Ratings22
Average rating3.4
DNF @ 25%
This was one of my most anticipated books of the year, but unfortunately it was just not for me. I did not enjoy the writing style in the slightest: it felt rushed and heartless, with a few "poignant" remarks scattered throughout that fell completely flat. The author bludgeons you in the head about what she wants you to feel about every situation, but never actually shows it ("look here, it is very cosy and nice and they do all these things, but you cannot see a single one, just trust me"). The magic system also felt rushed and not well developed at all, which is a shame in a book about witches. I could not believe in the bonds between characters, and everything felt shoehorned in, artificious and way too young in tone (the book was sold to me as adult) to my liking.
I don't rate dnfs, but if I'd persevered I'm not shure it would have scraped more than 2 stars.
I said to myself about 50% of the way through this, “I should dnf this book, but I'm dumb.” There's nothing bad about this book, I was just wildly bored and uninterested in the neverending soulmate talk.
I marvel at the fact that some of the pages are written beautifully and others are bad enough that, even if this was a fanfic, I would insta dnf. The dialogue specifically is extremely cringe worthy. It's like the author has never spoken to an actual person. Ever.
2.5 with a touch of generosity.
The setting and magic was so achingly beautiful it obscured most of the lower points in the beginning. The characters are one dimensional, the dialogue is flat, the writing is somehow both repetitive and contradictory, the plot holes are needless. Despite all that, I still loved reading this book until the ridiculous ending ruined it completely. Although I was rooting for Lottie, the only love story that felt truly compelling was between Marigold and her grandmother.
Contains spoilers
I wanted to like this book. I'm a sucker for regency romance, witches, weird magic, and plucky heroines. The writing, though, gave everything away. Nothing was earned, no discoveries were made. I dnf'd when the grandmother showed up in the second chapter to explain that she is literally called a "Honey Witch" because...of magical honey. Emotional moments are discarded almost as soon as they're introduced and foreshadowing lasts barely through the paragraph in which it's introduced.
Truly, it's like this book was written for me specifically. The magic system feels fresh and inventive but still relied on enough "basics" that it was easy to follow, the characters are all likeable even when they're not, the YEARNING, breaking generational trauma....The Honey Witch has it all. I absolutely adored it. A bisexual protagonist and a femme/femme romance?? Yes, thank you very much. Reading certain passages made me actually squeal and kick my feet and I cried so hard at the ending. Will be looking out for more books by Ms. Shields!!
Cute, but a tad bit boring and some of the pacing was strange.
I'm intrigued enough by this debut to see what Shields writes next.
This strangely felt like I was reading a young YA novelization of a Disney movie. It was sappy and a very predictable plot and ultimately as exciting as weak chamomile tea. Nothing particularly wrong with weak chamomile tea when you want something relaxing and light, that just wasn't what I'd hoped for from the description.
I liked the idea of honey-influenced magic, but the only relationship that didn't feel flower-petal thin was Marigold learning from and helping her grandmother. The “reveal” about Lottie was predictable as soon as she was so persistent about magic being fake and useless - a random person wouldn't be that stuck on it being a waste, even with the contrived romance clich?? like her explanation at the end, “I felt something for you immediately and didn't know what to do.” And the plot idea of a witch being cursed to never be loved is very overdone and the characters felt way too flat to make “they're breaking the curse through their believable love” interesting or effective here.