Her Majesty's Royal Coven
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- Create Date：2022-06-21 06:52:20
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Juno Dawson
- ISBN：014313714X
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Leslie Finn
，
Superb， suspenseful， real treatOk， I loved， loved this book except for the final， final twist。 If this stays as is I’d be very unhappy。 It would affect my appetite for the series。 I mean， it’s masterful， but I have to think I’m in the majority here。 I’d get the 2nd book because I’m an optimist but I’ll need hope in that volume。 Anyone reading this review， just buy the book already。 If you like well written， well edited Urban Fantasy， you’ve been waiting for this。 Fans of Ben Aaronovitch will be Superb， suspenseful， real treatOk， I loved， loved this book except for the final， final twist。 If this stays as is I’d be very unhappy。 It would affect my appetite for the series。 I mean， it’s masterful， but I have to think I’m in the majority here。 I’d get the 2nd book because I’m an optimist but I’ll need hope in that volume。 Anyone reading this review， just buy the book already。 If you like well written， well edited Urban Fantasy， you’ve been waiting for this。 Fans of Ben Aaronovitch will be very happy。 。。。more
Diane
，
I wanted to love it， but it's basically a sermon with a little story surrounding it。 If you're not the author's kind of politically correct， then you're wrong/bad/evil。 I wanted to love it， but it's basically a sermon with a little story surrounding it。 If you're not the author's kind of politically correct， then you're wrong/bad/evil。 。。。more
Heidi
，
Well written but I gave up with 16 chapters。 Occasionally I read a book and think this would probably be better if I were a guy。 This book， well， I don’t think I was quite female enough for it。 It’s well written but I wasn’t the right reader for it。 I’d say it would be a fine choice for someone who both like women’s fiction and fantasy。
Alan
，
4。5/5 *sThis book had two of my favorite things--a close group of friends and witches。 It also had twists and turns that I did not expect。 Some incredible magic。 Can't wait until the next installment。 4。5/5 *sThis book had two of my favorite things--a close group of friends and witches。 It also had twists and turns that I did not expect。 Some incredible magic。 Can't wait until the next installment。 。。。more
wilson
，
dnf 50% kinda too dark for me
Jess Marks
，
Read it one night！ I was told it was HP if the focus was on the ministry of magic with LBTQ+ characters and I agree with that assessment。 Very good！ Excited to see where the next book takes us！！！！
Jess
，
THAT ENDING。 let me tell you i am excited for this sequel！
Amy Much
，
Bravo。 That was fun。 The pacing was spot on and every character was fully realized。 I also appreciate that you know going in that this is the first book in a trilogy。 So I had the experience of being surprised that so much was resolved knowing that there’s more story - a pleasant surprise。
Amanda
，
This is one of the better books about witches I've read in the last several years。 It's not just about witches， but what it means to be a woman。 It's about sisterhood and inclusivity and girl power （I was always Baby Spice）。 It was fun and I had a good time reading this。 All of the characters had distinct voices and while I didn't like reading from some of their perspectives （Helena）， I liked how unique they all were。I can't wait for the next in the series！ This is one of the better books about witches I've read in the last several years。 It's not just about witches， but what it means to be a woman。 It's about sisterhood and inclusivity and girl power （I was always Baby Spice）。 It was fun and I had a good time reading this。 All of the characters had distinct voices and while I didn't like reading from some of their perspectives （Helena）， I liked how unique they all were。I can't wait for the next in the series！ 。。。more
Leigh
，
