Reviews - The Shadow Cabinet

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A decent follow up to HMRC's first installment, but one that falls short on the emotional believability and is bogged down by way too many Shocking Twists.

The Shadow Cabinet follows a similar structure to Her Majesty's Royal Coven: fast-paced, snappy dialogue, informal narrative style, and anchored in very current events. The supporting cast remains enjoyable to read, and Dawnson's take on witchcraft, government, and systems of oppression remains incredibly relevant. For me, this sequel falls flat in its emotional authenticity. Where Her Majesty's Royal Coven felt rooted in the relationships of our protagonists, The Shadow Cabinet feels rather disjointed and abrupt in its breakneck speed and jump cuts between chapter after chapter of increasingly more seemingly impossible events.

I appreciate Dawson's choice to narrate the majority of this story from the previous story's antagonist. It challenges the reader to reckon with the lasting effects of childhood trauma, carceral punishment, and addiction. That being said, this character does little to reckon with the truly horrific, vindictive, and disproportionate actions she has committed against many characters. While there is something to be said here about the things we are capable of doing to the people we love, I was disappointed by how quickly they are resolved. Much of the central tension of this book, one that would be emotionally devastating to our entire supporting cast, really feels tied up in a bow and an "aw shucks, glad to have you back!" All of which feels entirely out of character for the friend group we've come to know over these two books.

Also, the number of Twists(Tm) that happened in the last 100 pages of the book verged on ridiculous. While they do seem to be very necessary for the series finale, their importance felt cheapened by the shock value in which they were presented.

Spoiler

Having reveal in the last 5 pages that Milo has actually been dead this whole time just felt absurd.

Anyway, with all that I still had fun and will 100% be reading Human Rites.