This book just wasn’t for me and perhaps that’s just the season of reading that I’m in. It feels very warm but slow. I think there were some sweet elements but I unfortunately DNFd this one. I do think a lot of people would love this one though! Just not for me.

<b>2.5</b>✨🍯 This is cute enough in its way with a lovely turn of phrase now and again, but it is also stumbling, juvenile, and obvious. The pacing and language continuously contradict the time period which really affects the overall setting and inhibits the reader getting fully immersed in the story, especially if historical is your thing. The relationship with Marigold and her grandmother rang the most true, with the emotions definitely coming from somewhere real and resonant, but nearly everything and everyone else was a trite cutout of something you’ve seen before without a truly compelling story to either help you look past that or bring it together.

<i>Thanks to Redhook Books and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.</i>

This was one of my most anticipated reads this year, as I'd been seeing it around Bookstagram and LOVE the cover. Plus, a cozy, Bridgerton-esque fantasy with sapphic witches? Count me in. Unfortunately, this was a vibe-heavy read and the vibes just didn't hit the way I wanted.
Marigold is an unmarried woman in 1831 who's always felt not-like-other-girls, so she's vindicated when her grandmother informs her that she's actually a honey witch, and comes from a long line of magic. However, when honey witches accept their magic, they activate a curse that prevents them from ever falling in love. Marigold is fine with that, because she's too cool for love anyway, so off she goes to the mystical island of Innisfree to live with her grandmother and learn magic. There she's reunited with a childhood friend and meets Lottie, a prickly but beautiful girl who doesn't believe in magic. Obviously, this is a job for Marigold.

This is a pretty slow-paced book, which I expect from a cozy fantasy, but I tend to prefer characters over plot, so that doesn't bother me in itself. But I didn't really connect to these characters or feel their relationships the way I needed to to be immersed in the story, and as a result I ended up feeling kind of nitpicky about some of the plot elements, which is not a very fun way to read, and I ended up skimming a lot of the last 20%. I did like some of the writing itself on a line level, so depending on this author's next book I may give her work another go. I really wanted to love this, and maybe I'd have clicked with it better if I'd read it at a different time, who knows. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in a Bridgerton-esque, queernormative Regency world, THE HONEY WITCH follows Marigold Claude, a 21-year-old young woman who wants nothing to do with the society she's a part of. She resents the idea of settling as someone's wife, preferring to spend her time under the full moon in the meadow near her family's estate. When her long-estranged grandmother comes to visit, Marigold learns she is a Honey Witch whose destiny lies in taking care of the remote magical isle of Innisfree. But embracing her magic comes with a price—thanks to a curse from an evil Ash Witch, Marigold will never find true love.

THE HONEY WITCH was one of my most anticipated books of the year. The premise sounded adorable, promising magic, romance and personal growth in a cozy fantasy setting. And it does deliver these things... but I found it really hard to push through some of the novel's problems early on.

I almost DNFd this book around 25% in. Part 1 set up the story, but I found myself not caring nearly as much as I wanted to about Marigold, her relationships, her personal desires or the magic system. While some of Shields' lines are poetic and beautiful, others felt stilted or completely strange. I recall one line referring to the isle's pond-like oasis as "a heart, or a bean for those with weak imaginations." 1) those two things look nothing alike, and 2) why is this third-person omniscient narrator insulting the reader for no reason?

I also felt like the relationships Marigold has with crucial characters like her grandmother, Althea, and childhood friend, August, were initially told rather than shown. We don't get a lot of yearning for her grandmother before she shows up to save the day, nor a lot of fondness between them before Althea passes away—a crucial turning point in Marigold's narrative. In August's case, Marigold couldn't even remember his name before coming to Innisfree and retained exactly one vague memory of him, but we're soon told that the pair rekindle their friendship as if no time has passed without actually seeing more than one brief interaction between them. These things left the relationships feeling very unbelievable to start off.

That being said, the novel hits a much more even and interesting stride from Part 2 (around 35%) and beyond. We actually see more of those important relationships and the fondness between the characters, which creates a lovely and cozy atmosphere. Marigold comes into her own as a witch and we get a much clearer picture of what is driving her. The descriptions of Innisfree and the Honey magic system are beautiful and engaging. And the love that grows between Marigold and her love interest, Lottie, was heartwarming. A lot of the story's beats were very predictable, but it was altogether cozy and fun enough to let it play out, anyway.

