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cloverbeee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
Look elsewhere for cozy moments of character development and unrequited longing, here you get exposition dumps, zero worldbuilding, flat unlikeable characters and you'll like it.
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Miscarriage
lauren_reads_outside's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
If you stick through the world building vibes of regency girl doesn't want to get married and would rather frolic in the woods, and grandma whisks away for a sort of training sequences, you will be rewarded with not quite enemies to lovers sapphic yearning and pay off and big fight scenes.
The vibes in this book are immaculate and oh to be a yearning gay witch away on her farm giving spells to the nearby town.
I hope for sequels of the side characters! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Sexual content
Moderate: Miscarriage, Alcohol, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Infertility, Torture, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy
liinley's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Thank you NetGalley and Redhook Books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Moderate: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Death
Minor: Miscarriage
m_a_j's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Blood
Moderate: Miscarriage and Sexual content
charlie_emgwy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death, Miscarriage, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
jc_wb's review against another edition
3.5
She meets her old friend August and his sour friend Lottie. They can't stand each other, but is there more to it? The Honey Witch is cursed not to love, so it can't be that, surely?
Set in 1831 and 1832, the story has an old-fashioned feel (chaperones, balls, courting, long travel and slow post) but definitely updated with LGBT relationships and magic!
The Honey Witch elements were well-thought out, although I'm still not entirely clear on how ash is the opposite of honey. There were hints of the true nature of Lottie throughout the book, which all came together in the final part. The battle of Ash and Honey was quite quick, there was a lot of story leading up to it.
After such a quick resolution I think the final part could have been a bit longer to find out about their life after rebuilding the island and how ash and honey work together after all the fighting - it's probably not enough for a second book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death, Blood, and Miscarriage
novelshire's review against another edition
2.0
I think it starts of quite well, a historical fantasy setting with the main character Marigold feeling like she doesn't fit in and dreaming of escape, being whisked away by her grandmother after learning she's a honey witch. A little rushed, but fine.
So what didn't I enjoy? There's a lot of telling rather than showing - time skips that cut out the learning parts and the relationship developments. It made many of the interactions feel shallow (although I did like the relationship between Marigold and her grandmother and Mr Benny).
I assume that the treatment of a woman experiencing a miscarriage was there to illustrate that the honey witches were there to help the locals, but that line wasn't really developed - again we're told but not shown much in that regard - making it feel oddly jarring.
Now, the magic. Bees, honey magic and ash magic. I thought it was an interesting idea, but the curse didn't make a huge amount of sense to me. I thoroughly disliked the soulmate spell and everything related to it, and the romance made me cringe.
In the end, everything felt quite frenetic and choppy and I didn't feel any attachment to the characters to make up for that. I was drawn in by the cover and the cottagecore vibes. And there are some of those vibes to start with, but there's too much drama and peril if you're looking for something cosy.
Thank you to Orbit UK for providing me with a netgalley review copy
Graphic: Miscarriage, Blood, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
jazzyjbox's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Marigold has to choose between falling in love, and having the magic of being a Honey Witch. At first this seems like an easy choice for her jaded self, but then she meets gorgeous and sour Lottie, a woman with a mysterious past.
I loved the lyrical writing. It starts out cozy and sweet and later takes a dark turn. Marigold and Lottie's relationship is lovely to see unfurl, and August is a fantastic friend. I'm excited to see more from this author!
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Grief
sproutedpages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The antagonist has potential, but ultimately feels more like a spectral presence than an actual threat until very near the end of the novel, and her motivations and objectives are not always abundantly clear. Similarly, the love interest is not introduced until about one third of the way through the novel, and behaves rather antagonistically for a length of time, so the full scope of the curse afflicting Marigold is not revealed until quite near the end of The Honey Witch.
The prose was not as flowery as might be expected from a novel about tending plants and caring for honeybees, but still manages to be atmospheric and lush. The land of Innisfree seems to be based on the poem ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’ by W.B. Yeats, and author Sidney J. Shields does convey a similar sense of peaceful solitude within her version.
The Honey Witch is likely to be best enjoyed by those seeking sapphic representation, who might also enjoy elements reminiscent of: Practical Magic, Halloweentown, and loose references to the regency era.
Thank you to NetGalley, Redhook Books, and author Sidney J. Shields for providing me with a digital copy of this novel to review. All opinions within this review are voluntarily given and entirely my own.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Miscarriage
booksdogsandcoffee's review against another edition
2.75
Thank you orbit/redhook for an advance reader copy!
ShieId's debut was trying to do many things, some well and some not. I loved the magic system of the Honey and Ash witches, it was so cool how each type works both together and with nature. I also loved the grumpy/sunshine romance dynamic.
What I personally don't think worked is the pacing, and voice of the novel. It started off very well, then sadly dragged for almost 150 pages till it really peaked my interest again. With the voicing of the book, when in the village of Bardshire there is a certain tone the author uses, while in Innisfree there is another. Which may be what was intended, but again in my personal opinion was a bit hard to read and follow while reading.
I would have loved to see the ending fleshed out a bit more. But overall I think this book is going to find it's people and so many will love and enjoy it.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Sexual content, Vomit, Grief, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Miscarriage, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Torture