Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

161 reviews

clemireads's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

katharina90's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

I enjoyed the themes, like the politics and dynamics at play among the covens and witchy parts of society, but the plot really didn't wow me. It was a little boring. 

The book has LGBTQ and BIPOC rep but I would have liked for Theo to play a bigger, more active part in the story.

I listened to the audiobook and Aiofe McMahon is a favorite narrator so that helped get me through the book when the story dragged.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

flashandoutbreak's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

rideauriverreads's review

Go to review page

dark funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

merricatfromblackwood's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced
  • 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

3.0

This is a hard one. The TERF having a POV was hard to read. I also wish there was more world building/more time with the magic system. But I enjoyed it. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

tashawallace95's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

emilywrayburn's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional 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

I started this book in audio format, but I am finding lately I haven’t had a lot of time to invest in listening to books, so I decided to switch to the paperback. I’m so glad I did, because after taking at least a couple of weeks to listen to the first 40%, I read the other 60% in a matter of days, and I’m pretty sure I enjoyed it all the more for being able to properly absorb myself.

HMRC draws on a lot of English witchy folklore, with references to Pendle Hill and such, but also examines the ways in which witchcraft narratives have developed over the years to favour certain types of stories. The four main characters are bound by childhood oaths but they are now very different people, hardened by a war that made them grow up too quickly, with different values and different attitudes to the world around them.

I was impressed with Dawson’s ability to handle the different POVs in this book, particularly those who are in opposition to her own values. Niamh was definitely my favourite character, though I enjoyed Leonie and Elle’s perspectives too. Helena is a compelling character to read even though she is an absolute piece of work. Seeing her transformation from “Well, she’s wrong but maybe we could sit her down and explain why she’s being unreasonable” to “wow, she went completely off the rails” made for some compelling reading.

I know that some people are going to say that Dawson was “heavy-handed” because I found myself thinking that, too, before reminding myself that discussions of issues affecting marginalised people are allowed to be there on the page. An author doesn’t have to seamlessly weave their exploration of issues into the story and never explicitly mention it for it to be acceptable.

The cliffhanger ending does feel a little cheap or unearned, but I am keen to see where the next volume takes us! I already had it on hold at the library before I had finished this one and I’ll be diving into it soon! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

titalindaslibrary's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark sad 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

3.75

Excuse me, that ending???

I feel like I need to sit with this a bit longer, but it read like Netflix’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch directly challenging JKR. 

Trigger warning for transphobia, we get a POV of a TERF witch in this book. It’s very explicitly challenged and shown to be wrong, but still. I can see how triggering that could be to read. 

I have some mixed feelings about some minor parts of this (
excuse me, why did Elle’s “friends” not just tell her that her husband is cheating on her?? What kind of sisterhood hides that!?
), but I think ultimately this is a welcome addition to witchy novels that address issues of our time. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

scrubsandbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

This was one hell of a ride but one I immensely enjoyed: queer witches, powerful women, politics mixed with magic and amazing world-building. Theo was easily my favorite character from the get-go and I enjoyed the TERFs getting their asses handed to them in a way that I wish we could see this same fate for these kinds of people in the real world. 

With the topic being transphobia, this book may not be for everyone. I know for a fact that TERFs and their supporters would hate it, but generally speaking, the transphobia is heavy handed and I had to take some breaks in between to punch a pillow and have some cookies and soothing music before I went back into it. I was thoroughly invested though and know I will complete the entire trilogy the moment it all comes out.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lovegriefandgender's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Ok look so about 20 pages in
one of the characters turns out to be trans.
Shocking, right? Anyways it was lovely to see in a silly, completely melodramatic fantasy novel and I found myself buying into the world a lot more. One hilariously ridiculous sex scene, and
I'm not sure how I feel about trans characters making themselves into "the version they've always seen themselves as"
but I had fun and that's what this stuff is for.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings