Name: stevie's review of Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
Item: Her Majesty's Royal Coven
Rating: 0.5
Author: stevie

Juno Dawson

A Discovery of Witches meets The Craft in this the first installment of this epic fantasy trilogy about a group of childhood friends who are also witches. If you look hard enough at old photographs, we’re there in the background: healers in the trenches; Suffragettes; Bletchley Park oracles; land girls and resistance fighters. Why is it we help in times of crisis? We have a gift. We are stronger than Mundanes, plain and simple. At the dawn of their adolescence, on the eve of the summer solstice, four young girls--Helena, Leonie, Niamh and Elle--took the oath to join Her Majesty's Royal Coven, established by Queen Elizabeth I as a covert government department. Now, decades later, the witch community is still reeling from a civil war and Helena is now the reigning High Priestess of the organization. Yet Helena is the only one of her friend group still enmeshed in the stale bureaucracy of HMRC. Elle is trying to pretend she's a normal housewife, and Niamh has become a country vet, using her powers to heal sick animals. In what Helena perceives as the deepest betrayal, Leonie has defected to start her own more inclusive and intersectional coven, Diaspora. And now Helena has a bigger problem. A young warlock of extraordinary capabilities has been captured by authorities and seems to threaten the very existence of HMRC. With conflicting beliefs over the best course of action, the four friends must decide where their loyalties lie: with preserving tradition, or doing what is right. Juno Dawson explores gender and the corrupting nature of power in a delightful and provocative story of magic and matriarchy, friendship and feminism. Dealing with all the aspects of contemporary womanhood, as well as being phenomenally powerful witches, Niamh, Helena, Leonie and Elle may have grown apart but they will always be bound by the sisterhood of the coven.

A Novel

Her Majesty's Royal Coven

Fable

Ellie 

she always made much more of an effort when she was going out with her girl-friends. A compliment from a woman means twice as much as one from a man. She wore makeup less and less over time, but she still enjoyed the language of it. Like witchcraft, it was a tongue spoken predominantly by women - a secret Esperanto most men couldn't follow.

Unthinkable then, but funny how even the most dreadful things can become thinkable. And in such a short amount of time. It was shameful

You often hunger for things that arent especially good for you, and that's what she felt about this place. A place that hadn't really wanted her. 

Jenn

Natalie 

 They all looked to her for answers, answers she didn't always have. She was just a woman who stepped up in a moment of deluded bravado. Gods, this must be  how men feel all the time.

Suzanne

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

stevie

I wanted to like this book so much more than I did but unfortunately it is a bang average book. The general plot and premise is good but I felt Helena was very 2D and that her escalation in behaviour was not as gradual as it could have been. The trans storyline was good and a nice twist on the usual coven-problems. While i liked the characters and enjoyed the book, some of the writing seemed lazy and I was not able to look past that. That being said, I did enjoy reading this book but I will not be continuing the series.

Soph

Oh my gods, this book was completely and utterly jaw dropping

The sisterhood, the difficulties of LGBTQIA+, the hatred the WITCHINESS

I can't put in to words how much this book gripped me, from the fighting to the twists and turns. I love each and every character with my whole being, as soon as I finished it I outwardly screamed "I HAVE TO GET THE SECOND ONE"

Megan McMillan

Oh my gods, this book was completely and utterly jaw dropping

The sisterhood, the difficulties of LGBTQIA+, the hatred the WITCHINESS

I can't put in to words how much this book gripped me, from the fighting to the twists and turns. I love each and every character with my whole being, as soon as I finished it I outwardly screamed "I HAVE TO GET THE SECOND ONE"

fris🐝

Read this without any prior knowledge, purely picked it because of the title + I’d be listening to the glorious voice of Nicola Coughlan. But the idea of a trans witch - and its execution - was phenomenal! The story was a bit slow-paced at the beginning but it more than made up for it. 

