Ahhh what a fun quick read! It had me wanting more:m. I had listened to podcasts and read other books about The Other Boleyn Girl, and knew this would be just up my alley. World building was great, my only complaint was I needed more to the story.

**Listened to the audio book and read along with the hard copy**

At first I was a little bit disappointed that this book wasn't the third book in the HMRC series. However when I found out that this prequel to the series looked at the historical figure of Anne Boleyn I was super intrigued.

Nicola Coughlan narrates this audio book, just like the others in the series. She is absolutely brilliant!! Her ability for voice acting is second to none. Coughlan's voices along with Dawson's writing are just the perfect match.

Juno Dawson's writing incorporates real historical elements along with all things witchy and magical with the HMRC element.

I wish this book was longer!

Really interesting prequel to Her Majesty’s royal coven.

Heartbreaking story about friendship, revenge and love.

Loved this peek into how Her Majesty’s royal Coven started.

It didn’t captivate me the same way the novels have, as this is a historical novella with a lot of characters.

Can be read before starting HMRC if desired.

eBook supplied by HarperCollins UK via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Juno Dawson and NetGalley for the free ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fine tale and I understood why Dawson wanted to write it in terms of adding to the HMRC lore but, sadly it didn't really add much for me and, in comparison to the first two books in the series, this felt more like a slog. I hoped to find something redeeming but for the most part, my most enjoyable part of this book was that it was more of a novella than a full story.

The writing, as always, was impeccable but it lacked something that can usually be found in a Dawson book.

this was the perfect next instalment to the series! the witchy origins of Anne Boleyn was perfectly whimsical, satisfying and emotional— a real celebration of women. i have always loved Tudor history and Anne Boleyn in particular, so this short story about her rise at court and impending execution with such vivid and charming writing, made for the perfect read for this history nerd! loved loved it!

I wanted to love this book so bad. Anne Boleyn as a gay witch queen? Awesome! Unfortunately this falls flat writing wise. Grace Fairfax is a new lady to the court of Queen Catherine and after meeting fellow ladies Cecilia de la Torre and Anne Boleyn, joins their coven of ladies in waiting. This book is both a past and present flash book and a dual pov book. This makes for a very confusing and boring read. There isn't enough characterization or background for Cecilia or Grace to be engaging. I love the concept but this book either needed to be just Grace or 150 pages longer.

“A witch without her coven is only half a thing.”

Queen B’s story is the origin story of how HMRC came to be. It’s 1536, the Tudor age and Anne Boleyn has been beheaded by her husband, the notorious Henry VIII. The book shifts between the aftermath of the death of Anne and slivers of her life at court, surrounded by her coven.

Lady Grace Fairfrax and Anne Boleyn had a special bond and she knows in her gut that her Queen had been betrayed which led to her tragic death. Grace decides to find this traitor but when finding out that it is a witch close to them she cannot let revenge take the upper hand, especially not when now the King has appointed witchfinders and they are all in danger.


Spoilers ahead:


This book was short(er) but honestly it did not fall short on any level. The romance between Anne and Grace was doomed from the start but it is that love that ultimately changed the trajectory for witches and their future. It also shows true sisterhood and the lengths they would all go for one another. What’s also interesting is the difference in how witches are treated by men and women. Henry doesn’t hesitate to execute his wife and mother of his child whereas Grace finds it in herself to think about the wellbeing of all witches instead of her own personal desires when she finds out that a close witch friend has betrayed Anne.





I devoured this book in one day and I am so grateful to have gotten an arc for this one. All opinions are my own.

I love the HMRC series so getting this novella was fun! I love that we get this bit of history about how the coven came to be and seeing the original coven members and how these compare and contrast to the coven as we know it. Cecelia reminds me of Helena, she's very strong willed and does what she thinks is best for the coven, even if its not. Grace reminds me of Niamh with her stoic personality. I also love that we get to see how the original coven was actually quite queer but naturally the present coven don't know this so leoni had to find her own coven for it to be intersectional and inclusive as Helena isn't either of these things, given the way she treats Theo. It's definitely a fun edition to the series

A short story to keep you going as we endure the wait until the next book in the series!

After the downfall of their leader Anne Boleyn, a time when it was dangerous to be accused of being a witch. You are introduced to the beginnings of the coven which will eventually become the modern day HMRC.

Weaving in fantastical book lore through facts of history we’re familiar with.

I wish we could have been able to explore more of the women and their relationships, but alas the downfall of a novella.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. 4/5 ⭐️

Ok, so everything Juno Dawson writes is just pure gold. I loved everything about HMRC and The Shadow Cabinet when I read them last year so was super excited to get my hands on this novella to fill the void whilst we wait for the final instalment in the HMRC trilogy.

If you’ve read the HMRC series, you’ll know the roots of the organisation that’s central to the story dates back to Anne Boleyn and this short novella picks up following her execution.

Lady Grace Fairfax, is reeling from the execution of her friend, and coven leader, Anne Boleyn. Determined to uncover the person who betrayed Anne’s secrets, Grace discovers there are more powers working against her and the other witches in London. Namely, King Henry VIII and his witchfinders.

This was a short novella, but filled with everything I have come to expect from Juno as a writer. This story is packed with drama and emotion, a fabulous portrayal of women and their power through love, friendship and fear.

I’m a sucker for any story about witches so this was always going to be a winner. A brilliant story to keep you hooked whilst we wait for Human Rites.

