THE FAREWITCH OF FOXE HOLLER by Ellen Pauley Goff – Review

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 Farewitch of Foxe Holler by Ellen Pauley Goff
Published by Saga Press on July 7 2026
Genres: Adult, Cozy fantasy
Pages: 480
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A modern fairy tale that embraces the idea of “cooking is magic,” The Farewitch of Foxe Holler is a delightful, feel good fantasy with wonderfully relatable characters and plenty of Southern charm.

“If a recipe goes wrong, embrace it and eat the surprise. If a recipe goes really wrong, start over and learn. If a recipe goes disastrously and irreversibly wrong, now you have a story to share and that’s where the meal begins.”

The Farewitch of Foxe Holler is an absolutely stunning debut, and I am still on a high after finishing it. If you are looking for a book that is guaranteed to make you happy, then look no further. This is a cozy, grumpy/sunshine fantasy romance with an emphasis on the characters and world-building. The story takes place in rural Kentucky, so there’s a wonderful Southern sensibility to it as well, especially when it comes to the fact that Honey, the main character, is a Farewitch, someone who uses baking and cooking to cure illness. The dialog is perfectly pitched and hysterically funny, and Ellen Pauley Goff seamlessly incorporates some thoughtful themes into her story for depth. Despite its length, it only took a few days for me to read, simply because I could not put it down.

Honey Frost is the Farewitch of Foxe Holler. Her life revolves around running the family bakery, the Apothakery, and imbuing her baked goods with magic for all the town’s various ills: headaches, stomach aches, the pains of pregnancy and more. In addition to keeping the townsfolk healthy, Honey is desperately searching for a cure for her mother, who has come down with a wasting disease and isn’t getting any better.

At the edge of town lives the Warlock, who hasn’t been seen for twenty-five years, and the folks of Foxe Holler blame him for everything that goes wrong. Honey is shocked one day when she receives a letter from him, asking for her help. The Warlock claims to be dying, and because none of the spells he’s tried on himself have worked, a Farewitch is his last chance, and Honey is the only Farewitch in Foxe Holler.

Despite the Warlock’s gruff demeanor, the nasty governess Ms. Zeen (the Warlock’s nine-year-old ward Lazlo lives there too), and the horrible state of his house—there is dirt everywhere and the house itself is a bit…antagonistic—Honey agrees to help. But the Warlock, who insists Honey call him Mr. Knight, is hiding secrets, and Honey’s magic will only work if her patient works with her. Trying to come up with the right recipe for an exceedingly stubborn man (who also has the most beautiful hazel eyes) is going to be a challenge. The clock is ticking, and Honey only has until the Summer Solstice to save him.

This is only a bare bones synopsis of the story. Goff has written a complex, nuanced tale that includes several side plots, a host of quirky side characters, danger, high stakes and best of all, a to-die-for slow burn romance. In the author’s notes, she mentions that The Farewitch of Foxe Holler started out as a duology, but the publisher suggested it would work better a single book, and I have to say they made the right choice. Despite being almost 500 pages long, the pace never lags. Readers also get the benefit of a complete story (without what I suspect would have been a cliffhanger in the middle), and that is the best thing of all.

The magic system is well thought out and interesting, with different kinds of witches whose magic is used for specific purposes. Honey’s magic involves pulling memories from the person she’s trying to heal, and that’s how she decides on a recipe to use. Of course there is also an evil witch in Foxe Holler called the Widow Witch (she claims the life of a man every season, thus leaving his wife a widow), and I loved the unexpected direction her character takes later in the story. Little details like the Warlock’s magical, sentient house added a lot of fun, as well as the fact that he smells like thyme (to Honey) every time he does a spell.

While the magic system and world-building are a high point, it’s the characters who really steal the show. Honey was simply delightful, a vivacious thirty-one year old who has been thrust into a life she isn’t ready for (most Farewitches don’t take on the job until they are in their 40s, but because of her mother’s sickness, she has no choice). She’s extremely selfless and always thinks about others first, but she’s also bossy and head strong, and when she arrives at Knight Manor to help the Warlock, she immediately takes over the house and breaks every rule he gives her. Honey also has the ability to bring people together and changes them for the better—even the grumpy ones. 

Speaking of grumpy, Mr. Knight (who won’t tell Honey his first name until later in the story) was the perfect foil for Honey’s sunshiny personality. He has depth, secrets, and he’s immediately attracted to Honey, even though he doesn’t show it. Their dialog is laugh-out-loud funny at times, while also managing to be sweet and heartfelt. Their interactions go from formal to more intimate, and Goff wrote these scenes brilliantly. Don’t expect any spice in this book—it’s just not that kind of story—but the kissing scenes were *chef’s kiss.*

I also want to mention that I noticed all sorts of similarities to Beauty and the Beast, although it might just be me: Mr. Knight, the “beast” that needs saving; Honey, stuck in his big old house until the curse is broken; lots of restricted areas in the house, but Honey is allowed to use the immense library anytime she wants; and even a scene where Mr. Knight invites Honey to dinner! If anyone else has read this, let me know if you noticed these things as well.

Goff herself is from the South, and her experiences infuse the story and give it so much warmth and heart. The publisher is using the comparison “Practical Magic meets Steel Magnolias,” and I thought it was a good one. The ensemble cast includes archetypes that Southerners might recognize, like church ladies Gertha Fudge and Beulah Buchanan, two hard as nails older women with grudges against anyone who uses magic and doesn’t go to church (but deep down they have a squishy side!). Southern cooking is one of the main story elements, and the book itself includes Honey’s recipe tips and life lessons that relate to cooking at the beginning of every chapter, and these bits of wisdom added so much to the story. Not to mention the descriptions of food, like fried green tomatoes, were mouth-wateringly good!

The last section becomes more of an adventure tale, as secrets are revealed and all the various story threads come together in a thrilling quest to save the Warlock. I was so happy to read the author’s notes at the end, which confirm that she will be returning to Foxe Holler for more stories. Highly recommended!

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.