The Honey Witch is a sapphic, cosy book, filled with magic. I really enjoyed this book, and its cottagecore vibes.

The story started off quite interesting, but I did feel like it perhaps took awhile to get into the 'guts' of the story. Once we got into it, I loved it, but initially I did think the pace was a bit off, and the world building was a bit tedious for a book of its size.

This is a beautifully written book, and it made me want to go find a field of flowers to sit in. The romance had a lot of depth and nuances to it, it wasn't a simple romantic storyline and I absolutely loved that.

Overall, a fantastic witchy book with gorgeous characters and a rich storyline. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC :)

The Honey Witch is written in such a whimsical way with cottage-core and practical magic vibes. It gets you thinking about all of the little things in nature that you may overlook. It speaks of connection between the land and humans, of putting others before yourself and having the courage to follow that instinct deep in your soul to find your true self.

It is buzzing with witchy reference, curses that span generations, friendships, forbidden love, grief, loneliness, sacrifice and self discovery. However I struggled a little with the writing style, pace and the scene setting in some key places, but overall found it to be an enjoyable , inclusive and easy read that I would recommend to others.

When twenty-one year old Marigold Claude is whisked away with her grandmother to the family cottage to be trained as the next honey witch, she accepts her fate. 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 very soon, Marigold starts to care for Lottie. When magic awakens and starts to threaten her life, Marigold must fight for her home and her heart.

Sydney is an excellent writer. Her writing style flows beautifully, leaving me very, very content. If it wasn't for that writing style though, I would have put the book down. This is a very slow building novel (to the point that the love interest doesn't even appear until around mid way) with an entire new kind of magic system. My problem with the read was the structural pacing of the plot. It felt like running on a treadmill - moving but never actually moving.

While I am sure there is a big market for a cottage core style read, that market was definitely not me. I will be sure to recommend it to my followers and friends that will love this style of read. Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Australia and Sydney J. Shields for an advanced copy for review. The Honey Witch is available May 14th, 2024.

DNF @ 40%

Unfortunately this one just didn’t work for me, which I’m super sad about because from the description I thought I’d absolutely love it. I wanted to stick it out but there were just a combination of things that made me decide to put this one down.

What didn’t work for me:

The pacing: I’ve now read almost half of the book and genuinely feel like the plot is only just beginning to show (and even then its only in little hints and foreshadowing moments that are starting to be trickled in). I think you could condense the first 35% of the book into a single chapter and it would make just as much sense. There are a lot of chapters where you just kind of follow Marigold around and the whole point of the chapter seems to be like ‘oh she’s lonely’ or something like that and it didn’t really need as much time spent on it as it had.

The writing style: This really was the kicker for me. I probably would have stuck with the book inspite of the pacing issues if I gelled well with the writing style, but unfortunately it just didn’t work for me. I found the writing very stilted and awkward, and I couldn’t really get into the book easily as a result and found I was really crawling through it. It’s very much written like ’She did this. She did that. She said this. She giggled.’ Marigold is also sometimes a bit mean/judgemental? She is called out on this (I loved the scene where her grandmother told her not to judge other women’s choices) and I assume she would change over the course of the book, however at times, what I’m assuming are Marigold’s thoughts just trickle into the third person narration which is a bit odd- there’s one part where Edmund is introduced and before he even says/ does anything to warrant a poor reaction from Marigold he’s given this negative description.

The dialogue: I’m assuming this is because of a combination of the writing style and trying to have the characters speak more formally to match the regency time period, but the dialogue felt very stilted and unnatural to me, and the characters are all feeling a bit flat as a result.


What did work for me:

The queernormative world: I love this! It’s really refreshing to read a historical fiction and have people speak openly about their same-sex partners. I do wish there was more acceptance for asexuality though in this world- some people may not want to have a partner and that’s ok!

The animal spirits- they seem so sweet, and I really loved the sense of magic they added to the world!

Honey vs. Ash magic- again, really cool worldbuilding! Really unique take on preservation vs. ends and beginnings.