Rating: 3。75/5 stars ⭐️The story starts with 5 young girls about to take their oaths and become witches。 We then flash forward to present day and see which direction their lives went in。 They’ve remained friends， sisters， through their witching bond， but they all took different paths。 One day， a prophecy is foretold by the oracles， which could see the destruction of the witches。 A sullied child is believed to be the bringer of the end。 The story follows the friends as they deal with the crisis; Rating: 3。75/5 stars ⭐️The story starts with 5 young girls about to take their oaths and become witches。 We then flash forward to present day and see which direction their lives went in。 They’ve remained friends， sisters， through their witching bond， but they all took different paths。 One day， a prophecy is foretold by the oracles， which could see the destruction of the witches。 A sullied child is believed to be the bringer of the end。 The story follows the friends as they deal with the crisis; not everyone agrees on what should be done， so conflict rears it’s ugly head。For the most part， I really enjoyed this book！ It did take a little while for the plot to get going but once it did， I was off！ The premise was so good: a coven of witches （Her Royal Majesty’s Coven aka HMRC） working with the UK government to protect mundanes （muggles， basically） against magical threat。 The book covers so many important topics。 White cishet privilege。 Transphobia。 The representation for the LGBTQ+ community was fantastic。 We have such a diverse bunch of characters， who were so well fleshed out， I loved the multiple POVs。I will say， I could have done with less pop culture references。 There was a lot！ Now I’m a millennial， I like a pop culture reference， but I found it was practically every other page。 But I guess that’s what you can expect with an urban fantasy！That ending has me so excited for the next instalment。 What a cliffhanger！ 。。。more
Dommie Franklin
，
Let me start off by saying that this is not my usual genre。 However this was 100% a five star read for me。 I found this book because it is the B&N Speculative Fiction Pick of the Month for June 2022。 This book made me feel so many emotions。 It was truly a rollercoaster 。 How far would you go to protect the thing you hold dearest above all else？ There were instances when I was so incredibly angry and uncomfortable that I wanted to stop reading and mark this book as DNF。 It was in those moments th Let me start off by saying that this is not my usual genre。 However this was 100% a five star read for me。 I found this book because it is the B&N Speculative Fiction Pick of the Month for June 2022。 This book made me feel so many emotions。 It was truly a rollercoaster 。 How far would you go to protect the thing you hold dearest above all else？ There were instances when I was so incredibly angry and uncomfortable that I wanted to stop reading and mark this book as DNF。 It was in those moments that I knew that I had to continue and I am so glad that I did。 Juno Dawson， if you could just send me the next one via Fedex Express I would be most grateful because that cliff hanger ending。。。 。。。more
Piper
，
This was a wild and entertaining ride from beginning to end and I loved mostly all of it but I don't feel as satisfied as I hoped by the end。 How Dawson conveys the political climate in the book felt very real to today's world and I think the author did a great job doing that。 It was a good and wild read even if I felt a bit let down by it but I'm sure others will love it。 This was a wild and entertaining ride from beginning to end and I loved mostly all of it but I don't feel as satisfied as I hoped by the end。 How Dawson conveys the political climate in the book felt very real to today's world and I think the author did a great job doing that。 It was a good and wild read even if I felt a bit let down by it but I'm sure others will love it。 。。。more
Elizabeth
，
1
Marlene
，
Originally published at Reading RealityMost prophecies are self-fulfilling。 Oedipus’ father made that whole story happen by trying his damndest to keep that whole story from happening。 And don’t get me started on Harry Potter and Voldemort and bringing that whole prophecy into being by trying to cut it off at the knees when Harry was a toddler。Or maybe do get me started on that。 Because I’ll be getting back to it later。Because while the blurb for this book compares it to A Discovery of Witches a Originally published at Reading RealityMost prophecies are self-fulfilling。 Oedipus’ father made that whole story happen by trying his damndest to keep that whole story from happening。 And don’t get me started on Harry Potter and Voldemort and bringing that whole prophecy into being by trying to cut it off at the knees when Harry was a toddler。Or maybe do get me started on that。 Because I’ll be getting back to it later。Because while the blurb for this book compares it to A Discovery of Witches and The Craft， Harry Potter is really a LOT closer to the mark。 In the Potterverse， magic is real and it works and there’s an entire hidden society devoted to training new magic users and keeping the secret that there is power and influence to be had by literally waving a magic wand。