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A review by heyimberbie
The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
First I want to just praise this book on the gay rep alone. Far too often do we find harmful gay stereotypes in fantasy and many romance novels, and so finding a book that has both fantasy and romance yet also allows the characters to be gay just because they are was soooo nice. It genuinely made me happy.
When I first found out about this book, I heard that it was sapphic and so the happy little gay in me had to read it. However, I was actually pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book and not even for the romance.
The beginning gave me like Bridgerton regency era vibes but like with a badass fmc that was a raging feminist, then this book actually made me cry halfway through because I miss my grandma, and then towards the end I just wanted two lesbians to live out their days in a witchy cottage in the woods and take care of bees. That was basically my reading experience.
I did really like the book, but there were some times where I was just wanting more. Like it’s very much a slow burn kind of book, but there was a time where I just wanted the pace to pick up a little bit. I’m also very confused by Lottie Burke’s character. There were many times where I thought some of the actions and behaviors she was playing out didn’t really match the original idea of what her character was supposed to be like, but at the same time I do kind of enjoy seeing just more than one facet of Lottie as a character because all too often do we get the stereotypical grumpy broody love interest in fantasy romance, so seeing someone have more sides to them and show other emotions was sometimes kind of nice to witness. Lastly, I thought that a large issue with this book was that the plot was there in the background but it was never truly explored until the end, and that irritated me because most of the book was spent fulfilling sub plots than really showing the impacts of the main plot and how we would inevitably be introduced to the big bad. I do understand that a lot of these subplots were to show more of Marigold’s character and her growing into herself, but I feel like there could have been more of a balance between the two.
Ultimately, this book was great. It was fun to read, and I would definitely recommend it to people that really like cozy fantasy and books that have a fun and cute vibe to them.
One thing I will always need more of though is iconic Marigold Claude quotes. Here’s a few of my favorites:
“Marigold laughed then—what is so wrong about being a bitch? It is the closest a girl can be to a wolf.”
“You are beautiful and full of life, like springtime.” — a man
“No. You see only springtime. What happens when I am winter? I will tell you…When winter comes, you will freeze.” — Marigold ✨
“Her mother loves to remind her of her age, as if it is a reason to stop believing in magic…Yes, she is a grown woman, and is that not magical in itself? To have survived this long, despite the world’s penchant for beautiful, dead girls? Marigold has grown up surrounded by the poets who propel the narrative—how romantic to die young, unstretched, unsullied, without ever outgrowing the part of the ingenue. But what happens when the girl keeps living, when she ages proudly and defiantly, without abandoning imagination, or stories, or that secret wish to find magic wherever it hides? Well, then the poets would call her a witch.”
Thank you NetGalley & RedHook for the gifted copy of this book. This is my honest review ✨