"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!

The cover, premise, and overall vibes are what attracted me to this book. I'm glad that cozy fantasy is finally getting its moment, and it's great seeing new authors publishing new genres of books with interesting plot lines. However, I think this one was a little too slow for me. I felt the plot went almost nowhere within the first few chapters, and from there on out was rather slow going. I wasn't really interested in any of the characters enough for me to put up with the slow pace. I think the author had a great idea, and her writing was amazing!

Read the e-arc in exchange for an honest review

I was so excited for this book and I was so disappointed…it started off brilliantly! I loved the historical fiction element, the cosy fantasy, Marigold learning about her magic from her grandmother…but that’s where things slowed down for me.

I found Marigold’s relationship with her grandmother really lovely to read about and although *that* happens early on, I still got emotional about it!

After *that*, I found the book very slow until the last third. Whilst at the start I did like reading about Marigold and her friends, hoping it would be a found family situation, I just found there was no depth to care. I think this is largely down to a very two dimensional writing style; we are told what is happening and how everyone is feeling rather than there being development for me to feel these emotions and relationship changes. I wasn’t fully sold on the love relationship because why do they love each other? Especially when they hated each other just the last page?

There was a lot of pages but nothing happening, no plot progression but also it didn’t feel there was enough character development to compensate for that.

The last third I found a lot more gripping and exciting, but then ironically everything was just suddenly resolved, seemingly very - too - quickly, considering the rest of the book.

It definitely had the cosy fantasy elements and I liked the natural integration of lgbtq+ characters, proving historical fiction isn’t a barrier. I do think this is a very good introduction to people reading fantasy as the magic system is easy to digest and lose yourself in. I’m just disappointed because I had high hopes and even reading, I can see the potential this book had, and what it could have been.

The Honey Witch is a cozy easy going sapphic fantasy with a feeling beating heart at it's core and a lot of love poured into it from the author that bleeds onto every page.

This is one of the rare books with a central romance I found that chooses to build the main character right at the beginning and takes its time letting her come to life. Marigold transforms in front of your very eyes in the first part of this book and it felt so refreshing to read a story where I felt I truly knew the main character as a person before we watch her fall in love and grow even more into herself. Her deep connection to her family and love for her grandmother was such a beautiful part of the book and it made me wish other books had such a family centered aspect for their MCs.

The environment is as much of a character in this book as Marigold is and every description is so vivid and alive I felt that I truly knew the island of Innisfree when we were there. Also as a huge fan of bees myself it felt truly wonderful to see them treated as the important pollinators and gentle creatures they truly are.

Of course, the sapphic romance was very sweet and didn't shy away from the more heated desires between the two characters. Lottie is so fun to read as she clearly is the archetype of not wanting to admit she could ever have feelings ever. Her tragic backstory and attachment to August made so much sense once you see her full picture. I do wish we had spend a tiny bit more time at the house with the trio as I would have loved to see more of their small everyday adventures.

If I had one slightly negative thing to say it's that the ending did felt a tad rushed. While everything building to it was intriguing and exciting I felt like it moved at lightning speed once we got back to Innisfree. If the ending had played out a bit more slowly until the big finale I could have gotten more into it, but it seemed like once we were there it was just a race to the end.

Overall I thorougly enjoyed The Honey Witch as a warm sapphic fantasy romance and I'll for sure be making it a staple spring/summer read in the years to come.

The Honey Witch is fun, sexy, and cute, but not entirely deep enough for me. I would wholeheartedly recommend this as a cute summery romance novel, but I wished at times it went much deeper into the lore, world building, and the characters psychologoies. I will defintely be checking out whatever this author writes next though, as I love the vibe created between the pages!