Hundred Years of Honey

The story opens with Althea Murr, the Honey Witch, celebrating her hundredth birthday alone beneath a wisteria tree, her cat in her lap, and the bees singing around her. She reflects on her long life, the magic she's wielded, and the sacrifices she's made. The arrival of a crow signals her impending death, and she knows she must prepare for the end of her era. The tone is bittersweet, filled with nostalgia and the weight of unfulfilled wishes. Althea's connection to the land and her role as its magical guardian are palpable, setting the stage for the generational story of inheritance, magic, and the cost of power. The chapter is suffused with longing, memory, and the quiet acceptance of mortality.

The Ball and the Meadow

Marigold Claude, a young woman in Bardshire, is forced to attend a ball she dreads, feeling out of place among her talented family and society's expectations. She supports her siblings, endures matchmaking attempts, and is haunted by memories of her grandmother's cottage and a mysterious childhood friend. After the ball, she escapes to a moonlit meadow, where she communes with a magical spirit, Lunasia, and feels a deep connection to the wild. The contrast between the suffocating world of the ball and the freedom of the meadow highlights Marigold's yearning for authenticity and belonging. Her secret rituals under the full moon hint at a hidden legacy and a destiny she cannot yet name.

Omen of the Crow

Marigold returns home to find her estranged grandmother, Althea, arguing with her mother, Raina, about Marigold's future. The confrontation reveals a legacy of magic passed through the women of their family, a curse that forbids love, and a history of violence with the Ash Witch, Versa. Marigold learns she is a Honey Witch, destined to inherit both power and sacrifice. The chapter is charged with generational pain, the burden of secrets, and the tension between protection and autonomy. Marigold's longing for answers is finally met, but the truth is both liberating and terrifying, as she must choose between love and magic.

Secrets in the Bloodline

With her grandmother's health failing, Marigold agrees to undergo the ritual to awaken her full powers as a Honey Witch. Her father, understanding and supportive, helps her escape her mother's control. The journey through the woods to the meadow is fraught with risk and nostalgia. The ritual itself is transformative: Marigold drinks enchanted honey and, for the first time, sees the world of spirits and magic unveiled. She feels whole, finally understanding her place in the world. The chapter is filled with awe, fear, and the bittersweet joy of embracing one's true self, even as it means leaving behind the familiar.

The Ritual of Becoming

Marigold and Althea must sneak away from the family estate, aided by her siblings and father, to avoid her mother's wrath. The escape is tense, but ultimately successful. The family's emotional farewells are laced with love, regret, and hope. Marigold's journey to Innisfree with her grandmother is both a physical and spiritual passage, marking the end of her old life and the beginning of her new one. The chapter is suffused with the pain of separation, the excitement of adventure, and the solemnity of inheriting a sacred duty. Marigold's resolve is tested, but she is buoyed by the promise of purpose and belonging.

Farewell to Bardshire

Arriving in Innisfree, Marigold is introduced to the magical land, its spirit guardians, and the community that relies on the Honey Witch. She reunites with August, her childhood friend, and meets his companions, including the enigmatic Lottie. The land is beautiful but fraught with challenges, as Marigold must quickly learn to heal, protect, and serve. A crisis with a local woman, Caoimhe, tests her abilities and resolve. The chapter explores themes of community, healing, and the daunting responsibility of power. Marigold's sense of inadequacy is confronted by the urgent needs of those around her, and she begins to find her footing as an apprentice witch.

Innisfree's Hidden Magic

Under Althea's guidance, Marigold learns the intricacies of beekeeping, spellcraft, and the delicate balance of the land. She discovers the importance of different honeys, the role of spirit guardians, and the rituals that protect Innisfree. The work is exhausting but deeply rewarding, and Marigold's confidence grows. She is also confronted with the loneliness of her new life, the limitations of her curse, and the bittersweet knowledge that her grandmother's time is running out. The chapter is rich with sensory detail, the rhythms of magical labor, and the slow, painful process of letting go.

