A cozy story full of soulmates and found family and nature witches. I liked this book overall but found that the major conflict came to its highest rather late in the book and therefore lost some of its momentum. Though I loved the foreshadowing moments of Lottie's powers and her overall arc in the novel. Will for sure read more books in this universe if the author decides to write more because the island is so charming and whimsical.

This book was so cute. I requested it because the cover piqued my interest and I liked how the synopsis sounded, but I wasn't prepared for how much I would truly enjoy this book. Marigold was such a relatable character to me and I loved reading about her relationship with both Lottie and her grandmother Althea. It's been too long since I've read a sapphic romance and the one in this book did not disappoint. This book felt like a warm comforting hug and I can't wait for it to come out so I can make all my friends read it too.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

I don’t normally find myself drawn towards cozy fantasy - I tend to like my stakes high and my world-building complex - but this book swept me off my feet and never put me down.

I adore the whimsy and sugary sweet feel of this story. Every time I picked it up I could easily get lost in Marigold’s journey to find herself and fall in love. It’s a little tropey and a little predictable, but honestly queer people deserve a sweet, tropey romance once in a while! I didn’t have particularly high expectations for a book that I knew had a cozy plot, so I wasn’t bothered by the fairly predictable resolution or the quick wrapping up of the ending. I came for a cozy time and I got a cozy time! No complaints from me.

I’d love to see more stories in this universe, either as a sequel or a new stand alone. And I can’t wait to have a physical copy on my shelf 😍

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

This was an enjoyable read, but I wish it delved deeper into the lore of the Honey Witch as a character and mystical being. I had a hard time understanding the protagonist's motives throughout aside from the fact that she took over the post from her absent grandmother. In all, an enjoyable read, but left me wanting more.

This cozy sapphic fantasy is so lush and whimsical. The magic system, the familial relationships, the small town feel of Innisfree, and the twists and turns were just so beautiful. I found myself crying at several points in the novel, especially as someone who lost a beloved grandparent. I can't wait for more from this author!

The Honey Witch is a cute, cottage-core vibes, romantic fantasy that was fun to read. Full of nature magic, enemies to lovers and forbidden love, this book was intriguing and easy to finish. The beautiful prose and stunning descriptions were really the reasons why I enjoyed the book so much. Sydney definitely has a way of transporting you to another world.
The main character Marigold has just discovered that she, like all the eldest daughters in her family, is a Honey Witch. She must leave her life behind to travel to a magic isle called Innisfree and learn from her grandmother how to collect honey for spells, care for the magical creatures of the isle and master her magic. She learns that her gift comes with a price…that she will never be in love. But when a woman named Lottie unexpectedly enters her life, she must face her feelings and navigate her curse to find her true destiny.
There are a couple of reasons I gave this book three stars - I hope there is a trigger warning page as there is a sensitive topic early in the book that I felt was unnecessary for the plot. Another issue for me was that there were only queer couplings in the story. The story was still romantic, but that aspect made it less relatable for me. This is just personal preference and doesn’t take away from the love story! The last reason is the predictability. I guessed almost all of the plot twists early on. Overall, if you’re looking for a quick and cozy read about witches, honey magic and love, definitely check out The Honey Witch.

The Honey Witch
by Sydney J. Shields
Pub Date: 14 May 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Twenty-one-year-old Marigold Claude has always preferred the company of the spirits of the meadow to any of the suitors who’ve tried to woo her. So when her grandmother whisks her away to the family cottage on the tiny Isle of Innisfree with an offer to train her as the next Honey Witch, she accepts immediately. But her newfound magic and independence come with a price: No one can fall in love with the Honey Witch.

When Lottie Burke, a notoriously grumpy skeptic who doesn’t believe in magic, shows up on her doorstep, Marigold can’t resist the challenge to prove to her that magic is real. But soon, Marigold begins to care for Lottie in ways she never expected. And when darker magic awakens and threatens to destroy her home, she must fight for much more than her new home—at the risk of losing her magic and her heart.

A 4.5 from me.
Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for giving me an e-arc to read this before release.


This book destroyed me. It’s like Sydney knew all my weaknesses and threw them at me all at once but in the best way possible. Like I knew it was coming she clearly spelled it out for me but it still hurt so bad. It was beautiful though, the writing the story everything was just magic. In my fantasy totally unrealistic world… this is my dream I want to also have a little island with magical creatures and tend to plants and animals it’s just heavenly and bewitching. The romance was perfect and I’m so happy to see more queer fantasy that is just super wholesome. There are some very small parts of this book that had me a little confused, like maybe I read too fast and missed details? Or they just weren’t there but it was nothing that took away from the story. I also love the edition of equivalent exchange within this book. This was so cozy and I plan on keeping my preorder so I can have this on my shelf. Thank you again to the publisher! I signed up for NetGalley just to read this book and am forever grateful to be accepted.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me access to the E-arc.

