Unfortunately, I decided to DNF this book pretty quickly. I think I made it around 15% in when I realized that this story was not for me. From the start, I wasn't in love with the writing style. To be honest, I'm already having trouble remembering and I'm not sure if there's a specific term but I think it was that it was present tense. For example, most books would say "She watched as...." but this one was "She watches as....". Something about that feels weird. To me, I would expect that sort of writing to be for a more intense story? I'm not sure how to speak on this part too well, so maybe I'm not making any sense, but all I know is that I wasn't loving it.

From there, I was feeling pretty mid about the storyline. I was somewhat intrigued by what was happening at the ball, but I also had a moment where my mind started wondering to some elements that I knew would happen in the story, and I didn't see the purpose to what was going on. This was weird for me to even think, because I tend to be a very go with the flow person while reading but it was just so starkly obvious that the whole scene was simply there for the convenience of showing how different Marigold is from everyone else and how much she yearns to be wild. It made me aware that I was reading a story and that's always a bad sign for me.

Things really started going south for me when Marigold's grandmother shows up. Marigold's mother was insufferable during this whole scene. She did not want Marigold to know certain secrets but the grandmother revealed everything to her anyway. The mother flew off the handle, accused her mother of not respecting her wishes, tried to forbid anything from being discussed, got angry at her husband for his role in all of this -- and she drove me up the wall. She was so irrational and had no respect for her daughter to make decisions on her own and just acted like a victim. It was infuriating.

Now, I don't feel like the author was justifying her or anything. But my issue is that we were not given enough background for this to even really make sense. Yes, I can stop and analyze the situation with the little bit that I know and see why a Mom would make these decisions in an effort to protect her daughter and how she could let emotions cloud her judgement. That is all logical, however it wasn't written in a way that I could buy into. We were given the tiniest snippets of this bad event from the past so when more of that was revealed, it was purely telling and not showing. We also only got a few lines from the mother prior to this and we could have used some of the pointless time from the ball to better get to know her a little bit - maybe help us to feel more emotionally invested. But, no. It was all just a straightforward, emotionless, quick moving storyline to propel us to the next section of the book.

The nail in the coffin was when Marigold started talking to her grandmother like a robot. I know some things change from ARCs to final but I have no way of knowing what will change and I have to rate what I read. Marigold says something like "How long is the trip, Grandmother?" (grandmother answers) "Oh goodness, Grandmother" -- That was it for me. This may seem like a petty complaint but when I heard that conversation in my head, I was like 'yeah, no, I'm done'.

Overall, I think this book needed more time and more fine tuning. The writing was too straightforward, in my opinion, and made the overall experience feel like I was reading a book rather than immersing myself into a story. I know this is the author's debut, so I would potentially be interested in picking up something else by her in the future.

This was a slow book for me. It seemed like a how to guide on writing a cozy fantasy with nothing really that stood out. Just not the read I was hoping for. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved this book! It was so wonderfully written. I loved both MCs. The pace for this book had me hooked from the beginning.

This was a fun and enjoyable book. 3.5 rounded down because I can't bring myself to give it a 4.. I loved the setting and the queer normative aspect. However I felt like there were some issues I need to point out. The pacing felt off, with the description of the book not making any sense until about a third of the way through. I thought the society aspect wasn't thought out as much as it should have been. In this world, men can be with men and women can be with women and it's acceptable. But somehow it's still unacceptable for the male friend to stay in the same room as the two female friends? It felt like the only reason that was an issue is because the author needed a plot reason to get the girls alone, but it doesn't make sense in the world the story is set. The romance felt rushed and almost inauthentic, giving very "fated mated" vibes without using the word mate. Like the only reason the two main love interests fell so hard and fast for each other (we're talking about like one week here) is because they were mates, not because of any real personal interaction. Also. The sprit guardians. They're not guardians at all. Not a single time did they do a single thing except exist. They just felt pointless. And I know the reader is supposed to figure things out before the MC, but good lord she was just dumb. "Hey, this thing that's not supposed to happen is happening. Hm. Guess I'll just move on and not question it." and "Wow, this terrible thing could ruin everything. I'll just ignore it even though this other person who isn't supposed to notice has noticed, and I'm not going to talk to them about it." Over and over. BUT it was still an enjoyable book. I did wish the epilogue was longer. A one paragraph ending to wrap everything up wasn't satisfactory for what I wanted.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit for the eARC.