The girls in Her Majesty’s Royal Coven are inheritors of a long and grand tradition of using magic on behalf of the Crown of England in order to defend the realm from threats both foreign and domestic that use magic to make and be those threats。They are， quite literally， the few and the proud， and the night before they make their official witch’s oaths and become part of HMRC， they are sure they will be friends forever。That’s one prophecy that seldom works out， and so it proves when the story picks up 25 years later。 Now they are all adults， and all survivors of a great magical war that scarred their bodies and their futures， freezing them into the places and positions they now hold – sometimes by their fingernails。Helena， the leader of the girls they were and the leader of the hidebound covert government department that HMRC has been for generations， is facing the impending doom of the organization she heads。 Or so she believes。The witches who watch the future， the seeresses who prophesy on behalf of HMRC and of Britain， are all seeing the same dark future。 That the end of their world is going to be brought about by a young warlock of immense power that the prophecies call “The Sullied Child”。 He will be their downfall， and he has been found。The prophecies are right。 And they’re wrong。 But mostly， they are completely， totally and utterly self-fulfilling to the nth degree and the entirely bitter end。Escape Rating B-: There are so many things going on in this story， and so many of them are good。 But there’s something rotten at its heart that I can’t get past， although I suspect that other readers will have less of a problem with it。This is a story about feminism and female friendship。 It’s also a story about how the ties that bind in childhood can strangle in adulthood。The four women who are at the center of this story have all gone their different ways。 Helena has taken the path of power and leadership that her considerable privilege has led her to believe is her right as well as her duty。But the noblesse oblige that underlies that privilege has no room for any who would choose a different path – as all of her former friends have done。 Helena’s HMRC has no place for intersectionality， so anyone not white， not British， not wealthy and not privileged， in other words anyone not like Helena herself， is a threat to her power。Leonie is black， Elle has retreated into a mundane life， and Niamh has no desire to be under anyone’s thumb – and certainly not under Helena’s。 They have all been， in their various ways， outcast from the HMRC。When Niamh takes that so-called “Sullied Child” under her wing， she learns that the young warlock who is such a threat to the HMRC is actually a transgirl who wants nothing more than to be the witch she was meant to be and not the warlock that Helena continues to see as the ultimate threat。Niamh， Elle and Leonie want to do what is right rather than what is easy。 Helena wants to preserve the HMRC’s traditions and believes that those ends justify any means she might employ – no matter how heinous。 Helena is certain that she is working for the “Greater Good” without ever taking a hard look at who it might be good for。And prophecies are self-fulfilling。But what struck me as I read Her Majesty’s Royal Coven was just how much it mirrored Harry Potter considered in context of that author’s heinous beliefs about transwomen。 She used Hermione Granger as an avatar for herself in the series， to the point where she had Hermione marry Ron at the end because the author was working out issues in a romantic relationship of her own rather than taking that part of the story in the direction it had been heading from the beginning。 （My 2 cents and I’ll get down off this soapbox now）。To me， Helena read like Hermione as her own author; smart， a bit stuck-up， worshipful of authority while determined to join it， and single-minded in pursuit of a goal。 Also someone who seems to be doing her level best to destroy her own legacy because she can’t deal with the concept that other perspectives are as valid as her own and especially that transwomen are women。 Full stop。 For this reader， the obviousness of the woman behind the curtain， Helena as Hermione as her author， is the interpretation that remained fixed in my head through my entire reading and drenches my feelings about the book。 I think it would have better served the story if the callback to Harry Potter’s author hadn’t been quite so obvious or so pointed。Your reading mileage， even if by broomstick， may definitely vary。 。。。more
Vince Caparas
，