Kierce

ophelia ross 

Her Majesty's Royal Coven was a fantastic read! It was a little slower paced while the world and magic got established, but after about 50%, the pacing picked right up, and it was impossible to put the book down. The writing reads a little bit more to the YA side, but it's dealing with so many really heavy and signicant themes that make it more adult reading.

I loved the characters, especially Niamh, who I found more relatable for me, and Theo, who was such an interesting character, and I felt had an incredible character arch in this book!

What the hell is that ending, though? I needed the sequel yesterday!

Victoria Justice

Her Majesty's Royal Coven was a fantastic read! It was a little slower paced while the world and magic got established, but after about 50%, the pacing picked right up, and it was impossible to put the book down. The writing reads a little bit more to the YA side, but it's dealing with so many really heavy and signicant themes that make it more adult reading.

I loved the characters, especially Niamh, who I found more relatable for me, and Theo, who was such an interesting character, and I felt had an incredible character arch in this book!

What the hell is that ending, though? I needed the sequel yesterday!

I bought this for the title and I was not disappointed. I wasn’t expecting such diverse queer rep in this book but I’m so happy it was there and so well done. I feel like this book despite being about witches had some really good conversations about race, gender and sexuality. The story itself was also impeccable and I loved the different POV’s of all the mc’s! I definitely recommend this if you like witches and queer fic it was really tense and gripping!

I was NOT ready for that cliffhanger omg! Imma need the next book asap!

Beatriz Aguiar

this book is amazing wow
i loved the setting, the characters, the wit. it was so funny without interfering with the clear dark themes and important topics that are the undercurrents of this book. 
while telling a goddamned good story, juno also expertly touches on social issues and the mix of the two just made my heart sing with joy that's how good this book was to me.
i can't believe i have to wait almost a full year for me to get my hands on the second book. i'm distraught

grace richards

god the conversations about trans people in this book are incredible. also what the fuck? i knew it was coming because i accidentally read the synopsis of book 2 but i’m actually going throw myself down a flight of stairs???

This is a really great book if you are looking for a more inclusive LGBTQ+ friendly world of witches.
The book centers on a group of witches who grew up together in a small village. Each chapter is written from a different person, so you really get a lot of background.
The book started off a bit slow, but the oracles predict a demon will soon inhabit a witch or wizard and kill all the witches. Each person tackles this a different way, especially when a child might have been found who will channel that demon. 
I really enjoyed reading a more inclusive book, and adding a new layer to a witch story. I'm very excited to read the next to books.

book provided by NetGalley

This book states that it follows the lives of four young girls who are witches who grow up and begin to branch out and follow different paths in life. They have a conflict that brings them back together and they must decide if their loyalties lie in tradition or doing what’s right.

I find that this book really didn’t follow the plot it set up for at the beginning. The plot began with a child demon that was going to take over the world and destroy it, but somehow the entire book was about a transgender witch and not really about the demon/witches saving the world. And I find that the book was a bit all over the place with what was happening.

It seemed to me the writer was trying too hard to make the LGBTQ community the focus of the book without actually telling the reader in the description that it was about the LGBTQ community. She made it seem like it would have a good plot and then she didn’t follow through.

Brooke McBride

This book states that it follows the lives of four young girls who are witches who grow up and begin to branch out and follow different paths in life. They have a conflict that brings them back together and they must decide if their loyalties lie in tradition or doing what’s right.

I find that this book really didn’t follow the plot it set up for at the beginning. The plot began with a child demon that was going to take over the world and destroy it, but somehow the entire book was about a transgender witch and not really about the demon/witches saving the world. And I find that the book was a bit all over the place with what was happening.

It seemed to me the writer was trying too hard to make the LGBTQ community the focus of the book without actually telling the reader in the description that it was about the LGBTQ community. She made it seem like it would have a good plot and then she didn’t follow through.