The Honey Witch's Apprentice

As Althea's health declines, Marigold takes on more responsibility, learning to comfort, heal, and lead. The inevitable comes: Althea dies, leaving Marigold devastated and alone. The land mourns with her, and the spirit guardians offer solace. Marigold's grief is raw and consuming, but she is comforted by the knowledge that her grandmother's love endures in the land and in herself. The chapter is a meditation on loss, legacy, and the ways in which love persists beyond death. Marigold's transformation from apprentice to Honey Witch is complete, but the cost is profound.

Love, Loss, and Letters

In the months after Althea's death, Marigold struggles with isolation, longing for her family and for meaningful companionship. Letters to and from her siblings offer comfort, but also highlight the distance between her old and new lives. The arrival of Lottie and August as guests brings both joy and tension, as Marigold is drawn to Lottie's impossible presence. The chapter explores the ache of loneliness, the hope of new relationships, and the persistent shadow of the curse. Marigold's yearning for love is both a source of strength and vulnerability.

The Impossible Girl

Marigold's relationship with Lottie deepens, fraught with attraction, misunderstanding, and the ever-present threat of the curse. Lottie's skepticism about magic is slowly eroded by the wonders of Innisfree and her growing feelings for Marigold. The two women circle each other, drawn together by longing and kept apart by fear. The chapter is electric with tension, the push and pull of desire and denial, and the slow revelation of Lottie's own secrets. Marigold's heart is awakened, but the cost of love is ever more apparent.

The Curse and the Spell

A night of vulnerability leads Marigold to confess the truth of her curse to Lottie and August. The revelation is met with disbelief, pity, and a desperate hope for a way out. Marigold's longing for love is laid bare, and Lottie's resistance to magic is finally broken. The two women attempt to defy the curse, but the consequences are immediate and devastating. The chapter is a crucible of emotion, testing the boundaries of love, magic, and fate. The pain of wanting what cannot be is palpable, and the hope for a miracle is both foolish and irresistible.

Storms, Ash, and Betrayal

Marigold is haunted by visions of fire and destruction, omens of the Ash Witch's approach. Lottie's own nightmares and mysterious actions reveal a deeper connection to the enemy. The land begins to sicken, the spirit guardians are corrupted, and Marigold's sense of safety is shattered. The chapter is suffused with dread, the slow encroachment of evil, and the realization that betrayal may come from within. Marigold's trust in herself, her magic, and those she loves is tested to the breaking point.

The Masquerade's Temptation

At a masquerade in Bardshire, Marigold and Lottie's passion ignites, but the curse exacts its price. Their love is both a source of power and destruction, unleashing storms and fire. The Ash Witch's influence grows, and the boundaries between love and ruin blur. The chapter is a fever dream of longing, fear, and the desperate attempt to seize happiness in the face of doom. The consequences of defiance are immediate and brutal, and Marigold is forced to confront the true cost of her heart's desire.

The Price of Power

The Ash Witch's attack devastates Innisfree, destroying the apiary, corrupting the landvættir, and desecrating Althea's grave. Marigold is consumed by guilt, forced to send Lottie away to protect her. The pain of loss is overwhelming, and the sense of failure is absolute. The chapter is a reckoning with the limits of power, the inevitability of loss, and the impossibility of love under a curse. Marigold's isolation is complete, and the future seems hopeless.

The Ash Witch Returns

Lottie is revealed to be the Ash Witch's granddaughter, manipulated into betraying Innisfree. Versa returns, wielding both power and cruelty, and demands Marigold's surrender. The two women are forced to choose between love and survival, between sacrifice and resistance. The chapter is a crescendo of tension, as the past and present collide, and the fate of Innisfree hangs in the balance. The battle lines are drawn, and the cost of victory is made clear.

