Reviews with content warning for War - Das begabte Kind

I really liked the set of characters and the premise. But I think it would’ve been better if it hadn’t been so dark. For example, I would’ve preferred

Helena and Ciara to get a chance to not just be evil.

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tiredgirlreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? No

4.5

I really enjoyed this book! The cast of characters was wonderfully fresh, although I wish a tiny bit more time was spent on Leonie and her coven, as well as Clara’s backstory. That said, the pace probably would’ve suffered as a result. I really loved the inclusivity and clear message about how important intersectional feminism is. And all of the witchy lore was delightful!
The one thing I was NOT ready for was that ending. By god… there better be a resolution and not

Niamh’s utterly unfair death!!!! I’m hoping that her spirit is still there and when Ciara gets defeated (pleaaaaaase), Niamh’s spirit can go back into her body. Please.

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readwithria's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven was the political, witchy-sisterhood book I didn’t know I needed.

I really enjoyed this book, and the characters took the cake. The POV characters, their children and wards, their partners, and all of the side characters felt so fleshed out and real. Their relationships were so fun to read about, even the bad ones.

I will say that it wasn’t until well into the book that I felt like I understood how the magic system worked. The delineation between the different types of witches and what they can do, plus the elemental aspect of witchery, made for a lot of information that I still don’t fully grasp.

I’m very excited to read The Shadow Cabinet! 4 stars.

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linnaea's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.5

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reubennieandthejets's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny fast-paced

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

3.75

Her Majesty's Royal Coven was an engaging read. It does what all good urban fantasy does and blends our mundane reality with a fictional fantastical world in a consistent way. I was able to suspend my disbelief and get sucked onto the story because the world building made sense with reality and the fictional rules of the world Dawson created. However, Her Majesty's Royal Coven has elements that stop it from being a 4 or 5 star book for me. The change of perspective wasn't entirely successful because specific povs felt more three dimensional than others. The depth and nuance in Niamh's and Leonie's chapters made me feel like Dawson enjoyed writing from her povs more. Therefore, I skimmed whenever the pov switched to Helena or Elle because I wanted to get back to the characters that felt more fleshed out. The constant change in perspective also impacted the pacing. It felt like the book kept stopping and starting.

Personally, I think the depiction of transphobic felt slightly unbelievable and abrupt. The rhetoric Helena uses did sound realistic. I'm sure Dawson has heard those exact arguments or had them aimed at her many times. However, the extremity of Helena's transphobia felt too sudden. That level of hated comes after a period of radicalisation and being in an echo chamber of disinformation. So I think, scenes of Helena seeking out other witches should have came before she jumped straight from mild disgust and confusion to fully fledged extremist terf rheotic.

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zonnestraal's review against another edition

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Couldn't relate to the characters. They're all thirthy-somethings and some already have teenagers! Plus they're all traumatized by some previous war and the deaths that came with it. The plot is also slow going, and doesn't seem to get started. Maybe I'll be more able to relate in ten years.

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