{"title":"Books by Sydney J. Shields","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780356522548","title":"The Honey Witch","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Reading \u003ci\u003eThe Honey Witch\u003c\/i\u003e is like dreaming in a fragrant sunlit garden while bees sing around you. It's a gorgeous book, with a lovely cottagecore ambience and a heart-warming sapphic romance intertwined with unique magic that enchants the imagination\u003c\/b\u003e' India Holton, internationally bestselling author\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHE NUMBER ONE \u003ci\u003eSUNDAY TIMES \u003c\/i\u003eBESTSELLER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. That is her curse to bear. But when a young woman who doesn't believe in magic arrives on her island, sparks fly in this deliciously sweet debut novel of magic, hope, and love overcoming all.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwenty-one-year-old Marigold Claude 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 price: No one can fall in love with the Honey Witch.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen 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..\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA delicious debut that combines the swoon-worthy romance of \u003ci\u003eBridgerton\u003c\/i\u003e and the whimsical sorcery of \u003ci\u003ePractical Magic\u003c\/i\u003e, with a dash of \u003ci\u003eThe Secret Life of Bees \u003c\/i\u003ethrown in for good fun.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for\u003ci\u003e The Honey Witch\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'As effervescent as a bottle of sparkling mead, \u003ci\u003eThe Honey Witch \u003c\/i\u003echarms with every sentence. Shields writes with a fierce, uncynical honesty that will have you believing in soulmates, uncovering magic everywhere, and embracing your own wildness'\u003c\/b\u003e S.T. Gibson, author of \u003ci\u003eAn Education in Malice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'\u003ci\u003eThe Honey Witch\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e is a sweet feast, brimming with whimsy, magic, and tender longing. . . sugar-glazed and heart warming and thoroughly enjoyable'\u003c\/b\u003e Rachel Gillig, author of \u003ci\u003eOne Dark Window\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e'As sweet and warm as honeyed tea. Shields' debut deftly explores love, loss, and loneliness-and the joy of seeing magic in all things, however small. With charming characters and a lush setting, \u003ci\u003eThe Honey Witch \u003c\/i\u003ewill delight fans of cosy fantasy' Allison Saft, author of \u003ci\u003eA Far Wilder Magic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Gorgeously lyrical and utterly addicting' \u003c\/b\u003eRebecca Thorne, author of \u003ci\u003eCan't Spell Treason Without Tea\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Enchanting, whimsical, and firmly rooted in finding yourself after loss, this novel will break your heart and then soothe it with magic honey. Pour yourself a cup of tea, drizzle in some local honey, and let this decadent book transport you'\u003c\/b\u003e Breanne Randall, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eT\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003ehe Honey Witch\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e will charm you with its setting and its love for all things natural - especially bees! This tale of a young witch dealing with a curse and a battle between dark magic and light, with her romance in the balance, is one all fans of witches and folk magic will love' \u003c\/b\u003eLouisa Morgan, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Secret History of Witches\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Shields has written a cosy confection of a book-full of whimsy, spice, and heart. \u003ci\u003eThe Honey Witch\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e is an ode to love, and just how sweet it can be'\u003c\/b\u003e Maiga Doocy, author of \u003ci\u003eSorcery and Small Magics\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'For anyone who has ever known what the mundane world wants them to be isn't possible or even desirable, \u003ci\u003eThe Honey Witch\u003c\/i\u003e takes a luminous, divergent path'\u003c\/b\u003e  Willa Reece, author of \u003ci\u003eWildwood Magic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55206113247605,"sku":"9780356522548","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780356522548.jpg?v=1786014201"},{"product_id":"9780356522562","title":"An Arcane Study of Stars","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom breakout star Sydney Shields comes \u003ci\u003eAn Arcane Study of Stars\u003c\/i\u003e, a historical dark academia fantasy filled with ancient secret societies, a swoon-worthy rivals-to-lovers romance and dangerous deals made after dark. Perfect for fans of \u003ci\u003eHeavenly Bodies\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Atlas Six\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eClaudia Jolicoeur shouldn't be here.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen she was rejected from Cygnus, her dream occult university, she was supposed to live out her life as the wife of an old man, a pawn sacrificed for her father's debts. But her celestial magic is rare enough to attract a desperate demon named Dorian, and when he offers her a bargain -- acceptance to Cygnus in exchange for his freedom -- she accepts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs Claudia unravels the mystery of Dorian's prison of stars, the only thing standing in her way is the handsome, cruel academic star of Cygnus: Cassius MacLeod. What begins as a fierce rivalry devolves into something deeper, darker and dangerously sensual. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow caught in the centre of an ancient curse, Claudia must decide who she can trust -- and who she must kill. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Utterly transportive and thrilling. Shields is clever as they come, and this the author at her most ambitious and triumphant'\u003c\/b\u003e S. T. Gibson bestselling author of\u003ci\u003e A Dowry of Blood\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e '\u003ci\u003eAn Arcane Study of Stars\u003c\/i\u003e is a deal with the devil like you've never read before. Sharp, clever, spicy; this is the blueprint for dark academia romantasy'\u003c\/b\u003e Breanne Randall, author of\u003ci\u003e The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e '\u003cb\u003eAn atmospheric and devastating tale. . . This magical, phenomenal novel will keep you guessing until your last second at Cygnus'\u003c\/b\u003e Kamilah Cole, \u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eAn Arcane Inheritance\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e 'Gothic, gripping and utterly spellbinding' \u003c\/b\u003eHazel McBride, author of\u003ci\u003e A Fate Forged in Fire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e 'Glitters with the lush atmosphere and heart. . . written in prose so sharp it sinks its teeth into you and takes a bite out of your soul'\u003c\/b\u003e Callie Rowland, author of\u003ci\u003e Fields of Asphodel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":56367995912565,"sku":"9780356522562","price":22.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57682759319925,"sku":"9780356522586","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780356522562_aede5529-3996-4d4d-bc35-e4a82b6f5696.jpg?v=1792511647"},{"product_id":"immortal-summer","title":"Immortal Summer","description":null,"brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57763384820085,"sku":"9780008809782","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":57763142599029,"sku":"9780008809775","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-sydney-j-shields.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}