I was actually really impressed with this book。 At first glance I think it comes across as your standard crowd pleasing fantasy adventure novel。 That said， in addition to it being a satisfying read， it's far more ambitious in its scope and content。 Following JK Rowling's ignorant and unfortunate remarks regarding transgender women several years ago， Juno Dawson's Her Majesty's Royal Coven feels like a direct literary rebuke of those antiquated beliefs。 This is a progressive feminist fantasy nove I was actually really impressed with this book。 At first glance I think it comes across as your standard crowd pleasing fantasy adventure novel。 That said， in addition to it being a satisfying read， it's far more ambitious in its scope and content。 Following JK Rowling's ignorant and unfortunate remarks regarding transgender women several years ago， Juno Dawson's Her Majesty's Royal Coven feels like a direct literary rebuke of those antiquated beliefs。 This is a progressive feminist fantasy novel that makes a real effort to engage and give life to an intersectional group of women: in particular， women of colour， trans-women， non-binary individuals。 I found this novel to be quite frankly groundbreaking in this aspect。Often times women in fantasy novels occupy a very narrow space。 Often times， they are mere appendages to the greater story。 If they happen to be a leading character， these women tend to be white women facing traditional patriarchal challenges。 They often stand in contrast to a male antagonist who represents the patriarchy as a whole。 Other female characters of colour or gender identity， when written as the main character， are usually placed within a particular space where their identity is explored （Blackness， Asianess， queerness） but rarely is it interrogated as different from the experiences of a White protagonist's opposition to traditional patriarchy。What makes this book so interesting is that it really explores the dynamics otherness WITHIN feminism。 How do women of colour， trans and binary women， engage with the traditional White feminist agenda？ How have their voices been silenced to further that agenda for the benefit of White women rather than for the benefit of ALL women？ It's striking that in a book about 4 witches， the primary antagonist of the novel is not a man， but rather a White woman who believes so deeply that she is working towards the benefit of the other characters， despite being completely ignorant of how she herself benefits from her position of privilege。The really cool thing about this book is that even though it engages with these really challenging and deep issues， it is still an absolute romp。 It's a page-turning， propulsive novel， that really gets you invested。 I also love an author that isn't afraid to off one or two characters。 Indeed， how big are the stakes really if everyone escapes with a happy ending。 I'm really eager to see how the rest of this series plays out。 I'm hoping that Dawson continues to engage with some of the issues that she explores in this book because it really makes for a unique voice in the fantasy literary genre。 。。。more
Tria
，
Loved this one。 Overlooked it was part of a yet-to-be-completed trilogy though， and ends on a whopping cliffhanger。
Bridie
，
My favorite book in a while。 Absolutely amazing！ Definitely top notch read。
A。Y。 Chao
，
Sorry， i have to get this scream out first: JUNO DAWSON HOW COULD YOU！！！！！！！！ （view spoiler）[;laskdfj;and shop;ieawhfasdnvas;il;sdf that ending！ OMG Noooooooooooooo！！！！！ urhghgndh a;lhsdfoeudjhcah;！！！！！！ （hide spoiler）] but， okay， there are two more to come for which I am so happy but I don’t know if （view spoiler）[ I will survive the dagger you so gleefully stabbed into my heart （hide spoiler）]*smooths down hair* ahem。 This was one of my most highly anticipated releases for 2022 and boy oh boy Sorry， i have to get this scream out first: JUNO DAWSON HOW COULD YOU！！！！！！！！ （view spoiler）[;laskdfj;and shop;ieawhfasdnvas;il;sdf that ending！ OMG Noooooooooooooo！！！！！ urhghgndh a;lhsdfoeudjhcah;！！！！！！ （hide spoiler）] but， okay， there are two more to come for which I am so happy but I don’t know if （view spoiler）[ I will survive the dagger you so gleefully stabbed into my heart （hide spoiler）]*smooths down hair* ahem。 This was one of my most highly anticipated releases for 2022 and boy oh boy does it deliver。 A story of four friends， and the harmony， and dissonance between various intersectional identities， as well as friendship， love， identity， and the corrupting influence of fear。 Dawson builds a compelling world of witches and a stealth government department Her Majesty’s Royal Coven as background to what is a very universal desire: who am I and what is my place in the world？ Each character is deftly spun， their desires and fears palpable。 Dawson deals with some heavy issues， transphobia， terfs， racism， privilege， and I gotta admit it made my heart heavy， but this is， on the whole， a hopeful book （if full of tension！） with characters I want to spend more time with。 I cannot wait to read the next instalment。 。。。more