All that being said, just because this one wasn’t for me doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be for you! If you like books that are more vibes less plot and enjoy description of different whimsical potions and magical ingredients, if you like slowburn sapphic romance, or if you like historical fantasy and cottagecore type settings, you might really enjoy this!! I think if you’re picking it up in an actual bookstore my biggest recommendation would just be to have a flip through the first few pages before you buy and make sure you can get into the writing style.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hachette AUNZ for the ARC!

If you're into cosy, witchy, grumpy sunshine historical romances, this might be right up your alley!

Marigold doesn't feel like she fits in, nor does anyone else. She's resigned herself to living as a spinster (at the ripe old age of 21!) when her estranged grandmother comes to visit and reveals that Marigold is a witch, and it's time for her to learn how to use her power. An Ash Witch has her eye on eternal life, and she needs a Honey Witch to get it - if Marigold doesn't learn to harness her magic quickly, she'll be vulnerable to attack.

Marigold takes to magic like a fish to water, and she's settling nicely into her new life, until she meets Lottie. Lottie is prickly, rude, sceptical and frustratingly beautiful. She doesn't believe in magic, but Marigold is determined to prove her wrong.

I have mixed feelings about this book, but I did finish it, so that's something! The prose is accessible, and there are some lovely turns of phrase throughout, which add to the overall cosy vibes.

Part 1 is definitely the slowest in terms of pacing, and feels a bit like watching someone else complete the tutorial level of a video game. Marigold is learning how to be a witch and while I appreciate that she isn't just so super special and powerful that she doesn't need to be taught, I would have preferred a bit more summary in this section than what we got. The following sections pick up a little, and the strong focus on the romance puts this firmly in the romance side of fantasy romance - which is fine, as long as that's what you're after.

The character voices felt a bit samey for me, and they seemed to vacillate between the more formal language readers associate with historical fiction and language that would be perfectly at home in a contemporary fantasy romance. I can't determine why this story was set in the 1800's, as other than one very minor plot point (which didn't have any impact on the overarching story as far as I could tell), you could transplant the story into the present day and have it be much the same.

I think I enjoyed the romance most of all aspects of this story, however it does have the love interest being mean to our POV character in the beginning. This is at least explained and dealt with, but if like me, you find it hard to get romantically invested with someone mean, that's a hurdle you'll need to jump over. As Lottie thaws, she becomes easier to like, and her and Marigold play off each other nicely.

Overall, this was a perfectly fun romance book, that maybe could have been a touch shorter. If you're a big fan of cosy romances, you'll probably love it, if like me you're on the fence, it's still a nice palette cleanser.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and Hatchette for providing me with a copt of this prior to publishing!

"The Honey Witch" offers a cozy and enchanting witchy romance with a touch of special magic, generational curses, and soulmates, all intertwined in a tale of self-discovery for the young witch Marigold. Feeling like she doesn't belong, lacking interest in love or apparent abilities unlike her family, Marigold's life takes a turn when her grandmother invites her to the family cottage on the quaint Isle of Innisfree to train her as the next Honey Witch. Although, embracing her newfound magic and freedom comes with a condition - no one can fall in love with the Honey Witch.

Reading this book felt like being wrapped in a favorite blanket, sipping coffee, and listening to the rain. The town of Innisfree now holds a special place in my heart, and the captivating magic within the story has become a personal favourite. The blend of honey, bees, and magic had me completely captivated from early chapters. While the ending was somewhat expected, I cherished every moment of the book, especially the gradual love story between Marigold and her true love (which is by far one of the best Grumpy x Sunshine romances I have read in a while). The bond between Marigold and her grandmother is deeply touching and stands out as the highlight of this beautiful tale, resonating with my own special relationship with my grandmother.

I highly recommend this book to fans of tropes like Grumpy x Sunshine, Soulmates, Family Curses, Forbidden Love, and Found Family!

This book has lots of cosy vibes and would be great for a quick spring read for some light fun.

It tells the story of Marigold, a young woman who feels like she doesn’t really fit in with her family in many ways. She finds out from her grandmother that she is the first born daughter and soon has inherited the role of Honey Witch and is brought to a small town to be trained by her grandmother.

It had a sort of regency vibe while also a cosy cottage fantasy story. If the at sounds like something that interested you I’d recommend checking this book out.

