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The Honey Witch

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The Honey Witch

By: Sydney J. Shields
Narrated by: Mia Hutchinson Shaw
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About this listen

 'Reading The Honey Witch is like dreaming in a fragrant sunlit garden while bees sing around you. It's a gorgeous book, with a lovely cottagecore ambience and a heart-warming sapphic romance intertwined with unique magic that enchants the imagination' India Holton, internationally bestselling author

***THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES 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 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 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..

A delicious debut that combines the swoon-worthy romance of Bridgerton and the whimsical sorcery of Practical Magic, with a dash of The Secret Life of Bees thrown in for good fun.

Praise for The Honey Witch:

'As effervescent as a bottle of sparkling mead, The Honey Witch charms with every sentence. Shields writes with a fierce, uncynical honesty that will have you believing in soulmates, uncovering magic everywhere, and embracing your own wildness' S.T. Gibson, author of An Education in Malice

'The Honey Witch is a sweet feast, brimming with whimsy, magic, and tender longing. . . sugar-glazed and heart warming and thoroughly enjoyable' Rachel Gillig, author of One Dark Window

'As sweet and warm as honeyed tea. Shields' debut deftly explores love, loss, and loneliness-and the joy of seeing magic in all things, however small. With charming characters and a lush setting, The Honey Witch will delight fans of cosy fantasy' Allison Saft, author of A Far Wilder Magic

'Gorgeously lyrical and utterly addicting' Rebecca Thorne, author of Can't Spell Treason Without Tea

'Enchanting, whimsical, and firmly rooted in finding yourself after loss, this novel will break your heart and then soothe it with magic honey. Pour yourself a cup of tea, drizzle in some local honey, and let this decadent book transport you' Breanne Randall, author of The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic

'The Honey Witch will charm you with its setting and its love for all things natural - especially bees! This tale of a young witch dealing with a curse and a battle between dark magic and light, with her romance in the balance, is one all fans of witches and folk magic will love' Louisa Morgan, author of The Secret History of Witches

'Shields has written a cosy confection of a book-full of whimsy, spice, and heart. The Honey Witch is an ode to love, and just how sweet it can be' Maiga Doocy, author of Sorcery and Small Magics

'For anyone who has ever known what the mundane world wants them to be isn't possible or even desirable, The Honey Witch takes a luminous, divergent path' Willa Reece, author of Wildwood Magic©2024 Sydney J. Shields (P)2024 Hachette Audio UK Fantasy Literature & Fiction Magic Science Fiction & Fantasy Witchcraft Magic Users Feel-Good Heartfelt
All stars
Most relevant  
I now desperatly want a Irish woman to whisk me away to a little island filled with flowers and bumblebees

gay and witchy

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𝟓 stars

𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭: 4/𝟓
𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞: 5/𝟓
𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: 5/𝟓

“There is an inherent loss in love but that does not mean that love is not worth it.”

𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬- ahhhh! I loved it!!


𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭- The first half of the book is mainly cosy fantasy, however by the end there is drama and high stakes. The magic system in this book was very cool and I’d never seen anything like it before, the use of honey to do certain things was very magical.
Sydney did an amazing job of showing Althea’s death, it was written very well and even though we had only known the characters for a short time it made me feel so sad for Marigold.

𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞- I absolutely loved Lottie and Marigold, Lottie and her sour attitude and Marigold with her hopeless romanticism in spite of the circumstances. I loved this beautiful little sapphic book. Their romance wasn’t perfect, and both characters are flawed but I feel like that makes it so realistic.

𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬- I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, but especially to any wlw. This book was so beautiful, the characters were amazingly written and I am so excited to see what else Sydney J. Shields writes.
A devastatingly beautiful book.

“I cannot help myself, my need for you makes me wicked.”

Beautiful Story

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I loved everything about this book… except that that there wasn’t more!
Sapphic witches in the Victorian era!! Hook line and sinker! By far the most enthralling read I’ve had in my 31yrs.
Love it! I want more 🙏🏼

I’ve never felt more seen 🧡

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I loved this book, it’s sweet and easy to listen. It will have you crying more than once but it feels your heart and soul with hope that love is out there for everyone. I’ve just bought the physical book so I will always have it. 🍯🍯🐝🐝🐝🐝🏳️‍🌈💙

Love is worth the fight

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A wonderful stand alone story with great character development. The performer did a wonderful job of differentiating the characters and brought a lot of depth to them.

A beautiful tidy story

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The initial setting of this lovely had me dubious (period drama feels, high society) but then it took quite a turn - and I'm so glad it did!
I loved the characters, and as soon as there was an incling of of romance I just absolutely fell head over heals for it!

Different - but great!

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everything. I. wanted. to. say. i. did. in. the. title. of. the. review. but. audible. requires. a. fifteen. word. minimum. review.

Little predictable but overall a good book

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It was written with such powerful poetic similes and I enjoyed the range that the narrator had! The ending seemed a tad rushed but all in all it was a good read!

Stunning writing & fabulous narration

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I loved this story. I loved the characters, the plot, the romance. The narration was so well done. I couldn’t stop listening.

What a magical witchy romance

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The narration was wonderful and the story line was entertaining. I loved the concept and feel there was a good mix of character development and story line. I would highly recommend to others.

I really enjoyed this book.

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