Marigold was born to a world of fashion, a world of high society and money. She has never been keen on this lifestyle, she prefers to slip out of the balls and run through the fields under the moonlight in her bare feet and bathe in the glow of a blue moon. She has always felt different and been able to see things that others can't, she has never fit in. After being caught by her mother on her way in from one of her dances in the moonlight Marigold finds her Grandmother whom she has missed dearly and she also seems to find her future as well.
Marigold has been born into a line of Honey Witches who proteect the Isle of Innisfree. However with this has come a curse, to embrace her magic she must be willing to give up all hope of finding love for The Honey Witch is cursed to never know love but for Marigold she believes this is a choice she has ben waiting for at least that is until she meets the highly aggravating Lottie Burke who seems to hate her for no good reason. Marigolds Grandmother is growing weaker by the day soon Marigold will know what it is to be truly alone. Something is coming to her island. For every Honey Witch there is an Ash Witch that wants to destroy what the Honey Witch creates.
Now Marigold is alone, yearning for love and knowing she can never have it, the Ash Witch is also at her door preparing to destroy all that she loves.

I highly recommend #TheHoneyWitch by #SydneyJ.Shields. I love bees so of course something called The Honey Witch drew me in. The world building is fantastic as are the relationships that are formed throughout the book.

I want to thank #Netgalley for the chance to read #TheHoneyWitch by #SydneyJ.Shields in return for a fair and honest review.

3.75 stars, I had a hard time rating this one, it was a really cute story but something was lacking and I can’t quite put my finger on it.

Marigold never quite fit into society, she had zero desire to become a wife. Then she finds out she’s a witch. If she choose to take over as honey witch for her grandmother she will be cursed to never have anyone fall in love with her.

Things I enjoyed: the relationship between Marigold and her grandmother. The multiple LGBTQ+ relationships.

Things that didn’t work: The character development was lacking. Everything was wrapped up nice and neatly with very little drama

Would I recommend it: if you are into Practical Magic type of witch then this is the book for you. It also has major cottage core vibes, Marigold lives on her own private island surround by flowers, honey bees and magical creatures that protect her, it doesn’t get more cottage core-y than that.

there's nothing offensively bad in here. i just think it's pretty boring. very much a debut where everything is belabored and spelled out. i think the writer has potential to grow but this didn't gag me

this was my first sapphic romance & i didn't finish it because i realized this is not my vibe lol BUT if sapphic romance is your vibe, give this one a shot. definitely enjoyed the writing style & plot from what i read.

thanks netgalley & Orbit Books for the eARC. this is my honest review.

"The Honey Witch" by Sydney J. Shields is a captivating and enchanting tale that weaves together elements of magic, mystery, and romance into a spellbinding narrative. Set in a charming small town nestled in the Appalachian Mountains, Shields' debut novel transports readers to a world where the line between reality and fantasy blurs, and where the power of love and the strength of community triumph over darkness.

The story follows protagonist Hazel Whitaker, a young woman with a gift for herbalism and an affinity for bees, who returns to her hometown of Winding Creek after the death of her grandmother. As Hazel grapples with her grief and struggles to come to terms with her own magical abilities, she uncovers long-buried secrets about her family's past and discovers that the town she thought she knew so well holds hidden dangers lurking beneath its picturesque surface.

One of the novel's greatest strengths is Shields' evocative and atmospheric prose, which brings the town of Winding Creek to life with vivid detail. From the bustling farmer's market to the sprawling forests that surround the town, Shields' descriptions are rich and immersive, drawing readers into a world that is both familiar and fantastical. The magical elements of the story are seamlessly integrated into the fabric of everyday life, adding a sense of wonder and enchantment to the narrative.

The characters in "The Honey Witch" are equally compelling, each with their own hopes, dreams, and secrets. Hazel is a relatable and likable protagonist, whose journey of self-discovery is both empowering and poignant. The supporting cast is equally well-drawn, from Hazel's quirky best friend to the enigmatic newcomer who captures her heart. Shields skillfully explores themes of friendship, family, and the power of love to heal old wounds, creating a cast of characters that feels both authentic and endearing.

At its heart, "The Honey Witch" is a story about finding strength in adversity and embracing the magic that lies within us all. Shields deftly balances moments of heartwarming sweetness with pulse-pounding suspense, keeping readers on the edge of their seats until the very end. The novel is filled with twists and turns that will keep readers guessing, culminating in a satisfying and emotionally resonant conclusion.

Overall, "The Honey Witch" is a delightful and enchanting read that is sure to cast a spell on readers of all ages. With its charming setting, memorable characters, and captivating storytelling, this novel is a must-read for anyone who believes in the power of magic and the resilience of the human spirit. I eagerly await Sydney J. Shields' next literary offering.

