4.5 stars!


I had so much fun reading this beautifully written story. The Honey Witch drew me in from the start and was hard to put down. Our MC Marigold Claude is snarky, fiercely independent and compassionate - she’s impossible not to love, which is ironic since her curse is that as a Honey Witch she can never be loved. Marigold takes over the witchy family business under the training of her aging grandmother Althea. She takes to her magic like a fish to water and immerses herself in all things honey.

Marigold isn’t interested in becoming anyone’s wife - which suits her just fine since she is cursed to never be loved…however, she crosses paths with equally cheeky Lottie Burke who is about to challenge her in so many ways.

I am a huge fan of all things witchy and this cozy fantasy delivered! Some parts were a bit predictable especially with the romance (the inn with only one room left with one bed), but I would highly recommend this book to witchy fantasy readers - it’s a very sweet story that includes a lot of heavy topics.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Redhook Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I look forward to consuming more from Sydney J. Shields in the future!

In its essence, I enjoyed The Honey Witch. Many things I liked about it include the star crossed lovers aspect, the idea of using honey and botanicals as nature magic, how queer it is, and the cozy feel in the second part of the book. However that coy part feels a little disjointed with the rest of the book. The middle half felt out of place with the looming threat of the Versa. I wasn't quite sure where the book was going at that point. It felt too silly and whimsy for what was going on. The latter half of the book where the action is was arguably the best part of the book. It felt as if that where the most thought out part of the plot.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it did leave wanting more. I wanted more dissonance between Marigold and her family. I could tell she was an outsider in her family but I didn't get enough friction them between them to justify her wanting to up and leave so quickly. I also did not see the point in introducing her ex-lover, George. He served little to the plot aside from showing how much Marigold's powers had grow later in the book. I also needed a better explanation of the magic system. I understood the use of botanicals and honey to make the spells, but is the magic just innate in everyone in the line? I wasn't really sure where Marigold was drawing her power from.
I think this book could be a great semi-cozy, fantasy with just some small nitpicky tweaks. I look forward to seeing more from this author and seeing her grow in her next books.

I loved The Honey Witch. The magic system is cozy and amazing, and the slow-burn romance between Mari and Lottie was so sweet. I loved watching Lottie's transformation from skeptic to believer, and I saw the twist coming from a mile away but looked forward to the characters coming to that realization. One minor issue - I thought Benny deserved better. I cried so hard during the scene where Marigold asks him to be her grandfather, and then a couple scenes later, he dies suddenly without making a big impact. While I liked the ending where he is finally together with Althea, I would have loved to feel like his death made a bigger impact in saving Mari's life, and I would have liked more for him than "oh no, Benny is here, and now hes dead." The last thing I'll say is that I wished that part five was a bit longer! I felt like I waited so long for Lottie and Mari to finally be together and then I didn't get very much of it. I would have loved just a few more pages about rebuilding the cottage, Frankie and August's visit, etc. Overall, I really enjoyed myself on this read and feel comfortable giving four stars!

A cozy, beautiful story. Magic, witches, lgbt love, and more. Sydney’s writing in this book is everything. The reader gets a deep sense of Marigold and her heart through this story. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

This is a magical read. In this book, Marigold doesn’t fit in and has always felt different. One day, her grandmother arrives to tell her a secret: she’s a witch and she gets to choose to embrace or forsake her magic. Marigold chooses to embrace it but soon learns that it comes with a price.
I loved the characters in this book. I instantly liked Marigold and loved her bond with her grandmother. I loved Mr Benny and August and grew to really like Lottie.
I felt like the pacing of this book was off and that the book tried to cover too much in only one book. The ending felt rushed and almost like there wasn’t enough build up to the Ash Witch because the story was pulled in so many directions. I feel like this would have been better as a duology so there was more room in the story for all the elements, I wanted more of everything: of Marigold’s training and her relationship with her grandma. More of her relationship with Mr Benny would have been nice and more of her interactions with customers. We also get snippets of her grandmother’s story but it doesn’t feel like enough. Instead the plot ultimately focuses on romance. Which wasn’t bad but I felt like it pushed other plot points aside to be more prominent.
I really liked the magic in the book. The good spirits reminded me a lot of the sprit realm in Legend of Korra. The dueling sides of magic of honey vs ash worked very well. I liked that Marigold had to work to use her magic and grew into it.
Overall this was a great read and I look forward to future books by this author.

So beautifully written, not just the story but also the style of it! I loved entering this world, where magic is real and homophobia is not.

