22. Queen B by Juno Dawson

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Gosh I loved this! I love how cleverly it all linked into real names from history to bring these books to life.

⚡️ Witches and magic
⚡️ Treason and betrayal
⚡️ Love and vengeance

I actually would have loved this as a full novel!

I received the ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


From the imagination of Juno Dawson this is, I believe her first take on “historical fiction”?, bringing some very well known historical figures such as Anne Boleyn into the world of “Her Majesty’s Royal Coven” series. I absolutely love the series. Well written, packed full with action. This one is a little slower paced than the rest of the series, but still packs a punch.

I only wish it was longer. Highly recommend

I have no idea why I have held off diving in this world. It has everything I love: witches, urban fantasy, representation, the idea of corruption of power, found family. And yet, for one reason or another, I have always held off (even though I own the first book in the series, Her Majesty's Royal Coven, on Audible).

So, when I saw this, a prequel novella, I knew I had to jump at it. But then, of course, I kept putting it off. I really like Juno Dawson (I really enjoyed her debut YA novels, Hollow Pike and Cruel Summer, and have fond memories of reading these), so I suspected that I might put this on a high standard and then be sorely disappointed. But when my local library had the audiobook version, narrated by Nicola Coughlan, I decided to jump on it fast!

And, after a long month of DNFing (both novels and audiobooks), I think Queen B might have broken the curse. As it was a hoot!

This was a delicious little read with queerness and magic, starting at the moment of Anne Boleyn's beheading and the messiness and complex women of Anne's coven (oh yes, she's a witch in the alternative history) in the days/weeks after this (as well as the dual timeline of Anne's rise to power, not only as Queen of England but as Witch Queen).

Now, I have seen many people say that they wish this was longer, and I do agree. We got very little description of the world in Henry VIII (but then, we all know this through TV show/movies/history lessons in our school days) and if this was a longer novella or even a novel, we could have seen the slow burn of romance and danger.

Also, I have seen people question if this was necessary read for the series. As someone who hasn't read the series yet (soon, honest), I can't say, but to me, this was a nice gateway into this world and it was fun (reading for pleasure should be fun!).

Very excited to dive into this world!

First I would like to say thanks to Netgalley for giving me early access to this book prior to release. All opinions on the book are my own.

Do I wish this was book 3 in the HMRC series? Absolutely.
Am I annoyed its not full length? Absolutely.
JUNO what are you doing to me?

This was an enjoyable read, but I do feel that it was partly filler to keep us excited prior to the release of Human Resources. I waited for the audiobook to come out as Nicola Coughlan does a phenomenal job of narrating, but even then this book still left me wanting more - it’s a prequel and one that happens quite some time before the first book - Tudor times to be exact and the fact we have so much unfinished business in the current timeline I did feel a bit like what's the point, what will this add?

This novella jumps round a bit so it is hard to build caring relationships for characters when you aren't sure how the build up will tie them all together and in such a short space of time made it feel like an impossible job - Now Anne Boleyn as a Witch Queen was fun but doesn’t focus on this it is more about the women around her - I wish this was a 500 page book so I could learn to care more about the stakes, but I didn’t really connect with it.

But that saying this was a fun filler whilst I wait for the main event in the series , can be skipped if Historic retellings aren't for you, - call me intrigued.

Loved this! I really like this series so getting to read this little prequel was super fun. I also love how Juno has integrated it so well into history, and I felt like I was learning things as well as enjoying the story. SO interesting to imagine Anne Boleyn as a witch! And to see the history of the coven/how they came to be such an official part of the government. I actually gave this 4 stars which is pretty rare for me because it was just so easy to slip into. 4 starts for pure enjoyment - this was such a nice taster to keep us going waiting for the next book. Can't believe we have to wait a whole year for the next installment!

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the free review copy in exchange for an honest review.

It is 1536 in the middle of Henry VIII reign and the Queen Anne Boleyn has just been beheaded for witchcraft. She was betrayed by someone in the coven, and her closest ladymaid is determined to find out who and get justice.

I love this world so much. Strong women being badass witches will never get old. Although this story was not really necessary for understanding the world it was a nice background story. Novellas will almost never blow me away but it was an enjoyable read.

Juno Dawson's "Queen B" is a sharp and thrilling dive into the cutthroat world of royal hierarchies and social power plays. With biting wit and a keen eye for character dynamics, Dawson crafts a story that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. The protagonist's journey through a labyrinth of rivalry, magic, and self-discovery, making for a page-turner that's as engaging as it is insightful. "Queen B" captures the essence of ambition and the quest for identity, offering readers a compelling mix of drama and reflection that resonates well beyond the final chapter.

. Queen B focuses on the origins of the HMRC and focuses on the high priestess Anne Boleyn and her ladies in waiting who act as her coven
An enjoyable novella part of the HMRC set in the Tudor court definitely will tide you over until the 3rd installment of the series

The Her Majesty's Royal Coven series is one of my absolute favourites! While I love the idea of a novella to tide me over while waiting for the third installment of the main series, I ddn't think this one quite hit the mark. I liked the idea of a historical set novella surrounding the founding of HMRC (Anne Boleyn! Sapphic witches! Court intrigue!), however I just wasn't able to fall in love these characters. With the book only being 164 pages long, there was no chance for these characters to develop and I didn't care as deeply for them as I do for Niamh and the crew. While I did eventually warm to the story, but it was a little underwhelming.

