This is a fun historical novel, but you really have to suspend your belief. Queen B has the bones of the coven but unfortunately is too weak to hold up to its magic. At is core , it is a queer love story and Juno is a very good writer.

I class myself as a "reluctant reader" (aka my brain is easily distracted and I find it hard to settle into reading), but I INHALED this book in 2 sittings

I'm not sure why, but the HMRC books have never really appealed to me, but once you add in Anne Boylen I'm very much there! The story wasn't so much about Anne, but the women around her and the impact her death had on them.

A nice quick read, not very deep but then that's not always what I'm after in a book, sometimes I just want a quick interesting read, and this is very much that.

I'm minded to look at the others in the series now, given the slight teaser ending

I received an advance copy for free from NetGalley, on the expectation that I would provide an honest review.

Honestly, I put down Her Majesty's Royal Coven when I started reading it a few months ago (I had it on audio, I was very confused with such an enormous cast of characters) but after picking this one up, I feel far more inclined to return to it in a different medium and see if I enjoy it. 'Queen B' is a novella set in Tudor England, building on the theory that Anne Boleyn was actually a witch. Anne is more of a side character in the story - the central part focuses on Grace Fairfax, one of her young ladies in waiting and another witch.

Generally, I found this book to be compelling and well-written, packed full of historical action. Dawson really captures the period well and the fantastical elements only enhance the intrigue and gothic nature of the Tudor setting. I did find there to be too many indistinguishable characters - they're not given enough time to become unique persons due to the short number of pages - I warmed to Grace as a lead character over time and sort of wish I'd been able to spend more time with her in the present than in the past. The later connection to a real-life figure of history was also excellently put together.

I'm knocking a star off because I felt, once we'd hit halfway, the story lost steam. The novella jumps back and forth between the past and the present, telling two tales simultaneously - the fallout following Anne Boleyn's execution and her using her witchcraft to entrance the King and make herself Queen, all told through Grace's POV. Things start strong - the coven has vowed vengeance on the woman who betrayed Anne - but start to fall apart once they discover where the woman has run to and when they find her. I found the 'I did it for love' motivation to be bland and uninteresting, particularly as Grace and the betrayer were written with very similar constitutions. More distinction would have made the chase and the capture more interesting.

Nevertheless, I'd love to see Juno Dawson write more in these historical contexts - she has a fantastic grasp on the period and there's so much detail in every chapter. With the hundreds of 'witchy' books out there, she really presents something unique and interesting. And with the line at the end, is there a suggestion that we may see more of these witches and their connection to the royal family in the future? I'd love to see it with Victorians, particularly as (following Elizabeth I) we had to wait until Victoria to get a full proper Queen on the throne.

I think that this is the best book out of the three so far. There was a sense of fun in the writing, and enough research and history to make me want to learn more about the period. It isn't known if Anne did have women lovers (especially Sarah) as women were more physical in platonic friendships at that time to. A really good read, which then led to watching 'The Favourite' and researching that time:)

The perfect novella! A lot more serious feeling than the original books but that was entirely in keeping with the setting and time period, and I just found myself in awe that Dawson could so seemingly effortlessly switch to historical fiction. Excellently paced and a great gateway into the HMRC world if people aren't ready to dive into the full length books.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free E-ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I adore Juno's HMRC world, so being able to read a snippet of the HMRC history made me very happy!
This novella is short and sweet, and will do well to tide us over until the next instalment of HMRC!

📚 review 📚
queen b - juno dawson

the origin story we’ve all been waiting for - we learn about the og coven from juno dawson’s her majesty’s royal coven series in this prequel novella set in the tudor era and following the intrigue around britain’s first coven leader - queen anne boleyn.
this tongue in cheek story plays on the rumours of anne boleyn’s witchcraft and provides a wonderfully rich addition to the series so far.
i for one am very excited for the third book in the series!

thank you @netgalley for the early copy. queen b is out this month.

I loved this Anne Boleyn story retelling. Juno Dawson’s Her Majesty’s Royal Coven series is so unique and a joy to read.

Queen B by Juno Dawson

Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for my copy.

What a fantastic prequel! If you haven’t read Her Majesty’s Royal Coven or The Shadow Cabinet yet then what have you been doing?! But you could also read this novella first and then start the series and understand how the coven got to where it is now.

Set in Tudor England it is the story behind Anne Boleyn and the events leading up to and after her untimely demise by beheading.

**A lady is an artifice of lace and manners; of rouge and silk. A witch is of blood and sky.**

I really enjoyed the switch between narrators and timelines as it opened the story up just enough for you to get a grasp of what was going on and the implications for the current day of the book but not enough to spoil things.

I loved the exploration of the witch's talents and the origins of it. The language around Gaia I found really interesting.

I loved that it wasn't only Anne's coven in the book and their interactions were not always smooth sailing.

Mostly I loved the fierce nature of Grace and her undying loyalty to Anne despite not always agreeing with her actions and ideas.


Spoiler ‼️
I feel like the ending for Grace was a gift from Anne from beyond the grave.

Overall a fantastic read as a standalone but a fabulous prequel to the HMRC Trilogy!

I would have loved another full length story in this series but this prequel tale of the iconic Anne Boleyn is just as captivating.

Wow. Queen B slays. So exciting to get to learn more about the witches in the 15th century. I just hope I am not waiting too long for the next book in the series.