I flipping loved this*. A fast-moving adventure full of ancient covens, modern problems, long-lived friendships, captivating characters, an excellently diverse cast (including all the queer witches you could hope for), and even a sprinkling of romance here and there. Witches with iPhones are terrifying and delightful in equal measure. Half a star taken off for the moments when Dawson lectures her readers, making her characters a mouthpiece for her rage against transphobes - understandable, but this is a magical story, and there might have been ways to be a bit more subtle through metaphor. But that didn’t happen often, and the rest of this gorgeous tale outshone those moments brilliantly. My only regret is reading the first book in a series a couple of months after it was published, and facing an interminable wait for Book 2. I need more Niamh, Theo, Leonie, Elle, Chanara, Holly and the others, soon.

Naomi J.

I flipping loved this*. A fast-moving adventure full of ancient covens, modern problems, long-lived friendships, captivating characters, an excellently diverse cast (including all the queer witches you could hope for), and even a sprinkling of romance here and there. Witches with iPhones are terrifying and delightful in equal measure. Half a star taken off for the moments when Dawson lectures her readers, making her characters a mouthpiece for her rage against transphobes - understandable, but this is a magical story, and there might have been ways to be a bit more subtle through metaphor. But that didn’t happen often, and the rest of this gorgeous tale outshone those moments brilliantly. My only regret is reading the first book in a series a couple of months after it was published, and facing an interminable wait for Book 2. I need more Niamh, Theo, Leonie, Elle, Chanara, Holly and the others, soon.

*To be read in Leonie’s voice

i picked this up from the library and literally within 5 days, her madge passed away so make of this what you will.

i so wished this to be good. i cannot help but feel it could have been wittier, snarkier and cleverer; the prose could have been more grabbing and atmospheric; it really could have been a perfect book.

regardless, even such shortcomings, what is keeping it from greatness even more is how unfocused it felt. the book features are pretty clear allegory of current transphobia in the uk (especially as spearheaded by ms jkr, the hateful witch herself) and this directly feeds into the main plot. in spite of this, the two elements - the commentary on transphobia and the central plot do not seem to integrate into each other as well as one would expect. in fact, it nearly feels like they get into each other's way (e.g. many a time it felt like the sullied child and imminent danger questions got put on hold to discuss the gender of one of the characters, even though that in itself would determine whether they were the sullied child or not).

i cannot help but feel that a more focused book could have done this better and kept the plot moving. it is quite clear that the author primarily wanted this to be a book about the bigotry trans people - and especially trans women - face in the uk and use witches (preconceptions about whom have historically been strongly linked to femininity) and this could have been a great subversive story. but it really appears like the author or the editor thought there should also be an end-of-the-world kind of plot and that was only an afterthought. (a book that does this more seamlessly is '

this sort of carries on into other issues with the novel. it is great that it puts a spotlight on transness but otherwise looking at the main cast, it is primarily white and straight. leonie makes a point about how undiverse the hmrc is and sets up her own coven but she is the p.o.v. with whom we spend the least time and whose work feels pushed to the side. (there are also a couple of political comments that appear naive in the context of what the novel is trying to achieve and the current political climate - e.g. setting the hmrc up to have a big refugee programme when the uk has been incredibly hostile to immigrants, especially refugees.)

the discussions regarding matters of diversity and bigotry are further diminished by the novel committing the ultimate sin - making them speak like twitter threads. much to its detriment, this definitely takes away from the points the novel is trying to make. it makes the novel, as a whole, feel gimmicky which i know it was not intended.

regardless, i do not think the book is bad - there are some good ideas and good intentions in there. for some, it may still be worth a shot. i am just really sorry to see that it did not reach its full potential.

i picked this up from the library and literally within 5 days, her madge passed away so make of this what you will.

i so wished this to be good. i cannot help but feel it could have been wittier, snarkier and cleverer; the prose could have been more grabbing and atmospheric; it really could have been a perfect book.

regardless, even such shortcomings, what is keeping it from greatness even more is how unfocused it felt. the book features are pretty clear allegory of current transphobia in the uk (especially as spearheaded by ms jkr, the hateful witch herself) and this directly feeds into the main plot. in spite of this, the two elements - the commentary on transphobia and the central plot do not seem to integrate into each other as well as one would expect. in fact, it nearly feels like they get into each other's way (e.g. many a time it felt like the sullied child and imminent danger questions got put on hold to discuss the gender of one of the characters, even though that in itself would determine whether they were the sullied child or not).

