I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields Published by Redhook on May 14 2024
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: An interesting premise is bogged down with annoying characters and a simplistic plot that didn’t always make sense.
I’m sad to say The Honey Witch didn’t really work for me, although many readers loved it, so it’s most likely a case of “it isn’t you, it’s me.” This book felt very young, despite the ages of the characters, and although it’s classified as adult, it felt almost like a middle grade book at times. And it didn’t help that Shields wrote her story in present tense, my least favorite writing style (which seems to be mostly used in YA and by debut authors, at least that’s what I’ve noticed.) I did push through to the end, but it was a struggle. There were elements I did like, though, and I’ll go into more detail below.
Marigold Claude lives in Bardshire with her younger siblings Frankie and Aster. Marigold is twenty-one, and her mother is eager for her to fall in love and find a husband. But Marigold has other ideas. She’s not interested in settling down, but rather she’s drawn to the wildness of nature. She has fond childhood memories of visiting her grandmother Althea at Innisfree, a lovely cottage surrounded by fields of flowers and bees. Althea is a Honey Witch, and she makes magic potions from the honey in her apiary. A honey witch’s job is to protect nature and take care of the townspeople, but there is a price to pay for becoming a witch: you can never fall in love. Althea embraced that and has been happy for many years, and now it’s Marigold’s turn to decide whether she wants to give up true love in order to carry on the honey witch line.
Marigold eagerly agrees to become a honey witch, but she must leave her loving family to go stay with Althea in Innisfree. Her mother is distraught and angry, but Marigold knows this is the path she was meant to take. As she begins to learn the craft, Althea warns Marigold of an impending threat. There is an Ash Witch named Versa who is determined to destroy Althea’s magic, and Marigold must do everything she can to guard against her. But when a young girl named Lottie comes to visit Innisfree, Marigold wonders whether or not she’s made the right choice.
Let’s start with the good: I really enjoyed the idea of honey magic. Althea (and later Marigold) can communicate with the bees, so they never sting or hurt anyone. Althea explains to Marigold that there are many types of honey, and each has a different healing property. Some of my favorite scenes were the ones where Althea teaches Marigold how to mix ingredients to make the potions, which they provide for free to the community. I’ve always loved the idea of nature and magic existing hand in hand, and the author did a great job of conveying that in her book.
I also liked the Regency-like setting, full of gowns and balls and courting. There’s even mention of the modiste, so I’m certain the author is a Bridgerton fan! What made this world stand out, though, was that queer people are readily accepted in society, and it’s common to talk with others about your sexual preference.
But that’s about it for things I liked, unfortunately. Shield’s prose just didn’t work for me at all. It’s overly dramatic and purple and doesn’t always make sense, like when Lottie and Marigold kiss for the first time: “It’s delicate, desperate, it’s the universe meeting itself for the first time.” I’m not even sure what that means, and the book is full of writing like this. The story itself felt simplistic, and the challenges the characters face are resolved way too easily. There’s a big emphasis on soulmates in The Honey Witch, which I’ll admit is one of my least favorite tropes. Of course Marigold knows how to make a potion that will “lead” you to your soulmate, so I had to laugh when she gives her friend August the potion and he immediately feels the “tug” towards Marigold’s childhood home. What follows is a ridiculously easy match between two “soulmates” that came across as funny rather than heartwarming.
The other element that made me roll my eyes was the “curse.” Honey witches cannot be witches and be in love, and the effects of the curse were very easy to spot, although it took Lottie and Marigold half the book to figure out why Lottie kept getting headaches and vomiting every time she got too close to Marigold. I literally wanted to strangle both of them, they were so dense!
When the Bad Witch finally makes an appearance (Versa, the Ash Witch), I thought the story might get interesting, but alas, Versa is such a caricature of a villain that she didn’t have much impact on me at all. She was more Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz than anything, over the top and just too silly to be scared of. Shields hits all the expected beats in her fairy tale-like story, but never digs deep enough to make the story interesting.
As for the characters, the only one I really liked was Althea, and she only appears in the first few chapters. Lottie was extremely annoying, especially when she and Marigold first meet, but despite how mean she is, Marigold can only see her big blue eyes and beautiful red hair. I did think Frankie and August were cute together, but the whole soulmate thing between them spoiled things for me.
I could go on, but you get the idea. The Honey Witch was a disappointment for me, despite elements I liked.
With thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
I’m sorry to hear this didn’t work for you. The idea of the magic involved sounds intriguing and I didn’t realise this had a Regency era setting. But I do feel wary about picking this up based on the negatives that you’ve mentioned. Sometimes I really like soulmates, other times not so much. I think it comes down to chemistry for me mostly but I’ve been bothered before when a pairing felt too convenient. I also like villians with bite. Hopefully your next read will be better.
The soulmate bonding just happened so quickly, it didn’t feel real.
Too bad this wasn’t a good fit for you. I get why you didn’t enjoy it all that much with the overly dramatic prose. It does feel like very flowery and busy writing. Also feel like authors should be over writing villains as caricatures, because those have been done so often.
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Book Blitz: Chosen by the Fae King by C.A. Worley + Amazon Gift Card Giveaway (INT)
It’s hard to write a really good villain, and this one just didn’t work.
Oh no!! The universe meeting itself? I think the writing would set my teeth on edge. What a letdown — it sounds like it could be a really good story,, but then didn’t deliver. I do think the idea of honey witches sounds terrific!
The idea was cool, but I just couldn’t deal with the writing.
wow, your first sentence made me realize I’m not the only one who can be quite direct when a book is really bad, lol. I hope next one will work better for you
Emma @ Words And Peace recently posted…Throwback Thursday: January 2014
It wasn’t really bad, but just not the writing style I enjoy, mostly.
As soon as you mentioned purple prose I could understand how this could not work for you, which is a pity because the premise might have turned into the kind of delightful read we all need between more serious or dramatic stories. Thankfully, there is always the next book to look forward to… 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…LONG LIVE EVIL, by Sarah Rees Brennan – DNF@25%
Yes exactly! Onward:-)
Hmmm, too bad. I suspect I’d have had issues with the same things you did. Nice that you were still able to find positive elements, though.
I did love her ideas, I think it just wasn’t the right book for me.
Oh, what a bummer! I have a copy of this that I’ve been really back and forth on picking up, so maybe I won’t rush to it. I do like the sound of the magic, but the sound of her writing doesn’t seem like it would appeal to me too much, either. I guess we’ll see when I get around to it, haha. Villains that are simple caricatures are also a huge peeve of mine. Sorry this one didn’t work out for you!
I’ll be curious to see what you think, if you decide to read it:-)
I am sorry it didn’t work for you Tammy even if I can understand why. I personally loved the slower pace and the writing.❤️
I’m so glad it worked for you:-)
I’m pretty sure the universe meeting itself for the first time is just when it looked in a mirror, so… fairly uninspiring? As romance goes, well… If you’d rather, I’m sure you can find some books where people just hit each other instead;)
LOL. Yeah, I almost prefer the hitting;-)
Bummer this one didn’t work for you.
Stormi recently posted…Week in Review #83
It was, I loved the idea.
Phew, I’m glad I skipped this in my book sun and also passed on the ARC opportunity. The synopsis didn’t really grab me and I’m sure I probably would’ve felt similarly to you regarding the maturity of the characters. Sorry this didn’t work for you!
Well, on to the next, right?
I have a feeling that I won’t get on with this either. I was curious about it. But Legends & Lattes didn’t really work for me, so I have a feeling that this really won’t, especially based on what you’ve said here.
There are so many other books out there:-)
Bummer this one was a miss. I’m not a fan of overly purple prose either.
Diana @ Book of Secrets recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Was Super Excited to Get But Still Haven’t Read
Yeah, it was disappointing.
Two things you’ve mentioned make me think twice about this – present tense and purple prose. I’m not a fan of either so both together probably isn’t going to work which is a shame because the whole honey magic and communicating with bees idea does sound good.
Pages and Tea recently posted…Reading Review: May 2024
If the writing had been different, I think I would have loved it.
Aww that’s a shame. I was looking forward to your review of this one, it did appeal to me.
Lynn 😀
That curse was the worst thought out curse in the history of curses.
Ellie recently posted…On My Radar: June
I may have enjoyed this one just a smidgen more but maybe like 3 stars lol. I’m likely not the main audience and quite honestly I’m not sure what to make of the current trend of cozy fantasies. I have to be in the right mood and patient enough, I suppose.
Beautiful cover, so sad to hear it didn’t work for you though. Very impressed how you are able to finish books you’re not enjoying as much. I don’t know if I wish I had the stamina to do that, or if I’m okay with giving up like I do these days, lol. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one too!
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted…E-galley Review: Wild About You by Kaitlyn Hill
Ugh, dense characters are the worst!! I am sorry you didn’t enjoy this one, but I can fully understand why! I have yet to read it, and I still hope to do it but I will lower my expectations!!