Juno Dawson has done it again with this magical historical fiction, centering around Anne Boleyn and her ladies in waiting, aka her coven. As always the varying POVs are easy to follow and flow well along with skipping between timelines. I really enjoyed the 'flashback' chapters, these felt like reading through rose tinted glasses, that beautiful whimsical way we hold on to our memories before being thrust back into the the heavy reality of the present.
This Novella is part of the HMRC series, offering us insight into where it all began, however I think it works just as well as a standalone for anyone that hasn't read the HMRC books, or has no interest in them but enjoys Historical fiction with a dash of magical realism.
HMRC was the standout book of my reads last year and I honestly can't wait to see what the final book has in store for us.

Usually with novellas it's difficult for the reader to truly become invested
However I did not find the to be the case with Queen B.

I find that Juno Dawson has a talent for the str⁴
eyader feeling immersed within the the story

I loved the historical setting and getting to know the origins of the coven but I would've loved for it to have been a little bit longer. I felt like I was just getting to know the characters and understand the story when it finished. Anyway, fans of the HMRC coven will still love this prequel and I hope the author continues to write more set in this universe!

Thanks again to the author and publisher for the ARC :)

I really enjoyed this prequel novella. I actually wish it would’ve been longer! Witches in Tudor England? It was fantastic! This installment in the series is actually my favourite so far. I loved the characters and the forbidden romance so much.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and Juno Dawson 🧡 for the ARC. This is my unbiased and honest opinion as a massive fan of the Shadow Cabinet trilogy!

Pretty much everything I want to mention and put massive exclamations and bold is a spoiler so I will try to restrain myself.

As it is a short story there often isn’t enough time to get to know characters, however I don’t feel Juno has fallen victim to that curse. We actually get to know Grace, Cecilia and even Anne, who doesn’t have POV chapters quite well.

The way we’re drawn through Grace’s grieving process is beautiful. Grief is a messy and complicated emotion and I like that we see how quickly it can turn on its head here. The beautiful juxtaposition of the scene as it happens and the memory of when it had happened - how it can change your feelings, thoughts, etc.. Something that’s important to note because we’re not really taught that.

Now, just one moment while I set the scene and fangirl over a specific scene please because it was perfection. Marie Antoinette (Kirsten Dunst) - the scenes when they’re at petite Trianon - the long grass, the beautiful gauzy shots of blue skies and beautiful women lazing in beautiful dresses in the sun, the quiet sumptuousness. RIGHT - Juno encapsulates that with Grace and Anne and then adds tarot cards and I was gagged. I swear! It was gorgeous, sapphic and witchy and perfect. A+. Gold star. Go to the top of the class because it was literal perfection that whole scene.

All in all - a perfect little amuse bouche to keep us going until we get Human Rites.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Novellas are usually too short for my taste, but Queen B was perfect. I enjoyed the mix of court drama, betrayal and forbidden romance. Now I'm even more excited for the 3d Her Majesty's Royal Coven book!

I read HMRC and The Shadow Cabinet this year and the Juno Dawson bug took a hold of me in a big way. So getting my hands on this novella to scratch my HMRC itch before I can rejoin the coven that I love was a nice little stop gap.

The history of Her Majesty's Royal Coven was covered briefly in the first book, but it was nice to dive a little deeper into that in this prequel. Of course, this is fiction, but the play on history and specifically Anne Boleyn was cool and I found it really interesting. I thought that the modern day HMRC had it hard, but these witches in the 1500s really went through it.

Would I have read a full length novel about this? I'm not sure. I'm not convinced it would grip me for the amount of time, but this novella was the perfect little taster and gave me some context for the other books. Easily read within a couple of hours, I had a good time with this book. Be right back whilst I scour the internet for news on book three!

I enjoyed this take on Anne Boleyn with witchy vibes. This was a pretty quick read and set at a fast pace which I enjoyed.
It was well written and easy to follow.
I loved that this one was a prequel and it had Tudor history tied up with the Covens original backstory. I love how it showed us how it began and how they got to where they were. All the sacrifices that were made and the Strength that was needed.
I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What can I say other than to kick off with a bold and loud - I Loved This.

I am a self-proclaimed 'Tudor Nerd' and Anne Boleyn is one of the queens I have always been fascinated by, and so, despite how I've felt about some aspects of the main novels of The HMRC Trilogy so far, I knew I needed to read this novella as soon as I heard about.

Honestly this is my favourite part of the HMRC world and sits head and shoulders above the core books for me. I just can't help it when you've got a strong set of female characters, intrigue, magics, traitorous actions and it's all woven around one of the most well known periods of British history in novella form. Don't get me wrong, I know it's tired - all the speculation about Anne Boleyn and witchcraft, but I love that this is went wholeheartedly into answering - WHAT IF SHE WAS A WITCH THOUGH?

I loved the interweaving of known historical figures and their perceived personalities, like Jane Rochford where everything in the history books shows her to be an untrustworthy and selfish figure who was so ambitious it was to the detriment of those around her. Obviously we're lacking nuance as there's no 1st hand texts remaining but her characterisation in this sits with what information we do have. Anne's personality and actions reads how I picture Anne in real life (and how Claire Foy portrays her in Wolf Hall) and I love her for it and for those who know the ins and outs of Elizabeth's household, much like me, I'm sure that Grace's conclusion will have you cheering.

For those familiar with the HMRC series we've still got all the bits that are known and loved - highly effective magic scenes, love in various forms and we've got feminist commentary which is much more even-handed and nuanced than I found in Her Majesty's Royal Cover, but this time it's all set against the backdrop of iconic British history with some core historical female figures.

Yes of course this book isn't perfect, for me some of the language use felt a little too modern and was a bit jarring when I came across it but overall this did what it needed to with the right amount of story, detail, characterisation and world building. It could obviously have been made a full novel if it was looking at the rest of the Tudor period (and I would have loved that too) but this was Anne and her ladies' story so this novella format was perfect and comes highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | HarperVoyager for a digital review copy of "Queen B" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.