kristin
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Well damn。 That ending。I liked a good amount of this， but also felt weird with portions of it too， so that's why I'm giving this my "okay" 2 star rating。 Maybe 2。5 stars。 I am interested in seeing where the story goes， so I will pick up the next book when it comes out。 My gut says we've haven't seen the last of Helena or Niamh。 And I want to see how Theo continues to grow。And fuck TERFs。 🖕🏻👁👄👁🖕🏻 Well damn。 That ending。I liked a good amount of this， but also felt weird with portions of it too， so that's why I'm giving this my "okay" 2 star rating。 Maybe 2。5 stars。 I am interested in seeing where the story goes， so I will pick up the next book when it comes out。 My gut says we've haven't seen the last of Helena or Niamh。 And I want to see how Theo continues to grow。And fuck TERFs。 🖕🏻👁👄👁🖕🏻 。。。more
Maggie
，
OMFG， this book is everything。 The political discourse and the reality of the conversations that occur throughout was disheartening， revealing， and sometimes mind-boggling to me。 I couldn’t put this one down， metaphorically speaking， as I actually listened to the audio book。 Shoutout to Aoife McMahon for creating a spellbinding world of multiple， unique characters through one voice！
Heather | Nerdy By Nature Blog
，
When they were young， Helena， Leonie， Niamh， and Elle， took an oath to become members of Her Majesty's Royal Coven。 Created by Queen Elizabeth I， the HRMC is a covert government department comprised of witches with the sole purpose of helping in times of crisis。 Now， decades later， Helena is the only one still involved in the HRMC as its High Priestess， while the other girls have moved on to live normal lives。 All but Leonie， who defected to create her own coven。 But Helena has bigger problems t When they were young， Helena， Leonie， Niamh， and Elle， took an oath to become members of Her Majesty's Royal Coven。 Created by Queen Elizabeth I， the HRMC is a covert government department comprised of witches with the sole purpose of helping in times of crisis。 Now， decades later， Helena is the only one still involved in the HRMC as its High Priestess， while the other girls have moved on to live normal lives。 All but Leonie， who defected to create her own coven。 But Helena has bigger problems than her wayward friend。 When a young boy with extraordinary powers is captured by authorities， many believe he is the embodiment of a terrible darkness that's long been prophesized。 The four friends will have to put their differences aside and come together once more to decide whether to preserve their traditions or nurture a new legacy。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。 。。。more
Suzanne
，
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 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 。。。more
Mimi Schweid
，
This was so good！ It was a fantastic start to this trilogy and I can't wait to see what goes on next。 I would read at least 10 more books in this universe！！ This was so good！ It was a fantastic start to this trilogy and I can't wait to see what goes on next。 I would read at least 10 more books in this universe！！ 。。。more
Tammy V
，
Loved the story and the characters。 Stayed with it and toward the end couldn't put it down。That said， one of the characters was pretty much a cliche of power and ambition， though I'll have to say that "doing what is best" was mentioned on the side of the good gals， too， which I thought was a nicely subtle way of saying we all make excuses when we run up against something that is thwarting what we want。 There is an obligatory love match between 2 not-made-for-each-other people， but not so much th Loved the story and the characters。 Stayed with it and toward the end couldn't put it down。That said， one of the characters was pretty much a cliche of power and ambition， though I'll have to say that "doing what is best" was mentioned on the side of the good gals， too， which I thought was a nicely subtle way of saying we all make excuses when we run up against something that is thwarting what we want。 There is an obligatory love match between 2 not-made-for-each-other people， but not so much that I would call this a romance （thank goodness！）。 No - the focus is on witches and sisterhood and betrayal。 All the great psychological stuff。 Along with some fine world building。It lost a point because: 1） whoever edited this needs to be fired。 It made my inner editor crazy （I wish she wouldn't notice incorrect grammar， but she insists） and 2） it is so very obviously set up for continuing， taking one of the main characters out at the very end of the book。 I'm not a fan of that kind of setup。 If grammar errors and to be continued don't bother you， you will probably find this a 5 start book。 。。。more
