Synopsis

Twenty-one-year-old Marigold Claude (POV Character) 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 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.

*Blurb taken from Goodreads

Review

If you’re seeking a cottagecore sapphic romance with green-witch vibes, no homophobia, and little angst, this might be your next read!

I enjoy the way Shields crafts her prose. It’s elegant and draws a visceral image of the setting. In a novel like this one, where nature plays a vital part in the protagonist’s powers, the attention to the land was lovely. The details that went into Marigold’s care for the bees and the island gripped my heart and held on, as did her relationship with her grandmother, Althea. I teared up in chapter forty-two!

The setting is reminiscent of regency times with some modern twists. Namely, the utter lack of any homophobia. Same-sex couples are a norm in this society, and the lack of trials faced by our characters just to be accepted was a breath of fresh air. It very much takes after the mindset of Schitt’s Creek; Marigold’s love interest being a woman doesn’t even have to be addressed because it’s a social norm. Now, this being said, there are odd expectations that don’t fit. For instance, it’s still assumed Marigold will be a wife to a man, which is odd since her choosing a wife seems just as plausible. There also are strict societal rules against women, and though that’s still possible without homophobia, the drastic difference between full acceptance of a sapphic couple, combined with the societal control over women’s bodies felt … inconsistent? The customs presented came off lopsided. Still, I love the acceptance presented here.

There are certainly feminist undertones in this. I love me a book that speaks to women’s rights! This was no exception, but be prepared for a couple of heavy-handed messages. They speak to kindness and harmony, but they do go “BAH” in your face to make sure you notice.

The supporting characters, such as Marigold’s family and August, are all wonderful people. Aside from the main conflict of a wicked witch, this novel truly is cozy. There are some hiccups to the light angst, such as Marigold’s self-deprecation in the final third of the novel, and the arrival of the antagonist. But we do get an HEA, and the moments on Innisfree made me want to join our protagonist in living a simpler life.

If you get the chance to listen to the audio, do it! Especially if you struggle with novels that move at a slower pace. Mia Hutchinson Shaw did a fabulous job narrating this book. Her voice acting brought the characters to life and created such lovely rhythm.

Critiques

1. Pacing: I didn’t mind the pacing one bit! That being said, I could see this as a critique from readers who don’t enjoy a text that centers on introspection and meandering prose. This very much read like taking a leisurely walk through the garden. If you enjoy a brisk stride on an urban street, you’ll be disappointed here. The pacing also made some of Marigold’s angst more dramatic than touching. She does quite a bit of bemoaning, which got aggravating since we do spend such a large chunk of this plot focused on her internal monologuing.

2. Lottie: I wish I liked her. There were certainly moments when I did. And I understand her backstory, I really do. But she never quite grew on me, which also meant I never bought into the romance. Lottie has a tragic childhood that led to her distrust of people. She’s quick to bite and has cement walls built around her heart. The enemies-to-lovers aspect makes complete sense, and her reasons for disliking Marigold in the beginning are valid. But the way Lottie warms to our protagonist becomes such an ongoing hot and cold situation that we needed more time with these two getting to know one another for the relationship to be believable. This might have been possible if Lottie became a larger part of the plot before the 35% mark, but she isn’t. Even though they’re soulmates, this doesn’t make up for the forced chemistry that came off more like lust than it did love. There were so many moments when Lottie was unbelievably inconsiderate of Marigold’s feelings (like when the bee died after stinging her in the apiary). I never could see them as a match that balanced one another out because Lottie very clearly had so much personal growth she needed to undergo.

3. Chapter 33: This chapter single-handedly dropped a full star rating for me. Let’s be very clear—Marigold and Lottie are willing to risk Lottie’s life for smeggsy time. To me, that’s crazy, but whatever. In this chapter they try yet another ill-advised romp. And I just … I lost all interest in this novel after the following. Firstly, Marigold tells Lottie that she loves her at the end of a masturbation session. A personal pet-peeve of mine is dropping the L word during/right after a sex scene because the L word they should be using is Lust, not Love. Not that this confession matters—Lottie doesn’t hear because she’s dead. The masturbation killed her. WHAT?!?! My laughter was uncontrollable because this is flat out insane. Who approved this? But it gets worse. Because what brings Lottie back to life is a swarm of wild bees that come and sting her, essentially offing themselves so she can live. I’m sorry, but if you are actively making the decision to attempt sex despite knowing it could end your life, and then it does, that’s your problem. The fact that all of these bees came in and died for the stupidity of these girls infuriates me. This doesn’t read like love, it 100% reads like lust. All they had to do was not sleep with one another until they figured out the curse. That’s it. But I guess that’s too hard? Anyways, death by masturbation is a new one for me in my reading.

Content Note

*Multiple major character deaths (including our POV). Two of them are resurrected, but one remains deceased. Two of the deaths are moderately graphic.

You can find more content warnings at the Trigger Warning Database

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