A review by questingnotcoasting
The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson

adventurous dark 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

4.0

Her Majesty's Royal Coven is one of my favourite reads of 2023 so far so I was extremely excited to read this one. I listened to the audiobook again because I love Nicola Coughlan's narration. She does a wide range of accents perfectly and the different character POVs feel so distinct. I think I preferred HMRC a tiny bit more because the main characters were more often in the same place at the same time but this was still great. Dawson continues to include social commentary within her urban fantasy world, this time mainly through the introduction of the witchfinders. They made me absolutely furious and this was just as tense as the first one, mainly because of them. The ending of the first one was an interesting choice and I wasn't sure I'd enjoy the repercussions of it but actually I found it a really clever and interesting direction to take the story in. I was prepared for another cliffhanger ending but I couldn't predict what it would be. I slightly regret reading this one so soon after its release because now I have to wait at least a year for the next one. 
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