Thank you, HarperCollins UK, and Netgalley for sending me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3,75 stars*

Queen B is a prequel novella to the Her Majesty’s Royal Coven trilogy. The story is set in the Tudor period and follows Lady Grace Fairfax, member of Anne Boleyn’s household and coven. The book focusses on the treachery that is present at Court and the Coven that faces multiple betrayals. Through the eyes of Grace, we see Anne’s rise at court, her complex marriage, her death and the attempts by the Coven to take revenge.

This was a fun little novella. I loved the back and forth between the events, as well as how things played out. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get attached to any of the characters, but I think that might be because this is a novella. If the story was longer, I would probably have liked the characters better. I also was expecting a bit more about the founding of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven. But it was still a great story, and I really enjoyed it, nonetheless.

Excellent. I loved the first two books and don’t usually love novellas but this was great. I can’t wait for the third in the trilogy and hope there might be more in this world!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the ARC

I love this series and this third installment did not disappoint! As the previous books, it was pure perfection. It was great seeing our gang again and follow their adventures. This series is just so enjoyable and I can't praise it enough

I love witchy books, Anne Boylen and have really enjoyed the HMRC books so far, so this should have been a hit for me but fell a little flat.

It was an interesting story but I didn't enjoy the structure and pacing and didn't have enough time to connect to the characters.

𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐁 | 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐨 𝐃𝐚𝐰𝐬𝐨𝐧 | 𝟑.𝟕𝟓*

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟
⟡ Historical fantasy
⟡ Political court intrigue
⟡ Sapphic romance
⟡ Witches
⟡ Novella

𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰:
A novella packed with action, fierce witches, and political court intrigue that amplifies greed, power, and love.

I am loving the HMRC series and although I didn’t rate this as highly as Her Majesty’s Royal Coven and The Shadow Cabinet, I did still really enjoy it. The author focuses on the historical figure of Anne Boleyn and reinvents her into a witch with a penchant for beautiful women and a hankering for power.

What kept throwing me off were the time jumps. This was not a linear novel and maybe I’m just really tired or maybe the timeline orientation needs to make more sense and be more logical.

I really enjoyed this book. It was nice to get a look into every character and see how their story developed and played out. The story itself felt quick but with enough plot that you were never bored at any point. You just wanted to find out the truth and know what happened to who. I was very happy about the sapphic sprinkle it had as well. I really recommend this book if you want a well written novella that’s full with plot.

In this story, we find explore Anne boleyn and her coven of witches at the Tower. How lady Grace fairfax becomes close to her.
That is until Anne gets executed on treasome.
I enjoyed this story so much with the flipping from past and present.

I loved this novella prequel for HMRC - it was a good representation of an alternative history for Anne which plays on the speculation of witchcraft.

I liked the dual timeline which brought the story to a head. It was well paced and there was action, tension and danger for the women central to the story.

I thought it was interesting to read the origin story for HMRC, though I do feel that you can read the series without it or you could read this without having ever picked up the series as this is more of a nice context story rather than something explicitly linked.

Overall a great and quick read. I love Dawson’s writing and am very excited for what comes next.

Another incredible installment in this addictive series.
I wanted the last book, i won't lie about it, but i had so much fun reading about Anne Boleyne and its just a novella, i wanted to know so much more!

As a MASSIVE fan of HMRC - this was a no brainer to try and get my hands on, I loved this book and I love Tudor history too so this was a wonderful merge of both. I loved the accuracy of the historical side of things and I enjoyed the witchy vibes too, it was a perfect blend of both. A very easy read and a great addition to the series! Juno Dawson continues to smash this genre!
Thanks for my advanced copy.

Queen B is the companion prequel novel to the HMRC series by Juno Dawson. We follow the first coven led by Anne Boleyn.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I only wish that is was longer to give us more time to fall in love with the characters.

One day, Juno Dawson will write a book that does not leave me swearing like a fishwife; Queen B is not that book.

Queen B tells the story of Anne founding the coven. It begins with Anne's execution (if you didn't know she died, sorry for the spoiler) and then moves in time between Anne's time as Queen leading up to her death, and how her ladies deal with the aftermath.

Despite an obsession with Anne in my younger days, the aftermath of her death isn't something I ever considered, but Juno portrays all the things you might expect: grief, anger, rage, and a bit of magic. Grace especially takes Anne's death hard and sets out to eviscerate those responsible, a sentiment I am fully on board with. I loved her and her relationship with Anne throughout the book.

Queen B gives an insight into how hard things were for women in the Tudor times, when the slightest mishap could have you labelled as a witch. I loved the addition of actual witches to this; especially the idea that the Queen herself founded a coven and infiltrated the court. Stunning work.

Juno has delivered the perfect, queer, magical Anne Boleyn story I never knew I needed. However, I am now going to need the stories of every other member of the coven. (I've got a few new swear words to try out).

