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. 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.

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson | Waterstones

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. We see the people we grew up with become unrecognisable, put things into motion, dangerous things, because their way of life is threatened. 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. It's utterly fantastic, every character makes you connect with them and feel something different for them. 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.Whisperings of an apocalyptic prophecy foretell a “sullied child” with the capacity to destroy both the coven and the world. Alongside our four MC's we meet a multitude of side characters from fellow Witches, Warlocks to mundanes, people with no magical powers. Told from the POV's of our four friends, Niamh, Helena, Leonie and Elle, we see lots of different versions of the HMRC. 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.

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven: The magical SUNDAY TIMES number 1

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. 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!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.

The Shadow Cabinet: the bewitching sequel to the sensational

This is a book you never want to end, you want to stay in the world of magic and witchcraft that Juno Dawson has created forever. 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. Elle is a nurse who has largely eschewed the witching community for the comforts of middle-class mediocrity.

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.

Book Review: New Science Fiction and Fantasy - The New York Times

When our characters joined the Coven, they became sisters, linked in a way that is difficult to destroy. 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. 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. The launch book in a trilogy, the first half is largely world-building and the cliffhanger ending is pure torture. 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?She really showed the intricacies of family, how you can love someone and hate them at the same time, and I loved reading all the interactions between our four MC's. For all ebook purchases, you will be prompted to create an account or login with your existing HarperCollins username and password. 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. 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. 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.