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A review by kizzia
Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.0
As someone who used to work as a tax accountant and who is both queer and a witch (although not the type of witch Juno has imagined) I don’t think there was ever any doubt I’d read this book at some point. There are so many things to like in this book and yet when I finished the last page I was out of sorts and unsettled. Part of that is down to the obvious set up for further books in the series but it also, I think, stems from the setting and world building that grounds the book. If you want a magical romp that takes you out of the utter mess of our current political climate then this is absolutely not the book for you.
I really appreciated how the various issues it dealt with were handled but, like the real world, there were no easy solutions to the hatred and fear it highlighted. Right now that feels like an honest place for a fictional story to go but if you are queer and fiction is currently your escape from the issues our community is facing this may be one to keep on the tbr pile for a little while longer.
It is a really good book though. The writing is wonderful, the characters vivid and engaging (even the awful ones) and the way the magic is built into and around the real world works very well indeed. Whether or not the characters that I love will eventually get a break I do not know but I am looking forward to getting my hands on the second book in the series to see where Juno takes them next.
I really appreciated how the various issues it dealt with were handled but, like the real world, there were no easy solutions to the hatred and fear it highlighted. Right now that feels like an honest place for a fictional story to go but if you are queer and fiction is currently your escape from the issues our community is facing this may be one to keep on the tbr pile for a little while longer.
It is a really good book though. The writing is wonderful, the characters vivid and engaging (even the awful ones) and the way the magic is built into and around the real world works very well indeed. Whether or not the characters that I love will eventually get a break I do not know but I am looking forward to getting my hands on the second book in the series to see where Juno takes them next.