The Honey Witch
by Sydney J. Shields
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The Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. That is her curse to bear. But when a young woman who doesn't believe in magic arrives on her island, sparks fly in this deliciously sweet debut novel of magic, hope, and love overcoming all.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 show more 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.
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Devo riflettere e connettere bene i pensieri perché penso che al momento siano completamente fritti. Ma ho amato tanto, ma proprio tantissimo, questo libro. Il primo preferito del 2025, il primo 5☆, meritatissime. Ho quasi pianto. Davvero, ero sul punto di piangere in più occasioni. E non succede praticamente mai.
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Marigold si è sempre sentita in difetto. show more Nonostante ci abbia provato e sperato, lei non ha alcun talento. Non sa cantare come la sorella o suonare come il fratello. E non vuole nemmeno essere una trophy wife. Non è nella sua indole. Sa cosa non vuole ma non cosa vuole o, se, avrà mai la felicità che tanto spera.
Finché, un giorno, la nonna, che non vede da tanto tempo, non ricompare nella sua vita con una "profezia": lei, Marigold, come la madre e la nonna, è una Honey Witch, una strega del miele. E la nonna sa che Marigold ha bisogno di cambiare e, soprattutto, c'è bisogno di lei, giovane e promettente strega, ad Innisfree, un posto quasi etereo dove la strega del miele "professa" le sua magie.
Marigold decide di seguire ciò che vuole lei e di andare con la nonna. Il dolore di lasciare la famiglia indietro per inseguire qualcosa che vuole lei stessa non è facile, ma Mari ce la mette tutta per farsi forza e scegliere la sua strada.
In questa storia conosciamo altri personaggi, Mr. Benny, per esempio, un caro amico della nonna che aiuterà Marigold. Troviamo l'amico di infanzia di Mari e, con lui, conosciamo un altro personaggio, che all'inizio pare insignificante (e pure fastidioso). Una ragazza dai capelli rossi e dall'atteggiamento a dir poco antipatico.
La vita nel cottage di Innisfree, con acqua cristallina, fiori ovunque, api laboriose e spiriti magici, procede. Non a gonfie vele, ma meglio di quanto ci si possa immaginare. Che Marigold finalmente si senta all'altezza della vita che tanto desiderava?
Sì... e no. Althea, la nonna, le spiega che le streghe del miele sono maledette. Non portano sfiga o che altro ma, molto semplicemente, sono destinate a rimanere sole perché nessuno può amarle davvero.
L'arrivo di Lottie (la ragazza fastidiosa), però, sconvolge tutto. Althea racconta a Marigold delle streghe della cenere, di una in particolare, colei responsabile dell'allontanamento non volontario della famiglia di Marigold con la nonna. Colei che vuole raggiungere un unico scopo e per raggiungerlo è disposta a tutto.
Il tutto, possiamo quasi dire, parte da una scommessa e da una promessa. Far credere alla magia a chi non crede e, nel frattempo, aiutare a trovare l'anima gemella a chi la cerca, quasi disperatamente.
La storia è semplice e coinvolgente. La capacità di Mari di lavorare con le api l'ho trovata bellissima ed affascinante, nonostante nella vita vera io sia spaventatissima dagli insetti, soprattutto quello che volano. Queste apette pelosette sembrano super carine e producono un miele che avrei tanto voluto assaggiare.
I personaggi li ho amati tutti. Sì, nessuno escluso. Marigold e Lottie in testa. Forse, però, ho amato di più quest'ultima anche perché credo abbia uno sviluppo migliore come personaggio. La villain della storia non appare se non praticamente alla fine, ma ho percepito la sua presenza dall'inizio. E il crescente dubbio che io, come Mari, stessi immaginando tutto fino alla fine mi ha fatto un effetto strano, ma bellissimo. Sentivo che qualcosa di brutto sarebbe successo ma non sapevo né come né quando. Sapevo che un personaggio fosse strano, la sensazione era molto forte ma non potevo esserne sicura. Dovevo continuare a leggere. Ed è ciò che ho fatto e, in una notte dopo una insonne, l'ho terminato e l'ho amato. Ho amato tutto dall'inizio alla fine. Certo, sicuramente non è perfetto. È pure un esordio ma mi ha fatto stare bene leggerlo? Sì. La storia saffica, dove si spera e si soffre con i personaggi e si spera di nuovo ha avuto un ruolo importante nel mio metro di giudizio? Sì. La magia nel libro ha attirato la mia attenzione, la storia saffica e le api hanno stuzzicato la mia curiosità e non sono rimasta delusa nemmeno un po'.
