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.

Bow down Witches - the origin story is (nearly) here!

I loved returning to the world of Her Majesty's Royal Coven and this prequel was a great addition to the series. I really enjoyed the weaving of historical figures into the history of HMRC and the refreshing take it offered on true events. I mean Witches and Anne Boleyn - what a mix! The dual timeline added depth to the story and the characters especially Grace who my heart bled for. Sisterhood is, of course, at the helm and like it's predecessors it was fast paced, hard to put down and hugely entertaining. I couldn't have enjoyed it more.

An alternate (slight) retelling of Anne Boleyn. What if she had a coven?
This is a prequel to HRMC series. We have Grace as the main character, who seeks Anne’s revenge. She is competent and the mood is interesting.
Though, being a novella, and the quest to find the traitor limited my enjoyment a bit.
Concept: 4
Characterisation: 3
Plot: 3
Prose: 3

I am looking forward to the other books in the HRMC.

Anne Boleyn: Queen, Mother, Witch.

I absolutely loved this novella & only wish it has been longer. Told from the viewpoint of fellow witch & lady in waiting Lady Grace Fairfax, this is the story of Anne Boleyn’s rise, fall & how it started a witch hunt. Weaving fantasy & history, I couldn’t put this book down.

I'm a Tudor history nerd & a love a witchy novel so this was perfect for me. I haven’t read the preceding HMRC books, but based on this one I have purchased them. Bow down indeed!

It was my favourite in this series as it's a different take on the story of Ann Boleyn and how she was crashed by power.
Well plotted, gripping, twisty, and entertaining.
Well Done.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I am a huge fan of the HMRC series so was so excited to delve back into this wonderful world of witches. Coupling My love of the supernatural and the occult with the Tudor time period was always going to be epic and I thoroughly enjoyed it. While not as explosive as the full length novel there was a wonderful set of characters amidst a mysterious plot that was paced really well. I loved the reveals at the end as well as the well thought out reasoning as to why they were witches but history still played out the way that it did. Another great story from this author and I cannot wait for more full length novels set around witches.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and publishers for this arc Thoughts and opinions are my own

Going into this book I didn't really know what to expect as a story set in the 1500s feels miles away from the main books in the Her Majesty's Royal Coven series. What we get with this book is a somewhat gentle story of discovering yourself, the small rebellions people do to survive a life in the shackles of society, and finding a community of people who you can be your authentic self with.

I really enjoyed this glimpse into the early days of HMRC and I would not be mad at all (read: I would actively like more, please) if we got more novellas or even novels set within the past. It was also really fun to see Lady Grace Fairfax discover herself and come into her power in a both literal and metaphorical sense.

I will note that I was a little confused by the magic system as the powers are known by different names than in the main series. It makes sense to me that the language would be different but I would have appreciated a wee glossary to help me get the powers straight in my brain. I will also gladly acknowledge that I read this book before bedtime so it is entirely plausible that I simply was too tired to understand the nuance 😅

There were a couple of throwaway comments made within this book that I would be interested in seeing if they will be called-back in the final book in the trilogy.

A final note on reading order: I believe that this book relies on the reader understanding the way that magical powers are divided in this series so I would recommend that readers read this book after at least reading Her Majesty's Royal Coven but equally they could read it after The Shadow Cabinet. At the point of writing this review, we are still at least an hour out from Book 3 but I suspect it should be read before then.

As a fan of both the Tudors and Juno Dawson, this book felt tailor-made for me. I only wish it were longer. Five stars!

I enjoyed this witchy take on Anne Boleyn – filled with sapphic yearning, complicated relationships and a hefty dose of manipulation. It’s a fun and engaging story that adds history and further context to Dawson’s ongoing series.

A novella about Anne Boleyn and her own coven, this story features strong female characters, flashback chapters to help develop relationships, and tension with betrayals and witch hunters. Oh, and it's sapphic.

I had quite a bit of fun with this one! I thought the characters and their relationships with one another were the standouts, and Grace was a wonderful lead character. She was multifaceted, and I loved getting into her head - she felt so well developed, especially considering this was a novella that didn't have a lot of time to develop.

All of the women felt like multi-dimensional characters in the little glimpses we got of them. The fact that they wanted power, and the contrast with the other coven - in this novella, we support women's wrongs.

Where this could have packed more of a punch is by giving Anne a bit more dimension. Yes, the character work was a highlight for me, and I did like the look into this version of Anne Boleyn, her scheming, her love for her daughter, and everything with it, but I feel like for a character who is meant to be the driving force of the story, the emotional motivation for every other character, she was a bit lacking.

While I had fun reading this, I don't know that it'll be particularly memorable. Is this essential reading for the Her Majesty's Royal Coven series as a whole? Perhaps not, but it's a fun bit of alternate history with witches and well-done character work, and that's really all you need sometimes.

Thank you to the publisher, HarperVoyager, and to NetGalley for the ARC.

This short, sharp novella was a quick read and a nice filler whilst we wait for the 3rd book in the HRMC trilogy. It does not hit the same spot as the other two books but I was not expecting it to. The description makes it clear it is a prequel and tells us the story of how and why witches created and became HRMC.

Queen B is a fast-paced prequel to Dawson’s ‘Her Majesty’s Royal Coven’ series which has a modern setting, however this story takes the coven back to its origins in the Tudor court through the eyes of Jane Fairfax, a young lady sent to join Queen Catherine’s ladies.

This novella absolutely can be read as a standalone - I haven’t read the rest of the series but I am intrigued by it now. Jane has spent her young life repressing her powers for her own safety, but realises on her entry to court that there are several other women there like her, including Anne Boleyn. The courtly ladies form a coven and Jane ends up a staunch support and friend to Anne Boleyn as she rises in the ranks and catches King Henry’s eye.

I thought there was a reasonable amount of character development for a story that comes in at less than 200 pages, and Jane’s explorations of her feelings for Anne was sweet, yet the intensity was palpable.

The themes of the patriarchy and men’s distrust of female power were clear through the novella and I thought the addition of warlocks in the world-building and their unstable alliances made for an interesting tension that I assume is picked up in the main novels.

I thought the historical details were done well overall - in any YA I expect some anachronisms and a more modern sensibility in the characters, and I’m looking forward to ordering the two current books in the series to see how the coven has evolved.

Thanks to Harper Collins and Juno Dawson for an advanced copy of this book for review. Queen B is out on the 18th July, preorder it now!

I will post my review on my instagram @charlottereadshistory on 12 July and on Amazon on publication day.

We dip into the past of Juno Dawson's wonderful series and learn how Her Majesty's Secret Coven was first established under the aegis of the doomed Anne Boleyn. It's a pacy little number, full of Dawson's usual wit and imagination as well as her anger and her ability to get right at the heart of the matter. It's not quite the heart-thumping saga of the second volume and we don't have time to get to know and love the characters as well as their modern counterpoints but I loved the historical setting and the extra depth this gives to HMRC's world. It was the perfect snack to stave off the hunger for volume 3 of the main story.