– goodreads –
As sweet and delicious and comforting as honey. It’s very rare I buy a book minutes after having heard of it (thanks Womble!), or that I start it immediately after buying. But how could I ever say no to another potential addition to the slice of life list? To folklore? Beekeeping? 18th century vibes? A queernorm world? The target audience here is me. Of course I enjoyed it.
Lowen is a simple village boy. When he kills a strangely behaving bee, he is suddenly summoned to Honeymoore Manor, where Tamorna Rosen Roane who is both Lord and Lady expects him to work off his debt. He is given a fancy room, new clothes, and a bee that follows him everywhere, and sent to help whoever of the staff he can. And perhaps, he might find out who the Lord and Lady really is.
I’m very much on a slice of life kick right now, and this is another one of those books where nothing happens in the best possible way. Most of the book is just Lowen helping fellow servants, attending a ball, a short visit back to his family (can I just say how much I appreciate when a fantasy protagonist has loving parents?), falling for another boy along the way…all of the good small scale stuff. I guessed nearly all the plot twists way ahead of time, but it didn’t bother me too much – it’s not what I was in for.
I also really liked the worldbuilding. The setting is inspired by Cornish folklore and the writing style really added to the atmosphere. It felt very much like a longer fairytale. As Lowen gets closer to unravelling the mystery, the pacing speeds up, but it never loses the relaxing vibe.
Highly recommended. Their Heart a Hive deserves more far more buzz.
Enjoyment: 4.5/5
Execution: 4/5
Recommended to: fellow slice of life fans, cottagecore enthusiasts, those who are looking for a queernorm world and/or like bees, anyone looking for a comfy, easy read
Not recommended to: genuinely not sure what to say here, if you’re annoyed by obvious plot twists?
Content warnings: some body horror
To Other Worlds 