An intriguing glimpse into the origins of the world of Her Majesty's Royal Coven! I love JD's writing style, and whilst a historical setting isn't usually my preference I enjoyed her take on the events leading to the beheading of Anne Boleyn

4.25 stars…I loved this!

This was my first dive into the world of HMRC and I’m hooked.

Nicola does an incredible job of bringing all the characters and accents to life, I could listen to her all day.

For a little book this packs a punch at telling the story of Anne Boleyn and her courtiers if they were witches. Full of emotion, I wished it was longer as would’ve liked to have the story fleshed out more.

A really great novella.

Thanks to HC and NetGalley for this audio!

This was such a great novella to accompany the HMRC series. Nicola Coghlan was the perfect narrator choice too!

I really enjoyed this prequel to the HMRC series of books. There was a fair amount of foreshadowing for the rest of the series, but did a great job of standing alone. Nicola Coghlan was an excellent narrator, her narration of Grace, Cecilia and Agnes were especially good and immediately recognisable. The story revolves around Anne Boleyn, her rise to Queen and then her downfall. But it also really is about her maid, Grace Fairfax and the lives they lead in secret. Storytelling was strong, wished there was more about the beginning of HMRC, you assume Anne started it, but this book really suggests it was Grace. Surprising this was lost to history, based on witches ability to know the truth. Would highly recommend

I love everything about this universe and this novella was so awesome. A trip into the past to see where it all began and it was everything I wanted! I cannot wait for the final book in the series!!!

A great quick read and narrated wonderfully! I loved this book and the HMRC series so far, so was really excited to read this one!

I have really, really enjoyed Juno Dawson's first two books in the HMRC series, and this brings back a lot of what is wonderful about her writing - strong female groups of friends and lovers, with complex dynamics, a magical system that interplays with gender dynamics, and fluid, beautiful plot progression.
The audiobook was narrated, wonderfully, as with the others, by Nicola Coughlan, who gave just the right amount of nuance and emotion to her performance.
My primary complaint about this, and the thing which is preventing me from giving it five stars, is that as a novella, it felt too short, and slightly underdeveloped. Sprawling across ten years and three wives of Henry VIII, the cast of characters felt slightly too sprawling to be easily contained within the novella itself. There is, of course, an argument to be made that making the background and supporting characters feel like they have fully developed and realised lives gives depth and richness to the story, and I totally agree with that! But there was simply too much crammed into a relatively short space here, and I don't feel like we got to truly explore the impact of the actions of the main characters - particularly Boleyn's collaboration with the other coven which is revealed late on in the book.
Still thoroughly enjoyable, but not quite as good as the others in the series.

A very witchy and feminist retelling of Anne Boleyn.

After adoring Her Majesty's Royal Coven, I knew I was going to read this prequel novella as well. I listened to the audiobook again which is once more beautifully narrated by Nicola Coughlan.

Queen B is a wonderful story, sweet and serious, about the view of women (witches) back in the 16th century with a queer cast of characters, with love and friendship, loss and loyalty, told on two different time levels (before and after Anne Boleyn's death).

I highly recommend it, especially if you liked the main trilogy. This one can be read separately as a standalone and has a satisfying conclusion.

Really recommend as an introduction to the HMRC universe if you are worried to commit. Although there is no reason to worry either! You don't need to have any preknowledge to fully enjoy this read, it is a standalone novella with a cool plot and interesting interweaving characters. I also recommend if you love SIX!

“Only six witches remained in their coven.”

I really enjoyed this book. Witchcraft was woven into history so cleverly, it was difficult to draw the line between fact and fiction.
The book is told in two halves - the now and before. We get an insight into events that catalyse future ones, as well as more history to the relationships in the Coven.
I listened to the audiobook for this one and loved Nicola Coughlan as the narrator again. She has the perfect voice for it.

Another brilliant novel from Dawson in the HMRC universe. I initially wasn't too interested in this one, questioning whether we really need another 'Anne Boleyn was a witch' book (no matter how positive). I couldn't have been more wrong. Loved this so much, really enjoyed the converging timelines, slowly putting together the pieces of Grace's story.

Anne Boleyn is a true iconic historical figure which is the main reason I was drawn to this story. It also doesn't hurt that the Nicola Coughlan was the narrator for the audiobook.

Overall, this story felt oppressive and bittersweet. From the get go we know that Anne Boleyn has met her grim fate and it's down to her ladies (and coven) to continue on in the wake of this devastating news and by the end there is no real solace for the witches who are facing down the barrel of the witch hunting pandemic that swept England.

I've never read any of Juno Dawson's work before and I really want to continue forward with this series. Although, this did not blow me fully away I can see the magic and potential of this series.

1536 Ann, Queen of England is beheaded. Was Ann a witch and was she betrayed? Can the rest of the Coven be safe? Lady Grace Fairfax will hunt the betrayer.

Enjoyed this novel, well written and narrated (I listened to the audiobook). Varied characters who are part of Ann’s Court. Grace is being hunted as she hunts. What can she do to get revenge?

The first two books released in the Her Majesty's Royal Coven series were outstanding, and this novella transports us back to the 1500s with a fresh set of characters. Dawson skillfully weaves fact and fiction together, but this time the story lacks the excitement of her earlier books. While the characters remain strong, the plot is missing the spark of magic that made the other HMRC stories shine, along with Dawson's trademark sense of humor. It's still worth a read, as this takes us back to the origins of HMRC and shows a more traditional view of witches, man did they have a hard time with it. But am I ready to head back to the modern day coven? 100% yes!

Thanks to Juno Dawson, HarperCollins and Netgalley for a complimentary free copy of this novel via audiobook in exchange for a review.

I'm going to preface my review by saying that I love Juno Dawson's work, particularly the first two books in the 'Her Majesty's Royal Coven' series. This book takes the form of a prequel of sorts, set back in Tudor England during and just after the time of Anne Boleyn. I definitely went into this book expecting the plot to take a different pathline then this did.
In reality whilst Anne Boleyn's presence is heavy throughout this short novella we actually see her through the eyes of her lover and another member of the coven she created. The book version of this has some beautiful illustrations scattered throughout at key moments and the audiobook is delivered very well by Nicola Coughlan of Bridgerton and Derry Girls fame.
Overall however, I just didn't really find that the story of this novel ever truly gripped me. The characters were interesting, but I never truly felt like I was emotionally connected to them and the plot itself was quite disjointed. I probably would have given this a two star if not for Juno's gorgeous writing which made me elevate this to a three star.
I feel like this book might work for some people, but the plot just didn't pull me in unfortunately.

Was this a necessary addition to the series? Perhaps not. Was it a good time, as well as a quick and engaging read, perfect for anyone who loves both the main HMRC series *and* Tudor history? Damn right it was!!

Great novella from this author. Already a fan of this series but a great different step looking back from a historical angle.

Would definitely recommend.

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.