The things that I felt held me back from rating this higher were the extremely slow start, and the writing style. It’s written in what comes of as quite an objective way, that does a lot of telling and not showing. As a result I felt much less emotionally invested in the story as I’d have liked. The main romance was sweet but felt a bit rushed due to this tone as well.

I loved the relationship between Marigold and her grandmother. That was done well.

I would recommend this book to fans of this sub genre. Thank you for the review copy.

The honey witch!

Marigold never felt Norma, never felt like she fit, then she joined her grandmother and became a honey witch, in The Honey Witch, we watch Marigold, her family and her friends August and Lottie experience life and learn how to live and love. This book is Dynamic, engaging and Fun, I enjoyed every single second of this book, I laughed, I smiled I asked why! But ultimately this book was so good, I would give it six stars if I could

“The Honey Witch” by Sydney Shields is a spell-binding story that captivates readers with its tenderness. It weaves an enchanting tale of magic, self-discovery and love in all forms, while feeling both incredibly contemporary and completely new.

The story follows Marigold, a newly awakened Honey Witch who must contend with both the joy and sorrow of the responsibility that comes along with it. She revels in her newfound power, sense of purpose, and connection to the island of Innisfree. But Honey Witches inherit a curse, that they can never be loved.

The story’s strongest aspect to me is how charmingly entrenched in the natural world it is. Shield manages to bring life to the page through her descriptions of the verdant island of Innisfree. The incorporation of the apiary and the foraging that facilitates the honey-based magic system lets the reverence for nature bleed through the page, making it infectious.

The sheer amount of YEARNING in this book had me kicking my feet and blushing while reading a select few scenes. The tensions mount slowly, perfectly reminiscent of an Austen novel, until positively MOLTEN, but never veer outside of the scope of the narrative. The LGBTQ+ aspects of the book blended perfectly, and with a rare authenticity.

As a debut novel, it’s a fantastic entry into the cozy fantasy world. It could be slightly heavy-handed at times, like in pressing the point of ‘she felt out of place in Bardshire’, with more telling than showing. Additionally, the scene-blocking in the final few chapters was a bit confusing, leading to being slightly jarred from the emotional weight of the climax of the story.

Overall, however, I was completely enraptured from beginning to end, and I urge you to pick up a copy of the book (once it’s out), get yourself a cup of tea (earl grey & lavender) and a comfy blanket and sink right into the wonderful world of ‘The Honey Witch’.

Thank you Hachette Australia and Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Gosh this book is beautiful. It’s the perfect mix of fantasy, cottagecore and Regency romance. It’s also a queer-normative world which made my heart sing.

I loved Marigold, our main character. She’s so brilliant and unique and funny and lovely and sweet. I loved the way she owned her strangeness and didn’t shy away from it no matter how much she was mocked.

I ADORED Lottie, our prickly love interest. She was such a spitfire, such an interesting, deep character. I loved getting to know her and peeling back the layers alongside Marigold.

All the side characters and their relationships with Marigold were so wholesome and lovely which…kinda brings me to the one thing I didn’t like about this book.

I absolutely hate the way romantic love is heralded as the one true, real, important form of love and that Marigold will forever be alone and without love because she is cursed to never have someone love her romantically. She is surrounded by SO MUCH love. Her family, Mr Benny, August, even Lottie with or without the romantic factor. These relationships are important and meaningful and were genuinely heartwarming to read about. They are not less-than.

Regardless of this last personal issue, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a mostly cosy fantasy with a slice of adventure and heartache.

Review based on a free eARC provided by the publisher, thanks to Hachette Australia.

Cottagecore - Sapphic - Bridgerton - Romantasy.

This cosy cottagecore sapphic romantasy was a sweet, comforting read that suffered ever so slightly from issues of pacing.

While I found myself intrigued and charmed by the world Shields created, along with her sweet ensemble cast of characters, the middle of the narrative dawdled. And delightful as it was to spend more time in the regency adjacent village of Bardshire, I was left feeling as though this was achieved at the expense of a somewhat rushed conclusion.

