The Honey Witch Summary, Characters and Themes
The Honey Witch by Sydney J. Shields is a debut novel blending magic, romance, and cottagecore charm. Set on the mystical Isle of Innisfree, the story follows Marigold Claude, a young woman destined to inherit her family’s title as the Honey Witch.
But this magical role comes with a heartbreaking curse: the Honey Witch can never find true love. When Marigold meets Lottie Burke, a skeptic of magic, her life is thrown into a whirlwind of emotions and challenges. The novel combines themes of self-discovery, grief, and love, with a touch of magical realism and a cozy, cottage-like atmosphere.
Summary
Marigold Claude, a 21-year-old woman with a deep connection to nature, has always felt more comfortable among spirits and bees than people.
When her grandmother, Alia, invites her to train as the next Honey Witch on the Isle of Innisfree, Marigold eagerly accepts. The Honey Witch, a magical protector of the island, is always a woman from Marigold’s bloodline—but with this role comes a painful curse: the Honey Witch can never find romantic love.
While Marigold chooses to embrace her new identity and powers, the curse looms over her, forbidding her from experiencing true romantic happiness.
Soon after arriving on the island, Marigold’s world shifts when Lottie Burke, a skeptic who doesn’t believe in magic, arrives at her doorstep. Determined to prove magic is real, Marigold is drawn to Lottie in unexpected ways, developing romantic feelings she never thought possible for herself.
Despite Lottie’s grumpy and distant nature, the two women begin to bond, and Marigold finds herself caring deeply for someone for the first time. This relationship complicates Marigold’s situation, as the curse threatens Lottie’s life the more their feelings for each other grow.
As Marigold grapples with her emotions, darker forces begin to stir. The Ash Witch, who originally cursed her family, awakens and threatens to destroy Innisfree and the entire Claude line.
Marigold must confront not only the curse that endangers her newfound love with Lottie but also a deep, personal grief from losing her grandmother. She navigates through the emotional weight of Alia’s death, which serves as a critical turning point in her life, pushing her further into her new role as the island’s protector.
Meanwhile, Marigold’s family members—her siblings Aster and Frankie—also pursue their own love stories, offering moments of joy and heartbreak as they find their soulmates. Marigold must watch their love stories unfold, knowing she will never have the same due to her curse.
This personal sacrifice adds a layer of depth to Marigold’s character, contrasting with how she initially viewed her mother, who left the magic behind to escape the curse.
Ultimately, the novel is about Marigold’s growth as she comes into her power and identity.
Balancing themes of love, grief, and sacrifice, The Honey Witch weaves a rich narrative of self-discovery, where Marigold must make a heart-wrenching choice: continue her duties as the Honey Witch, protect her island from destruction, and save the people she loves, or break the curse and risk losing her magic and heart forever.
Characters
Marigold Claude (Marold)
Marigold, or “Marold,” is the protagonist of The Honey Witch. She is a 21-year-old woman who inherits the legacy of becoming the next Honey Witch of Innisfree, a magical role connecting her to the land, the spirits of nature, and the practice of witchcraft centered around beekeeping and honey-making.
Marold is portrayed as a gentle, introspective character who prefers the solitude of the meadow and the comfort of nature over human relationships, especially romantic entanglements. This inclination becomes more complex as she embraces her curse—that she can never experience true romantic love due to her magical heritage.
Marold is shaped by a deep sense of duty and love for her family, especially her grandmother Alia. The weight of the curse and her decision to choose the path of the Honey Witch over pursuing love shapes her journey, making her character arc one of self-discovery and emotional growth.
Though initially content with her role, her conviction is challenged when Lottie enters her life, awakening feelings she thought she would never experience. Marold’s internal struggle between duty, grief, and desire is central to the narrative.
She is also defined by her resilience—despite the curse and the growing threat of dark magic, she faces these challenges head-on. Her evolution is marked by her acceptance of her fate as the Honey Witch and the complex emotions that arise as she faces both love and loss.
Lottie Burke (Lah Burke)
Lottie, or “Lah,” is the romantic interest in the novel and is a skeptic of magic. She is introduced as a grumpy, no-nonsense character who doesn’t believe in the magical elements of Innisfree, setting up an opposites-attract dynamic with Marold.
Lottie’s backstory explains her distrust of both people and magic, adding layers to her persona beyond just being a romantic foil. Her emotional walls, constructed from past trauma and fear of vulnerability, serve as obstacles in the development of her relationship with Marold.
