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Told from the POV's of our four friends, Niamh, Helena, Leonie and Elle, we see lots of different versions of the HMRC. Though there is plenty of romance in this book, both straight and queer, the main relationships Dawson showcases is that of family, both through blood and circumstance. A big theme in this book is what it means to be a woman, is it biology that makes you one, or can you choose to become one at will. Her Majesty’s Royal Coven is a fast paced, well crafted page turner in which we get introduced to five friends who are witches - and ceremonially accorded their status when they’re tweens. But what Dawson does brilliantly is show the physical use of magic through her descriptive writing, every scene where it was used be it in battle, or a more mundane task was effortlessly brought to life and I almost felt like I was watching the scenes like a movie in my head whilst reading.
Her Majesty’s Royal Coven: The magical SUNDAY TIMES number 1 Her Majesty’s Royal Coven: The magical SUNDAY TIMES number 1
A spellbinding, very real and current book that leaves you wanting to read everything Juno Dawson has ever written. The world of the covens may be immersive, the social commentary highly pertinent and the combination of demons and domesticity deliciously enticing, but it is the relationships between the women, in all their gnarly complexity, that form the real meat of the novel: the messy, tender, fierce realities of friendships honed over a quarter of a century.
Helena is the new leader of the HMRC and has set views on who should be allowed to join the coven, views that get tested and questioned throughout the novel. Leonie see's it as a place that she never really fit in, the HMRC was not made for people like her, people of different colours, religions, sexualities. We see the people we grew up with become unrecognisable, put things into motion, dangerous things, because their way of life is threatened.
The Shadow Cabinet: the bewitching sequel to the sensational
When a menacing prophecy is deemed to involve a trans child old rivalries are reopened and new battles fought. Irish Niamh, widowed in the war, is a country vet in Hebden Bridge and Ciara, her twin sister who fought on the wrong side, is now incarcerated in magical prison. The following day, on the summer solstice, they will pledge their oaths to Gaia and Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, a top secret government department of witches founded by Anne Boleyn and charged with protecting the United Kingdom from magical forces and otherworldly evil. Whisperings of an apocalyptic prophecy foretell a “sullied child” with the capacity to destroy both the coven and the world. Fast forward 20 or so years , Helena is head of the English coven, Niamh is a vet, Ellie a nurse, Leonie has formed her own coven and Ciara?Still recovering from the last war Niamh, Elle and Leonie lead their own lives, separate from the Coven, but Helena is quick to draw them back in when trouble rears it's head. Dawson weaves a large side cast of characters into her story, but it's incredibly easy to keep everyone straight in your head. I would say that the story started off a little slowly, I wasn't 100% sure where it was going until about 40% of the way through, but once it get's going it absolutely takes flight and I found the last 50% so hard to put down. It’s the first time I’ve read anything by Juno and I’m thrilled to discover her writing…am very much looking forward to HMRC 2 … oh and the ending of book 1!
Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson | Waterstones
There are whisperings of a prophecy that will bring the coven to its knees, and four best friends are about to be caught at the centre. Now a doting mother and wife to a family who have no idea of her past, she uses her powers sparingly and only in dire need.
But unfortunately that is the state of the world we live in today and Dawson does a great job showing the daily plight of trans people. The certain characters belief's had me steaming with rage, something I'm noticing more and more with fantasy these days and loving, but please beware going in that their thoughts and actions could be extremely triggering to some, but especially to any trans readers. For Niamh it was a time in her life she enjoyed, being able to shape the next generation of Witches, but also a time of immense grief due to the loss of both her Fiancee and sister. Alongside our four MC's we meet a multitude of side characters from fellow Witches, Warlocks to mundanes, people with no magical powers.
Book Review: New Science Fiction and Fantasy - The New York Times
There are whisperings of a prophecy that will bring the coven to its knees, and five best friends are about to be caught at the centre. Ebooks fulfilled through Glose cannot be printed, downloaded as PDF, or read in other digital readers (like Kindle or Nook). Elle is a nurse who has largely eschewed the witching community for the comforts of middle-class mediocrity. The launch book in a trilogy, the first half is largely world-building and the cliffhanger ending is pure torture.The premise doesn't really give away much of the story, which makes it so much more shocking and entertaining whilst reading, but does make it incredibly hard to talk about without giving away any spoilers.
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