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.

This was a short and enjoyable sequel to the ‘Her majesty’s royal coven series’. Set in a reimagined historical Tudor period as the rise of witchy paranoia is rife. Ann Boleyn is more than she seems, an enchantress who uses magic to get what she wants until she is beheaded. I really enjoyed this, it was interesting and set up the history for the first two books well.

I really can’t get enough of this series. I did think that this was going to be a sequel to The Shadow Cabinet (a resurrected Anne Boleyn seemed like a very good idea to me!), but it’s a prequel to the series as a whole. The story of the one who started the idea of the HMRC. Although, it’s a slightly different story to the one we may know of Anne Boleyn.

We all know what happened to Anne Boleyn, and this book doesn’t change that OR the reasons. In fact she was called a witch in her own time. The HMRC series takes that one step further though, and Anne Boleyn really IS a witch. Her coven supports her, and after Henry VIII does his worst, they carry on her work.

This is a truly fabulous read - a reworking of history that gives women more muscle and autonomy.

And magic!

If I have any complaint, it’s that it was over far too quickly!

And now I must wait for the next book…

Queen B is a quick and exciting read that I enjoyed very much. Getting more background on the world was extremely fun and I personally devoured it in one day!

Follow the rise and demise of Anne Boleyn but this time with a brand new twist. Anne is a powerful witch who is surrounded by her coven at court.

The story is told in dual timelines. The focus is on her rise to power and then after her demise. Told primarily through her lady in waiting.

I felt this one was lacking and I think it was because it was a novella. I felt there was enough room for development and this could have easily made a 400 page book.

For fans of Juno’s other work this will be an absolute treat and also for those who are fans of the musical Six and enjoy alternative approaches to historical events.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book!

So it's really a 3.5 or 3.75 but I'm rounding it up to a 4. This book was enjoyable, but not quite what I thought I was getting myself into. It was still good and a unique way to explore Anne Boleyn as a person. I think if this one was slightly longer it could flesh out Anne's background and her relationship with the main character more (that for me was the most interesting aspect and I would have been happy with a story about those two and their love without all the witch stuff, but I still enjoyed the story for what it was).

I'm not well versed in Tudor history, but you'd have to be living under a rock to not know the story of the Six Wives. I would be wholly interested in seeing later stories of some of the later wives, particularly Katherine Howard.

This was my first Juno Dawson and I'm very intrigued to read more from her.

Juno Dawson does not miss!!!
I love the HMRC books so so much and as someone who has been just a teensy bit obsessed with Anne Boleyn her entire life I was beyond hyped for this! Sapphic Anne Boleyn and witches? It is everything I've ever wanted!
This book follows two timelines - Anne's rise to power over the years and the weeks following her death. The story is multi POV but is mainly told from the POV of Grace, Anne's lover.
As much as I loved this I really do think it should have been a full length book as some bits were a little rushed. But this was still fantastic!

I adore the HMRC books and cannot wait for the third installment to complete the series, so when Queen B was released I was thrilled to be able to have a little glimpse into how it all began.
I loved how the author took real women from history and told their new stories with a twist. Definitely recommend for the fans of the accompanying series. The book could also be read as a stand alone.

This prequel was my first introduction to the HMRC series and it’s safe to say I will definitely be picking up the other instalments. I cannot believe this is the only one set in the Tudor period because all of these characters felt as fully realised as if Dawson had written them a thousand times before. It had romance, drama, deceit, everything you’d expect in the wake of Anne Boleyn’s death—especially when she’s the leader of the most high-profile coven in Britain. The historical fact blended perfectly with the fictional witchcraft, lending itself perfectly to the feminist message. I will definitely be back for more from Her Majesty’s Royal Coven

Given I'm a Tudor obsessive AND a huge fan of Dawson's HMRC series, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that I would love this book. Rich but fast-paced storytelling combined with great characters and historic intrigue make this a must-read which could potentially work as a standalone for those who haven't yet read HMRC or The Shadow Cabinet. My only complaint is that it was too short!

Queen B builds upon the world Juno Dawson has weaved in her HMRC series by exploring the ever-fascinating Anne Boleyn by way of her rise, downfall, and the most important people in her life: her coven of witches. Obviously, this is a work of fiction, but the historical details throughout add a grounding in reality. This is a novella, and so only a brief look at the coven and its various members, and yet it covers a lot of ground. The powers of the various witches were wonderfully described, with the plot echoing a lot of the themes of the HMRC books so far. A good accompaniment to the series.

Having devoured the first two books of this series, this was a very welcome read and it was every bit as fantastic as hoped. Excellent characterisation, cohesive world building with the books set in modern times and perfect paced plotting - a joy to read.