Bow Down, Witches is an apt description of the book. The biggest flaw is that its so short... I read/listened to this audiobook in an afternoon when I was crafting and I got so disappointed when the book ended that I had to sit in silence for a bit. Juno Dawson, if this book was full-length, I would have made it my book of the year!
Set waaaayyy before the HMRC was even thought, the story follows a young witch who finds herself in Henry VIII's court and in Anne Boleyn's company. The ladies of the court, most of whom are witches, form their own coven, and protect Anne as she romances the King and maneuvers her way into becoming Queen. Whilst this book has nothing to do with the storyline unfolding in HMRC and Shadow Cabinet, it sets up such an important point that Juno emphasizes when it comes to HMRCs history: it was created for wealthy, white witches and the class-bias was intentional from the get-go.
The novel was atmospheric, fast-paced and easy to follow as someone who knew the basics of English history. It can also be read as a standalone for those who don't want to read the rest of the series as there is definitely a market for historical, queer witches. I just wish the book was longer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for the advance copy.

I enjoyed the narrator and how the read the story, but I don’t think it made the story more interesting.

For a short book not a lot happened and I didn’t feel any connection to the characters. I haven’t read HMRC and am in two minds about starting it after this book.

I enjoyed the retelling of Anne Boleyn, her execution and the following events.

First of all I have to mention what a great narrator Nicola Coughlan is! She's so good at accents and I just find her voice so nice to listen to.

The story itself was good. I enjoyed the hidden history sort of take on things. The flashbacks were also nice and it didn't really spoil anything as it Anne Bolyen's fate is common knowledge. Knowing what was going to happen made the whole thing all the more tragic.

This is a fun read which is made even better by the fabulous narrator. Definitely a must read for any reader who loves the series by the author. This is an interesting blend of fantasy and history which I do love. Only downside is that it is quite a short novel.

Dawson does it again with their fantastically queer fun witch books, this time with a historical spin. We follow a new coven pre HMRC, who have formed around Anne Boleyn, high witch, and queen to be. We follow both the build up of the Coven and the witches dealing with the aftermath of her death, trying to escape and find out what happened and how she was caught.
It was a really great little book however its length made it so that I wasn't fully connected to the characters. This book really could have easily been a 500/600 page story like the others, and if so it could have been my fav in the series, however due to it being under 200 pages I felt it was a little rushed plot wise also.

That being said its a worthy addition to the series, however I would say its a poor starting point, and it kinda relies on you being used to Dawsons style of prose.

Overall a strong 4/5

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were so interesting that I think it's a real shame it's not a longer story. I could read a whole series based on the women we are introduced to. I love the writing style, and the descriptions of being connected to everything around us makes me appreciate the world around us so much more. I can't wait for the next book in this franchise.

Queen B by Juno Dawson is set during the rise and fall of Anne Boleyn as she dreams of becoming the first witch-queen and forms a secret court coven, the formation of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven.

Dawson does a brilliant job of blending the historical and the witchy, bringing Tudor England to life with vivid details:. This is a short book and I wish it was longer, there is so much to explore in this world. The novella focuses on the themes of women's ambition, power, and their struggle to take control of their own lives. There’s plenty of tension and heartbreak, but at its core the story highlights the strength and loyalty of women.

Nicola Coughlan does a brilliant job as narrator, she’s so easy to listen to and does a great job with all the different voices!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ALC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I'm so sad I didn't like this as I was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately I was bored for the most part. It seemed to drag which is odd as its a very short book. I'm also struggling to see what the point of this book was. It just felt really unnecessary. Such a shame because I liked HMRC. It's a no from me I'm afraid.

I will say Nicole Coughlan as the narrator is fantastic and I will definitely be listening to more audiobooks narrated by her.

2.5 rounded up.

I’m actually really annoyed with myself for not loving this more considering how fun Her Majesty’s Royal Coven was, but to be honest? This felt like a story that didn’t really need telling. Supposedly it’s about the founding of HMRC but that doesn’t really make itself known. I wouldn’t say that it added much to the existing lore of the world.

In writing a historical fiction, it was notably less funny/quirky than HMRC too, but it also would have felt anachronistic otherwise so I totally accept that.

It’s a novella so of course it was short but it felt *very* short. I barely had a chance to care about any of the characters before it was all over. The shifting POVs reinforced that too; I think it would have benefited from being solely from Grace’s perspective, not Cecelia’s too (although I get why it changed between the two).

(Grace and Anne’s relationship didn’t convince me entirely either, but I’m pretty sure that’s down to length too.)

I enjoyed bits of it: female rage and queerness are topics that I always enjoy to read. I thought that the moments discussing religion were quite interesting too, and I liked the friendships between the coven. Plus, Nicola Coughlan was, as always, a stunning narrator.

Honestly, if it was a novel rather than a novella I think I really would have loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio for giving me the audiobook arc!

This wasn’t a bad book, but I probably would’ve enjoyed it more had I read Her Majesty’s Royal Coven.
Queen B was a bit too short for my liking, I think the story could’ve been significantly longer to make it feel fully developed.

Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins UK Audio, and Juno Dawson for the audio ARC of Queen B.

I have to admit I DNF'd Queen B at around 20%. I listened to both Her Majesty's Royal Coven books and LOVED the first one, and the first two-thirds of the second one. Then, I started to become a bit bored. And I'm afraid the bored feeling chased me into Queen B.