Un'altra cosa bella? È un libro unico che inizia e finisce qui. Amo le serie, ma ogni tanto qualche standalone che mi piaccia davvero ci vuole. Uno che coinvolge e non pretende troppo. Uno che mi mette hype prima di leggerlo e che non delude le aspettative.
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The springtime buds that decorate the earth remind her of childhood when she wanted to grow up to be a flower. She had told her mother, “One day, I will be a rose. And I will plant myself somewhere so beautiful that I will never want to leave.” Her mother laughed. “And what if someone wants to pluck you?” “That is what the thorns are for,” she said.
Marigold si è sempre sentita in difetto. show more Nonostante ci abbia provato e sperato, lei non ha alcun talento. Non sa cantare come la sorella o suonare come il fratello. E non vuole nemmeno essere una trophy wife. Non è nella sua indole. Sa cosa non vuole ma non cosa vuole o, se, avrà mai la felicità che tanto spera.
That rehearsal was the first time Marigold saw the twins struggle to use their talents, making her feel slightly better about having none of her own.
Finché, un giorno, la nonna, che non vede da tanto tempo, non ricompare nella sua vita con una "profezia": lei, Marigold, come la madre e la nonna, è una Honey Witch, una strega del miele. E la nonna sa che Marigold ha bisogno di cambiare e, soprattutto, c'è bisogno di lei, giovane e promettente strega, ad Innisfree, un posto quasi etereo dove la strega del miele "professa" le sua magie.
She’s spent her entire life simply waiting for some hidden talent to make itself known. So far, nothing has manifested
Marigold decide di seguire ciò che vuole lei e di andare con la nonna. Il dolore di lasciare la famiglia indietro per inseguire qualcosa che vuole lei stessa non è facile, ma Mari ce la mette tutta per farsi forza e scegliere la sua strada.
It would be like painting the walls of her life beige. It would be a safe choice, a comfortable choice that no one could fault her for, but it does mean that every day she would have to sit in her room and look at her beige walls and wonder what could have been if she had painted them bright yellow or pink. What if she had forgone paint entirely? Or better yet, what if there were no walls at all? Only sky, sunlight, salty water, fresh rain, and spring flowers and no one else around to comment on the paint color of the walls. That would be perfect, and that is why it is only a dream.
In questa storia conosciamo altri personaggi, Mr. Benny, per esempio, un caro amico della nonna che aiuterà Marigold. Troviamo l'amico di infanzia di Mari e, con lui, conosciamo un altro personaggio, che all'inizio pare insignificante (e pure fastidioso). Una ragazza dai capelli rossi e dall'atteggiamento a dir poco antipatico.
Her mother loves to remind her of her age, as if it is a reason to stop believing in magic. She rolls her eyes at the thought—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?
La vita nel cottage di Innisfree, con acqua cristallina, fiori ovunque, api laboriose e spiriti magici, procede. Non a gonfie vele, ma meglio di quanto ci si possa immaginare. Che Marigold finalmente si senta all'altezza della vita che tanto desiderava?
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?
Sì... e no. Althea, la nonna, le spiega che le streghe del miele sono maledette. Non portano sfiga o che altro ma, molto semplicemente, sono destinate a rimanere sole perché nessuno può amarle davvero.