The final climactic scenes could have been fleshed out further and greater resolution given to the character's happily ever after with just a few tweaks of editing.

Having said this, I did find myself often enchanted (not sorry for the pun) by this book and look forward to Shields' further works!

Book Review of The Honey Witch by Sydney J Shields 🐝
This review is based on a free advance copy provided for my unbiased thoughts and opinions.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Hatchette Australia & New Zealand and the author 🩷

Twenty-one year old Marigold Claude has always been viewed as a little odd. Not talented like her younger siblings and jilted by the man she thought to marry, she wonders if she’ll ever find true acceptance. When Marigolds estranged maternal Grandmother arrives, she informs the young lady of her familial legacy as a firstborn daughter; the power and responsibility of a Honey Witch. Desperate to finally have answers for her yearning to commune with nature, Marigold travels with Grandmother Althea to her quaint village home of Innisfree where she must learn to take the mantle for herself.

I really enjoyed this cosy and atmospheric read, with its lush descriptions, cottage core vibes and a practical magic-sequel curse. Set in the 1800s, The Honey Witch combines Regency elements and Green Witch folklore to create a whimsical and quietly introspective story. This is not a story for those who like a fast paced plot and it’s an ideal read for right before bed.
The magic system was unique and while I found the tense the author used a bit jarring at times (it was almost written by an objective observer), the sweet themes of found family, magic and love overcoming all were so pleasing. I found it odd that the main antagonist only appeared at 92% through the book and found the build just not there for the last showdown. The cover art of this book is seriously beautiful and I wish I had a whole shelf of them to display.

3.75/5
The Honey Witch was a refreshing, sweet, and cosy fantasy, but still explored deeper elements like love, loss, and grief. The 1800’s regency setting was beautiful, and certainly gave me Bridgerton meets ‘cottagecore vibes’. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of this story, and certainly would be great for those looking for a cosy fantasy.
I did find the pacing was off at times, where some parts dragged on (and some others went by very fast) – but that is definitely something I could deal with, especially for a debut novel. Looking forward to seeing this author grow and their future works!

3.75

Very sweet, cozy tale dripping in honey and queer love.

I did find the dialogue a little forced, almost scripted, and at times Mari was a bit too curmudgeonly.
But overall it was lovely.

Description: 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.

First of all I would like to thank both Netgalley and hachette for accepting me to read an arc copy of the book.

From the start I have enjoyed my time reading this book, it is definitely a good cosy fantasy to read and enjoy a bit of romantasy in this which includes LGBTIQA+. The book also includes grief, forbidden love, grumpy/sunshine and also pregnancy troubles but for an overall I definitely enjoyed reading the adventure of The Honey witch.

The Honey Witch is a sweet and simple fantasy fiction. It's not trying to reinvent the wheel, and there are a lot of fantasy tropes present (enemies to lovers, two people but only one bed available at the inn wink wink, cursed soul mates, etc), but it's lovely. I think this will be great for anyone who just wants a little bit of cosy escapism.

A refreshing novel that explores love, loss and loneliness. It play on your emotions and has interesting characters in a beautiful setting.

I loved this story. Thank you.

The Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. A curse that is her’s to bear alone. But when a young women who doesn’t believe in magic arrives on her island, sparks fly in this deliciously sweet novel of magic, hope and love overcoming all. Marigold Claude has always preferred the company of the spirits of the meadow to any of the suitors of her hometown who have tried to woo her.

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 comes with a curse: no one can fallen love with the Honey Witch. When Lottie Burke, a notoriously grumpy skeptic who doesn’t believe in magic appears on her doorstep, Marigold seizes the opportunity to prove to her than magic is real.

Marigold begins ti care for Lotties in ways she never expected. And when her darker magic awakens and threatens to destroy her home, she must fight for much more than her new home. She could risk losing het magic and her heart all at once. A novel that is a sweet and warm as fresh honey from the hive. A story that explores love, loss and loneliness in a way that is both heartbreaking and bittersweet with the joy of seeing magic in all things. A novel that will charm you with it’s incredibly beautiful setting, charming characters and story that love may just conquer all.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘺 𝘚𝘺𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘑 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘴