A review by just_one_more_paige
The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson

adventurous emotional tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

 
I read the first book in this trilogy, Her Majesty's Royal Coven, just a few months ago and thought it was a fantastic start to the series. I had a few critiques (which you can read more about in that review), but for the most part I was on board, invested in where the rest of the plot was going to take me, and ready for this next installation. 
 
This book picks up pretty close to where the last one left off. (I'm going to include a few spoilers for the first book in this little blurb about the plot of this second book, so beware if that's a concern for you!) We open with Leonie, Elle, and Niamh (or really, Ciara), along with Holly and Theo and some of the rest of the HMRC witches, at the funeral for Ciara (or really, Niamh, though none of them know it yet). And the novel quickly opens from there into a new set of dramas and threats: Ciara in Niamh's body trying to figure out who brought her back and why and preparing to take over as High Priestess (a role she never dreamed of having) while not letting on to anyone that she's an imposter, Leonie takes off to search for her brother who is missing in his efforts to recapture Dabney Hale, Theo is struggling with how she got her new body and what it means for the rest of her life/future and a mysterious lessening of her powers, Elle is trying to hold it together as all her friends have scattered and are struggling in their own ways and she becomes aware of her own troubles at home, and Holly is probably the most typical of them all with her worries about her best friend Theo falling for her brother (ew!) and her father's familial betrayal. And of course, along with all their individual struggles, the greater forces around them are coming together: mundane politicians, secret witch hunter societies, Hale's bloody search for power and control, and the oracles' constant visions about the plans of the demons to bring down the world as we know it to an end. 
 
Alright, the growth from the first novel to this one, in Dawson's writing and plot development and general depth, was so solid. There was a lot more background and bigger picture look at the interactions between witches and the mundane world and how they coexist. It's hard not to make this comparison, so I'm going to, but I want to recognize that it's not an uncommon trope in coexisting magic/non-magic societies fantasy novels, but there are some aspects that are reminiscent of HP, with magically hidden building facades, parallel governmental structures that the "mundane" leaders find out about after election, etc. But also, Dawson takes it further, recognizing the actual current-day politics of the developed world (and how they're getting ever more intolerant) within all those tropes. The gender politics in these overlapping groups have gotten deeper and more nuanced here, including the same witch-warlock tension as before, but now with an additional incel-vibes mundane-males group, and more. I appreciated that increase in complexity as the story unfolds more, it's great series-level arc growth. Related, these additional nuances and development extended to other areas as well, even within the witch community, and while there is always room for growth on this front, I thought the intersectionalities of womanhood and femininity were definitely better addressed here than in the first. 
 
Another thing I loved about this second book was the growth past the characters of the first. There were a couple of characters that played huge roles in the first novel that are no longer around, and Dawson filled those gaps with new voices and/or with developing other voices more and I was impressed with how smoothly she made that transition happen. As part of that, a couple explorations in particular were well done. One sort of reminded me of a concept from Wrath Goddess Sing - feeling guilty about actually getting the body that you want, while so many can’t - and how that shows up really makes you think about all the different ways our brains and society can sabotage our happiness, no later how joyful something could/should be. Another is that, as Ciara's memories came back and we learn more about Luke's background (and things got gorgeously complex!), there was a real reckoning with the individual responsibility versus being forced to do things because you have less power or are under someone's (or a substance's) will/influence or exist within the confines of a system that you cannot fight or bring down alone. Dawson addresses difficult questions like where does that line of personal culpability exist and what can you be forgiven for doing under those circumstances and what takes it too far and how do you atone (internally and externally)? She also brings up questions around what is acceptable in the fight to make a better/more equal power structure. Just, such multifaceted issues to grapple with and it's done really well as this second book helps grow the series into something more. 
 
A few final notes. I still love the magic. So much. It's such classic feminine witch power and while that's not everyone's jam, it's definitely mine (more concrete than, but similar vibes to, the magic in VenCo). I still hate the body-switching trope, but since it got resolved within this book, I'm letting it go and moving forwards because the rest is good enough that I want to.  The ending was great. (I was confused about Milo for a while, but there was a break between my reading the first and second books and I have spotty detail memory so I just kinda went with it, but then the final little twist was like, whoa.) And it was a well-balanced cliffhanger situation - enough for me to be somewhat edge of my seat for the next one, but not uncomfortably so (which I really dislike the feeling of, so I'm glad for that).  
 
So yea, a great second book. I didn't get any of the slow bridge-between-opening-and-closing that the middle book in a trilogy sometimes brings, which is fantastic and hats off to Dawson for that. The plot was action-packed and interesting (still no punches pulled with deaths and the responses of remaining characters - so good) and the human emotions and traumas and decisions are so messy and nuanced. This book really took all of that to the next level. It was a dramatic ride and I'm very excited for the finale! 
 
“Other people’s memories of your life are unreliable narration at best.” 
 
“Inside every witch there are two crows: one saying you can't use your powers to fix the world to your liking, and another cawing, why not?” 
 
“She hadn’t even started to think about her life beyond becoming a girl. That had been her only goal. It turned out there was a whole lifetime of stories waiting after that happy ending.” 
 
“Absolute certainty is the language of fools, and the demagogues who exploit those fools.” 
 
“They say love is blind, but it makes you blind.” 
 
“I will live to see the day when men no longer fear powerful women.” 
 
“He believed he was in love with her, and isn't that more or less love itself?” 
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