Unfortunately, this book did not do it for me. I need to start reading the descriptions a little more carefully! I’m a romance fan, but not a plotless romance fan. I also don’t really appreciate romances that rely heavily on tropes (although that sounds like an oxymoron). This was too flowery for me, so I had to pass.

2.5. I had such high hopes for this. It sounded so cute and right up my alley. Unfortunately, it fell flat and did not deliver. I ended up dnfing it at 23%. Not much was happening and I was getting bored. The writing and dialogue were also wo hard ti get through. It was so clunky and disjointed that i just couldn't continue it.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

THE HONEY WITCH is a sapphic cottagecore fantasy (and yes, it's exactly as amazing as it sounds). marigold claude has always felt different from the rest of her family, and when her grandmother visits her family's estate, she learns it's because she comes from a long line of honey witches. she moves to her grandmother's cottage to take care of a magical isle and learn all about her powers, when she meets the grumpy but beautiful lottie burke. despite the fact that lottie seems to hate her, marigold can't seem to stay away from her, despite knowing that a curse prevents her from falling in love. if this hasn't already sold you on this book, maybe the fact that it's also a historical queernormative romance might. THE HONEY WITCH is a stunning debut and i absolutely loved it.

Cozy cottagecore fantasy. 1800s setting with witches. While I did love the world of Innisfree and the magic system I did feel the book fell a little flat.

It took me a while to get into because I thought the pacing was a little slow which made it hard to get through. Which is why I think this book may have not been for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Redhook books for this eARC.

Upon reading the concept of this book I already knew I needed to read it, and it met all my standard!! Loved every bit of it.

So, unfortunately I had to DNF this book at 25%.

There was just something about the way this was written that I just could not get into. Maybe I'm just not a fan of the regency era aspect, but I also didn't really like any of the characters?

The scene that made me decide to put the book down was the reveal conversation she has with her grandmother. It didn't work for me. It kind of felt like a bad Netflix pilot, where it's very exposition heavy - you're telling me, not showing me, and it's impossible to really feel anything because it just felt shallow. I tend to prefer a lot more descriptive world building and deeper insight into the characters, rather than the way this was done.

I will still recommend it to people who are looking for that Bridgerton-esque fantasy, I know plenty of people will be interested. Just didn't do it for me.

Unfortunately this was really disappointing. A sapphic witch/cottage core vibe book with forbidden love? Right up my alley. But it just didn't hit. In the first 3/4 of the book not a lot happened (the first almost half doesn't even have the love interest), there was too much detail of inane things and happenings, not enough character depth, and then everything happens really fast in the last twenty pages. That would have been the time to add detail so I didn't end up with whiplash. The book really dragged and overall the plot and characters all just felt flat and surface level. (You can't make the grumpy in a grumpy sunshine trope and absolute bitch and not give us enough back story to completely redeem her). It had a lot of potential, but missed it.

Sapphic romance with bees and honey?! What more could I ask for? Unfortunately, while the cover and writing style are utterly gorgeous, the dialogue and story itself fell a bit flat for me. I look forward to reading the authors next story though!

DNF @ 30%.

I love the concept - a magic system based on honey, cottagecore vibes, sapphic romance, regency tattoo artist love interest, etc. etc. Unfortunately, that's just the skin, and without good bones it all turns to mush. I struggled with the writing style here - it doesn't flow very well, and the sentences felt short and artless. The characters struggle to pop off the page or even differentiate themselves from each other. At 30%, the romance hasn't even been hinted at yet - I only know it exists from the description and other reviews. I try not to DNF often, but it had already become apparent that this one just wasn't for me.

The Honey Witch initially grabbed my attention with the marketing of a sapphic regency era x practical magic story and it quickly became one of my most anticipated reads. I really loved the concept of this story, unfortunately the execution just wasn’t there for me. The pacing of the entire book felt odd. The first chapter started out great and then the story just fell flat for me. I found all the characters dull. The dialogue felt stilted, and I really struggled to feel any kind of investment in their personal stories. This is only a 300 page story, and yet we don’t have the MC and love interest interacting in any meaningful way until about the 50% mark. The grumpy x sunshine just didn’t work for me here. Lottie’s character is so underdeveloped, she comes across as extremely mean spirited at points instead of grumpy. The love story itself felt rushed and instant. I wanted a slow burn and instead it was just very slow…no burn. I wanted to love this, but it just wasn’t for me.

