She later turned her talent to journalism, interviewing luminaries such as Steps and Atomic Kitten, before writing a weekly serial in a Brighton newspaper. But what Dawson does brilliantly is show that as children we are so sure that life will work out the way we want, we have blinders on to life, rose tinted glasses that make everything seem possible. Her debut short film was THE BIRTH OF VENUS (BBC 2020) and she created the first official Doctor Who scripted podcast DOCTOR WHO: REDACTED (BBC Sounds 2022). Elle is a nurse who has largely eschewed the witching community for the comforts of middle-class mediocrity. Told from the POV's of our four friends, Niamh, Helena, Leonie and Elle, we see lots of different versions of the HMRC.

A spellbinding, very real and current book that leaves you wanting to read everything Juno Dawson has ever written. So when Helena asks Niamh to look after Theo (with budding magical - at times uncontrollable - traits) all goes well until Helena discovers unsettling prophecies which will bring about the apocalypse and means the witches are forced to act. 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.After splitting from the Coven and starting her own, tensions between her and Helena have been a little high, but Leonie did what she needed to make every Witch feel welcome. 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! We see the people we grew up with become unrecognisable, put things into motion, dangerous things, because their way of life is threatened.

Her Majesty's Royal Coven was an absolute blinder of a book, it starts off slowly luring you in, giving you plenty of history for both the world and the characters and then takes off with a bang. 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. The magic in this book was incredibly well written and pretty commonplace for anyone who is used to reading witchy books. 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. 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.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. Sides have been picked, battle lines have been drawn and the friends will need to decide whether it's worth dying for what you believe in.

Alongside our four MC's we meet a multitude of side characters from fellow Witches, Warlocks to mundanes, people with no magical powers.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. When a menacing prophecy is deemed to involve a trans child old rivalries are reopened and new battles fought. Partially my fault because I had it in my head this was a stand alone, but I also just can't believe she went there. Any who i'm a little broken and dying to get my hands on the next book, so if that doesn't make you want to pick it up, I don't know what will! 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.

When our characters joined the Coven, they became sisters, linked in a way that is difficult to destroy.

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. Dawson weaves a large side cast of characters into her story, but it's incredibly easy to keep everyone straight in your head. A magical civil war has been fought and won and our witches are now navigating life in their late 30s.