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morganpearcy's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
I would like to point out that any time a character is living at an intersection of multiple marginalized identities, I typically check to see if the author has any lived experience part-way through the book. Especially if something feels off or the character seems to be 1 dimensional.
The Trans protagonist
Leonie, the Black, Lesbian witch, is not so dynamic or believable. The character felt off to me: flat and like a conglomeration of regurgitated Black women’s labor from Abolitionist spaces. The way she related to her white childhood friends and her partner felt really wobbly. I could tell the author was writing from a not-lesbian, white lens. Sure enough, Juno is white. This did not sit right with me and was a source of irritation and eye rolling throughout the book.
There’s a lot to like here. The racial overstepping is a pain point. I am undecided about reading the next in the series.
Graphic: Deadnaming, Hate crime, and Transphobia
Moderate: Racism and War
White writers attempting to write Black and other characters of color should be added as a trigger warning here.breezer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Hate crime, Transphobia, and Fire/Fire injury
abominablesnowaro's review
- 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
Graphic: Death, Fatphobia, Transphobia, Car accident, Murder, Outing, and Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail
clairew97's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
bookishflower's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you Harper Collins/HarperVoyager and NetGalley for providing me with an audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.
I have mixed feelings about 'Her Majesty's Royal Coven' which is a shame because I was really looking forward to it.
Nicola Coughlan does an amazing job narrating the book, I don't think there is an accent she can't do! The politics of this book are really important and it is worth reading for that alone, however I found myself struggling with the pacing and writing style.
There were a lot of pop-culture references in this which don't normally bother me, but there is only so many times I can hear about the Spice Girls before I need you to 'stop right now thank you very much'. I also, unfortunately, found the writing style to be very blunt and I struggled to remain engaged even during tense moments.
Most of the action happens in the last 20% of the book, making the first half feel much longer than it is and the ending too rushed. I was tempted to DNF multiple times but instead just listened on double speed. However, I will say that once I got to the last 20% I enjoyed the book significantly more.
'Her Majesty's Royal Coven' is a low urban fantasy about witches with important queer political commentary, but the fantasy world building was lacking and as such felt more like a political essay using witches as a metaphor rather than a fantasy novel. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I was disappointed as this was sold as an 'epic fantasy' which it wasn't. There is nothing escapist about this. (Perhaps the world building will develop in the rest of the trilogy?).
Overall, I think this contains a really important discussion and is worth reading for the politics, but if you are not more interested in that than the fantasy aspect, you might struggle with 'Her Majesty's Royal Coven'.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Hate crime, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Outing, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death and Body shaming