Overall it's a fine story and I'm glad I read it, but it isn't one that is necessary for a readers of the series to pick up.

Queen B follows Grace Fairfax, a witch close to High Priestess Anne Boleyn, before and after the queen’s tragic end. Full of the same action, power and strong characterisation as the main series, Queen B puts a doomed romance at its centre that had me wanting to rewrite history. For a novella, it was absolutely packed with plot and detail, cleverly weaving fact and fiction that brought out the dormant Tudor nerd in me. I highly, highly recommend it as a starting point to Juno’s witchy world, and dare you not to be invested in what will become of the witches of the modern day in the HMRC series.

Honestly, I found this difficult to get into, and the monotonous tone didn't improve as it went on.
Dawson's writing style here reads like it wants to be Non-Fiction, but that genre's authenticity proves unachieveable in this effort, and the work just falls flat, unaided by its jarring misuse of language; barely a quarter of the way in, I was totally turned off by the use of C U Next Tuesday.

While I enjoyed this book a lot, it didn’t feel like a story in it’s own right. It felt like exactly what it was, a stopgap novella to keep readers invested until the next part of the series comes out. Which to be honest, is no bad thing. I would much rather have this than nothing until the next book came out and it was wonderful seeing Anne Boleyn as the witch queen.

I loved that of course Juno Dawson decided to make Anne Boleyn queer. I loved her relationship with Grace and I loved seeing the coven form, though I do feel that it didn’t have much time to really watch them develop. I’m really sad this didn’t give us the time to really explore their relationship.

I’m also sad that we didn’t seem much of HMRC being built. This is a book about revenge and betrayal, not about sisterhood and unity. And while I enjoyed the story that Dawson chose to tell, I kind of wanted a different book.

Still, for anyone missing the lovely witches of HMRC, this is a great book to tide you over until the next one comes out!

I'm usually not one for novellas, but considering how much I loved HMRC, its characters, its lore, I definitely wanted to read this one. And I was most certainly not disappointed.
Queen B goes back to the inception of the coven, back to Anne Boleyn and Henri VIII's court. It shows how witches were treated during that time, how divided they were; but also their aspirations and how the coven came to be.

I'm a sucker for English history and so being able to take a peak at the royal court here was a delight. Plus the vibes were, as always, immaculate.
Definitely recommend for any HMRC lovers !

Thank you NetGalley, HarperVoyager and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All views are my own.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

I wish this had been a full novel. I would have loved to have seen more of the coven and their life at court and also the differences in witches and their powers.

A great addition to the series, just wish it was longer!

While I didn't enjoy this as much as the other books in the series, that's only because it wasn't as long - I wanted more!

Another well written book by Juno, I absolutely love the HMRC books and was delighted to get this. The story was fabulous.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I seriously cannot get enough of the world that Juno Dawson created in HMRC and The Shadow Cabinet, so when I heard that not only were we getting a novella in that same world, but that it was going to include Anne Boleyn??? I was completely sold. And it did not disappoint. I just loved it!!

I've read the other two books in this world, and really enjoyed them!
This is the prequel novella is set in Long Henry VIII's court, and focuses on the before and after of Anne Boleyn's execution, and giving a taste of life at court!
I found this to be evocative, with interesting details about different types of witches. It was great to see what the witches came from before Her Majesty's Royal Coven!

This was a nice prequel to the Her Majesty's Royal Coven series!

This book took a long time to get me invested, which is not ideal for a novella. Nonetheless, I loved its concept of portraying Anne Boelyn's witch coven. My favorite part was that Queen B is indeed a sapphic story.

Overall, I would recommend this to fans of HMRC and people who loved the tv show My Lady Jane.

This book was a captivating prequel to Her Majesties Royal Coven. When I saw this was a short, snappy prequel of HMRC, set in Tudor times, there was no way I wasn’t going to read it.

Dawson provides a brief reimagining of Anne Boleyns life if it was infused with magic. The book follows a dual timeline, set both during Anne’s rise to power and after her death. We are given a brief look into a key historical figure within the HMRC world. Although named Queen B, the majority of the book takes place from the POV of two of Anne’s coven-mates as they deal with the aftermath of her execution. There is not a deep dive into Anne’s character but instead a look at what she left behind (in this story).

I do not believe it is necessary to have read HMRC beforehand, but some of the world building around the witches may make more sense if you do.

As I’ve come to expect with Dawson, evocative writing captured the opulence and danger of the Tudor court, the plot blending historical events (or tragedies) with fantasy. The novel also looked at themes of power, gender, sexuality and autonomy, making the witch’s struggles feel both timeless and relevant.

I do believe the novella relies on readers having pre-existing knowledge and understanding of Anne Boleyn’s life. The book doesn’t go into a lot of detail (as to be expected with only 168 pages), but still manages to tell the story it sets out to. With short, captivating chapters, it’s very easy to devour this in one sitting.