So I wanted to adore this book. I admit, I read some reviews before diving in. And they compared to Bridgerton and I loved Bridgerton. And I probably shouldn’t have because it colored my view of this book probably unfairly. This was not Bridgerton, there were some balls, but that does not a Bridgerton make. This was its own world, And I feel like some of the comparisons put some unrealistic expectations in my head.
Getting that out of the way when I look at The Honey Witch standing on its own. It is a solid read. I thoroughly enjoyed the world obviously, But this wasn’t the this was the country of the Regency era. I really enjoyed the lore and the world building of this alternate Regency era. I liked the characters, although the “twist” of Lottie, I knew from the very first meeting. But I still wanted to see how it would play out.
The reason this got a three star for me is because the ending felt rushed, and I felt like the buildup to August finding his soulmate fell flat. There was so much buildup and then it felt like it just was a blip. As a fantasy Reader, I feel like the final confrontation between Marigold and the Ash witch was not fleshed out enough either.
But I want to say I enjoyed this read, And I’m hopeful Shields will write more.

* I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.*