked straight away. I loved all the main characters and the romance that needs to defy everything is wonderful. This is what I want from a cosy cottage core book and it did not disappoint. Marigold one of the FMC has to travel to learn from her Grandmother how to become the witch she always was meant to be she meets grumpy Lottie who is a skeptic and does not believe in magic. The trials they go through together will see if the relationship can also develop into something as beautiful as Marigolds magic.

An enjoyable cosy fantasy read steeped with old magic, sapphic romance and Curses.

Really enjoyed this one. I love reads that infuse the ways of old magic with the modern day world and this book did it brilliantly.

Marigold is a Honey Witch. A gift of magical ability passed down through the generations, but it comes with a price. She is cursed to never know love.

I loved Marigold as a character. Feisty, determined, kind. Her banter and relationship with Lottie was fun to read. Adored seeing their relationship manifest and the curse elements.

Filled with great magical creatures, an evil Ash Witch and a curse there was lots going on plot wise in this book though the author managed to keep the cosy fantasy vibes of the story.

Overall an enjoyable and engaging read.

I've just finished the honey witch by @sydneyjshields and let me tell you this book was amazing it had me feeling all the feels, at the end of this book I was in floods of tears the last paragraph had shivers running all over my body this was an easy 5 star read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I will think about this book and these characters and this amazing world they created forever . I can't believe this is @sydneyjshields first novel it is phenomenal her writing and imagination is out of this world I didn't want this book to end that's when you no it's a 5 star book it's a cosy warm honey hug on a cold day so if you were thinking of reading this I would put it too the top of your list

The book is a good place for people to start, when it comes to the Sapphic, historical fantasy romance, However the writing differs from section to section making the style inconsistent and the plot shallow. The plot twists are predictable and everything is falling into place too easily making for a quick and easy read. The romance is developed too quickly and the dialogue between the characters feels too scripted and unnatural with the intimate scenes lacking in connection. Overall, it is an okay book and I would recommend people reading it for the side characters and general descriptions of scenery. I would like to read more books by this author, as I was very excited about the concept and think that their is potential.

okay what’s going on??? it’s all so underwhelming but fast paced. the dialogues felt juvenile that, only from what i’ve read, this could easily passed as a middle grade book. the story was felt like being shoved down my throat with info dumpings so that the author can quickly move to the next scene. and most importantly i didn’t care about the MC. literally behaves like a child all the damn time even though she’s fully an adult.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

While I was drawn by the cover and the blurb, I unfortunately ended up DNFing the book which was a shame as it was a book I was looking forward to reading. For me the pacing was off, the plot fell flat, and it just couldn't capture my attention. As it couldn't capture my attention I struggled to pick the book back up, meaning it was time to DNF.

Sometimes I find this happens with cosy fantasy, there are popular cosy low-stakes fantasy that I have struggled to read as they are missing a hook.
I would try other books by this author in the future, it hasn't put me off reading their other works.

I really wanted to love The Honey Witch, but I wasn't completely sold on the writing style and the pacing was off. Overall, an enjoyable, if okay, read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

I'm really enjoying the emergence of the cosy fantasy genre - the combination of high(ish) fantasy and low(ish) stakes is wonderful and seems to be paired with characters that you just inherently want to be friends with.

This book meets all of those requirements as well as being a relaxing read. I wanted Marigold and Lottie to work out so badly and their tension was really well developed throughout the book.

The sense of place is perhaps the biggest element of this book - absolutely best read sat in your slightly overgrown and underpruned garden to really feel completely lost in this one.

The sapphic love story is lovely - these characters push and challenge each other in such natural ways that their relationship felt very true to life. I was also pleasantly surprised to find a period(ish) book offering a completely queer normative societal background (Bridgerton could take some notes).

The pacing felt off for me - it I'd very heavily weighted to the last 20% or so and this means that the heightened emotions of some of the plot points go missing. That said, it's cosy fantasy/romance so it didn't feel completely off brand.

Ok so I was pretty excited to read it but sadly it kind of disappointed me. I did not enjoy the writing, it felt a lot of tell not show and too much telling, a bit too much over explaining. The plot itself felt a bit…flat? Like a bit of nothing, that with the expectations that it isn’t action but cozy fantasy, I got bored too often and had to stop. The romance didn’t do it for me either and just….sadly not for me I guess. Just a lot of nothing for me

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was so charming and easy-going, I was glued to the story every minute I could read it!
The Honey Witch has its moments of being cute and cosy, but also has moments of sadness and high-stakes.

I would love to see Lotties tattoos, and hear more about her being a tattoo artist, as well as some spells from Mari's grimoire.

This sounded like the perfect summer read. I was expecting a slow, lazy, cosy fantasy about sapphic love, bees and flowers. But what I really got was a story that felt really underdeveloped and meandering, with a lot of clunky writing, and characters that felt very one dimensional. The world building and magic system in particular felt very lacking and confusing at times - I really didn't understand the opposites aspect involving honey and ash. Marigold also had very tropey, chosen one type energies that I just found irritating.

There's some glimmer of really nice lines here, and a whole bag of potential but unfortunately this one just wasn't for me.

Oh my goodness this is just the sweetest, most warm and lovely story I’ve read all year! It’s not a proper cosy fantasy as it does have pretty high stakes, but the warm fuzzy wrapped in a fluffy blanket feeling pervades throughout. AND it has a touch of sapphic spice. Swoon!!

I loved the writing, the main characters, and all the beautiful descriptions! I am not a big Bridgerton person, but I must say that this gave me everything I hoped Bridgerton would. The touch of magic was simply everything I needed from a book to read this autumn-winter time since I am on the other side of the world right now. I am so in love with it and could relate so much to how Marigold talks about feeling called by nature as I feel the same way, and am starting to get into witchcraft myself. It's just a beautiful book overall, I highly recommend it!

Whilst this book dwells on topics such as a death and curses, it remains to have a cushioning, comforting feeling to it. I enjoyed the building romance between Marigold and Lottie, though I thought the ending felt somewhat rushed. Still, it remains an enjoyable read.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an arc!