It felt like Shields crafted the heart of the story first but really struggled with how to get us there as readers. A less patient reader might have given up before they got to the good parts!

If you're in the mood for a cozy fantasy with a unique magic system and a little bit of WLW spice, THE HONEY WITCH might be perfect for you. ... You might just need to work a little to get there.

DNF at 35%. The bones of the story are intriguing and the pitch is strong, but I could not get through the writing. The lack of detail combined with the present tense POV made for an almost robotic narrative, where actions would be listed one after the other with no descriptor . There was only telling, no showing, of characters' emotions and reactions, and even that "telling" was limited. The writing was so perfunctory that it read like a plot summary rather than the full text. There was very little emotion or detail behind it. The magic was glossed over and did not feel original to the world. When the main character completed the ritual, she could then see magic and creatures "beyond the veil". The creatures, colors, and imagery were not described. The overused phrase of "beyond the veil" was not adequately made unique to the magic system. I was really looking forward to this and never feel good about DNfing an ARC, especially a sapphic one, but there was nothing to connect to via the characters and the writing left me majorly wanting.
Thank you to Netgalley and Redhook books for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

The book started off a little slow and it felt like it was just trying to get to the part it needed to be at to really start the story. A little too much telling rather than showing.

Once things picked up around a third of the way through though, I was hooked. The relationship didn’t happen exactly the way I was expecting which made it really fresh and enjoyable to me. The plot developed really well, with enough foreshadowing for me to suspect things but not too much that the reveals weren’t satisfying.

I felt like the ending could have used a little bit more. One big battle at the end would have been a bit cliche so I liked the choice, I just think it could have used another chapter so it didn’t wrap up quite so quickly.

Overall, really enjoyed. The relationship was sweet and fun to read about and the setting was really cool. Loved the Queer-normative world as well!

I really wanted to love this book. The cover is gorgeous and based on the description, I thought I would like this one. Cozy, witchy vibes? Count me in. However, I don't think the writing style is for me. There wasn't much going on in my opinion.

“The problem, though, is that mistakes are not tangible trinkets that can be locked away. They are awfully hard to outrun.”

Thank you to netgalley and redhook books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

While I was expecting to love this book, based on the premise, i just couldn’t get into it. I found it to be too wordy, over descriptive when not necessary and because of this many sentences read awkwardly, unable to flow freely.

I can only hear so many times how different the main character is, how wild she is and while i enjoyed the sentiment there were just so many times i could bare to have it repeated.

I did find the storyline intriguing but felt as if i had to push through a lot of unnecessary detail & small plot points to get anywhere. For these reasons I have decided to dnf this book at 25%.

pausing/soft dnfing because this is a slow one to get into, but so far it's beautifully written and the story feels nostalgic and comforting while also being new and fresh.


*thank you to netgalley for the earc in exchange for an honest review

While I was left wanting more from this cottagecore, cozy fantasy, there was a lot to like - the alternate-history historical world, the fight against a family curse, forbidden, grumpy/sunshine love, found family, etc. I think readers new to fantasy will really enjoy this one - I just wanted more!

Pub Date: 5/14/24
Review Published: 5/14/24
eARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This had really good vibes and I liked the magic system, and the romance was very cute. My problem was the pacing of it, it felt so mismatched throughout the book. The beginning took so long and then the end was so rushed, and I feel like it could've been perfectly balanced if the author spent less time on the beginning parts and more time on the ending. It could've been evened out so that the pace was the same all the way through. But I did still really like it! It was really cosy and cute and witchy.

This was one of those books that should have been made for me - queernormative world, sapphic witches, and bees! And I think it had a lot of promise, but just... sadly lacked on follow through and inclusivity in its queernormativity, sadly.

First, the good: the magic system in this world that Shields has created is fun and unique. Honey witches who develop their magic through working with the bees to create spells and bring new growth to the land, and ash witches who count on (of course) ash for their own magic who are supposed to clear away death in a cycle. Two cooperative, cyclic powers that are entirely unlike anything I have ever read before. There's also the premise of the landvættir, who are all so fascinating and yet just on the edges of the story.
The secondary characters are also delightful: Marigold's grandmother, Althea, is lovely and I would have loved a whole book about her and her adventures with Mr. Benny. Or August and his newly-revealed romance and their adventures together in the wider world.