I think the premise is beautiful, but the writing feels a bit immature and plain. I still enjoyed the story, but would definitely recommend some time trying to create more complex sentences and show more than you're telling!

DNF @ 32%
The Honey Witch was one of my most anticipated releases. I saw the author talk about it last year and I immediately added it to my list. Unfortunately I couldn’t finish it. I was just so bored. I do think the author’s writing is beautiful but that wasn’t enough to keep me invested. I would consider trying the audiobook once this is released.

Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my review of this book!

• • • • •

Wow wow wow. When I first heard the synopsis for The Honey Witch, I knew I was going to love it. I never thought I was going to love it as much as I do.

This beautiful story covers friendship, family, grief, loneliness, love, loss, and everything in between. I found a connection with each and every character in some way. The family dynamics mixed with the friendship dynamics were so beautiful and fully fledged out, which I find to be lacking with a lot of stories nowadays.

The sapphic romance and longing was so, so well written. I have a special place in my heart for Marigold and Lottie. <3

Marigold is a young woman of good social standing going to balls and seeking out a suitable match. However, when her grandmother, The Honey Witch, shows up and asks her to become her successor and protect the lands, Marigold is offered the privilege very few women of that era are offered - a choice. This choice, as so many do, comes with a tradeoff: The Honey Witch is cursed to never find true love. Marigold accepts on the spot, moves to Innisfree to begin her duties, learns magic in an alarmingly short time, and then, of course, meets her foil / potential love of her life, Lottie. Now they must battle a murkily-defined evil (she tried to kill Marigold as a child! She is the scary-sounding Ash Witch!) while also trying to overcome a curse to live and love together.

The premise of The Honey Witch is delightful. A grumpy / sunshine Sapphic love story meets cozy witches meets Bridgerton balls. It's also so fun that queerness is the default. Unfortunately, the writing is not strong. Characters and plot points are universally underdeveloped, and yet the plot still moves very slowly. Marigold decides to uproot her entire future in one paragraph and then regrets the decision after getting one look at Lottie. The spice scenes were also surprisingly tropey for a queer relationship (though maybe that was the point!) with Marigold being very dominating / "Good girl" esque throughout it all.

I was tempted to DNF it at about 20%, but wanted to complete it out of respect for being given an Advanced Readers' Copy. I think this novel tried to execute something very needed, but unfortunately fell short. I am still thankful I was given the opportunity to read it through NetGalley.

DNF @ 18% / through Chapter 5

So disappointed about DNFing this one because I was looking forward to it so much. Cozy, sapphic fantasy? Sign me up!

But while the descriptive prose was gorgeous and I thoroughly enjoyed the first chapter, I couldn't stand how the dialogue was written. None of the characters felt very developed, or interesting, and frankly I was just extremely bored. I tried to push through, but ultimately this book was just not for me after all.

Recently I went through a bad time period and fell into a reading slump. This book was just what I needed to get me out of it! So good! Practical Magic meets Halloweentown vibes. I would 10/10 recommend it.

2.5 rounded up to 3.

Thank you Netgalley and Redhook Books for the ARC of The Honey Witch.

With a title like The Honey Witch, I was expecting something very different; some whimsy mixed with magic. But there was no whimsy and only minimal magic.

Seriously. Nothing happened the entire book. The beginning chapters set up a high stakes, life altering revelation. And then it goes basically nowhere.

There's a cute little grandma and a cute elderly neighbor. But the grandma is 100 years old, and you know from the beginning she's fading out.

Things pick up *A LITTLE* around 90% and then the book is over. Poof. Done. With a one paragraph epilogue. I'm so sad. I was so excited to read this.

*Review has some spoilers*

Though the book has an interesting premise, I felt that "The Honey Witch" was a disappointing read for me. The characters felt fairly underdeveloped and I was not able to connect with them as the action in the story ramped up. Also, it seems like the book is confused as to what genre it is. While over 80% of the book is cozy fantasy, the last 20% turned into a hard fantasy with battles; while I am not opposed to fight scenes in fantasy, the threat to the protagonist was not properly interwoven throughout the narrative to the point that I truly felt little urgency when the threat actually occurred. In addition, I truly did not like the main character; she read too much like a "not like other girls" archetype where she was too quirky to fit in with her community but was the "most special witch" to exist and thus most powerful. Overall, it could have been better.

I couid see fans of Legends & Lattes or You Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea really enjoying this book, and I liked it better than either of those.