Her skepticism is a driving force in the early parts of the book. Marold must challenge Lottie’s worldview while navigating the emotions that arise from their growing attraction.
Lottie’s hot-and-cold behavior adds complexity to their interactions, sometimes frustratingly so. While the enemies-to-lovers trope is at play, the pacing of their relationship can feel uneven, with Lottie’s emotional swings making it difficult to fully believe in the progression of their romance.
Lottie’s transformation throughout the novel is more implied than fully realized. While her feelings for Marold become clearer, her personal growth remains somewhat unfinished.
Alia Claude
Alia, Marold’s grandmother, is a pivotal figure in the novel despite her limited on-page presence. As the previous Honey Witch, she passes on the knowledge and magic of the Honey Witch to Marold, making her both a mentor and a guide.
She is portrayed as wise, nurturing, and powerful, but also burdened by the curse that has plagued their family. Her deep love for Marold and her desire to protect her from the darker aspects of their magic add a tragic dimension to her character.
Alia’s death early in the novel is a catalyst for much of Marold’s emotional journey. The way Marold mourns her grandmother speaks to the strong bond between them.
Alia’s influence continues to resonate throughout the book. Her wisdom about the balance between love, sacrifice, and duty becomes a guiding principle for Marold.
Aster and Frankie
Aster and Frankie, Marold’s younger siblings, provide a counterpoint to her own story. They are free to pursue romantic love without the burden of the curse that binds Marold.
Their stories of finding love add a sense of hope and contrast to Marold’s more somber fate. Aster is characterized as lively and free-spirited, while Frankie’s romantic arc with Marold’s best friend, August, underscores the theme of found family.
Both siblings represent the life Marold could have had if she hadn’t chosen the path of the Honey Witch. Despite this contrast, their relationships with Marold remain strong, showing that familial love and support are central to the story.
Mr. Benny
Mr. Benny, a grandfatherly figure in Marold’s life, serves as another emotional anchor for her. His role as a mentor and friend is significant, as he embodies the wisdom of the older generation and the personal cost of the curse.
His connection to Alia, revealed later in the book, adds to the tragic weight of the curse that haunts Marold’s family. His death is a turning point in the novel, bringing Marold face-to-face with the reality of the curse’s power.
Mr. Benny represents both the past and the legacy of the Honey Witch. His loss contributes to Marold’s growing sense of grief and responsibility.
August
August, Marold’s best friend, is a minor but meaningful character in the novel. His relationship with Frankie adds sweetness and serves as one of the few truly happy romantic pairings in the story.
August is loyal, kind, and supportive, providing Marold with a friendship that remains constant despite the tumult of her life. His presence balances out the darker themes of loss and sacrifice, reminding Marold and the reader that love can still exist in various forms.
The Ash Witch
The Ash Witch is the primary antagonist of the novel, a dark figure responsible for cursing Marold’s family. Her presence looms over the story as a constant threat.
As Marold’s power grows, so does the danger posed by the Ash Witch. She represents the destructive side of magic and the consequences of unchecked power.
Though not deeply explored, the Ash Witch is a crucial force in the narrative. She drives much of the external conflict and pushes Marold toward her final confrontation with the darker side of her inheritance.
Themes
The Tension Between Individual Desire and Familial Duty in the Face of Inherited Power
One of the most significant themes in The Honey Witch is the complex tension between personal desires and the weight of inherited power, represented through Marigold’s journey as the heir to the Honey Witch title. Marigold is confronted with a generational curse that strips her of the ability to experience romantic love if she accepts her role as the Honey Witch, a position tied to her family’s magical legacy.
This dynamic encapsulates the recurring motif of familial duty versus individual freedom, where characters must sacrifice personal fulfillment to uphold family traditions or powers. Marigold’s eventual acceptance of her fate reflects a deeper internal struggle, where she must reconcile her desires for love and autonomy with the responsibility she bears toward her magical lineage.
Her internal conflict also draws attention to the larger social structures that often impose constraints on women through familial or societal expectations. This theme interrogates how power—whether magical or institutional—can strip individuals of personal agency while requiring their participation in preserving it.
The Subversion of Romantic and Magical Realism Through Queer Identity and Social Norms
The novel consciously disrupts the traditional conventions of both romantic realism and magical realism by embedding queer identities into a world where these identities face no societal resistance. This subversion is crucial in destabilizing the reader’s expectations of heteronormative romance, especially in a fantasy historical setting.