Thanks to the absolute legends at @harpervoyager_uk for the early copy, and to Juno for destroying me again.

I loved Her Majesty’s Royal Coven and The Shadow Cabinet so I was intrigued to read this prequel where Juno Dawson introduces us to the origins of the Royal Coven in the time of Anne Boleyn.

I already knew I enjoyed the author’s writing style and this book was no exception. I liked how she wove in historical facts within the story which made it feel like it could actually have happened. The concept of the Royal Coven going back to this period of history is one I find particularly enthralling, and the Tudor period is one I’ve recently become more interested in which made the book particularly enjoyable for me.

The relationships between the women is the main focus of this book, as they struggle to cope with the loss of Anne Boleyn, the leader of their coven. Under the ominous watch of a witch finder, where an accusation can prove fatal, they must try to discover who amongst them betrayed her and why.

I did enjoy this novella but I would have liked it to have been a full length book and gone more into detail about the magic and the structure of the coven. It felt like we were just getting to know the characters and their motivations when the books ended.

An interesting addition to the series which adds history and context to the story, I would have just liked more.

Massive fan of the HMRC series so far. Super excited to be given an EARC from Netgalley. I'm also a big fan of historical fiction, so this novella is a perfect fit for me.
Told from the perspective of Anne Boleyn's ladies in waiting, we have a little insight into the witches of the time (in the HMRC world).

I think I was expecting a bit more about the founding of HMRC and possibly a smidge more magical content.

As someone who has read an awful lot of Tudor fiction over the years, I appreciate what has been done with this novella and it is definitely a midway point between historical fiction and contempt fantasy.

Absolutely everything I wanted out of this book and more!!
A prequel to HMRC series, set in the times of Henry VIII with Anne Boleyn as a coven leader??? Perfect.
It was beautiful the way fact and fiction were weaved together, I especially loved Lady Grace Fairfax and how she ended up.
The authors note at the end provided some interesting facts too.

A prequel novella to Dawson's HMRC series.

It's an alternate historical fantasy based on the historical figures of Anne Boleyn and her ladies-in-waiting.

The story didn't grip me like the other books in the series. It wasn't just the usual depiction of promiscuous Anne or Anne the witch that didn't sit well with me, what pulled me out of the story most often were the anachronisms used (right now only "sharing a bevy" and "smog" come to mind, but there were more).

All in all an interesting prequel, but it didn't add depth or important information to the existing/contemporary storyline.

2.5/5 stars, rounded down

Queen B is a prequel to the Her Majesty's Royal Coven series. It is short and fast-paced, with chapters jumping between before and after Anne Boleyn's death. Fans of the series will enjoy this glimpse into the past to see the beginning of what becomes HMRC, but I think it's a good read either way round and nothing is spoiled for the main series.

A fun mix of well-known historical figures with behind the scenes fantastical goings on. Recommended for fans of the series and those curious about it as well.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC!

An entrancing take on the rise and fall of the ambitious and bewitching Anne Boleyn, Witch and Queen.

Dawson’s latest installment of her popular HMRC series leads us back to the beginning; a beginning that starts with the beheading of a witch who became queen. Her coven in turmoil, a traitor on the run and her dream of witches in power dashed, Anne faces the executioner’s axe with grace & poise, knowing she still has one last move to play.

Intricately weaving together the times before and after Anne’s death, Dawson lays the foundation for her HMRC series through the eyes of Lady Grace Fairfax and Cecilia De La Torre, witches and ladies-in-waiting. This prequel excellently explores the theme of women’s power and struggles through love, fear, birth and death. While compact in length, Dawson really packs in the romance, drama and danger with this one.

I love reading books in an around the Tudor time and Henry VIII and his six wives, and I love Juno's HMRC series so I couldn't resist getting a copy of Queen B to review.

The book is both fast paced and interesting with a flowing mixture of fact and fiction intertwined.

I was hooked from the start and following the women on their paths of heartache, love and loyalty was just binge worthy.

Juno clearly did a lot of research when writing this book and it shows throughout the story. The way she includes this in her story is both flawless and satisfying.

I would recommend Queen B to fans of historical fiction, fantasy fiction, and obviously those that love the women in the HMRC series!

‘Queen B’ by Juno Dawson is a novella set within the ‘Her Majesty’s Royal Coven’ universe; you don’t need to have read the first two to enjoy this. The novella focuses on Anne Boleyn’s coven at court and is told in a dual timeline - 10 years prior when Lady Fairfax joins court and ‘present-day’, the days proceeding Boleyn’s beheading. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and certainly well written and despite an alt-history narrative well researched. However it fell flat to me, it felt in parts despite being a novella, it was trying to say too much and the ending was, for me, rushed. It would have stood well as a full-length novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for an ARC