Oh I’m so sad this series is over! I absolutely love our witchy girlies and I’m going to miss them. The pop culture references, writing style and female friendships are as strong as ever in the final instalment of the series. I love these characters and the way they have developed over each book. The only reason why this isn’t a 5 star for me is because I don’t like time travel storylines. I sort of hate them so the fact that I enjoyed this even though it was a big part of the end shows that it is a good series!

I read the digital ARC from NetGalley in return for a honest review. Thank you for letting me read it early as I have been so excited for this!

Sorry, I couldn’t read this as the kindle version seemed to have muddled up the chapter with lines from one chapter randomly included in paragraphs in others. If the formatting is update please let me know - I’d love to read this sequel!

WOW! Just WOW! Juno Dawson take a bow...

I have thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this trilogy, and despite having a vast TBR pile, it is rare for me to read a series twice. However, this trilogy certainly warranted a re-read. As a millennial from Manchester now living in Leeds, I can relate to the female main characters and appreciated the numerous references and local settings.

This fast-paced, action-packed conclusion to one of my favourite trilogies is highly recommended.

One small critique and I am not sure if I am the only one with this issue is that the start of each chapter seemed to have another piece infused within it. It did make it hard to read. I cannot wait for my physical copy to be able to re-read again without this issue,

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy.

Human Rites by Juno Dawson is a lovely book. I rated it 5 stars because I loved every single second of this story. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.

LOVED IT!

I loved everything about this book, this series, this world! I just loved it! It was the best ending for all our Hebden Bridge girls and im just so in awe of a trilogy plus prequel novel being top tier all the way through.
I found HMRC original and fun and witchy and Human Rites just doubled down on all of that in the BEST way!
Its giving Charmed, Tomb Raider, Relic Hunter, The Mummy, Back to the Future and just absolutely viiiibes!

For fans of the series, i think its perfect. For anyone wanting to start the series, there is no fumble at the end! Its just so much fun and so funny and relatable. I laughed out loud so many times!

Thank you with my whole heart to the Publishers and Netgalley for the arc! All opinions are my own!

This is such a tough book to review without giving away spoilers! I’ve loved every second of this trilogy and with a TBR pile so huge it’s not often I’ll read a series twice but this is one that definitely deserves a re-read. Being a millennial myself, I identify with the FMCs so much and loved all the 90s references. A fast paced, action packed end to one of my favourite trilogies.

Many thanks to Juno Dawson for all the enjoyment I've had from reading this immensely fun, exquisitely realised series. The finale is fantastic as all the threads start to come together with some brilliant twists. Most importantly, the characters are still wonderful. Every one is unique and fully rounded, each one has followed an arc that serves the story as a whole as well as the individual character and their relationships and emotions are complex and messy and real. My only gripe is that I wanted a little bit more for Ciara and Elle and though I'm generally not a fan of over-long books, I would have loved to have spent a little longer with storylines.

Now, I'm a big fan of this series, owning both digital and physical copies of the first two books and prequel. And I have been looking forward to the finale since finishing ‘HMRC’ back in 2023 and listening to the audiobook version by the incredible Nicola Coughlan.

The HMRC trilogy is not a simple tale but an increasingly complex one, that takes us on the journey from through the lives of our witches from their childhoods to their thirties. Powerful, intelligent, diverse (thankfully) and sassy as hell these witches are tough and they are the women in charge.
So, who are they? Well, as the novel opens we meet, Niamh and Ciara (twins from Ireland), Helena, Elle and Leonie. And by Human Rites, our group of witches has grown to Niamh, Ciara, Elle, Leonie, Chinara, Holly & Theo. Dawson sets her story in a contemporary setting, a world that is easily recognisable to readers and does not shy away from tackling issues such as Racism, Transphobia, and Homophobia, along with examining the problematic, and often cruel treatment of people of colour and inclusion issues. She does so very effectively by providing her characters with the opportunity to express and explore their own identity with the story. Actually allowing the character to grow, rather than simply placing them in a box with labels. And one of my favourite aspects is that Dawson represents that world around us - so yes, the LGBTQIA+ community are represented, and two of our protoganists are women of colour. The portrayal of being a young trans person and the confusion felt by Theo is shown through her confusion and internal conflict is shown.
Likewise the attitudes of society are shown through the characters and there are several amusing moments of social commentary, especially when the politicians put in an appearance.
The bonds between the original group has been sorely tested and are now facing their greatest test.
There is a lot to unpack with this story and I do wish that the book was longer to allow the reader a little more time with our favourite characters, to accept the huge revelations. But either way, this was a rollecoaster, 5 star, amazing read.

I have loved the HMRC books so far and the conclusion to the trilogy is no different. The story twists and turns throughout and avoids simple answers, acknowledging the complexity of the lives of the main characters and the decisions they have to make. Juno Dawson has created a great book series and I am sorry this will be the final book.

There are not many books I would suffer through reading on a iPhone screen but this one was worth every second! This is easily one of my favourite fantasy trilogies and what an ending. There are so many call backs to previous books and not a second of the entire three books is wasted in pulling everything together to round it out.

Who wouldn't want to be part of the Hebden Bridge coven?!

There were so many points through the book I kept expecting certain things to happen and they didn't, it kept surprising me right the way through.