4.5*

I really enjoyed this arc. It gave me all the vibes that I was hoping for cottage core, magical, cozy, and witchy romance. Even better it has queer romance in it as well! I mean what more could you ask for? I thought the side characters were also amazing. Marigold's family was entertaining and realistic.

I highly recommend this if you love witchy romance books!

I was fortunate enough to read this, as an ARC.
This is an amazing book that I could not put down! It gave me all the feelings. Enemies lovers, single bed, and starcrossed lovers, it has all the tropes. In addition to that it's magical and cozy. If I had one complaint it would be, that I saw one of the major plot twists coming long before the main character had any idea. It is officially on my must reads list.

The Honey Witch is a poorly-paced novel with dull characters, an obvious plot "twist," and a disappointing insta-love romance.

While the writing is quite lyrical at points, it often lacks depth. There isn't enough worldbuilding to craft a solid fantasy setting, and the magic system doesn't have clear rules. The story unfolds at such a slow pace that I had to read over 50% of the book before any real plot points emerged. Simultaneously, other parts of the story are rushed, making the scenes feel shallow and underdeveloped.

When any conflict—major or minor—arises, it is often so easily resolved that it doesn't feel like a true struggle or character-building moment for the MC. Anytime she faces something difficult, there is someone to swoop in and quickly resolve the situation for her.

The MC is incredibly immature for her age, often saying or doing things that range from obnoxious to nonsensical. The other characters are so one-dimensional that they inspire very little interest; they are flat and serve as mere props to characterize the MC.

Perhaps the worst part about the novel is the romance. The characters have zero chemistry and go from unfriendly to irresistibly attracted to one another essentially overnight.

Overall, it's a disappointing read. The writing never reaches the depth and development needed to be truly compelling. The core of the story is promising, however, and the novel would greatly benefit from several more rounds of rewriting and editing.

I am so aggressively in love with this book! 10/10 would recommend you read this if you like witchy, queer cottagecore vibes. This book follows Marigold Claude as her grandmother trains her to become the next Honey Witch, a title that is passed on to each eldest daughter, along with its curse: no one can fall in love with a Honey Witch. As Marigold explores her powers, she also learns to deal with the challenges that come with taking care of the tiny isle of Innisfree and its people. When Lottie Burke, who doesn’t believe in magic, shows up on her doorstep, Marigold takes up the challenge to prove that magic is, in fact, real. As Lottie and Marigold spend more time together, Marigold begins to care for her in an unexpected way. But when dark magic threatens to destroy her home, she has to fight to protect her home and potentially lose her heart along the way.
I’ll be honest, the book started off a bit slow for me, but it was definitely worth it. Sydney Shields’ writing was refreshing, and it contains many wonderful descriptions of characters, places and moments. I really fell in love with the vibes and writing of this book. The way Sydney wrote certain scenes was completely beautiful. I loved every moment of this book. I couldn’t put it down, and yet I never wanted it to end!
While there are many things I love about this book, one of my favorite things is that the book is set in a place where queer people are part of the norm, and no one bats an eye. I really enjoyed diving into a book where the characters were secure in their sexuality, and they didn't have to hide their relationships. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with books that focus on the struggle LGBTQ+ people face, but it was refreshing to find a book where that wasn’t the focus.
I also love the characters! We see the relationships between Marigold and her family as well as friendships blooming between many characters. The depth and growth of both Marigold and Lottie was enchanting to see throughout the book. I love these characters with all my heart!
If you enjoy reading fantasy books that are sapphic and have witches, this book is for you! I would say that this isn’t a really high fantasy book, so it’s perfect for anyone looking to dive into the fantasy genre.
Thank you Sydney Shields and Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
TW: themes of grief and some violence

I really really liked this super cozy and romantic fantasy. The main character Marigold gets introduced to us as in a bit of a Bennett sisters situation -- she is feeling pressured by her family and society to find a spouse and start a family. Only problem is, she doesn't feel lucky in love or special in any way. It's the night of a blue moon, though, and Marigold finds out that she is, in fact, special -- she is next in line to fill the role of Honey Witch on the magical isle of Innisfree. Even better, an existing curse that the Honey Witch can never fall in love means that Marigold will never have to worry about finding a love match after all! But even surrounded by bees, magical creatures, and her childhood best friend, Marigold feels like someone is missing...

A must read for fans of Secret Society of Irregular Witches, Bridgerton, or Freya Marske's historical fantasy queer romances. Make yourself a cup of breakfast tea with honey and lavender and enjoy!