The characters are all brilliantly written, something Dawson very obviously has a talent for. And I am a character reader, so I SHOULD have loved the books.

However, the plot circles around the same constant theme throughout the three books, which just wasn't enough to sustain my interest. The constant 'witches = great, men = bad, rinse, repeat', just wore me down. And I say this as a non binary, AFAB person. I just needed more to sustain my interest through Queen B.

I did enjoy the narration, no complaints about that. It was purely the plot repetition.

An interesting book set in a fascinating period of British history, Queen B is well worth the listen to!

Striking and vibrant, this prequel novella  is as strong and powerful as the rest of the HMRC series.

Taken to the roots of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven in the 16th century, the strength, trials and sacrifice of the sisterhood are shown in full colour.

I’ve really enjoyed the journey of the HMRC series and although I am impatient to find out what happens next, this was an adventure full of drama and intrigue for the interim.  The characters are once again stand out and full of passion and determination. For a short book, this is a powerful one full of badass heroines.

The audiobook productions for the entire series is brilliant and Nicola Coughlan is my fave narrator. How does she do those accents!?

I’d highly recommend this series for the fun, for the drama and for all the fierce feminist and LGBTQ+ representation. 🧡

I LOVED this!
I'm a fan of history and know the story of Henry VIII's six wives quite well. I loved the historical background for this and its reinterpretation.
The gay storyline was clearly present and important but this isn't a romance novel! It's clearly about love and what love can mean in its many forms.
This made me very excited to read Her Majesty's Royal Coven although I think this books works great as a standalone as well.

The narration was *chef's kiss*. I've not found any other audiobooks that I enjoyed this thoroughly. Nicola Coughlan is a treasure and amazing at this.

Thank you Netgalley, HarperCollins Audio and Juno Dawson for the audio arc of Queen B
Narrated by Nicola Coughlan

Having read Her Majesty's Royal Coven ( 1 & 2 ) I was curious to see where things all started! I loved the era that this book was set in which was hard for women in the Tudor times. Even though this was a novella, you get a sense of the characters and how Ann Boleyn had given a safe haven for women within a Coven. It would be unfair to compare these to the series, after all it is a prequel, it does however, set the scene beautifully for the series. I love the sense of power that Juno builds up in these books, women taken their destiny in their own hands, Magically or otherwise.

I can't wait for book 3 in this series and having read this prequel will help tied me over until then!

4 stars

Having not read Juno Dawson’s ‘Her Majesty’s Royal Coven’ (yet, it’s in my TBR), I really enjoyed listening to its prequel, ‘Queen B’.

I loved the setting, the time jumps between pre and post Anne’s execution and the relationship between Grace, Anne, and their coven mates.

I do wish this book was longer however. The chapters felt rushed in places, and I wished the chase between two of the main characters was a bit more drawn out, or we had more time with Anne and the coven in the lead up to her marrying Henry VIII. There’s a lot of missing time between main plot points that I wish we got to see. The motivation behind our ‘villain’ was a really predictable plot twist as well.

Despite this, I’m more keen than ever to read ‘HMRC’.

Nicola Coughlan (from Derry Girls, Brighteron) narrated the audio book and was flawless!

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Juno fo the chance to listen to the audiook.

I really enjoy Juno's storytelling and her writing. I am not big on audiobooks but Nicola did make me enjoy it for the first time, the way she tells the story is incredible, although I did struggle to listen to this at my preferred speed (but that's probably due to english not being my first language and the fact that I struggle with accents)
This prequel book was a great way to go back to the world of Her Majesty's Royal Cowen.

This novella takes us back to 1536 and the desperate days after Queen Anne’s execution – but there’s also regular jumps in the narrative timeline to scenes before Anne’s downfall, when the coven is being formed. We learn the backstory of some of the women featured in the court coven and how they relate to the charismatic, mercurial Anne. She is determined to become Queen. Not only because it wins her some stability with the King, along with the power and trappings that go with such a position, but because for the first time in history, a witch will be on the throne.

Of course, that doesn’t end well. There is plenty of tension and heartbreak in this gripping story of intelligent, ambitious women desperate for some control over their own lives – but what is missing is the usual sarky humour that sparkles through Dawson’s writing. I missed it, because this is a searing, difficult read. I also found the narration by Nicola Coughlan a bit jarring – the regional accent meant I had to concentrate harder and her speech rhythms and delivery got in the way of my appreciation of Dawson’s smooth, accomplished prose. I’m aware this is a highly personal response, probably not helped by my illness which messes with my concentration. That said, Dawson brilliantly evokes the time period and the descriptions of Tudor England are vivid and memorable.

Grace, the main protagonist, is beautifully written. I loved the fact that her beauty causes her huge problems in a society where she has no say in who she gets to marry. Especially as she’s only thirteen when she’s married off to her forty-something-year-old husband. You won’t be surprised to learn that she accepts a position at Court, largely to get away from her husband. This is an accomplished, fascinating insight into the birth of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven – but if you haven’t yet had the pleasure of reading the other books in this riveting series, don’t use this one as a yardstick. While I enjoyed it, that sparkling wit and warmth suffusing the two novels to date is missing. While I obtained an arc of Queen B from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10

Absolutely loved this, the writing style is so immersive and brings characters and emotions to life. This shorter prequel novella audio book provides a great insight of the Majesty's Royal Cowen.

Really enjoyed listening to this Juno Bird Book which I have wanted to read but haven't got around to would definitely recommend.

thank you for the chance to listen and review