Well, then the poets would call her a witch. It is better to be lost in a beautiful daydream than trapped in a dim reality
L'arrivo di Lottie (la ragazza fastidiosa), però, sconvolge tutto. Althea racconta a Marigold delle streghe della cenere, di una in particolare, colei responsabile dell'allontanamento non volontario della famiglia di Marigold con la nonna. Colei che vuole raggiungere un unico scopo e per raggiungerlo è disposta a tutto.
“Put away all thoughts of anyone else’s expectations. Only you have the right to decide your own fate.”
Il tutto, possiamo quasi dire, parte da una scommessa e da una promessa. Far credere alla magia a chi non crede e, nel frattempo, aiutare a trovare l'anima gemella a chi la cerca, quasi disperatamente.
Most people live their lives in the pursuit of happiness, but she accepted long ago that happiness was out of her reach.
La storia è semplice e coinvolgente. La capacità di Mari di lavorare con le api l'ho trovata bellissima ed affascinante, nonostante nella vita vera io sia spaventatissima dagli insetti, soprattutto quello che volano. Queste apette pelosette sembrano super carine e producono un miele che avrei tanto voluto assaggiare.
A Honey Witch provides women with choice—something they are all too often denied.
I personaggi li ho amati tutti. Sì, nessuno escluso. Marigold e Lottie in testa. Forse, però, ho amato di più quest'ultima anche perché credo abbia uno sviluppo migliore come personaggio. La villain della storia non appare se non praticamente alla fine, ma ho percepito la sua presenza dall'inizio. E il crescente dubbio che io, come Mari, stessi immaginando tutto fino alla fine mi ha fatto un effetto strano, ma bellissimo. Sentivo che qualcosa di brutto sarebbe successo ma non sapevo né come né quando. Sapevo che un personaggio fosse strano, la sensazione era molto forte ma non potevo esserne sicura. Dovevo continuare a leggere. Ed è ciò che ho fatto e, in una notte dopo una insonne, l'ho terminato e l'ho amato. Ho amato tutto dall'inizio alla fine. Certo, sicuramente non è perfetto. È pure un esordio ma mi ha fatto stare bene leggerlo? Sì. La storia saffica, dove si spera e si soffre con i personaggi e si spera di nuovo ha avuto un ruolo importante nel mio metro di giudizio? Sì. La magia nel libro ha attirato la mia attenzione, la storia saffica e le api hanno stuzzicato la mia curiosità e non sono rimasta delusa nemmeno un po'.
“What any woman wants for herself is not for you to decide. You would do well to remember that.”
Un'altra cosa bella? È un libro unico che inizia e finisce qui. Amo le serie, ma ogni tanto qualche standalone che mi piaccia davvero ci vuole. Uno che coinvolge e non pretende troppo. Uno che mi mette hype prima di leggerlo e che non delude le aspettative.
“You can’t love anyone without the fear of losing them, without the forethought of grief. There is an inherent loss in love, but that does not mean that love is not worth it.”show less
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review.
Thoughts: This was beautifully written but very slow. Not a lot happens in the first 50% of the book, in fact things don't really get interested until nearly 60% of the way in.
The story follows Marigold (Mari) a young woman who just doesn't fit in with her artistically talented family. Mari would rather be running wild with the magial spirits in the forest. When Mari's grandmother shows up to perform the ritual to help Mari become the next Honey Witch, Mari is thrilled but Mari's mother is devastated because this means Mari will inherit the Honey Witch curse. As time progresses, Mari lives a rather lonely life as a Honey Witch but show more this becomes more bearable when she meets an old childhood friend and makes a new acquaintance as well. Then something dark threatens Mari's magical island of Innisfree and it will take all of Mari's skills (with help from friends) to turn it away.
This book is beautifully written with a sort of cozy and peaceful quality to it, but so little happens in the beginning that I struggled to stay engaged. The pacing on this is just sooo bad. For the first 70% of the book or so we watch Mari leave her family, train as a witch, and then live alone as a witch. It isn't until towards the end when she starts to admit her feelings for Lottie and poke at the curse she is under that things start to get interesting.