The love story felt forced as I couldn’t see what caused them to fall in love at all. I was also not a big fan of the dialogue, it felt a bit immature at points.

The author is very good at descriptions though and I enjoyed the magic system

I knew from the moment I heard about this novel I would love it. Call it an intuitive feeling. A (honey) magic prediction. This sapphic, witchy, honeyed story had my heart from start to finish. The writing is everything I love — metaphoric but hypnotizing. Subtly entrancing. I love it almost as much as I loved the wild, impossible women at its heart. I smiled, I swooned, and I sobbed. I felt the grief and shared it. While this book will certainly be a favorite of the year, I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say it will also become a favorite read, period. If you are looking for a magical tale (which also happens to be set in a loving, queer normative regency period) this will be the book to grab when it comes out in May of 2024.

Loving Winnie the Pooh the way I do, the title was intriguing and in that, it lived up to the title. Honey is very powerful and holds many healing properties. Bee keepers are amazing at how they handle their hives. The idea of being able to have several hives in one place that each ho?d a.different variety of honey would be amazing. And power needing to be balanced makes complete sense, and so ash to smother is a perfect foil. The story proceeds very slowly, very, very, slowly, so reader be warned. The love scenes are sweet and very clean and simple, nothing outrageous or extreme. The curse of the Honey Witch seems clumsy, so the story doesn't flow as well as it could although it is a necessary thing. Not a bad read, just rather plodding.

I think if this was either in 3rd person or 1st person it would have been an asker read for me. Regardless this was absolutely beautiful! I found myself drawn in to Marigold’s pain and hurt as she longed for her love. Such a wonderful story of love, life and death!

Fans of “Practical Magic” and “Pride and Prejudice” will enjoy this romantic debut from Sydney J. Shields. Follow along as a young woman chooses to reject societal expectations and leave her home behind to follow in her grandmothers footsteps as the Honey Witch of Innisfree. Featuring a sweltering enemies to lover romance, a family curse, and the impending threat of a dark and evil magic, this cozy queer fantasy is sure to delight its readers!

Thank you to Redhook, & Sydney J. Shields for the ARC so that I may provide an honest review.
This review is spoiler free.

MAGIC BEES

My Rating: 🐝🐝🐝🐝

Reading Time: 5 hours

This title was already on my radar due to being a massive fan of the Howl's Moving Castle film & the Bridgerton show. I have not read the book adaptations for these yet, however I believe using the adaptations for these as comparable titles certainly fits! I think another comparable title is Belladonna by Adalyn Grace for both setting and writing style.

Sydney J Shields does a wonderful job portraying the whimsical world they have created, with delightful characters. I appreciated the small cast, as it felt like I could get to know the characters fairly well.

I was a big fan of the magic system! It felt unique to me, and also felt like there were opportunities for more in the same world. I think this could have benefited with even deeper exploration, just because I enjoyed learning about it.
I also think there could be some clean up done in earlier chapters, as I found it really dragged for me from about 15% to 30%. I also found the ending a bit rushed, even if the foundation was there.

I would definitely look out for this one when it releases in 2024!

This book was a DNF for me at around 35% (just as the love interest character reappears on the scene with August).

The writer does remarkably well with writing atmosphere and setting, creating a rich and cinematic world that's easy to picture. I also really liked the idea of honey witches and the magic of the world she created. From the description, I hadn't realised we'd be in a Victorian kind of setting, but that was an additional point of interest in the initial pages. I thought our main character, Marigold, had a likeable voice and an interesting journey ahead of her.

Where the book lost me was in the dialogue and the thin characters (outside of Althea). The love interest, Lottie, is supposed to be the "grumpy" to Mari's "sunshine" (a trope which, on a personal note, exhausts me at this point), but really she just seems unkind and acerbic and I can't understand why anyone would want to spend time with her. I have seen many characters who may seem standoffish or who may be misunderstood as rude in first meetings without seeming downright mean-spirited. I wasn't generous enough to wait for the inevitable turnaround in her character, and I doubt I would've believed in it when it came.

The dialogue also read as awkward and stilted to me and I had a hard time believing in the friendship between Marigold and August, who acted like strangers who never knew what to say. Too many of the characters and relationships felt one-dimensional, even though there was something so close to being interesting about their backstories and personalities. The author would describe them and my interest would be piqued, but then when they spoke or acted it didn't seem to illustrated what we had just been told of them, and my interested quickly flagged.

A very interesting concept for a story, and a beautiful setting I wanted to stay in and sink into, but unfortunately there were a few weaknesses I couldn't get past. Thanks to the publishers all the same for offering me the chance to read.