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

I’ll start by saying I might well read the other books in this series as they are so well thought of.
I’ve given it three stars because as much as I liked parts of it, it didn’t feel fully pulled together for me. I love the premise I think there are some really interesting exchanges between the characters and the overlap with actual historical events was really good. I listened to the audiobook which was gifted by the publisher and I appreciate that very much.
Nicola Coughlan, as a reader, was a good choice, however, (and I found this strange, because as an actor, I think she’s wonderful). There wasn’t much range Shown between the characters and the storytelling wasn’t as lively as I would’ve expected to be.
I did listen to the entire book in one day, so it’s possible that I haven’t digested it properly, and as I say I will probably read others in the series as I think it’s a great premise and the writing is strong.
The descriptions are good it’s just the storytelling pace and structure. I think I found a little light.

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!