Sophie
，
Thank you so much to HarperVoyager for sending me a copy of this book。This book was SO good， I highly recommend it。 I found the first 10% a little slow but once I had got into it I just could not put it down！ It had great characters and I loved all the LGBTQIA+ representation as well as dealing with issues around racism and all the important topics you expect to be covered in a 2022 book were done so well。The magical world was really enticing and exciting and I loved all the world building and c Thank you so much to HarperVoyager for sending me a copy of this book。This book was SO good， I highly recommend it。 I found the first 10% a little slow but once I had got into it I just could not put it down！ It had great characters and I loved all the LGBTQIA+ representation as well as dealing with issues around racism and all the important topics you expect to be covered in a 2022 book were done so well。The magical world was really enticing and exciting and I loved all the world building and character development。 I think I’m probably in the minority but I’m not a huge fan of Niamh at the minute， as I question some point f her moral decisions （wiping memories etc） but I love all the different character types。I literally cannot wait for the next book （even though this one is still yet to be released LOL）。 Highly recommend for a magical and witchy read。P。S。 THAT ending。 My goodness。 。。。more
Kristen McDougall
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A strong 3。75I had high hopes for this book， and while I loved the very obvious response to JKR's transphobic nonsense， but I think it missed the mark in other ways。 There's a lot of politics laced into this book， which is fine， but it doesn't entirely serve the plot？ I also found the structure and politics of the covens to be reminiscent of certain religions， which i wasn't a big fan of tbh。 The pacing could have been a bit better。 I still plan on reading the next book in the series， that endin A strong 3。75I had high hopes for this book， and while I loved the very obvious response to JKR's transphobic nonsense， but I think it missed the mark in other ways。 There's a lot of politics laced into this book， which is fine， but it doesn't entirely serve the plot？ I also found the structure and politics of the covens to be reminiscent of certain religions， which i wasn't a big fan of tbh。 The pacing could have been a bit better。 I still plan on reading the next book in the series， that ending really leaves you hanging！！！！ 。。。more
Betsy
，
That is an awesome title。 I was hoping for more action， though， and this seemed to be more about the characters discovering themselves。 Not what I was in the mood for， sadly。
Chris Haigh
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A big queer Buffy-style adventure about a group of witches working in and around the UK's biggest coven that touches on themes of gender， transphobia， power， and found family。 I can't wait for the next book in the series。 A big queer Buffy-style adventure about a group of witches working in and around the UK's biggest coven that touches on themes of gender， transphobia， power， and found family。 I can't wait for the next book in the series。 。。。more
Rachel A
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I have enjoyed Juno Dawson's previous books but I think this is her best yet。 The characters have depth and the book manages to discuss complex issues with warmth， humour and intelligence。 Ancient prophecies， contemporary realities and a bunch of kick ass witches。 It's a delight。（Copy received from Netgalley in return for an honest review）。 I have enjoyed Juno Dawson's previous books but I think this is her best yet。 The characters have depth and the book manages to discuss complex issues with warmth， humour and intelligence。 Ancient prophecies， contemporary realities and a bunch of kick ass witches。 It's a delight。（Copy received from Netgalley in return for an honest review）。 。。。more
Daniel
，