The Battle for Innisfree

The final confrontation between Marigold, Lottie, and Versa is brutal and transformative. The landvættir are corrupted, the cottage is destroyed, and Marigold is pushed to the brink of death. Lottie's love and newfound power become the key to breaking the curse and defeating the Ash Witch. The chapter is a whirlwind of pain, sacrifice, and the desperate fight for freedom. The cost is immense, but the possibility of redemption and renewal emerges from the ashes.

Sacrifice and Resurrection

Marigold dies and is reunited with Althea and Mr. Benny in a liminal afterlife. She is offered the choice to stay or return to the world and to Lottie. Guided by love and the promise of a future, she chooses to live. Lottie's magic revives her, and the two women are finally free to love each other without fear. The chapter is a meditation on loss, legacy, and the power of love to transcend even death. The world is remade, and hope is restored.

A New Spring Dawns

In the aftermath of the battle, Marigold and Lottie rebuild Innisfree, surrounded by friends and the memory of those they have lost. The land is renewed, the apiary thrives, and the spirit guardians are restored. The two women, now soulmates in truth and magic, look to the future with hope and determination. The story ends with the promise of new life, new love, and the enduring power of the Honey Witch's legacy.

Characters

Marigold Claude

Marigold is the protagonist, a young woman caught between the expectations of her artistic family and her own sense of otherness. She is sensitive, stubborn, and deeply connected to the natural world. Her journey is one of self-discovery, as she learns of her magical inheritance and the curse that forbids her from being loved. Marigold's relationships—with her grandmother, her family, and especially Lottie—are marked by longing, vulnerability, and the struggle to reconcile desire with duty. Her development is shaped by grief, sacrifice, and the eventual acceptance of her power and her heart. Marigold's arc is a testament to the courage required to claim one's destiny, even at great personal cost.

Lottie Burke

Lottie is introduced as August's prickly, skeptical friend, resistant to magic and fiercely independent. Beneath her sharp exterior lies deep pain: orphaned young, marked by trauma, and desperate for belonging. Lottie's journey is one of gradual softening, as she is drawn to Marigold and forced to confront the reality of magic—and her own magical heritage as the Ash Witch's granddaughter. Her resistance to the curse, her artistic talent, and her capacity for love make her both a threat and a salvation. Lottie's relationship with Marigold is electric, fraught with danger and longing, and ultimately redemptive. Her arc is about reclaiming agency, embracing vulnerability, and choosing love over legacy.

Althea Murr

Althea is the original Honey Witch, a century-old guardian of Innisfree and the source of Marigold's magical inheritance. Wise, eccentric, and fiercely protective, she embodies the tension between tradition and change. Althea's relationship with her daughter and granddaughter is marked by love, regret, and the burden of secrets. Her death is a pivotal moment, forcing Marigold to step into her role and confront the realities of power and loss. Althea's presence lingers throughout the story, a symbol of the enduring strength of women and the sacrifices required to protect what matters most.

Raina Claude (née Murr)

Raina is Marigold's mother, a former Honey Witch who gave up her magic for love. Her relationship with Marigold is fraught with fear, secrecy, and the desperate desire to keep her daughter safe. Raina's own trauma—surviving the Ash Witch's attack, losing her mother, and bearing the curse—shapes her actions and her inability to let go. Her arc is one of painful acceptance, as she learns to trust Marigold's choices and reconcile with her own past. Raina embodies the generational wounds and the hope for healing.

August Owens

August is Marigold's childhood companion, a gentle, open-hearted young man who serves as a link between Bardshire and Innisfree. His easy friendship, romantic entanglements, and unwavering support provide Marigold with comfort and perspective. August's own journey—finding love, supporting Lottie, and embracing the magic of Innisfree—mirrors Marigold's search for belonging. He is a stabilizing force, a reminder of the importance of chosen family and the power of kindness.

Versa (The Ash Witch)

Versa is the Ash Witch, Althea's ancient rival and Lottie's grandmother. Consumed by the desire for immortality and power, she is both a cautionary tale and a formidable threat. Versa's magic is the opposite of the Honey Witch's: where honey heals, ash destroys. Her manipulation of Lottie, her attacks on Innisfree, and her role in the family curse make her a complex villain, driven by loss and the refusal to accept the limits of life. Versa's defeat is both a personal and cosmic victory, restoring balance and breaking the cycle of pain.

