QUEEN B - JUNO DAWSON
- ARC- AUDIOBOOK
I listened at 2x speed in around 4 hours, I managed to listen in two sittings. The lovely Nicola Coughlan is narrating. Her voice is so lovely and soothing she could have been saying anything and I would have listened and enjoyed it.
I felt as though the queen b story didn't really fit in with the previous HMRC books and would have loved more of that storyline. This one almost felt like a history lesson rather than a story which I suppose it was but didn't bring me as much joy as the previous books did! If it wasn't as quick as it was to finish I don't think I would have went back to it!
@rachaelmcreads

Wow! What a great introduction back into listening to audiobooks!

I kept hearing things about Juno Dawson books, and when I saw this on NetGalley, I jumped at the offer! And I’m so glad I did.

The story is honestly written so well, although the history a bit lengthy at times, I do not regret giving this book a listen.

And the fact the Nicola Coughlan narrated this audiobook really just made it feel so magical. I love how she narrated the book and how I was captured from the very beginning.

Thank you so much NetGalley and HaperCollins UK for granting me access to this audiobook!

Coughlan's narration is a delight as always

Dawson's storytelling? Not so much. Unfortunately, instead of dressing up and disguising Dawson's ongoing weaknesses as a storyteller, the historical setting exposed them. This might not have been quite so annoying if the author had done more research. Set fantasy against history by all means but if you're going to use real historical figures you should be seeking a minimum of three independant sources and building the character from there. It appears Dawson based this entire episode on what she half remembered from GCSE history. It wasn't the only area of laziness either - the characterisation was thin and the plot was aimless. A more challenging, cleverer and less damaging version of this story might have stepped away from Anne Boylen being a witch and made her a sympathiser instead. I'm no big Henry VIII supporter but he still deserved more depth than he was given here. Honestly this period of Tudor history has been done to death so if you're going to write it, you'd better have something new to say. Sadly that was not the case. I can understand why so many reviewers are disappointed with this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollinsUk for the review copy!

Queen B is historical fiction and is retelling the story of Anne Boleyn to include her in the HMRC universe. The story follows Lady Grace Fairfax mostly around the time immediately following Anne Boleyn’s death. There is some time jumps to show their relationship before but the main focus is Grace in the aftermath when she believes there has been a traitor in their coven.

I listened to the audiobook rather than read the book and can I just say I’m a huge fan of Nicola Coughlan and hope that she continues to narrate the series when book 3 is released!

Queen B was a lovely break in between HMRC and the Shadow Cabinet as Anne Boleyn was referenced in book one so it’s always nice to get a fleshed out story - especially when it’s the origins of the book setting.

Dawson has taken historical characters and changed just enough about their private lives to make the history work with the storyline she is telling.

The story was short enough to be a refreshing break from the beefy (15 hour audiobooks) HMRC and The Shadow Cabinet while keep you in the same universe. Even with the changes to fit the coven’s origins the book will keep you gripped there’s enough there about Tudor history to keep you gripped if you have even a passing interest in the era.

I have been lucky and been able to reserve a copy of the audiobook for The Shadow Cabinet and am excited to get into it with the background of the origins of the coven!

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

Queen B
Juno Dawson

🌟🌟🌟🌟

I've seen this book everywhere and seen so many great reviews that I had to see what all the hype was about - but hadn't realised it was the third book in the series at that point!
I think I must be one of the only people who hasn't read this series yet though!

So starting with this felt a little odd and I wondered whether I'd be a bit lost in the world that had already been created.
But, this actually worked pretty well as a standalone read and was seemingly written as a prequel novella.

We follow the story of Grace and her relationship with Anne Boleyn.
This made the setting feel so authentic and the atmosphere of the period was well written, in keeping with the many other books and TV programmes set around the same era that have been around for years.

What I hadn't anticipated (I never read blurbs!) was the witchy twist - this took me by surprise and I loved it!

This is told over a dual timeline, so we get to meet the characters from the beginning and see the formation of the coven and watch Anne's rise to power within the court of Henry VIII too.

I'm not normally a huge historical fiction reader, but this mix of genres really worked well and I found that I was completely immersed in the historical events as much as I was in the fantasy storyline.

A great introduction to this series and I can't wait to grab the first two books and catch up.



💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

I really enjoyed this take on Henry the 8ths wives!! Nice short snappy read. Looking forward to HMRC
I particularly enjoyed the narrator, a perfect fit for the vibe!

I like the series by June Dawson, so I had to try this sort of prequel. I listened to the audiobook version and I very much enjoyed it. The narrator was well-selected and had a great grasp on accents and dialects. At the start, I found it a bit difficult to follow all the different characters, a flaw that I am sure is less present in the printed version since one can refer to a list of characters at the start of the book. But after a few "pages" I stopped having this issue. I know that other readers have commented that they disliked that Anne was portrayed as a witch since she was historically accused of that. However, I did not mind it. It is a fantasy and I liked the idea of Anne being more in control instead of only the blue-eyed ingenue. I also did not mind the sexual experimentation. Lesbians have been historically seen as witches, and threatening to men. They are not. Women are not on this planet to serve men.
The storyline was easy to follow and had a good few twists I did not see coming. I would love another book within this world that goes a bit more in-depth..

Adored this, i love historical fiction and this did not disappoint. With characters that swept me into their world of the coven and their loss of their beloved Anne Boleyn I will most certainly be getting the physical book of this after listening to this audiobook. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but if you’re a fan of the Tudor era and enjoy books with witchcraft and covens at its core this book ticks all the boxes!

Thank you Netgalley for my copy.

I hate to do this for a book I have been gifted for free but I'm here to give an honest review and honestly, this book bored me to tears.

I'm actually really surprised, it has all my favourite things: lesbians, witches, Tudors! But it was just so dull. I could barely differentiate between any of the female characters and the story was just so slow, I didn't even care on the end.

Sorry, nothing wrong with the mechanics of the writing, just a real flop for me.

Thank you Netgalley, Juno Dawson and Harper Collins for the ALC

I have not yet read HMRC, however the historical setting of this novella really had me intrigued. I really love the Tudor era and I thought this story was cleverly woven through true historic events.
Queen B could easily be read as a standalone, or as an introduction to the main novels in this series if, like me, you haven't read those yet either. Though I definitely feel a familiarity with Tudor history enhances the reading experience. As a novella, details of the characters/wider issues at Court are not explored or explained in depth and I would have loved a full length novel to give more depth and better explore this.
Nicola Coughlan narrates this fantastically and makes this such an easy and enjoyable listening experience.

I would definitely be interested in reading the other books in this series and highly recommend the audiobook.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the author for providing me with an audio arc in return for an honest review.

I loved Juno's London trilogy, but this was the first of her historical fantasy witch series I've read and it was easily as good as I expected. This is a prequel novella (200ish pages or 5 hours of audio). I think could've easily been a full-length novel and benefitted from more detail or history that another 100 pages could've provided. I liked that the story was split into before and after Anne's execution but it didn't feel like there was any tension in the before part because we knew what it would lead to and didn't seem to link too much to what happened after. I liked the blending of the historical aspects of the royal court and Anne Boleyn's life with the fictional part of Anne being a witch. I listened to the audiobook format, and Nicola Coughlan's narration was perfectly soothing with a unique accent for each character.

3.5 stars

Juno Dawson has been in my TBR for a while now, so when I saw that there was a prequel to the main series in the Tudor setting about a coven of witches linked to Anne Boleyn, during the period leading up to and after her execution, narrated by Nicola Coughlan, I was sold. This is a novella, so it’s relatively short, but it does pack a punch of emotion and drama and it has a few historical references and characters (if you’re familiar with them, which is not necessary). I think the narration definitely added to the experience here and I enjoyed the overall setting and plot, but I think it tried to pack a bit too much for such a short book: I didn’t have enough time or context to care about the romance, the sisterhood, the witch hunting and the schemes and planning all together. Overall, this was an entertaining read.

Thank you so much to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGallery for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The origin story I needed. I absolutely loved the Tudor setting and the peril created by the witchfinders. Despite being short this story packs a punch and is full to the brim with emotion and drama. The narration definitely added to this experience. I loved the portrayal of women, it’s a feminist celebration. Overall a great edition to the series. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

I really enjoy this series and this is a great addition. I like the characters and that there’s the link to times past with characters we know from history. I like that it spans dual timelines. The world building is imaginative but at the same time is linked to real places of interest within the UK. I liked the Southampton tie in. I listened to the audio for this one and I really enjoyed the narrators voice, really bringing the story to life. I wouldn’t have minded if this was a full length novel. I cannot wait to read more from Juno Dawson.

I adored this book and its audio narration. Upon finishing, I was compelled to listen to it again immediately. "Queen B" is a sapphic adventure tale centered on a coven of witches linked to Anne Boleyn during the period leading up to and just after her execution. The mix of both new and recognizable characters from Henry VIII's court is well-executed, and knowledge of the historical context is not necessary to enjoy the story. It's brisk and vibrant.

I really wanted to love this, and while I really liked some parts of it, the overall story felt lacking.

Nicola Coughlan narrates the audiobook and she does this perfectly. I actually feel like if it weren't for her stellar narration, I may have DNF'd it, which would've been a shame.

I understand why some reviewers are upset about how Anne Boleyn is represented, but I didn't mind this until towards the end. Let's just say there's a ritual which doesn't portray witches in the best way.

However, my main issue is with the plot (or lack thereof) and the character development. A lot of the chapters felt like unfinished snippets of a bigger story, so I struggled to really connect to what was happening and the characters didn't feel thoroughly developed. There were also quite a lot of characters for such a short book, which made it difficult for me to keep track.

All of that said, there were some pretty good scenes and the potential for so much more. It's definitely given me a taste for the series and I want to read more.

Overall, it didn't feel like a complete story, but there were a lot of good elements.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ALC

First thoughts about this book - "awww it's only a novella?!?" Secondly - how the hell did Juno Dawson manage to rewrite Tudor history into a sapphic witchcraft story in under 200 pages?!? The HMRC series is one of my absolutel favourites and this fit in perfectly as a historical segue before the final book of the trilogy (the cliffhanger at the end of book two was BRUTAL!!). The same wit and humour appears even in a historical setting and the story flips between time periods - from just after Anne Boleyn has been beheaded and the decade before this when her ladies in waiting were forming a coven and she was attempting to attract the atention of Henry VIII. As usual, Nicola Coughlan's narration is PERFECT and fits so well into this world of witchcraft and women.

I think as a Novella this is fine and fun, but I think I've come to expect so much more from Juno Dawson (again it is a Novella and there's only so much you can do). I genuinely LOVE the audiobooks for these though, I think Nicola Coughlan is the perfect narrator for these. It's filled a small hole for the Coven, but I'm so excited for the series to continue!

3.25⭐

This short prequel was okay. It wasn't as good as the two books in the main series.

The plot was lackluster and I probably would have preferred if it was told on a linear timeline, so the tension and romantic elements stayed consistent and easier to follow/invest in.

While I liked this book less that the main ones, finding it to be too rushed, I have to say that the historical aspect was done pretty well and Juno’s writing was amazing as usual.

As for the audiobook itself, Nicola was absolutely amazing!