Marigold is such a likeable main character and the supporting characters are wonderful, too. There isn't a boring aspect, whether she's making a spell in her cottage with honey from her bees or fighting with everything she has for the people she loves. I didn't know there was gonna be a little spice but I wasn't mad at it (haha), and honestly the love story felt beautiful and innocent. Truly, what a fun and lovely story to get lost in!

Thank you NetGalley, Redhook, and Sydney Shields!

This is a cozy fantasy that centers around the coming of age plot of Marigold. She is a young honey witch learning the craft while also bearing the weight of grief. All of this is compounded by a star crossed romance.

This was a predictable but enjoyable read. There are certain aspects that could have been explored more, while others could have been more streamlined.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook books for this arc.

As soon as I read the description of this book a while ago, I couldn't wait to read it.
Lesbians? Witches? Bees? Yes please.
This book grabbed my heart, and wouldn't let go.
There were a few moments that Marigold annoyed me ... but then she developed into a character that I loved, and who tried to break my heart.
The ending of the book twisted several times, keeping me reading without stopping for the last hour.
100/5 stars. I can't wait for the world to enjoy this beautiful story.

This story was a very light queer read and is great for those that love cottagecore and want to run away into the forest to live out their lives as their true authentic selves. This has a queer normative world for alloromantic people.

There's this big thing that stuck out to me that didn't vibe with me as a reader on the aro/ace spectrum but the insistence of romance being an end all be all and how everyone has a soulmate just really made me uncomfortable. Not everyone desires a partner but seeing how soulmate as a concept was a major plot point for the story, it's a plot device/trope you love or you hate.

The story also starts slow as well. All the characters talk in such a stilted way and for the most part, the whole story the characters barely have any complexity except for the love interest, Lottie. The first part of the story could've been cut out honestly and gotten straight to the point of the main character grieving the death of her grandmother and feeling alone because of her estrangement from her family. It would've been more effective, not dragged out as long as well as seeing her do things rather than the reader being told how to feel and being told the magic system so awkwardly and clunky.

The highlight of the whole book was honestly Lottie and the ending where it's revealed that she's an ash witch. The story was much more engaging when the plot got going and I wish that the story just had a more engaging beginning. If I didn't have the patience, I would've dropped this book long ago and read something else.

If you want a mindless read and do not want to think too hard while reading a cute cottagecore sapphic novel, this book is for you. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it if you're not invested in this specific atmosphere or representation.

Thank you NetGalley, Sydney J. Shields, and Redhook for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This is such a unique book and has beautiful prose. Sadly, though, I couldn’t really get into it and DNF’d it at about 30%. I’m not sure why - it definitely seems like a me problem. Please pick this one up though because it really was gorgeous and I think other people will appreciate it more!

As a lover of "witch books," I expected to love this and it delivered. It follows Marigold's story - from feeling like she doesn't fit into the roles that are expected of her, to learning she is a Honey Witch and embracing that role. I loved the connection Marigold felt to her grandmother, the cozy island world she found herself in, the nurturing theme of her magic, the exploration of grief, and the found family elements. This is an excellent read if you love witches, an enchanting atmosphere, LGBT representation, and a story that follows a young woman's coming of age / grief / romance. The themes in this book are not all light and airy, but that added a depth that the story needed. I only say that in case readers are looking for a cozy fantasy with super low stakes - check the trigger warnings. The author lists them clearly on Goodreads and Storygraph is another great resource.

I read an ARC copy of this book, and presently there are a few phrases that repeat and a small stylistic inconsistencies in the writing that are minor and likely to be ironed out in editing. I didn't feel like this took away from the story at all.

Excellent debut by Sydney J. Shields. Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook for the ARC!

The Honey Witch is about a woman named Marigold who has never really fit into to the world her family lives in. She longs to run freely through nature not be stuck inside attending fancy parties or looking for a husband. The key to her freedom arrives when her Grandmother comes to visit after 15 years away and asks to become a honey witch and return to the island her grandmother calls home with one catch, her family line is cursed to never have someone fall in love with them if they become a honey witch. She accepts and starts her new life as a witch free from the expectation of finding love. But what dangers could await and is never having love worth the price of her powers?

I absolutely loved this book! Marigold is such a wonderful character who I felt I connected to. The magic system in the story is fascinating, the use of various types of honey with other ingredients makes for a unique magic I have not seen in other books. The world building is great as well, each area felt fleshed out and alive in their own unique ways. The story is wonderful, full of humor, love, heartbreak, hope, and conflict to drive toward a satisfying end. I look forward to reading more books by Sydney J. Shields.

