All the way through this was a great read. In fact i received this from net galley as an audio and I think the audio made it an even better experience as the narrator was superb! Right off the bat, this was a 4☆ until the last quarter where it ramped up and the ending blew me away. If you've read this, you'll know what I mean! 5☆!

Foolishly, I hadn't looked if this was a series. Counting down to read the next and in meantime I'm going to buy a physical copy to write notes on.

I Shall start off by saying I really think that the reader for this book was a perfect choice.

Each characters voice was slightly different and the accents were great.

I also really like the idea that there have been witches in and around the crown and that they hide in plain sight with its initials being HMRC . That's pretty cool.

That's about where the cool factor ends for me.

The rest of the book has significant issues which I feel ruins the story at least for me.

Here are my issues

1. The girls are awesome and girls rule . This is pushed way to hard.

2. The otherness. HMRC seems to be made up of mostly white ladies and if you aren't them then your somehow less.

3.Then lastly she was like oh wait! The guys! Yeah they can do magic too but they wont ever be as good as the Gurls....but wait! A guy started
the wars that happened off screen and yeah the wars. So they are actually pretty crap.

There's more ahd I could go on but I won't. I will just say this was a very hard read for me.

3.5 stars

The story revolves around witches; in and out of a coven named Her Majesty’s Royal Coven. This is shortened to HMRC. I work in pensions and refer to the ‘real’ HMRC daily so I found this quite disruptive to my read.

The characters are interesting and varied, the plot entertaining but at times I felt I was being lectured which did grate after a while.

I can’t imagine the prejudices that Theo would face and understand the author’s agenda. With that said, I read to escape the world… I appreciate that the message needs saying and I imagine it was written in response to another author’s comment but perhaps a little more subtlety would have benefitted the story.

I listened to this and whilst the narration was good, I did speed it up some.

I will read the next book and hope it arrives soon.

Thanks go to Netgalley and Harper Collins U.K. audio for providing with an Arc. All comments are my own.

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 Nicola Coughlan 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!

Big fan of Juno Dawson and loved the audio book as Nicola Coughlan is the narrator!
Felt like I was 100% set up to love this book with an amazing author and narrator however it was a bit slow to begin with and there was lots if characters to get my head around.
However once I got into the book it was such a great experience! Loved the themes of friendship and sisterhood!
Highly recommend

I really enjoyed this one - what isn't to love about some badass witches who keep the world safe from magical forces and social injustices?

Loved the choice of Nicola Coughlan as the narrator for this too, I feel like she really added another depth the story with her narration.

Described as “A Discovery of Witches meets The Craft”, you know I couldn’t resist this one!

The concept of HMRC is that witches are everywhere; they exist harmoniously alongside “mundanes” (that’s us regular folk), because they hide their true selves and only step in to help when the non magic types mess up badly enough.
There are schools and governmental departments dedicated to the witch way of life, including Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, which young witches take an oath to join.
Four best friends; Helen, Niamh, Leonie, and Elle took that oath together and have had a close bond since. That may be threatened now by the appearance of a young warlock who has the potential to destroy everything they know. Niamh wants to protect him and help him use his powers for good, but Helena fears him and the new way of life he brings with him. The friends must decide whether to take the path of least resistance and preserve tradition, or do what’s right and embrace the future as a more tolerant and open coven.

Things I loved about this;
* Nicola Coughlan narrating the audiobook. She’s incredible and really brought this book to life
* the focus on feminism and women being powerful, and the importance of friendship
*The LGBTQI representation, and the discussion of trans issues felt very true to life. The author does a good job of using the same negative cliché arguments some people have regarding Trans people, through the lens of magic and witchcraft. She also does a good job of tearing those arguments down
*loved having an Irish main character who is also an incredibly powerful witch, G’wan Niamh!
*Buffy references, which I always appreciate!

Things I didn’t like;
* it’s far too long, imo. The last 30-40% of the book was exciting and action packed but it felt like it took a long time to get there
* some of the characters are well developed, some aren’t
* at times it felt a bit like “social issues 101 for teens” and maybe that’s the point; Juno Dawson regularly writes for a younger audience anyway!

That said, this is the first in a trilogy, so a lot of setting up of this world has to be done in that initial book, and that would explain some of the lengthier passages. I would certainly read the second in the series; hopefully Nicola Coughlan will be narrating the audiobook again!

