A fantastic read! Juno Dawson does wonders creating modern witches I couldn't help but fall in love with. This book delves into the intricacies of politics, gender identity, race and friendship. An unputdownable read that I'm not soon to forget. I fell in love with the characters, especially Niamh, Leonie and Theo, the world building and the story. I can't wait for the next instalment. Wonderfully narrated by Nicola Coughlan!

This is the story of four witches who were all once part of Her Majesty's Royal Coven, a secret coven sworn to protect the crown and country from dark forces. Now adults, Helena, Niamh, Elle & Leonie are all on very different paths but an apocalyptic prophecy sees them having to come together to protect the sisterhood and their country.

I love witchy stories so I knew I had to pick it up. Thankfully it didn't disappoint - I absolutely loved it!

The lack of major plot developments in the first half is balanced by the development of characters relationships and the world building that's necessary for it being the first in a trilogy of fantasy books. Having said that, even from the start I was fully immersed!

So many social and cultural issues were tackled within the story (feminism, race, LGBT rights, misogyny, sexism to name a few) but never in a way that it felt out of place or forced.

That ending though!! I'll 100% be ordering the second book when it comes out next year to find out what happens!

A really fun, enthralling witchy story with powerful and important messages at its core.

Also the narration on the audio book is amazing and it really made the book for me!

Firstly the narrator for this audiobook was excellent. Whilst the accent was a little jarring at first I quickly got used to it and found that it added more depth to the atmosphere and audio experience.

The characters were really well developed and unique and I particularly enjoyed Theo’s journey and exploring how other characters reacted to her gender identity. It was interesting to see how it affected the plot and the comparison between being trans in our society vs the society of witches that our characters are a part of.

Overall I really enjoyed the plot and seeing it come together through the different POVs, although I did find the first 30% a little slow to start off with. I definitely did not expect that ending though and it leaves me so excited to see what happens next in book 2.

It took me a few attempts to get into this read, but I'm so glad I persevered. Once I got passed all the characterS and was able to individualise them this book was ultimately a thrilling tale of acceptance through the guise of badass witches and other worldly battles.

I listened to this and read the physical book and both were incredible, this is the third Juno Dawson book I've read and in my opinion it has been my favourite. I will certainly be carrying on with this series and cannot wait to see what comes next for these amazing characters.

What a wild ride of a book! I wasn't certain how much I'd enjoy this book at the beginning, the writing style took a little getting used to, but about a quarter of the way in everything started kicking off and I was fairly hooked from then onwards. I loved that we got an insight into each of the four women's perspectives, but that it primarily focused on Niamh. It does such a great job of highlighting so many problems with discrimination in our world, even within a fictitious one such as this. Helena is a terrifying but unfortunately realistic character and it was interesting to read from her jarring perspective. The ending chapter had be gasping and now I desperately need to know what happens next!

This book is the first Juno Dawson book I have read and it is quiet a political book which I wasn't expecting at all. The main plot is around witches working with the government in a task force to protect Britian from the supernatural. The book deals with modern age witches that are dealing with personal battles such as gender, race and sexuality. The book is a light read for the most part with some fun one liners and a bit of the spice girls but does have some heaviness to it. I'm really not sure about that ending though, I will be intrigued to see where Juno Dawson takes this story with book two.

I really struggled to get into this book, listening to audio book did help massively and provided a fabulous story telling experience. I would definitely advise my followers to listen to the audiobook of this book as it adds so much more to the story.

Delightfully narrated, and a really engaging book. I felt engaged with the characters right from the start, and can't wait for the sequel!

It has been a turbulent book. I really liked the part about the representation of diversity and the way it deals with intolerance towards the LGBT community. I also loved the everyday problems. But I found the story itself very weak, and I wasn't convinced by the author's writing style.
A book I would recommend if you like witches and contemporary books.

I had the absolute privilege of reading Her Majesty’s Royal Coven via audiobook and Nicola Coughlan’s narration made the whole experience 100x better. She did such a fantastic job, making it crystal clear which POV the chapter was told in without having to be told, with a truly impressive array of phenomenal voices and accents. I am BEGGING that she narrates the audiobooks for the next two instalments in the trilogy.

As for the book itself, Juno Dawson delivers a powerful and spectacular story full of social commentary, humour, and sisterhood. The characters felt so real to me, and I genuinely feel like I miss some of them. Even the ones I despised and disagreed with on every fundamental level felt fully fleshed out, and not just your standard caricature of a ‘villain.’

The ending was unbelievable, and I am counting down the days to return to this world when The Shadow Cabinet is released. Thank you to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for an Audio ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a surprise book, I expected to enjoy it but not as much as I did. I typically don't enjoy books that are set in this world but there were enough magical and political ones to make this a really enjoyable read although it was a little jarring as some of the main location are close to where Iive so it was strange keep hearing local places being mentioned.

i enjoyed it so much that I went out and got myself a physical copy for collection.

Don't usually listen to audiobooks but this was really good. I love royalty books. It was over so quickly

I listened to the audiobook for this one, and I found it a little hard to follow. I think I might give the ebook a go as I’m not sure the narrator was suited to the story for me. It’s shame because I have loved Nicola Coughlin in other things, I think she is a brilliant actor but sadly this just didn’t work for me with this story. The bare bones of the story is really interesting, I love the premise and how politics and magic are portrayed! I just found the jumping between the characters a little hard to keep up with.

I received a copy of this audiobook from the publishers via NetGalleyc, thank you for the opportunity to listen.

I audiobooked this thanks to Netgalley but I also received a copy in the BTM November box and I'm so glad because the maps at the front are really cool and the book is so pretty.

Ease of Reading: 4✨
Characters: 5✨
Plot: 5✨
Writing: 4✨
Overall: 5✨

I loved this book. It was so much more than what I was expecting. Trans rights and exploring gender with a splash of race equity and a teaspoon of love affair; made the perfect witches' brew. Ended on a cliff-hanger that I'm sure will be resolved but I still feel nervous thinking about so I need the second book please! Overall I recommend.

I listened to this as an audiobook and I enjoyed it so much that I also bought the physical copy when it was released.
A great easy read, I’m already looking forward to the second part!

A group of witches, backed by the government working to deal with an impending apocalypse situation, yes please!

We have an almost Omen situation here where a prophecy surrounding a male coming to end it all, but all is not as it seems. Different witches have different opinions surrounding this prophecy and what it all means, and the situation is more complicated than it first looks. I loved the history around the HMRC and the different powers the Witches have.

I listened to this book on audio and loved the narrator, only slight issue was with different POVs it was harder to keep track of these with just one narrator.

I am withholding my honest review until a resolution to the Harper Collins Union strike has been resolved.

"Hidden among us is a secret government department of witches known as Her Majesty’s Royal Coven." This was such a unique premise, and Juno Dawson weaves a magical, lively, immersive tale of four friends who get caught up in the HMRC, and the witchy goings on that ensue...
Dawson mixes traditional themes of witches and all that they represent, with a modern twist, and the result is an inventive, interesting tale that would appeal to a wide audience.

I thoroughly enjoyed this witchy, magical romp through Yorkshire and London as Her Majesty's Royal Coven tries to deal with power shifts, trans rights, racial inequalities, and the complex dynamics of old friendships. The narration of Nicola Coughlan felt absolutely perfect for this novel which takes a magical setting and deals with the very real questions that we face in our lives - is it not just an element of humanity that there will always be strife, disagreement, and denial of what is 'real', whose experience matters? And those last few pages - I can't wait for the sequel!