Mr. Benny

Mr. Benny is Althea's devoted friend and, as revealed, her true soulmate, separated by the curse. His quiet strength, practical wisdom, and unwavering loyalty make him a surrogate grandfather to Marigold. Benny's story is one of love denied, memory lost, and the quiet heroism of care. His death is a profound loss, but his reunion with Althea in the afterlife offers a note of hope and closure.

Frankie Claude

Frankie is Marigold's younger brother, a talented musician and a source of warmth and humor. His struggles with identity, love, and belonging mirror Marigold's own journey. Frankie's eventual romance with August is a subplot that reinforces the story's themes of chosen family, acceptance, and the courage to pursue happiness.

Aster Claude

Aster is Marigold's younger sister, a gifted singer and the family's golden child. Her early marriage and societal success contrast with Marigold's outsider status, but their bond remains strong. Aster's arc is one of support, understanding, and the quiet strength of sisterhood.

The Landvættir (Spirit Guardians)

The landvættir—Lunasia, Talaya, Yliza, Odessa, Chesha—are spirit guardians of Innisfree, each tied to a part of the land and its magic. Their well-being mirrors the state of the world, and their transformations signal danger or healing. They are both characters and symbols, embodying the interconnectedness of magic, nature, and the human heart.

Plot Devices

Generational Magic and Curses

The story's central device is the inheritance of magic through the female line, accompanied by a curse that forbids love. This structure creates tension between desire and duty, autonomy and legacy. The curse is both a literal and metaphorical barrier, shaping the choices and fates of the characters. The interplay between Honey and Ash magic—healing and destruction—serves as a metaphor for the cycles of trauma and renewal within families and communities.

Duality and Opposites

The narrative is built on oppositions: the nurturing magic of honey versus the consuming power of ash; the longing for love versus the necessity of sacrifice; the safety of home versus the call of the wild. These dualities are embodied in the characters, their relationships, and the land itself. The story uses these contrasts to explore the complexity of identity, the inevitability of change, and the possibility of reconciliation.

Foreshadowing and Omens

The use of omens—crows, red skies, flickering lights—creates a sense of impending doom and guides the characters' actions. Dreams and visions serve as both warnings and revelations, blurring the line between reality and magic. The narrative structure weaves these elements throughout, building tension and deepening the emotional stakes.

Letters and Memory

Letters between Marigold and her family, as well as the legacy of Althea's journals and Lottie's sketchbook, serve as anchors for memory, connection, and the transmission of knowledge. The act of writing and remembering is both a comfort and a burden, shaping the characters' understanding of themselves and their place in the world.

The Land as Character

The land of Innisfree is more than a setting; it is a living character, responsive to the actions and emotions of its guardians. Its health reflects the state of the characters' hearts, and its protection is both a duty and a source of power. The destruction and renewal of the land mirror the cycles of loss and healing in the narrative.

Analysis

The Honey Witch is a lush, emotionally charged reimagining of the classic witch's tale, blending historical fantasy with queer romance and intergenerational trauma. At its heart, the novel interrogates the tension between autonomy and inheritance, the price of magic, and the possibility of breaking cycles of pain. Shields crafts a world where the land and its guardians are inseparable, and where the greatest magic is the courage to love in the face of loss. The curse that forbids love is both a literal obstacle and a metaphor for the ways in which trauma and expectation can isolate us from happiness. The story's resolution—achieved through sacrifice, self-knowledge, and the willingness to choose love even when it seems impossible—offers a hopeful vision of healing and renewal. The novel's queer love story is both tender and fierce, challenging the boundaries of fate and the limits of what we are told we can have. Ultimately, The Honey Witch is a celebration of wildness, resilience, and the enduring power of women's stories to transform the world.

Last updated: January 11, 2026