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A review by travelseatsreads
Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
5.0
Sometimes a book comes along that I'll keep pushing to the back of the pile as I'm nervous my review won't do it justice. HMRC is definitely one of those but I really want everyone to read it & love it as much as I did so here goes nothing!
Witches, Spice Girls, LGBTQ+ characters and a jaw dropping cliff-hanger this book has absolutely everything you could dream of in a perfect fantasy novel & is a must read for someone who is considering delving into the genre.
Dawson has created a fantastic blend of fantasy & social discourse which is absolutely captivating from beginning to end. The world building is so flawless & beguiling, set in current day locations such as Hebden Bridge & Manchester, that while it is completely entrancing it also maintains a feeling of being based in reality & feels fully plausible that this is all occurring right alongside our mundane lives.
While spinning the most bewitching tale Dawson has also used the narrative to look at some deeply entrenched flaws within society including TERFism, racism & homophobia, while simultaneously shining a light on intersectional feminism & found family & why they are such important concepts. She really portrays the need to empower everyone equally & not just those who it suits you to fight for.
The above topics might all sound a bit heavy to have combined within the pages of one book & yes, while Juno doesn’t shy away from some of the very in your face flaws she somehow still manages to do it with such subtlety that it doesn’t feel uncomfortable & overly confrontational. In fact to be honest I found the whole book to be like a soft luxurious comfort blanket that I wanted to stay cocooned in. I also just could not get enough of the pop-culture references scattering the pages, who doesn’t love a bit of Spice Girls and Buffy!
Juno has created a whole band of characters, each so well developed that just like the Spice Girls everyone will have the one they want to be and the one they absolutely dread & quite often I found myself wondering which witch would I be or which power would I prefer. While there are a lot of characters to get a grasp of, each completely stands their own ground and has the ability to carry their own story, which I hope we see develop over the series.
I can’t finish without mentioning the absolutely superb narration from @nicolacoughlan I can’t imagine anyone else being able to convey each character, their accents & their personalities so well while also building the magical excitement and tension of the story.
With the combination of Dawson’s writing & Coughlan’s narration, I was so firmly entranced under their spell that I found myself excitedly jumping into the car to go to work just so I could keep on listening! Don’t think about it any longer, get your earphones and have a listen!
Witches, Spice Girls, LGBTQ+ characters and a jaw dropping cliff-hanger this book has absolutely everything you could dream of in a perfect fantasy novel & is a must read for someone who is considering delving into the genre.
Dawson has created a fantastic blend of fantasy & social discourse which is absolutely captivating from beginning to end. The world building is so flawless & beguiling, set in current day locations such as Hebden Bridge & Manchester, that while it is completely entrancing it also maintains a feeling of being based in reality & feels fully plausible that this is all occurring right alongside our mundane lives.
While spinning the most bewitching tale Dawson has also used the narrative to look at some deeply entrenched flaws within society including TERFism, racism & homophobia, while simultaneously shining a light on intersectional feminism & found family & why they are such important concepts. She really portrays the need to empower everyone equally & not just those who it suits you to fight for.
The above topics might all sound a bit heavy to have combined within the pages of one book & yes, while Juno doesn’t shy away from some of the very in your face flaws she somehow still manages to do it with such subtlety that it doesn’t feel uncomfortable & overly confrontational. In fact to be honest I found the whole book to be like a soft luxurious comfort blanket that I wanted to stay cocooned in. I also just could not get enough of the pop-culture references scattering the pages, who doesn’t love a bit of Spice Girls and Buffy!
Juno has created a whole band of characters, each so well developed that just like the Spice Girls everyone will have the one they want to be and the one they absolutely dread & quite often I found myself wondering which witch would I be or which power would I prefer. While there are a lot of characters to get a grasp of, each completely stands their own ground and has the ability to carry their own story, which I hope we see develop over the series.
I can’t finish without mentioning the absolutely superb narration from @nicolacoughlan I can’t imagine anyone else being able to convey each character, their accents & their personalities so well while also building the magical excitement and tension of the story.
With the combination of Dawson’s writing & Coughlan’s narration, I was so firmly entranced under their spell that I found myself excitedly jumping into the car to go to work just so I could keep on listening! Don’t think about it any longer, get your earphones and have a listen!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Racism, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and War