This was a cozy fantasy romance with lovable characters. While it was at times predictable, it would be a great comfort read for those who enjoy a little magic with their romance.

Unfortunately i dnf'd at around 150 pages because I just could not develop a liking for Marigol. She was just so dull. And the world building which was what i was most excited about, totally failed in this books. Detailed descriptions of each place were lacking. Nothing could have kept me reading this novel. Loved the concept though.

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The Honey Witch was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024 and it did not disappoint. I absolutely loved The Honey Witch. It gave me Practical Magic vibes. Which is one of my all time favorite movies. I loved that Marigold's grandmother was able to pass down her knowledge before she passed. How she tried to warn Marigold of what she would be giving up because of the curse that was put on the Honey Witches by Versa.

I liked how same sex attraction was considered normal and kind of a none thing in The Honey Witch. I feel like with most same sex relationships in books there is a whole coming out that needs to happen. That is not the case at all with The Honey Witch. Both Frankie and Mari have same sex attractions and the people around them couldn't care less. They just wanted them to be happy and in love.

I was surprised by the spice level. For some reason I thought the spicy scenes would be closed door. I'm really glad they weren't. It is nice to see well written sapphic spice.

If you are looking for Sapphic Cottagecore vibes you can't go wrong with reading The Honey Witch.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Redhook Books, and Sydney J. Shields for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Honey Witch should have been an all time favourite and I understand why it would work for some people but I think I went into it with the wrong expectations. The romance is not at the forefront and I never understood what drew the characters to one another. I also struggled to suspend my disbelief in some instances, which normally isn't a problem for me. I did appreciate the atmosphere and the magic system (though I wish it was delved into a little bit more!) and I'm curious to see what the author writes next, as this is a debut!

such a sweet and witchy read! interesting magic concept, easy to understand world building, very beginner friendly fantasy book!
i will admit, i had to put this book down for a minute after the first 25%, but i personally believe i was just not ready for this particular book because after picking it up again, i couldn’t put it down!

I liked that the curse didn’t just affect Marigold and didn’t manifest the way I expected it to. The surprises in the curse storyline took an obvious opposites-attract love story and made it really interesting.

The Honey Witch is a nice summer read with some unexpected twists. There’s plenty of love and excitement without any heaviness to the story. It’s a perfect time passer for hanging out next to the pool, so check out Sydney J. Shields’ The Honey Witch!

Full review at link https://thecosmiccircus.com/book-review-the-honey-witch-by-sydney-j-shields/

i had a lot of fun reading marigold’s story, and seeing her bloom was a delight. lottie was grumpy but in a way that’s understood to be a defense mechanism, which made it all the more enjoyable to see her break down her barriers and let mari and august in.

i was at times confused with the time skips, wondering how much time had passed between chapters, but overall it did not affect my enjoyment of the story.

since i started reading this i have been adding honey to my coffee as sweetener, and thinking of the small moments of magic that surround me. you don’t have to be a witch to find beauty in nature and magic in everyday life, but being a witch is an added bonus

The Honey Witch was hard to finish. The pacing was off for a longer story and it felt as though parts were missing or skipped in favor of rambling prose that didn’t give me the ethereal witchy vibe I expected. Skip this & pick up another witchy wonder instead.

I really wanted to love this one, and when I started it, I did. The writing style was lovely, and while some of the historical details were...questionable, it's technically not set in our world, so I can let that go easily enough.

Unfortunately, the longer I read it, the more certain aspects of it started to get frustrating. I actually enjoy soulmates, for example, but it felt like they were so prominent that it removed a lot of tension without giving me much reason to actually care about the relationships. There was also so much emphasis on Marigold's curse (that no one can fall in love with her) meaning she will therefore be alone forever, and I just kept thinking no it doesn't?? There are other kinds of love and companionship, and Marigold wasn't even interested in romance to begin with, so it surprised me how fast she started to lament that (before she started to fall for her love interest!)