i cannot help but feel that a more focused book could have done this better and kept the plot moving. it is quite clear that the author primarily wanted this to be a book about the bigotry trans people - and especially trans women - face in the uk and use witches (preconceptions about whom have historically been strongly linked to femininity) and this could have been a great subversive story. but it really appears like the author or the editor thought there should also be an end-of-the-world kind of plot and that was only an afterthought. (a book that does this more seamlessly is 'cemetery boys').

this sort of carries on into other issues with the novel. it is great that it puts a spotlight on transness but otherwise looking at the main cast, it is primarily white and straight. leonie makes a point about how undiverse the hmrc is and sets up her own coven but she is the p.o.v. with whom we spend the least time and whose work feels pushed to the side. (there are also a couple of political comments that appear naive in the context of what the novel is trying to achieve and the current political climate - e.g. setting the hmrc up to have a big refugee programme when the uk has been incredibly hostile to immigrants, especially refugees.)

the discussions regarding matters of diversity and bigotry are further diminished by the novel committing the ultimate sin - making them speak like twitter threads. much to its detriment, this definitely takes away from the points the novel is trying to make. it makes the novel, as a whole, feel gimmicky which i know it was not intended.

regardless, i do not think the book is bad - there are some good ideas and good intentions in there. for some, it may still be worth a shot. i am just really sorry to see that it did not reach its full potential.

TW: transphobia, TERFs, misogyny, familial abuse, death, eating disorder (mention), conversion therapy (mention), sex (semi-explicit), birthing process (mention), drug and alcohol use, drugging of a minor, gore (prophesied), cheating, self-harm (mention), spousal abuse (mention), manipulation, literal satanic panic, possible fatphobia?

3.75 stars, rounded up. Loveeeeeed this book. Doesn’t pull you in until about halfway through. Feels like a breath of fresh air compared to the vitriol from another fantasy author. This is the author’s first adult novel — I believe — and can’t wait to see her grow more into this genre. Found family!!!! It has the representation that is often lacking in fantasy, but there are issues IMO surrounding identity politics re: race and possible fatphobia. The POC queer characters often feel like they’re a result of tokenism, which is quite unfortunate.

(Bre)anne✨

TW: transphobia, TERFs, misogyny, familial abuse, death, eating disorder (mention), conversion therapy (mention), sex (semi-explicit), birthing process (mention), drug and alcohol use, drugging of a minor, gore (prophesied), cheating, self-harm (mention), spousal abuse (mention), manipulation, literal satanic panic, possible fatphobia?

3.75 stars, rounded up. Loveeeeeed this book. Doesn’t pull you in until about halfway through. Feels like a breath of fresh air compared to the vitriol from another fantasy author. This is the author’s first adult novel — I believe — and can’t wait to see her grow more into this genre. Found family!!!! It has the representation that is often lacking in fantasy, but there are issues IMO surrounding identity politics re: race and possible fatphobia. The POC queer characters often feel like they’re a result of tokenism, which is quite unfortunate.

Carrington Kinslow

** spoiler alert **
           This had a REALLY strong start. I thought I’d be giving it 4 or maybe even 5 stars. I loved the characters, I loved the magic, and I really loved all of their relationships with one another. 

But unfortunately, at about halfway through, the book took a turn for the worse. It got incredibly boring and just…. dull. I suddenly didn’t care about anything going on anymore because it was so dragged out or just uneventful. 

And then, I started to really hate the characters. Helena for obvious reasons, she’s a TERF. But then when it’s revealed that Elle’s husband is cheating on her, and that Leonie and Niamh KNOW ABOUT IT…. Yeah. I was officially done. They kept refusing to tell her because they didn’t want her to not be happy. And then they just threaten him to make him stop cheating. It was so stupid and shitty. What terrible friends. But then the whole rest of the book is them talking about how much the three of them love and adore each other and how they will always protect one another. Give me a break. Pretty inconsistent and honestly, laughable writing from Juno Dawson. What a downright shit cast of characters.

