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booknchaoswithmarz's review
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, Violence, and War
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Cursing, Death, and Kidnapping
Minor: Abortion, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, and Panic attacks/disorders
bookishflower's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- 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
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'.
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'.
Content Warnings
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
travelseatsreads's review against another edition
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: Murder, Racism, Confinement, Cursing, Death, War, Homophobia, Kidnapping, and Violence
foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.0
Thank you to the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was a wild ride. Read 80% in one sitting because I couldn't stop.
Rep: white Irish-British cishet female MC, white British cishet female MC, white British cishet female MC, Black-biracial British lesbian female MC, sapphic Nigerian-British refugee side character, Black-biracial male side character, white trans girl side character, queer Latina trans woman side character, queer BIPOC nonbinary side character.
CWs: Alcohol consumption, blood, animal death, car accident, confinement, death, injury/injury detail, kidnapping and attempted kidnapping, murder, outing of trans character without consent, toxic friendship, violence. Moderate: classism, death of parent, fire/fire injury, infidelity of one MC's husband, misogyny, racism, sexual content, sexism specifically cissexism, war.
This was a wild ride. Read 80% in one sitting because I couldn't stop.
Rep: white Irish-British cishet female MC, white British cishet female MC, white British cishet female MC, Black-biracial British lesbian female MC, sapphic Nigerian-British refugee side character, Black-biracial male side character, white trans girl side character, queer Latina trans woman side character, queer BIPOC nonbinary side character.
CWs: Alcohol consumption, blood, animal death, car accident, confinement, death, injury/injury detail, kidnapping and attempted kidnapping, murder, outing of trans character without consent, toxic friendship, violence. Moderate: classism, death of parent, fire/fire injury, infidelity of one MC's husband, misogyny, racism, sexual content, sexism specifically cissexism, war.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Animal death, Car accident, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Outing, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Violence, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Sexism, and War
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