The Honey Witch

The Honey Witch (2024) is a fantasy romance novel by Sydney J. Shields. The Honey Witch follows Marigold Claude as she pursues her destiny as the Honey Witch, grappling with the curse that comes along with this destiny. The novel explores themes of women’s social roles and expectations, personal freedom, and the struggle between power and love. The Honey Witch is Shields’s debut novel, and it premiered to critical acclaim.

This guide is based on the Hatchette Book Group May 2024 First Edition paperback.

Plot Summary

Marigold Claude has always felt like she does not belong with her high-society family of artists. She has no talent, and nature calls to her like an old friend. After a ball in which Marigold is encouraged to find someone to marry, Marigold sneaks off to enjoy the full moon and the company of a mysterious butterfly creature named Lunasia. Lunasia glows blue, and Marigold can tell change is on the horizon.

Marigold returns home to find her estranged grandmother, Althea, arguing with her mother. Althea has come to inform Marigold of her destiny as the Honey Witch. All the first-born daughters in their family line are witches, but their family is cursed: To become a witch, she must forsake love altogether. Their family was cursed by the evil Ash Witch, Versa, who seeks to take the magical isle of Innisfree for herself. Marigold’s mother chose love and attempted to shield Marigold from a life of magic. Marigold, disenchanted by her own failed relationships and worried that marriage would be unsatisfying, agrees to become a Honey Witch to continue Althea’s work. Marigold and Althea perform a ritual that makes Marigold feel whole for the first time in her life. Marigold learns that Lunasia is one of many spirit guardians of nature called landvættir. There are many landvættir, and Marigold can see them all now.

Althea brings Marigold back to Innisfree. It takes several days of travel, and Althea is aided by her old friend Mr. Benny. Although Mr. Benny seems fond of Althea, Althea warns Marigold not to get her hopes up about the curse: She will never have love. Marigold reunites with one of her childhood friends, August. August introduces his partner, Edmund, and his best friend, Lottie. Lottie is very standoffish. Marigold looks forward to rekindling her friendship with August.

Althea trains Marigold in the many duties of being a Honey Witch, such as tending to the isle’s bees, communicating with the landvættir, and creating spells and potions for various clients. Many of Althea’s clients are women seeking control over their own destiny. Althea teaches Marigold not to judge a woman for whatever she wants, even if it is not what Marigold would have chosen. Althea and Marigold strengthen the protection runes across the isle and tend to the beehives. Althea dies in her sleep.

Marigold becomes extremely lonely on the isle with no one besides Mr. Benny visiting. Months pass, and August comes for a visit. He is freshly heartbroken and needs Marigold’s magical assistance. Marigold sends him along with a heartbreak potion, asking only for his company in return. August vows to return in better spirits.

August returns a few days later with Lottie. Lottie does not believe in magic, and August wants to convince her. Lottie is rude to Marigold and calls her work mythcraft. Marigold is determined to win over Lottie as a friend and as a believer in magic. She offers to make a soulmate potion for August. She’ll need the full moon to collect some ingredients, so she invites August and Lottie to stay with her while they wait. She hopes Lottie will admit she believes in magic by the end of the week. Lottie and August agree to visit.

Marigold works hard to make Lottie comfortable and prove her magic is real, but Lottie remains obstinate at every turn. Each day, Marigold feels they get a little further before Lottie becomes cold and pushes Marigold away. Strange things happen, like Lottie’s ability to see and hear the landvættir, and her intense bouts of illness that come and go for no reason. On the night of the full moon, Marigold and August convince Lottie to swim with them, and Lottie reveals her scarred arms from the fire that killed her parents. Lottie has covered her scars in tattoos, which are also taboo for a woman to have.

In the water, Lottie and Marigold touch more than Marigold thinks they should be able to. That night, they play a drinking game. Lottie reveals she doesn’t believe in magic, because her parents did, and now they are dead. Marigold reveals that she is cursed to never find love. Lottie and Marigold almost kiss, but Lottie gets a sudden headache, and they go to bed. Marigold has a nightmare about the Ash Witch taking Innisfree. She wakes up to find Lottie sleepwalking outside. She had the same nightmare as Marigold.

The next day, the landvættir are ill, and Marigold heals them with honey. Marigold creates two perfect vials of the soulmate potion and gives one to August and one to Lottie. They should soon feel the pull of the spell telling them where to go to find their soulmate. August is excited, while Lottie is still skeptical.

Marigold receives word from home that her sister is getting married. She hasn’t visited in over a year and needs to go, but she worries about leaving the isle after the landvættirs’ illness. August says he will go with her. He feels his soulmate potion telling him to. Lottie agrees to go as well.

On the ship, Marigold and Lottie become more comfortable with each other. Lottie undresses in front of Marigold, and Marigold is fascinated by her tattoos. One of Lottie’s tattoos is a protection rune—something Marigold uses in her craft. She asks about it. Lottie recalls it from before her family’s house burned down. Marigold asks Lottie to tattoo her and Lottie agrees. Lottie tattoos a bee between Marigold’s breasts.

When Marigold arrives home, she is nervous, but her family greets her warmly. When August meets Marigold’s brother, Frankie, Marigold can tell they are soulmates. Lottie figures out what is causing her illness and waits for a private moment with Marigold to discuss it. Lottie kisses Marigold to test her theory and immediately falls into convulsions. Lottie realizes it’s Marigold’s curse and confesses she believes in magic now.

Marigold and Lottie attend a masquerade, where they continue to test the limits of the curse. Lottie nearly passes out, and Marigold accidentally summons a storm twice. Marigold feels foolish for trying. They attend the wedding the next day, but they are both saddened by the reality of not having each other. August chooses to stay behind with Frankie, so Lottie and Marigold decide to return to Innisfree alone.

Marigold and Lottie miss the boat and stay in a small inn that night. Lottie asks Marigold to test the curse again, and this time Lottie dies as a result. Marigold uses all her magic and calls upon her bees to bring Lottie back to life. She decides they can never be together. When Marigold returns to Innisfree, it is devastated by Ash Magic. She sends Lottie away for her own protection, breaking both of their hearts. Marigold works tirelessly to restore Innisfree. In her research she realizes Lottie is related to Versa, and Marigold worries for Lottie’s safety. Marigold decides to lure Versa to the isle to save Lottie.

Versa arrives with Lottie, who is her granddaughter. She killed Lottie’s parents when Lottie’s mother refused to help her take over Innisfree. Now she wants Lottie to do so. Lottie has refused to perform the ritual to become a witch. Versa promises she will remove the curse if Lottie does so. Marigold wants Lottie to choose. Lottie chooses not to become a witch, because she fears it will hurt Marigold, but after Versa nearly kills Marigold, Lottie changes her mind.

Versa keeps Marigold chained up for days, forcing Marigold to use her magic to replenish the island, strengthening Versa. Lottie sneaks out after becoming powerful enough to do so and nurses Marigold back to health. She is Marigold’s soulmate and realized this the moment the curse broke. Marigold and Lottie formulate a plan to defeat Versa that utilizes both honey and ash magic. They plan to burn the cottage down. Marigold is too weak, however, and perishes with Versa in the fire.

On the other side, Marigold reunites with Althea. Althea tells Marigold that she can return and helps her learn how. Marigold resurrects. Lottie uses her magic to heal Marigold. They are finally able to be together, in love, the way they were meant to be.