I want to thank Redhook and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Unfortunate DNF for me at ~10%. I was super excited for this book, but the vibes weren't clicking the several times I tried to pick it up. May give it another go after pub date, but would still recommend to others to give a try!

magic? check. queer? check. stunning cover? check.

this book couldve been absolutely everything i needed.. but it was majorly lacking. i really had to force myself to get through this one. i dont dnf books lightly but i shouldve put this one down.

i found the main character to be very dislikable and the plot had so many holes and question marks for me.

made me feel like i was buzzed (haha) the entire time i was reading it and not in a good way.

thank you netgalley for the arc!

Despite her mother’s attempts to facilitate marriage proposals; at twenty one Marigold Claude is certain she is meant to be alone. Her attempts to fit in and be a proper lady just lead to misery as she knows she is strange and doesn’t seem to fit in. One day her grandmother comes for her and tells her that she is a honey witch needed to learn the trade and take over caring for the spirits on the tiny Isle of Innisfree when she passes. Marigold immediately accepts despite her power coming with a curse to never be loved. She doesn’t see it as an issue since she has decided she will be alone…then she meets Lottie Burke. When a dark magic awakens Marigold will have to fight back to save her home even if it’s at the loss of her magic and her heart.

Honey Witch is a historical fantasy in which spirits live among us and are cared for by witches who basically keep nature in balance. Opposing witches help maintain that balance as long as they don’t hold a grudge and try to destroy you…such as in this story. The cover art is beautiful, the plot sounded promising, and the novel had me quite interested in the beginning. I really liked Marigold’s character and that she identified as not quite “normal” yet still made the choice to be wild and accept who she was in exchange for love. As much as I wanted to love this book it was a bit dull, to the point of me almost giving up trying to read it. That being said other readers might enjoy this one a bit more than I did.

3.3⭐️

𝙄𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡-𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.”

The Honey Witch is a cozy, but also not so cozy witchy romance with some major cottage core vibes. The first half was very cozy and pretty slow. The relationships were honestly a bit lack luster, but I became a lot more invested in them in the second half, and I ended up being pleased with the outcome! There was a lot of build up to the plot twist, and I’m a bit sad that nothing really happens until the last handful of chapters, but it was a very good, sometimes emotional and fun read!

I really do like Sydney J. Shields writing, and I hope to read more of their books in the future! 🤍

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙍𝙚𝙙𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙍𝘾!

The premise of this book was very promising, but I was underwhelmed by the execution. I liked the idea of a curse preventing love, witches with opposing powers, and the setting that was a sort of historical fantasy where homophobia wasn’t a reality. The book really stalled once Marigold got to Innisfree. I felt like that part of the book was very long for a part where nothing interesting happened. The magic was mostly glossed over, and I don’t even feel like we saw Marigold bond with her grandmother. I was also continually frustrated that no one was teaching Marigold any useful defensive magic considering they were aware that there was an evil Ash Witch out there somewhere plotting. When things started to go wrong on the island, Marigold seemed strangely unperturbed. On top of that we never really learned the extent of Matigold’s powers or how her power had the potential to amplify with Lottie’s (which felt like a missed opportunity).
I love a slow burn, and while this plot had the perfect set up to do that very well, things still managed to feel rushed to me. The plot sort of skipped over the part where they weren’t sure how the other person felt. The romance also felt somewhat unhealthy. I get that there was an effort to show how intensely they were drawn to each other, but I was put off by their constant declarations that they didn’t care if they died as long as they could be together. I can get behind “I would die to save you”, but “I don’t care what happens to me as long as we can have sex right now” doesn’t work for me. It began to make the relationship feel juvenile.
The ending was more dark and violent than the rest of the book in a way that felt inconsistent with the tone up until that point. There seemed to be a struggle to choose a genre, and what started as a cozy fantasy morphed into an attempt to be more of a dramatic fantasy saga, but without the appropriate build up for that. The stakes were always unclear, which made it hard for me to feel invested. I think there was some potential, but the book as a whole was somewhat disjointed.
From an editing standpoint, clearing up confusing pronouns would have made the book more readable. There were many instances where “she” was used multiple times in succession but where the subject was alternating between different women, making it confusing to know who was being referenced.

I really hate to DNF books. I’ve only ever DNF’d two books in my life. This makes 3 unfortunately. The dialogue and characters fell flat for me. I made it to 34%. The premise sounded cool, I was all about reading a cozy sapphic fantasy. I just found myself dreading to pick this up. Thank you for providing me with the ARC, I really hope others get more enjoyment out of this than I did.