For the cheating and shitty friend group alone, I took my rating down from 3 stars to 2. It is also the sole reason I won’t read the next book.

But not a 1 star because this was still a great message about intersectionality and trans rights.

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven - 2/5 Stars

This is Not my Normal Genre of Writing but having loved Juno Dawsons’s other writing I knew that I needed to pick this one up and give it a read and honestly, I felt a little lost through the book itself and I’m happy to say that this was me and not the writing at all.

This is a Multiple POV Book that for me personally was far too many characters to keep up, I found the first 60% of the book a complete wash and the last 40% picked up a little by I think by that point I had already missed key points that I should have picked up along the way. In Terms of Character, they are also connected in multiple way, and it makes it extremely difficult to keep track with who is related to who and what their relationship is. 

I found the Language and Witchy phrases super difficult to understand and get my head around. 

This book was exhausting. It was all at once too much and not enough, But I’m putting the blame on me as a Reader so Honestly if this book Sounds like it’s up your Street pick it up - Don’t let me put you off.

Ian Brakspear

This is Not my Normal Genre of Writing but having loved Juno Dawsons’s other writing I knew that I needed to pick this one up and give it a read and honestly, I felt a little lost through the book itself and I’m happy to say that this was me and not the writing at all.

 

This is a Multiple POV Book that for me personally was far too many characters to keep up, I found the first 60% of the book a complete wash and the last 40% picked up a little by I think by that point I had already missed key points that I should have picked up along the way. In Terms of Character, they are also connected in multiple way, and it makes it extremely difficult to keep track with who is related to who and what their relationship is. 

 

I found the Language and Witchy phrases super difficult to understand and get my head around. 

 

This book was exhausting. It was all at once too much and not enough, But I’m putting the blame on me as a Reader so Honestly if this book Sounds like it’s up your Street pick it up - Don’t let me put you off.

Nicole Robinson

Avery Baumel

Really excellent world building and the characters were absolutely amazing. -1 because it just wasn’t THAT interesting and I hated the ending. But I really liked it (esp Theo’s arc)

I really enjoyed this book and the characters. I founf myself staying up late to finish as I had to know what happened.

I really enjoyed this book and the characters. I founf myself staying up late to finish as I had to know what happened.

Cant wait for book 2 in the series

This book really is just not for me. It reads more as a contemporary novel with magical elements than a fantasy book. 

There is a super unique atmosphere throughout this one. It was really great to read about England/Ireland in a fantasy setting. With cozy witches cottages and high rise magical institutions. Her Majesty's Royal Coven is about saving the world while saving yourself. Its about picking up the bits and pieces of your life even when its been shattered time and time again.

Great books with a Great narrator - just not one for me

Alice Hyman

This book really is just not for me. It reads more as a contemporary novel with magical elements than a fantasy book. 

There is a super unique atmosphere throughout this one. It was really great to read about England/Ireland in a fantasy setting. With cozy witches cottages and high rise magical institutions. Her Majesty's Royal Coven is about saving the world while saving yourself. Its about picking up the bits and pieces of your life even when its been shattered time and time again.

Great books with a Great narrator - just not one for me

Fun, fast, and an outrageously witchy good time!

Deborah Kerr

This is exactly what I needed it to be.

Fun, fast, and an outrageously witchy good time!

Heather Harrington

I wanted to love this so badly. The premise? So fun. The cover? So eye-catching. The witchy vibes? So cool. But it didn't do it for me. I thought the writing was bland and a little boring at times. The characters could've been developed more, and this may have been because I listened to the audiobook, but I thought they were hard to differentiate. All four of them just blended into one. What I did like was the representation and the conversations surrounding trans people. I thought Dawson did a good job breaking down the barriers and prejudices people may have towards the trans community. Despite feeling like the plot could've used some work, I liked the ending and will most likely continue with the series.

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson