Take a photo of a barcode or cover
kelly_e 's review for:
The Honey Witch
by Sydney J. Shields
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Title: The Honey Witch
Author: Sydney J. Shields
Genre: Romantasy
Rating: 1.50
Pub Date: May 14, 2024
T H R E E • W O R D S
Poetic • Whimsical • Atmospheric
📖 S Y N O P S I S
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.
💭 T H O U G H T S
The Honey Witch was the February selection for my in-person book club. It is certainly not a book I would typically pick up, yet that is the purpose of book club - discovering books I wouldn't otherwise read. Unfortunately, this one missed the mark for the majority of us, yet it did make for some interesting discussion.
I somehow made it 150 pages in before I just couldn't keep going without the audiobook to help me along. Even with the audio, I needed to increase the speed to 2.5x in order to even finish. This isn't something I say often, but I was so bored while reading. There were so many individual elements I liked (the bees/apiary; a queer beekeeper; the spell books from her grandmother; the garden setting; the flowers; the relationships), but they just didn't come together in a cohesive manner. Despite such poetic writing, I felt zero connection to the characters or the story, and it quickly became overly descriptive.
Considered a romance, the main love interest doesn't show up until nearly the half way point. And even then the writing seemed so juvenile, resulting in a ton of eye rolling and lack of care. Whenever the characters encountered an obstacle, everything would be resolved way too easily and perfectly. The narrative introduces so many plotlines that never go anywhere and shifts many different times, making the reading experience jilted. I wanted more of a focus on the honey witch versus the ash witch element.
The idea behind The Honey Witch was certainly intriguing (historical Sapphic romance), but the author's lack of writing experience meant the execution just wasn't there. If not for book club, it would have been a DNF. The plot is so predictable, yet chapter after chapter ended the exact same way. It's unfortunate to have to say, yet the cover is the by far the best thing about this book. Even knowing I am not the target audience, this isn't a book I could see myself recommending, unless someone really enjoys the cottage core vibe.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• books with a strong sense of place
• fantasy-lite
⚠️ CW: fire/fire injury, death, death of parent, animal death, grief, injury/injury detail, blood, miscarriage, violence, torture, physical abuse, confinement, body horror, sexual content, alcohol, infertility, abortion, needles/tattooing, toxic relationship, caretaking, abandonment, vomit
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Honey is a miracle in itself; when stored properly, it is the only food in the world that never spoils."
"It is a mistake to think of grief as an absence. It's more of a dark, shadowy thing that sits in constant periphery, always there, always stealing air and making it hard to breathe. It is a demon she has fought every single day, but it will not leave."
Author: Sydney J. Shields
Genre: Romantasy
Rating: 1.50
Pub Date: May 14, 2024
T H R E E • W O R D S
Poetic • Whimsical • Atmospheric
📖 S Y N O P S I S
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.
💭 T H O U G H T S
The Honey Witch was the February selection for my in-person book club. It is certainly not a book I would typically pick up, yet that is the purpose of book club - discovering books I wouldn't otherwise read. Unfortunately, this one missed the mark for the majority of us, yet it did make for some interesting discussion.
I somehow made it 150 pages in before I just couldn't keep going without the audiobook to help me along. Even with the audio, I needed to increase the speed to 2.5x in order to even finish. This isn't something I say often, but I was so bored while reading. There were so many individual elements I liked (the bees/apiary; a queer beekeeper; the spell books from her grandmother; the garden setting; the flowers; the relationships), but they just didn't come together in a cohesive manner. Despite such poetic writing, I felt zero connection to the characters or the story, and it quickly became overly descriptive.
Considered a romance, the main love interest doesn't show up until nearly the half way point. And even then the writing seemed so juvenile, resulting in a ton of eye rolling and lack of care. Whenever the characters encountered an obstacle, everything would be resolved way too easily and perfectly. The narrative introduces so many plotlines that never go anywhere and shifts many different times, making the reading experience jilted. I wanted more of a focus on the honey witch versus the ash witch element.
The idea behind The Honey Witch was certainly intriguing (historical Sapphic romance), but the author's lack of writing experience meant the execution just wasn't there. If not for book club, it would have been a DNF. The plot is so predictable, yet chapter after chapter ended the exact same way. It's unfortunate to have to say, yet the cover is the by far the best thing about this book. Even knowing I am not the target audience, this isn't a book I could see myself recommending, unless someone really enjoys the cottage core vibe.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• books with a strong sense of place
• fantasy-lite
⚠️ CW: fire/fire injury, death, death of parent, animal death, grief, injury/injury detail, blood, miscarriage, violence, torture, physical abuse, confinement, body horror, sexual content, alcohol, infertility, abortion, needles/tattooing, toxic relationship, caretaking, abandonment, vomit
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Honey is a miracle in itself; when stored properly, it is the only food in the world that never spoils."
"It is a mistake to think of grief as an absence. It's more of a dark, shadowy thing that sits in constant periphery, always there, always stealing air and making it hard to breathe. It is a demon she has fought every single day, but it will not leave."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment
Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Vomit, Abortion, Alcohol
needles/tattooing, caretaking