I’m a big fan of the HMRC series and was excited for this novella whilst waiting for the third. However, this didn’t add much to the current books. Dawson is still a great author and this shows in this book but I didn’t feel a connection to the characters or feel like we got any deeper insight into the magic system or the inner workings of witches. I’m still looking forward to reading Human Rites!

Juno Dawson's writing is pure MAGIC.

The newest instalment as part of the HMRC realm of books, Queen B takes readers back to the Tudor era and the first Royal Coven under Anne Boleyn. Its chapters make the pages fly by, each one worldbuilding and keeping me so invested!

A delight to explore the origins of HMRC and meet a new cast of witches. I really enjoyed this re-imagining of the tudor court and the tragic end of Anne Boleyn. If you already enjoy this series this book is a real treat, I look forward to spending more time with these characters.

This is a prequel to Her Majesty's Royal Coven and The Shadow Cabinet, the first and second books in this series and has been billed as the HMRC Origin Story. I have read (listened to, great narrator) both books prior to reading this one, but I guess you don't need to.
So... this book is set in the court of King Henry VIII, beginning at the time when the young Anne Boleyn arrives at court. We all know what happens next, the current queen, Queen Catherine, is on the cusp of being replaced by Anne. And all the shenanigans that go with. Well, we actually begin at the end when Anne has been betrayed and beheaded!
Interestingly enough - for me more than you - I have just seen the play of the film of the book written by Phillipa Gregory, The Other Boleyn Girl, so I am actually well versed in what probably could have possibly happened at that time and the author does stick with this quite well.
So, we also meet another young witch - Lady Grace Fairfax - who arrives at court only to find that there are others of her kind there already. We follow how she gets close to the queen and how they form HMRC in the fight against the Witchfinders sent by Henry to seek out and eradicate them...
It's only a short book but it sure does pack a punch as it weaves fiction into fact to deliver a credible story. One that explains the origins of the HMRC which are referred to in the subsequent series main books. I guess there will be some who don't like the way that the author has besmirched Anne Boleyn by outing her as a witch, but this is something that has been speculated on by many people over the years. There are many myths that have been dispelled and/or proved regarding this but there is proof of the witchfinders at that time, so why not embrace the possibility...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I have had the Her Majesty's Coven books on my TBR for a while, but was glad to see this short story available and gave found that it has really whet my appetite to start the others soon!

I would like to thank netgalley and HarperCollins UK for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited for this, and it did not disappoint. It's a unique take on Anne Boleyn, and witches.

I will start my review of Queen B by Juno Dawson by stating that I have actually not read Her Majesties Royal Coven or The Shadow Cabinet yet.

I am glad, however, that I have read this one first as this is a short novel which introduces us to the origins of the coven, as well as the betrayals the coven faces, and has left me looking forward to the others in the series.

Queen B is set during the rule of King Henry VIII in the year 1536 and begins with the execution of infamous figurehead Anne Boleyn. As someone who enjoys history, with one of my specific interests being the Tudor reign, I was left spellbound by this stunning blend of historical fact with fiction.



Thank you to the publisher and the author for this ARC

Review will also be posted on my Instagram page (see link below) by the end of the day of which this is written

https://www.instagram.com/rhielisereads?igsh=MTgxbGNlMmsyemtrZQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Enjoyable as ever!

This is a pretty small book, so I won’t delve too deeply into the storyline, but it’s about the rise, and subsequent fall, of Anne Boleyn, set in the world of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven. The story cuts back and forth, as we piece together how things happened, and the relations between all these women, during such a perilous time for witches. The goals, the dreams, and the failures.

Dawsons writing is always a treat, and this was such an interesting background insight into this fantasy world she has created. She excels at writing strong characters, and that’s no different here. The book is compulsively readable, and the strong feminism that resides in the main series remains shining through, even here, set in the bleaker centuries gone by.

As always, I just adore the magic of these witches - they’re practically powerful forces of nature, and I’d love to read more about them throughout history (and maybe more books to follow up on that ending!)

This is a great little bite of a story to help tide us HMRC readers over until we can get our hands on the next mainline instalment!

Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review.

Juno Dawson’s HMRC books have been on my TBR pile for a while. You know how it is with those TBR piles, so when the prequel, Queen B showed up on NetGalley, I thought it was the perfect chance to start the series I keep hearing about.

Queen B achieved a perfect balance of introducing to the HMRC world while providing an alternate history for the women around Anne Boleyn, which I have always been curious about.

I really enjoyed learning about the different kind of witches and the powers they possess, especially in the context of the tense and misogynistic rule of Henry VIII. I didn’t really get a feel of the love between the women as much as I wanted to, but this probably due to it being a short story, which doesn’t allow the build up and detail you would get in a longer novel.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to NetGalley, Juno Dawson and the publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest and completely unbiased review.

I’m somewhere in the middle with this. I’ve thoroughly loved the previous two books and so was looking forward to this. And I’m in two minds because I’m not a huge fan of novellas, mainly because I just start to enjoy them and get into the plot and it ends. As I found with this, you just start to feel like the characters are developing and it’s ending. I also would have enjoyed something more about the history of the HMRC as opposed to just the retelling of Anne Boleyn being a witch.

That said, it’s an enjoyable light and easy, read and a good filler while we wait for Human Rites.