Juno Dawson is a new author for me and I had heard great things about her writing but sadly for me I really struggled with this book. I loved the concept for this story and was excited to read this witch filled tale but the magic within this story felt very much an afterthought and I feel that this book would have be better if it had left the magic behind and just focused on the several characters and their lives and relationships.
Focusing on one element I think would have also helped with character development as I felt that each character was a little flat and not quite life-like and sometimes the characters started to blend together a little bit and I found myself having to backtrack to find out which characters story I was on at that point.
The pace of this story was very slow and I ended up putting this book down several times until we got to the crunch of the plot but it unfortunately did make it feel like a not a lot was happening up to that point, it was sadly easily to lose interest and this made it easily to lose the connections with the characters, their world and the message Juno was trying to tell the audience through her story.

I was expecting a YA Fantasy….easy reading, a bit of fun…. This was not that! A deep, immersive fantasy world tackling complicated issues with lots of swear words. Loved it!

Ate this novel up! While partial to witchy fiction, this book has taken many of the current culture 'debates' going on and thoughtfully explores what they mean to real-life relationships. It was the treatment of the central friendships which really bolstered the magical world Dawson creates here. Nicola Coughlan's narration was a total joy! Loved it and can't wait for Book 2

If Juno Dawson writes it amma gonna read it 👍

A book with witchy, feminist, gender wars that is queer af? I'm in!

SYNOPSIS:

"If you look hard enough at old photographs, we're there in the background: healers in the trenches; Suffragettes; Bletchley Park oracles; land girls and resistance fighters. Why is it we help in times of crisis? We have a gift. We are stronger than Mundanes, plain and simple.

Dawson explores gender and the corrupting nature of power in a delightful and provocative story of magic and matriarchy, friendship and feminism. Dealing with all the aspects of contemporary womanhood, as well as being phenomenally powerful witches, Niamh, Helena, Leonie and Elle may have grown apart but they will always be bound by the sisterhood of the coven."

MY THOUGHTS:

👑 Dawson's writing just never fails to absolutely pull me in and carry me along with the story.

👑 This story was so cleverly created that it blends magic, and witches with sociopolitical commentary on gender, feminism, race and identity in the modern world.

👑 I found the representation in this book fabulous.

👑 So many times in the book I could pinpoint politicians, political parties, "celebrities", etc who were very anti the trans community or the woke "agenda" that I felt this story was responding to in the real world.

👑 I love witches... well who doesn't love witches they are the original fighters against the patriarchy.

👑 I'm not a big fantasy reader, I try but I struggle, so this was probably at the tipping point of how fantastical my reading gets, probably the only reason for me that this isn't 5 stars and that's about the genres I enjoy rather than the book itself.

👑 I listened to this on audiobook (thanks to the publisher) and the narration and story telling is absolutely fantastic. So I would highly recommend listening to this if you can.


If you are a feminist and "woke" like me with a love of urban fantasy then make this your next read!

Thank you to Harper Collins and Net Galley for access to an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Witches fighting transphobes, gender-affirming magic system, and kickass mums as main characters – literally. What more could you want.

Her Majesty's Royal Coven is a fresh and reviving take on both urban fantasy, and fantasy in general. This book was a fun read *and* an emotional read, at once irreverent and engaging and utterly destroying. The history between characters was well-laid out and not dumped all at once on the reader, and each POV had a distinct voice that made them easy to follow. The weaving of current politics and issues with the more fantastical elements was seamless and the worldbuilding well realised, though I would have enjoyed even more of it.

Niamh and Leoni were the most engaging POVs for a good deal of the book, though Elle's story became more and more intriguing as it went on. Dawson must be applauded for the amount of sympathy she manages to give Helena for most of the book - considering everything, it would have been easy to make her a totally one-sided character.

As a trans person, the other characters' unquestioning protectiveness of Theo genuinely made me cry, especially the relationships between her and Niamh, and her and Holly.

The narrator of the audiobook has incredible range, with brilliant accent work, and a great balance of engaging narrative and emotional voice acting.

The cliffhanger killed me and I need the sequel yesterday.

5/5

As soon as I heard about Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I have been a huge fan of Juno Dawson for years, and absolutely loved so many of her contemporary books. As a huge fantasy lover, I couldn’t wait to read her first fantasy novel… I was not disappointed. I really, really enjoyed Her Majesty’s Royal Coven. It is epic fantasy with all the raw grittiness that you should come to expect from a Juno Dawson book.