Unfortunately, I had trouble buying in to the main relationship this book centered around. I found the love interest deeply, deeply unpleasant for the first 70% or so of her time in the book, and then felt whiplash from how quickly her entire personality seemed to change once it became clear she would be the love interest. That made it hard to root for the main driving force of the book, which definitely lowered my enjoyment level. I also found every plot point very predictable, but for a cozy fantasy that may not be a big issue, depending on the reader. All in all, plant witch vibes + sapphic love story will surely appeal to plenty of people (it appealed to me!) but the execution fell flat for my personal tastes.

“The Honey Witch” is a charming blend of magic, romance, and self-discovery with a touch of enchantment .

This was a wonderful read - cozy, whimsical, witchy, and cottagecore with an interesting magic system. I feel like this book will be loved by any woman who has ever felt like a misfit.

Marigold has never fit into her surroundings. While her parents and siblings enjoy high society dinners and socializing; she feels a calling to run among the wildflowers and bask in the moonlight. She follows that calling and discovers a whole new world at her fingertips and new friendships, too. Marigold, Lottie, and August are wonderful characters, and I loved their friendship and found-family vibe.

I loved some of the passages and quotes in this book very much. The way the author describes emotions like grief or loneliness is exquisitely profound. Many of the passages resonated deeply with me. The writing and relatability in the first few chapters drew me in.

I did find the ending a bit rushed. The storyline overall is a little bit predictable, and some of the relationships and dialogue fell a little bit flat. The world-building was also a little odd in my mind, but I've forgiven my little qualms with it because it is a fantasy read.

Overall, it is an enjoyable, cozy, slow-burn sapphic romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields is a cozy, unique take on witchcraft that makes for a very enjoyable read.

Marigold abhors the fact that her lot in life is solely to marry. For a long time she has felt as if something is missing from her life, and the idea of being nothing more than a wife to someone fills her with revulsion. When her grandmother who she hasn’t seen since she was a child comes for a visit, she is presented with the opportunity she didn’t know she was missing. To take up the family mantle of being the Honey Witch and protecting and caring for the people of Innisfree. She immediately feels it is her calling and heads off with her grandmother to learn how to be a witch. The only problem? It comes with a curse.

Marigold’s growth was such an essential and fitting part of this story. It is first and foremost, a story of Marigold coming into herself and figuring out who she is and what she wants. She starts out not knowing what she wants or really who she is meant to be, besides knowing she does not want to just be someone’s wife. She proves herself ignorant on the topic of love and even holds it against others when they actually do want to find love. As she gets to experience more of the world she becomes more of a sympathetic, relatable character and she becomes so much more than the girl she was at the start of the book.

And the magic. I absolutely adored the magic. It was in the essence taking magic back to what is typically known as witchcraft, using herbs, flowers, essentially things of nature and compiling these into a mixture and weaving a spell through it. But added into this, of course, is the titular honey, which is a necessary ingredient for the Honey Witches to put together all of their spells. On the opposing side are the Ash Witches, one in particular, Versa, who Marigold’s grandmother has been protecting the people of Innisfree from her entire life as a witch. Though much of the book is spent getting to know the characters, as well as Marigold’s particular brand of magic, hence the cozy feel of the book, the threat of the Ash Witches is briefly touched upon occasionally throughout the book. Until much closer to the end when the threat becomes more real.

It was such a cute, quick read and I really enjoyed the unique world and most especially the unique magic. The characters were so real and impossible not to like and I can’t wait to read more from this author. I hope we’ll see kore from this world as well.

I don’t read a lot of magical realism books, but I love a cozy sapphic witch story! I went into this book with high expectations, but it unfortunately fell a little flat for me.

The first 30% of the book was very boring and hard to get through. The pace didn’t become exciting until after halfway through, so the book felt a little bit like a grind, despite being fairly short. It’s written in third person present tense, which also took a lot of adjusting to.

The setting is interesting, it feels very Bridgerton era, for examples there’s lots of balls and tattoos are banned, but everyone is open to various sexual identities, which was refreshing.

The actual ‘magic’ is infrequent, and seems almost secondary to the curse the MCs are under.

Shields writes with pure magic in this beautiful Sapphic fantasy.

Marigold has to choose between falling in love, and having the magic of being a Honey Witch. At first this seems like an easy choice for her jaded self, but then she meets gorgeous and sour Lottie, a woman with a mysterious past.

I loved the lyrical writing. It starts out cozy and sweet and later takes a dark turn. Marigold and Lottie's relationship is lovely to see unfurl, and August is a fantastic friend. I'm excited to see more from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!

I’m giving this book 3 stars because though I enjoyed the plot, the timeline seemed too “jumpy” between each scene, and the writing felt over-complicated and basic at the same time. I wish the flow was a little easier, I think that would help with retention of the reader.

Aside from the writing critique, I did love the story and the characters were easy to get to know, but I feel the writing made it a bit difficult to really break the wall and make me love the characters.