The setting also confused me. I love queernorm settings, and I enjoy Regency romance as well, but the way they were combined here felt weird. There was so much emphasis in the beginning on Marigold's limited choices as a woman, how she must be demure and marry well and stay in her place as a woman, yet it's also totally chill for two women (or two men, for that matter) to get married. It felt like the Regency romance setting was meant to give Marigold a need to escape, but then it was mostly abandoned once she had her escape.

My final complaint, which I nearly forgot to mention because that is how little an impact it made on me, was the villain. This book really had no need for one, and if it had leaned further into the romance side of romantasy, I probably would have been more satisfied with the ending.

Ultimately, I don't think this book is bad. I think it did a lot of things that annoyed me personally, and my initial excitement made my disappointment in it worse, but I can see why other people would enjoy it. I even think I would read this author again, but I would probably give her a couple years before I tried.

This was an adorable little read! I really enjoyed the meld of magic and cozy vibes. Anyone, who liked Legends and Lattes or Cant Spell Treason without Tea should definitely add this book to their TBR!

Thank you to Net Galley and RedHook books for the opportunity to read the Honey Witch. Marigold "Meri" Claude has grown up always feeling like she didn't really quite fit in with her family. She attends the balls and does the steps to the dances but she is often drawn to nature. The calling to dance in the field and celebrate the Blue Moon hold much more attraction for her then the societal demands. Marigold's grandmother comes to visit and tells her of how their family is the Honey Witches. Grandma's time has come and she needs Meri to take on the duties as the new Honey Witch. The story takes you on the adventure of discovering oneself. The book was a great read and fun for any lovers of magic.

This was a very sweet book. I do feel like the ending was a tiny bit rushed compared to the tempo of the rest of the book. I did really enjoy the story though! Very cute imagery!

I have been following this book for a while and it lived up to expectations. My heart was all fluttery throughout this read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This is a story about a girl who feels out of place in her life and grabs at the chance to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps so that she can be the woman she feels she’s meant to be, but it comes at a price and she must agree to be cursed and therefore unable to be loved. At the time she thinks that it’s of no consequence and that she would rather have magic than love but she meets the beautiful Lottie Burke and everything changes. This book has wonderful, magical and cozy vibes and the story was interesting but there was something in the pacing that just didn’t feel right. Realistically I would rate this one 3.5 stars.

I was all in on this book before it was even picked up by a publisher and Sydney J. Sheilds was starting to build hype on social media. If you are in the market for a sapphic cottagecore fantasy, this is exactly what you need. To be abundantly clear, this is not a sweet story where everything that happens is all sunshine and rainbows. There were elements of Practical Magic in almost every way there could be; beloved characters are lost, people grieve, love is cursed, and witches face a bit of scrutiny. Lottie and Marigold's instant attraction tempered by instant loathing is basically how every single female who has ever meant anything to me has entered my life, so while it may seem a bit silly to some readers, it made the most sense in the world to me. Honestly, this book had me from the beginning, and I cannot wait to revisit it again.

This was a fun, cozy fantasy with an adorable queer romance. I loved all of the characters and watching their stories unfold and develop.

Really enjoyed the story arc here. From the fairy like magical beginnings, to the heavy emotions, to the heart stopping apex, and then looking forward to what hopefully becomes a series! The characters are flawed and show a lot of growth. The relationships are complicated but relatable. A great addition to any cozy fantasy or witch collection.

I have been trying for several months to get into this book and the story.

The premise is something right up my alley there’s magic and curses and a beautiful island with cozy cottage and a sapphic love story. The vibes were all there. But unfortunately the plot wasn’t. I was just bored.

The curse doesn’t really make sense. It’s supposed to end the bloodline by causing them to never find love but then witches can make babies with magic so I don’t see how it’s an effective threat.

I might try this one again later, but unfortuatenly this will be a DNF for me at around 27%.

I feel like we're getting into the main crux of the story but slowly enough that I'm not having fun? I'm also not fully vibing with the writing style either sadly!

Thank you so much to RedHook and NetGalley for a chance to read and review!

This was a decent cozy fantasy. The story seemed a bit scattered and things that seemed important were not really incorporated fully into the story. Overall I liked this one and I would give the author another short.