On the other hand, this story had a few major letdowns for me. The first was the predictable and extremely rushed ending. I knew where the story was headed from Lottie's first introduction (a redhead who Marigold can't stay away from? In a world with ash witches? Hmmm), and I never quite bought the idea of her and Marigold as soulmates. The entire mess of everything that was happening on the island was wrapped too easily and unsatisfactorily for my tastes. (Plus, if the original curse was meant to prevent Honey Witches from continuing their line, they very obviously got around that with "lol magic asexual reproduction" but that's another problem entirely)
And the second issue I had was... how amatornormative the story ended up being. The book very much implies that, although Honey Witches are cursed to never find love, soulmates are the be all, end all goal of life and that everyone has a romantic soulmate that they should be searching for. Even Marigold, who is happy to sign up for a life free of romance changes her mind in the end because everyone in this story has a romantic soulmate. Which would be fine, if this wasn't juxtaposed with a supposedly queernormative world.

So, overall, I had high hopes for this, but it was just a letdown for me personally. I hope others who read it find it fits the bill for them!

2.5 * rounded down

Well this one was underwhelming! It had the potential as it had a super interesting magic system that wasnt super explored or developed. It also had all the cozy vibes but I just never felt connected to the characters or the plot. There were parts that were very slow and boring and then the action sequences went so fast that I just could not get invested. Overall it was a big letdown and I found myself annoyed once I got to like 80% and nothing was really happening.

Thanks to Netgalley and Redhook Books for granting me access in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 40%
I felt the DNF at 25% but kept going.
The writing is a combination of wanting to feel lyrical and whimsical and cozy but actually being quite basic; and the pacing.
The plot meanders around until something just happens and then back to the meandering.
Oh what will this be? Resolved, immediately; and changes nothing about the constant drone of not fitting in.
I'm sad because this has such great potential for LGBTQ discovery and understanding and its rather a lament of stagnation and on the nose imagery. I'm sure something happens but I can't fight the boredom to get there.
It also feels like it's written for a younger YA audience while addressing adult topics.
Le sigh.

I did not finish this book, only made it about 20% of the way through. While I enjoyed the beginning of the story and the set up of meeting our main character, past that it fell flat. The vibrant showing of the world became telling me of occurrences and it became too much for me.

"The Honey Witch" by Sydney Shields delivers cozy cottage witchy vibes and a delightful Sapphic romance with a slow-burn. It's a captivating blend of witches and love, crafting a charming fantasy world with richly developed characters.

The novel explores themes of magic, generational curses, forbidden love, enduring friendships, and self-discovery with a unique and tender touch.

It's enchanting, wholesome, and heart-melting, making it a must-read for fans of fantasy romance, particularly those who enjoy books reminiscent of "Practical Magic."

The Honey Witch by Sydney Shields is a cozy, sapphic fantasy that centers around Marigold, a twenty-one year old longing for a greater life outside of engaging with suitors. When her grandmother whisks her away to Innisfree to train to become the next Honey Witch, Marigold immediately accepts. Once in Innisfree, Marigold works in a magical apothecary helping others find true love, despite the fact that she herself is cursed to never find love herself.
This book was so atmospheric, cozy, and magical! I absolutely love the setting of the isle of Innisfree and the overall enchantment of the story. While this book took me little while to get into, once I did, I could not put it down!
Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I hate to say this but I had to DNF at 15%. I loved the first couple of chapters but then the story just went to a halt and it became so boring. I've tried to pick it up and so just can't get any further.

Beautiful, cozy, and cottagecore. Perfect for fans of Taylor Swift's folklore. Romantic and fantastical. Romantasy and cozy mystery fans will love it!

Thank you to Redhook Books and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!

I love sapphic witches so much. I love bees so much. This book mixed them both together and made it so magical and whimsical. I really really adored Lottie and Marigold and their relationship. However, the book started off so, so slow. I was really struggling to get through the first third because absolutely nothing was happening- Lottie and Marigold don't meet until about a quarter into the book and even then it's not until close to halfway through before they have any sort of meaningful interaction. The pacing of this book was something I really struggled with overall. It lingered over plot points that didn't need to be lingered over (the entire beginning of the book, Marigold learning from her grandmother) and sped through plot points I would have loved to see in more detail (the entire last quarter of the book??? why did we just zoom through all of that?) but the relationship between Marigold and Lottie really saved this book for me. I adore and cherish them.