I don't want to say too much in fear of spoilering the end of the series but I LOVED how everything turned out, how everything was wrapped up and no loose ends left hanging at the end - my absolute pet peeve at the end of a series when there are too many questions left about what happened to so and so after book 2 etc?!

I sincerely hope Juno writes more fantasy because this was EPIC in every way and I want MORE!!!

I’ve been looking forward to this book since last year. Queen B felt like a sidestep (Anne Boleyn as the first witch) and at just under 200 pages, it felt more of snack. Human Rites is the banquet you need, a dark Summer read for a dark Summer’s day.

If you’ve not read the first two, do that first. Those of us that have, can enjoy the climax hinted it in the end of the last book: Satan rises and only our band of witches can stop it. And, yes the writing seems a little bit peaky at times (every chapter has a cliffhanger) and there are several branches of the fourth wall. Like most final fantasy books, there is McGuffins, retcon and it literally sets every character down for rest.

But that doesn’t stop the fantastic sugary rush of a book that is thrilling, horrifying, funny and most importantly of all - LGBTQ friendly. It is a fantasy book that respects ALL witches and warlocks. Dawson has created something that is of pure delight, rather than something that stands for a franchise (she who shall not be named) that is one of cognitive dissonance.

It’s published by Harper Collins on July 17th and I thank them for a preview copy. #humanrites.

A solid conclusion to the Her Majesty’s Royal Coven trilogy, Human Rites ties up the threads of magic, politics and personal struggles that have run throughout the series. The stakes are higher than ever, with the coven fractured and each character facing impossible choices.

Niamh’s return is unsettling, Elle’s grief is raw and painful, and Leonie’s unexpected twist adds another layer of intrigue. Meanwhile, Theo is confronted with a choice that could determine the fate of both her coven and humanity itself. The pacing is intense, and the final confrontation delivers plenty of action and emotion.

As expected, the book is packed with sharp dialogue, dry humour and clever social commentary. However, with so many characters and storylines to wrap up, some moments felt rushed. Certain arcs could have been explored in more depth, and a little more space to breathe between major revelations would have added to the impact.

Despite this, Human Rites is a gripping and satisfying finale. It delivers the emotional weight and drama that fans of the series will have been waiting for, with witches who fight fiercely for what they believe in. If you’ve enjoyed the journey so far, this final instalment is not to be missed.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

A fun inclusion with a satisfying end to Niamh's story and I liked how the covens ended up along with the storyline of the clans. The romance was enjoyable too.

I was thrilled to get the chance to read the final book of the HMRC through NetGalley. Witches aren’t for everyone but for me I think Juno Dawson could write about anything. She just has a way with words. I loved this ending. The final battle and the each character was wrapped up nicely. Can’t wait to see what she writes next.

A suitably epic finale for Dawson's witchy trilogy, Human Rites follows on from the shocking cliffhangers of The Shadow Cabinet and throws its collection of nuanced characters out of the frying pan and very much into the fire.

While the first half of the book is more established with rebuilding characters and establishing new dynamics and plot arcs, the second jumps into a series of appropriately tense action beats that help marry spectacle with human choice and consequence

Dawson's own snarky humour helps alleviate the dark themes at bay, and readers will mostly find their favourite character well treated and satisfyingly wrapped up. Long live the Coven!

If you've read the rest of this series, you know what you're getting.
But I'd say this comes with extra surprises.
It's a fun read,lots of adventure, and risk taking, backed by strong solid group of firm friends.
We see our characters go places I never imagined they would, and do things I didn't imagine they could, which is saying something when we are talking about witches.
You definitely need to read all the others first, and I really appreciated the recap at the start of the book.
Good stuff once again

***advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
A really satisfying ending to a great series. Juno Dawson’s characters are the point around which this series spins, she knows them well and as a result so do the readers. She manages to have us laugh and cry almost all in the same breath. I could read ten more of these, but this is certainly the last of the series. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that she might be interested to write something else akin to the Queen Boleyn book that preceded this one.

I was gobsmacked, heartbroken and I don't think I will recover. The coven never ends. As long as there are women, there will be
witches.

"We are who we are because of our scars."

I cannot believe my time at HMRC has come to an end. I had no clue what I was getting into when I picked up Book 1 how much of a journey I was going to go through with this series. I love it so much.

This book wow, it started so well and kept going strong. I love that we got to see almost the behind the scenes of how to book ended because honestly it is one of the only books I have read that I remember vividly the ending. I love how we got to see all the characters points of view, we see them tackling their own lives and also coming together to tackle the devil himself.

It was incredible at 50 percent we were at such a high and it kept going and it only got better. This book was healing and ouch it hurt and yes I cried. Some of the characters were on a journey of forgiveness and they found that, some found things they never saw coming. This book was everything I wanted and more.

I'm kind of sad because i have really enjoyed this series but this one didn't do much for me. I just think maybe I went too long in between reading the books because it took me a while to remember what we were doing. Also I felt that some of the issues I had with the second book where not really addressed in a satisfying way. I felt the authorial voice much more in this one that some of the other installments and that took me out of the story. However for those people devoted to this series I think they'll still really enjoy the way it all wraps up. I still enjoy and support Juno Dawson as a writer and will wait for what she comes out with next.