Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Her Majesty's Royal Coven

First off, Nicola Coughlan was incredible at narrating this book. I was in awe of how well she portrayed the many characters just by voice. The accents were amazing, the way she made me feel when listening to this audiobook, how she made you sympathise with each character - just everything was perfect.

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven is a low fantasy novel set in a small Yorkshire town in the UK. Niamh comes across a child who is misunderstood and shields them from the dangers. This book is about friendship, trust, love and understanding. The diversity and LGBTQIA+ representation in this novel is beautiful, along with the many different stories told. The trans rep is compelling and gorgeous. I loved this novel so much. Also a complex villain? That makes it even better.

I would recommend this to everyone, I think there is a bit of everything. Do read the content warnings before starting as there are some major mentions of transphobia, racism, violence, (and white supremacists).

Content Warnings

jadehusdanhicks's review against another edition

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challenging 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? No

4.25

A great witchy and queer book. Incorporating not only political aspects but also bringing a trans witch into the picture which I’d never seen in a book before as it’s almost only ever exclusively gendered witches and warlocks.

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.

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clowngirl's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

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supernova_reader's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Well done. I picked it up because I was told it is an interesting and insightful portrayal of female friendships and how they evolve with age and though life. I wasn’t let down in the slightest. Also pleasantly surprised at the serious topics covered in the book.

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meliroo's review

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dark tense

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

utopiastateofmind's review

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Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

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.

Content Warnings

bi_n_large's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

foreverinastory's review against another edition

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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.

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