I was lucky enough to receive the audiobook of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven to review and I am so glad I listened to this one. If you’re an audio lover, I highly highly recommend it! It is narrated by Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan… and my goodness, she does a fantastic job! Considering the multiple points of view, I worried about the same narrator doing all of them, but Nicola does a wonderful job of bringing them all to life, and I was never confused about who was talking when. I loved her narration, it was fantastic.

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven is political, gritty and real. It tackles so many real issues, like family issues, transgender individuals and relationships. I loved how Juno tackled these real issues while the book still being humorous. I really loved her storytelling and character development in this book. It is, in my opinion, her best book to date! I loved every single moment of it.

The ending of this book had my jaw on the floor. I was so shocked, I couldn’t believe what was happening. I ended up listening to the last few chapters with my hands over my eyes… as if that was going to stop me from hearing it LOLZ! It was just absolutely superb storytelling and before you ask me… yes… it was a cliffhanger! As I’ve only ever read standalones from Juno in the past, I didn’t realise how mean she was with the cliffhangers. I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book… it cannot release soon enough! This is a must-read! I loved it.

I adored this book - it was so amazing. I honestly still can't fully explain how much I loved this book. I am still trying so apologies if this review is all over the shop.
I loved the relationships between these women and how they are supporting each other, even with their busy day-to-day stuff happening as well. I also loved how real these relationships were - they don't talk all the time or see each other constantly. Reality makes some books work so much more.
This book meant so much to me, I love how it approached themes of family and found family - it gave me all the good feels. Dealing with some heartwarming issues that are spoilers as well, it was done perfectly.
The witchiness throughout - the way magic worked was explained really well and I loved all the little dips back into the past to show us more of what happened. Setting a solid foundation for book 2 - I am so excited and need it asap.

Thank you to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for my gifted copy of the audio of this book!

WHAT 👏🏽A👏🏽 BOOK👏🏽

I loved the magicality and the mundane of this book. The politics of the everyday and the outrage that comes with that.

Each character is well crafted and makes you feel as though you are making friends as you get to know them all.

Of course there are some characters that you just don’t like and for good reason it would seem.

I loved the settings (Manchester most obviously 😁) and how the magical world was detailed within the mundane world I am already fully aware of!

But why oh why can’t I be a witch with the coven’s powers?

I loved the transgender 🏳️‍⚧️ exploration and how that ties to being a witch or a warlock and how it is wholly who you are inside. Portrayed so beautifully and magically, of course.

Like any good book, Juno’s writing flares your emotions in both the positive and negative, which I love.

I cannot wait for book two, anyone know a spell for time travel?

I LOVED Nicola Coughlan’s narration, it is truly excellent. I loved the accents and how seemlessly Nicola transitions between them all.

Buy this book 😍

3.5 stars
I expected to love this and I tried the physical and audiobook in case a different format would be better for it.
The story has lots of elements I love (witches, queer rep, magic, friendships) and my Illumicrate edition is gorgeous. However, the writing felt a bit flat and I didn’t really connect to the 4 main witches or believe their bond/closeness.
The final scene will probably entice me to read the next book but I’m sad that I didn’t love this one.

Unfortunately I could not finish this one. despite the premise sounding like my vibe with promising sounding characters, I felt disconnected and unbothered by the plot and characters. I gave it until 50% but unfortunately this one just did not work for me.

I think if you enjoy the sound of the blurb, then go for it. It just wasn’t for me.

I will always pick a book about witches. This was a great listen/read with wonderful witchy and magical elements based in the modern world.

Nicola Coughlan made this book for me. She’s an amazing narrator. Very character had a different voice, different accent and it made it so easy to tell the characters apart while listening.

A really enjoyable listen and look forward to more.

The narration is excellent, Nicola Coughlan is SO good. Dawson's story itself is imaginative and entertaining and a great start to a series. There times when it feels a bit heavy-handed in its message, but as a combined package it’s an excellent listen.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in return for an honest review.

This was such a good book! The fantasy element of this book was done so well. I was immersed in this modern day witchy world. I loved the current and popular references that really made this fantasy world realistic and believable.
This book also focuses on so many important issues such as trans rights, racism, feminism and friendships to name a few. I enjoyed how these were woven into the story in a natural yet defiant way.
I absolutely cannot wait for the follow up to this book. I am eagerly awaiting to see what happens to these characters and how the future of their world unravels.

I also loved listening to this on audio. Nicola Coughlan does an incredible job at voicing the many characters in this book. It worked so so well!