The queerness of the romance between Marigold and Lottie is not framed as an obstacle to be overcome but as a natural part of the world’s fabric, aligning with the novel’s implicit challenge to established societal norms. By removing homophobia entirely from the equation, Shields reframes the notion of “forbidden love” away from queerness itself and onto the magical curse that prohibits Marigold from ever finding love, thus intertwining the supernatural with the social.
In this way, The Honey Witch offers a unique blend of magical realism that moves beyond the aesthetic and merges with social commentary on love’s universality in queer relationships. However, this deliberate social construction of a homophobia-free world also exposes contradictions within the narrative’s logic, as the society remains governed by gender-based constraints, like body tattoos, that hint at more rigid patriarchal controls, creating a paradox in the worldbuilding.
The Intersection of Love, Loss, and Self-Sacrifice in the Context of Personal Grief
Grief plays a significant role in the development of The Honey Witch, particularly in how it frames Marigold’s emotional journey. Her loss of her grandmother, the figure who guides her through her magical awakening, is a profound event that shapes her character’s maturation and deepens her connection to the land, magic, and responsibility she inherits.
Shields uses this grief as a tool to explore the complexities of intergenerational trauma and memory, suggesting that magic is not just a power but a burden passed down through generations. Marigold’s mourning process is entwined with the exploration of the curse’s legacy, indicating that loss—whether it is the loss of familial figures, like her grandmother, or potential romantic partners, like Lottie—is an inevitable consequence of power.
Shields layers the theme of grief with an exploration of self-sacrifice. Marigold’s choice to accept the curse of lovelessness is an act of relinquishing her desires for the sake of protecting others.
The Relationship Between Magic, the Natural World, and Female Power as Symbolic Resistance
The intersection of magic and the natural world in The Honey Witch is not merely an aesthetic backdrop for the story’s witchcraft but a critical metaphor for female agency and resistance. Shields infuses the novel’s magic system with a deep connection to the land, particularly through the process of honey-making and the bees that surround Marigold.
These elements serve as symbols of fertility, productivity, and the cyclical nature of life, positioning women’s power as something organic and rooted in nature. The titular “Honey Witch” gains her strength from this intimate connection to the earth, and her ability to influence the environment around her becomes a symbol for the ways in which women, particularly in patriarchal systems, reclaim agency through their relationship with natural cycles and the feminine principle.
The use of honey, a substance that is both sweet and healing, speaks to the nurturing yet potent form of magic that Marigold embodies. This positions the Honey Witch’s power as a form of life-affirming female power, contrasting the darker forces of the Ash Witch, whose powers represent death and destruction.
The Ethical Complexity of Cursed Love in the Dynamics of Sacrificial Relationships
At the heart of The Honey Witch lies a deeply ethical question: Can love that is inherently cursed ever be ethical, or does it demand too great a sacrifice? This question emerges as Marigold grapples with her attraction to Lottie, knowing that their relationship, if pursued, would lead to Lottie’s harm or even death.
The curse that binds the Honey Witch to a life devoid of romantic love presents a moral dilemma—whether to pursue personal happiness at the cost of another’s well-being. This theme introduces a nuanced exploration of sacrificial love, where the ethical considerations of what one is willing to sacrifice for love become central to the narrative.
Marigold’s eventual decision to sever her ties with Lottie for her own protection complicates the traditional notion of love as inherently life-giving or salvific. It suggests that cursed love requires the destruction of one’s desires to preserve the integrity of another.
The Role of Found Family and Alternative Kinship Structures in the Formation of Identity
One of the subtler yet impactful themes in The Honey Witch is the emphasis on found family and alternative kinship structures, particularly in contrast to the traditional, biologically defined family unit. Marigold’s bond with her immediate family, including her siblings Aster and Frankie, and her best friend August, presents an alternative model of kinship that transcends blood ties.
These relationships provide Marigold with emotional support and solidarity, reinforcing the novel’s suggestion that personal identity is often forged through chosen families, especially in times of crisis or isolation. This theme resonates strongly within queer narratives, where found families often play a crucial role in identity formation and emotional survival.
Marigold’s magical role as the Honey Witch also ties her to the land and its spirits, expanding the idea of kinship to include non-human entities. This blurs the lines between human and natural kinship, reflecting an eco-feminist perspective that recognizes the interconnectedness of all living beings in the creation of personal identity.