An Arcane Study of Stars
Sydney J. Shields
4.5
The Honey Witch
by Sydney J. ShieldsCategory
About this book
In this instant bestseller, 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 romantasy 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 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. "The Honey Witch is a sweet feast, brimming with whimsy, magic, and tender longing.” —Rachel Gillig "Featuring a grumpy/sunshine queer romance, lovely imagery, and a distinctly cozy aesthetic, this one is a charmer." —Paste Magazine
Available Formats
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What readers are saying
TinaVery Good 4/5
"It took me a while to write a review. Life happens, I guess - but, to be fair, I thought about this story a lot. More about how author decided to write it, its style and the two main chapters of the book. I immediately felt that this book contains much feelings and memories entwined in the story of a special person from author's life. Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but it really felt like that reading it. First part of the book I adored it - it's so emotional. Thoughts about life, descriptions of self-reflect and really deep and beautiful relationships, specially between grandmother and granddaughter. For me, the first part of the book was a perfection, it felt it could be a book just by itself no matter the page count. First part was excellent, straight 5 out of 5 stars. Second part was a struggle, but not in a way that it was boring, but more that it felt that it had something of too much that it really wasn't necessary for the story, and it was hard for me to pin point what that was. Second part took away that excellency. To be fair, I did not know nor did I tried to search about the book more than just mesmerizing how beautiful its covers are. I did not know that it contained elements of romantasy which I believe was the thing in my case that changed the whole impression of the book. After reading it, I looked for the paperback edition and I really liked how is designed, hardback is even more beautiful, excellent for my taste, but unfortunately I am still undecided should I buy it or not. It's such a shame, and that part took my best impression of the story which never annoyed me before about any book I've ever read before. This story left big range of emotions and sometimes I ask myself "Maybe I am too harsh for this one?" because reflecting on my previous reads, some books gained 5 stars and didn't left that much impression on me by leaving me thinking about it after. For my last sentence about this book, I must say, I highly recommend it, specially for the description of nature, self-reflect of a young woman who doesn't feel like fitting into the norms of hers society, family dynamic, and feelings about love and care in general. ["
August 26, 2025 Verified Purchase
MaggieSweet
"3.5⭐️ 0.5🌶️ This was a very sweet story about women overcoming challenges and having the power to make their own decisions. The writing and metaphors were beautiful! There were some parts of the story that were extremely predictable, and the ending was really predictable, but also some parts of the journey that I didn’t expect to happen the way that they did. The pacing was really slow at first and really fast at the end, so I wish it was more balanced across the book. Some of the plot was questionable until the very end, when loose ends were tied up, so during the book it felt as if some parts weren’t necessary, when they did end up relating to the plot at the end. The romance was sweet and not too over the top. The grumpy x sunshine trope wasn’t too heavy on the sunshine so it felt somewhat realistic. The characters could have benefitted from additional details in their backstories though. Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it for a cozy autumnal romantasy read, especially to people who like period pieces (with some twists). ["
February 5, 2025 Verified Purchase