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ladythana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Transphobia, Gaslighting, Deadnaming, and Outing
Moderate: Bullying, Car accident, Toxic friendship, Confinement, Death of parent, Violence, Murder, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Grief, and Forced institutionalization
jadehusdanhicks'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? No
4.25
Dealing with coming out, queer identity and also transphobia and homophobia this book is very well written by an own voices author.
It also openly discussed race issues in parliament especially in the uk and I can only say this is accurate to real life - I love how it questioned what people haven’t been willing to change in the past. In the name of making their world more intersectional. With a smashing ending I can’t wait for the next book and shocked by who the villain turned out to be.
Graphic: Death of parent, Abandonment, Cursing, Xenophobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Medical content, Outing, Racism, Sexism, Toxic friendship, and Transphobia
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: Death, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Confinement, Deadnaming, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Outing, Transphobia, Violence, and War
Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual content
Minor: Animal death and Body shaming
clowngirl'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Transphobia, Sexism, Racism, and Misogyny
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Deadnaming, and Death
grrrlbrarian'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Transphobia, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, and Grief
Moderate: Abortion, War, Torture, Self harm, Outing, Murder, Gaslighting, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Eating disorder, Vomit, Racism, Terminal illness, and Dysphoria
dosymedia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Transphobia and Deadnaming
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Toxic friendship, Outing, Murder, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Racism, War, and Sexual content
utopiastateofmind's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
TW: misgendering
Her Majesty's Royal Coven is a story about systems and freedom. About ingrained systems that are held up, institutions, over time and which - in some ways - resist change. This idea that they are exclusionary, not listening or acknowledging voices, like marginalized ones. It's about these systems of power and also to celebrate voices and forces of change. Of people who are able to see when to speak out, and those who have made spaces of their own. It's a multiple POV story surrounding this core of friends who have drifted apart.
I enjoyed watching the character's lives unfold, specifically as they began to intersect more and it was clear they were keeping things from each other. But I do feel like some perspectives took more of the center stage. Maybe that's because of the ending and how it's set up for this series, but I felt like some of my favorite characters didn't get as much time as I would have liked. Even more than that, one of the characters is incredibly transphobic.
I am not trans and so I cannot speak to these comments, but I can say that it was incredibly difficult to read. I realize that these sentiments are those shared by some people within our society - this TERF sentiment that pervades certain spaces - but it just felt like in a story which is supposed to feature a trans minor at the heart of it, that it was difficult to read. The story of her search for recognition and specifically as a girl is so central to the plot of the story and so this POV felt even more hostile.
Moderate: Transphobia, Sexism, Homophobia, and Deadnaming