Just like the title, this book was a cute and delightful read. As soon as I saw the name "Honey Witch", I knew I had to read it. And the vibe it gave was wonderful. It was a beautiful mix of different genres. It was fantasy, cozy, cottage core, magical, and even adventure.

I enjoyed all of the characters, and Marigold as a main character was well rounded. She was a girl that always knew that the life she had always lived just wasn't right for her. The world around her felt more magical than anyone else but her could experience, and when her Grandmother comes back into her life, her whole world opens up. Marigold is forced to leave her family behind in pursuit of a happier, more enchanting life on an isle with her grandmother, and learns through experience and hard work how important it is to be called a Honey Witch.

I wish that there would have been more time learning and bonding between Mari and her grandmother, where we instead got a simple gloss over. Months were condensed into sentences, and too soon we were saying goodbye to Althea as she gave up her role as Witch to finally be at peace. I was able to see Althea's character and how important she was to her community, but I didn't get to bond much with her to where her death was saddening.

Rushing was a major issue to me in this book, where things seemed to happen faster than they should, whether that be growing relationships or progress with the plot. There were a lot of interactions between the characters, but a lot of them felt lacking in depth, more quantity than quality, so I would have like for that to be expanded.

But the way that Sydney wrote the love in this book was magical. Most of everyone dreams of finding that one special person where the sun rises and sets in their eyes, and she wrote it beautifully. Even if the conversations between characters was a bit flat, when it was time for them to wax poems about their love, it left me feeling full and kicking my feet like a blushing girl.

I'd give this book 3.5 stars, and it's a book I'd reccomend to people if they're looking for something comfy with some plot thrown in the mix. I'd love to read more about these characters in the future, and hopefully Sydney will continue making beautiful works like this.

This book was incredible. Thank you so much for allowing me to read it. I will be recommending it to anyone who will listen to me. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6155425464

This one just wasn’t for me. The premise was really cool, but something about the writing/dialogue just didn’t vibe with me. I was also surprised to see on goodreads it was classified as an adult novel as it read very young adult. Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook for the ARC!

I was so very excited to start this book. Rachel Gillig (a new favorite writer of mine - author of The Shepard King duology!!!) shared this on her Instagram story earlier this week and I knew I had to add it to my TBR. Thanks to the publisher - Redhook Books, I was able to get an ARC myself. I absolutely could not wait for the publication date of May 14, 2024! I was instantly drawn to the title, this beautiful cover, and the summary. ✨

This is a heartwarming, cozy, magical story that tackles love, curses, and loss.

This book did not disappoint; I devoured it. The story was so good, enticing and beautifully written. The words, language, and imagery used by the author was perfect. I was instantly engulfed into this magical world. As a reader, I couldn't help but feel connected to the story.

The setting, the atmosphere, the magic system, and the concept of the rival witches - Perfection! Simple, yet so very unique and intriguing. This was an easy 4+ star read for me.

Lastly, I love the meaning behind why the author wrote this story - 'we can't outrun death, but we can rewrite it'. I'll be rounding up for this one and I cannot wait to buy a copy once the book is released to the public. Definitely add this to your TBR list. Wonderful!

This is the kind of light hearted book I needed to cleanse my pallet of all the drama / suspense books Ive been reading. This book was brilliant and nice.

A whimsical, witchy cottagecore story filled with heart (and honey). This book felt like a warm blanket and a fresh cup of tea. With its lighthearted and cozy atmosphere and lush magic system, The Honey Witch beautifully tackles the unrelenting waves of grief, weaving a story of love and loss that will leave you teary-eyed and maybe, just maybe, believing in magic.

Thank you to Netgalley and Redhook publishing.

A young woman who knows she doesn’t want what life has set out for her…but what else could there be? Enter…the honey witch, her grandmother, the wonderful grandmother she hasn’t seen in years but who she has a heart full of love and memories shows up on one of her full moon adventure, because Marigold is the only one to take her place.

There was so much to love about this book. The nature, the message, the magic, all things I loved. To be honest, I would love to see some more editing, specifically in terms of the dialogue and character relationships. There is so, so much promise there, which is plain to see in the premise of this novel and in the basic structure of this book, however, a little of it gets lost in the writing. I have no doubts this book with a few edits could be wonderful.

I loved the witchy aspects of this book. It was so cozy and fun.

I did not love the romances. No one had time to fall in love, everyone fell in love fast and hard and perfectly.

I enjoyed the sense of place but I did not enjoy being hit over the head about a person’s right to chose their life over and over again. This book lacked finesse and did not leave anything up to the reader.