Reviews tagging 'Lesbophobia'

Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

9 reviews

lorriss's review against another edition

emotional mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Transphobia, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Racism, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Car accident, Confinement, Deadnaming, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, Violence, and War

Moderate: Medical content, Miscarriage, Gaslighting, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Alcohol, Classism, Colonisation, and Infidelity

Minor: Child death, Excrement, Lesbophobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, Slavery, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

written_between_the_stars's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This started pretty slow and it took the first 200 pages until I really settled into the story, but damn introducing each character and their dynamics paid off so much in the end. I was so invested. The atmosphere was also a lot cozier than expected. 

A feminist book about witches with a queer chosen one and the villain is JK Rowling/terf coded. Hell yes!!!

This gave me all the complex, Gilmore Girls, Witch Club, Jennifer's Body, Yellowjackets, feminine rage/complexity/friendship vibes I wanted. It just was so 💗girly💗 and fem. You know those posts about how there's always a majority male cast in books and like one woman. In HER MAJESTY'S ROYAL COVEN you won't have this problem. It's the opposite. Basically every character is a woman or girl in this. With the exception of the side characters. 

This book is so many different genres depending on whose POV you're reading from. It was thriller, cottage core cozy fantasy, horror, coming of age and 90s/early 2000s romance movie all in one. It highlighted the camaraderie of womanhood without ignoring the ugly/competitive parts of being in a "girl friendship group" and the racism/queerphobia of white feminism. 

This easily could've been told through the teenagers' POV in this story (a few of the MCs are mothers) but I'm so glad it wasn't the hundredth version of the "Chosen One" or "16 year old realizing she has powers". I love that we follow these very different types of thirty-something women/witches through a slice of their mundane and magic life instead. With a big magical boom at the end. It was basically Sex & the City + Magic. Such a fresh take on common tropes. I already ordered the sequel!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Moderate: Sexism, Child abuse, Violence, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Death, Deadnaming, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

tofi_15's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Deadnaming, Racism, Misogyny, Transphobia, and Murder

Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, Infidelity, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting

l4urenf13's review

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia and Deadnaming

Moderate: Abortion, Homophobia, War, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Sexism, Sexual content, Child abuse, Misogyny, and Grief

bookishwondergoth's review against another edition

dark emotional funny informative tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I loved this book. It was well written, modern, fresh and topical and full of twists and turns.

I see from other reviews people have commented that the writing style seems too informal and littered with slang and references that are shoe-horned in. I personally don't agree with this criticism at all. The informality works for its contemporary setting. Also, Niamh and the relationship she has with her friends and their children felt very familiar to me and my own experiences as an adult who lived as a child through the 90s.

I also really enjoyed the examinations of intersectional feminism (or the lack of it in many white women) and its flat-out codemnation of TERFism. This was very clearly written in response to J. K. Rowling's transphobic essay published in 2020. It's not subtle, but then TERFs are not at all subtle with their transphobia in the UK, so did I care? No. Fuck TERFs. Their mindset makes ZERO sense and Juno Dawson does a really good job of showing just how completely nonsensical it is.

I do think there are some segments that could have been better fleshed out/made relevant to the main story (pretty much everything to do with Leonie and her breakaway coven, Diaspora). However, this is the first book in a trilogy, and in the author Q&A with Juno Dawson I attended a couple of weeks ago, she told us that Leonie comes more into play in subsequent books.

I also seriously disagree with those pointing out that for a book about feminism, the women are awfully divided and therefore the book is not feminist. That is the point. Division over these issues is not feminist because the division is caused by bigotry and intolerance. Therefore the people who do not fight for the rights of women—all women, including transwomen and BIPOC women—are not feminist and they absolutely must be challenged in their views. We're all getting fucked over by the patriarchy here, some moreso than others. Acknowledging that divide, difference, and the very real divisions in friendships and families who disagree over fundamental human rights is important.

This book made me really really angry in the best way and I can't wait to read the next one. Might have to borrow it from a friend as the copy I plan to buy isn't due for dispatch until November, gah.

Anyway, loved it. Highly recommended.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Death, Body horror, Bullying, Violence, War, Cursing, Murder, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Transphobia

Moderate: Sexism, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Animal death, Lesbophobia, and Racism

azebrareads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Deadnaming, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Torture, War, Alcohol, Car accident, Violence, Biphobia, Confinement, Self harm, Bullying, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, Kidnapping, Murder, Racism, and Sexism

abominablesnowaro's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Classism, Death, Fatphobia, Murder, Outing, and Transphobia

Moderate: Hate crime, Racism, Toxic friendship, Xenophobia, Infidelity, Violence, War, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Blood, and Body shaming

antmalllow's review against another edition

adventurous funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Brilliantly written characters. Frustratingly so. I actually wanted to strangle some of them at times but we move

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Transphobia, Animal death, Racism, War, Violence, Outing, Lesbophobia, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Car accident, Sexual content, Infidelity, and Drug use

extinctpanda's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

It was a bit too good vs evil for me, I like a bit more nuance. And I didn't love the writing style, though it grew on me as it went on. However, I did find the story fun, and I liked the characters. I think it also covered some important/interesting themes that I haven't seen in fantasy very much at all, especially adult fantasy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief and Transphobia

Moderate: Cursing, Outing, War, Kidnapping, Death, and Blood

Minor: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Abortion, Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Racism, Car accident, Child abuse, Lesbophobia, and Death of parent