Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

48 reviews

frmeden's review

adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Transphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Car accident, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual content, War, and Racism

alexiab's review against another edition

challenging funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I'm breaking my self imposed review hiatus for this book because I am ABSOLUTELY LOSING MY MIND OVER HOW GOOD IT WAS. Every single aspect is just OUTSTANDING.

While there are a ton of excellent commentaries happening throughout this story about racism, homophobia, transphobia, and sexism there is also an INCREDIBLE fantasy plot with exciting action and heartstopping twists. I can't BELIEVE the exciting and emotional way it ended, and I am champing at the absolute bit for the next book. I'm obsessed with this writing, the balance of character study/women's fiction aspects, world building, and fast paced plot is fabulous. I would read another one of these books for the characters alone, but THAT PLOT! OOOOH THAT PLOT SHE IS SPICY SHE IS EXCITING SHE IS DESTROYING MY VERY SOUL FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

And god, the social commentary on trans women and their place in women's spaces? The white feminism and how it doesn't benefit women of colour? The raging white women fighting for "women's rights" but only women who look like her?! GOD. JUST AMAZING.

A huge part of me thinks this book was written as a direct response to JK Rowling and her bullshit TERF rhetoric, and my god is it incredible.  The setting, the fantasy elements, and the themes work so beautifully together and paint the biggest "fuck you" to every TERF out there, I couldn't be more thrilled.

A huge part of me expected Helena's story to go a very different direction, and I am SO thrilled that this didn't remotely pander to the "we're better than them, show them kindness" bullshit that some people spew. every TERF deserves to burn in hell, I'm not sorry. RIP Helena, you crusty bitch.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Cursing, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Grief, Hate crime, Sexual content, Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Violence

Minor: Alcohol and Self harm

maregred's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Classism, Death, Blood, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, War, Death of parent, Infidelity, Racism, and Sexism

Minor: Abortion, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content

murderousscottishgremlin's review

emotional funny mysterious reflective 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

4.75

This was so good. The worldbuilding was so immersive and the characters were all written so well. Cannot wait for the second book in this series!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

Moderate: Sexual content

meliemelo's review

adventurous dark inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Is this book perfectly well written? No.

Did I have a tremendous amount of fun reading it? YES.

Some parts may seem heavy-handed, and all the Spice Girls reference may not age well, sure. I maintain my five stars, if only because I thoroughly enjoy this novel - which I read entirely within the course of one day and two train journeys. The characters are interesting, the queer rep pretty good, the you-know-who tackles feel great, and most of all I really loved the story and the universe it is set in. Also hands down one of the best (or most fun) closing lines ever.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Murder, Grief, Transphobia, Violence, Sexual content, Outing, Animal death, Blood, and Alcohol

Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, and Toxic relationship

leanne_miron's review against another edition

adventurous reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Murder, and Outing

Moderate: Kidnapping, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Infidelity, and Misogyny

shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Grief, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Toxic friendship, War, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping

Minor: Abortion, Animal death, Child abuse, Outing, Ableism, and Emotional abuse

cozywithraven's review

dark 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

3.0

The characters that alternate as narrators are all pretty diverse, but I got pretty annoyed that almost every chapter made a point to label something as problematic. The final .... Fight(?) Was a pretty big disappointment for how it was being built up, and the final twist felt like it contradicted the magic system and plot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Transphobia, Homophobia, and Deadnaming

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Death of parent, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Classism, and Colonisation

Minor: Death of parent

puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, Death, Kidnapping, and Transphobia

Moderate: Grief, Sexual content, Sexism, Dysphoria, Cursing, Confinement, Racism, War, Alcohol, Abandonment, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Domestic abuse

zluke's review

adventurous 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

3.5

A quick, enjoyable read, but a few things let it down for me. 

The transphobia was a bit heavy-handed and clumsy in places, as were some of the discussions of racism. While the message was good, it came across as overly preachy at times. I also think it's a shame that we never get to see from Theo's point of view and rather it's all told through the perspectives of the other witches. 

Theo, a trans girl, mainly being talked and gossiped about by cis people felt voyeuristic and off to me. It didn't give her much of her own agency.

Theo and Leonie are probably the most interesting characters and I would have liked more time getting to know them. Hopefully in the next book we will. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Transphobia

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Violence, Child abuse, and Kidnapping

Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual violence