The ending feels incredibly rushed and, when contrasted to the very deliberate and slow beginning, it just doesn't match the rest of the book. At the end we are suddenly beset by evil witches and multiple romances. It all just felt very ill-paced.
I wanted to love this and I think Shields has some excellent writing ability but this book really needed to be tightened up in the beginning and expanded in the last 25%.
My Summary (3/5): Overall this was okay. The writing is beautiful and magical but it moves oh so slowly. There is just nothing much that happens until very late in the book. At that point too much happens and is over too quickly feeling very rushed. The pacing for this story is awful. Shields has some nice ideas and beautiful writing, so I will keep an eye on her future books. However, this one had some serious pacing issues. show less
Thoughts: This was beautifully written but very slow. Not a lot happens in the first 50% of the book, in fact things don't really get interested until nearly 60% of the way in.
The story follows Marigold (Mari) a young woman who just doesn't fit in with her artistically talented family. Mari would rather be running wild with the magial spirits in the forest. When Mari's grandmother shows up to perform the ritual to help Mari become the next Honey Witch, Mari is thrilled but Mari's mother is devastated because this means Mari will inherit the Honey Witch curse. As time progresses, Mari lives a rather lonely life as a Honey Witch but show more this becomes more bearable when she meets an old childhood friend and makes a new acquaintance as well. Then something dark threatens Mari's magical island of Innisfree and it will take all of Mari's skills (with help from friends) to turn it away.
This book is beautifully written with a sort of cozy and peaceful quality to it, but so little happens in the beginning that I struggled to stay engaged. The pacing on this is just sooo bad. For the first 70% of the book or so we watch Mari leave her family, train as a witch, and then live alone as a witch. It isn't until towards the end when she starts to admit her feelings for Lottie and poke at the curse she is under that things start to get interesting.
The ending feels incredibly rushed and, when contrasted to the very deliberate and slow beginning, it just doesn't match the rest of the book. At the end we are suddenly beset by evil witches and multiple romances. It all just felt very ill-paced.
I wanted to love this and I think Shields has some excellent writing ability but this book really needed to be tightened up in the beginning and expanded in the last 25%.
My Summary (3/5): Overall this was okay. The writing is beautiful and magical but it moves oh so slowly. There is just nothing much that happens until very late in the book. At that point too much happens and is over too quickly feeling very rushed. The pacing for this story is awful. Shields has some nice ideas and beautiful writing, so I will keep an eye on her future books. However, this one had some serious pacing issues. show less
“These are the wild women who run barefoot through the meadow, who teach new songs to birds, who howl at the moon together. Wild women are their own kind of magic.” After all of this snow and being indoors – as cozy and wonderful it has been – I am more than ready to wake up to the songs of the birds in the morning and to run around barefoot again, to see colors again! That is why I decided this long gray February of the snow moon was the perfect time to read The Honey Witch – and it did not disappoint. The imagery was beautiful and conjured up long summer lazy summer days, bees buzzing around the garden, fireflies at night. It had a very cool magic system I thought, of a honey witch and an ash witch, a yin and a yang, show more balance. But the balance was out of order in this book, and Marigold had to find her place as the new honey witch and overturn the curse .. and that is all I will say!
This book: show less
This book: show less
There are so many promising things about this book -- I love that there is no social taboo about same sex partnerships, I love that it's set in a vaguely Regency/Victorian background, I love that there is a magical system. It's all set to be a delicious cozy fantasy. Unfortunately, I found most of the characters insipid or irritating. I didn't believe the plotline or the vague threats that were just never expanded upon. I got really tired of the drama, and I would like this author to put more faith in pronouns -- continually referring to the love interest as "that woman" or "the woman" instead of she got old. Granted, as love interests go, there is nothing to recommend her, so I kind of get it. I suspect there was some grand show more reconciliation/reveal/final show-down, but I just couldn't make myself care enough to finish it. Good job on publishing a book, and I wish the author well. I hope the ardent fans get a lot of joy from it. Just not my cup of tea.
Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss. show less
Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss. show less
Like a lot of cozy fantasy/romantasy, the prose and pacing here lack balance. Descriptions tend toward the purple, dialogue toward the stilted, and the plot swings wildly from sluggish to breakneck, ending with a climactic conflict brutal enough that I hesitate to recommend it to those seeking the cottagecore cozy implied by the cover. Even with all these flaws, it does have a sweetness and a slow appeal in the first half, as well as several endearing characters (however awkwardly named) and a cat. Is it great? No. Is it terrible? Also no. Whether you like it will largely depend on your tolerances. Though I would have liked to know what happened to the cat.
So I wanted to adore this book. I admit, I read some reviews before diving in. And they compared to Bridgerton and I loved Bridgerton. And I probably shouldn't have because it colored my view of this book probably unfairly. This was not Bridgerton, there were some balls, but that does not a Bridgerton make. This was its own world, And I feel like some of the comparisons put some unrealistic expectations in my head.
Getting that out of the way when I look at The Honey Witch standing on its own. It is a solid read. I thoroughly enjoyed the world obviously, But this wasn't the this was the country of the Regency era. I really enjoyed the lore and the world building of this alternate Regency era. I liked the characters, although the show more “twist†of Lottie, I knew from the very first meeting. But I still wanted to see how it would play out.
The reason this got a three star for me is because the ending felt rushed, and I felt like the buildup to August finding his soulmate fell flat. There was so much buildup and then it felt like it just was a blip. As a fantasy Reader, I feel like the final confrontation between Marigold and the Ash witch was not fleshed out enough either.
But I want to say I enjoyed this read, And I'm hopeful Shields will write more.
* I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.* show less
Getting that out of the way when I look at The Honey Witch standing on its own. It is a solid read. I thoroughly enjoyed the world obviously, But this wasn't the this was the country of the Regency era. I really enjoyed the lore and the world building of this alternate Regency era. I liked the characters, although the show more “twist†of Lottie, I knew from the very first meeting. But I still wanted to see how it would play out.
The reason this got a three star for me is because the ending felt rushed, and I felt like the buildup to August finding his soulmate fell flat. There was so much buildup and then it felt like it just was a blip. As a fantasy Reader, I feel like the final confrontation between Marigold and the Ash witch was not fleshed out enough either.
But I want to say I enjoyed this read, And I'm hopeful Shields will write more.
* I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.* show less
i... loved this.
my version was SO PRETTY and it was such a lovely kinda cozy fantasy? i haven't read many of those but i think this falls in that category. i loved marigold. lottie ended up so lovely. althea was fantastic, i loved all of the characters, honestly. mari/lottie's dynamic was a lot of fun. all of the honey magic was very much my vibe. my ONLY qualm is i wish we got a little more of mari and her mom, maybe her mom helping her near the end with knowledge if not magic, and i'd have loved a little more info and scenes with the ash magic bc that's ALSO my vibe. there were a decent handful of lines that i underlined in my copy and put in my commonplace journal. i will 100% be on the lookout for more from this author in the show more future, bc this debut was perfect for me.
also, THAT TATOO SCENE!!! MY GOD that was erotic. show less
my version was SO PRETTY and it was such a lovely kinda cozy fantasy? i haven't read many of those but i think this falls in that category. i loved marigold. lottie ended up so lovely. althea was fantastic, i loved all of the characters, honestly. mari/lottie's dynamic was a lot of fun. all of the honey magic was very much my vibe. my ONLY qualm is i wish we got a little more of mari and her mom, maybe her mom helping her near the end with knowledge if not magic, and i'd have loved a little more info and scenes with the ash magic bc that's ALSO my vibe. there were a decent handful of lines that i underlined in my copy and put in my commonplace journal. i will 100% be on the lookout for more from this author in the show more future, bc this debut was perfect for me.
also, THAT TATOO SCENE!!! MY GOD that was erotic. show less
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