Her Majesty’s Royal Coven

by Juno Dawson

Overall: Although it’s been compared to The Craft and A Discovery of Witches (both of which share some of its fantasy DNA), the media property I thought of most reading Her Majesty’s Royal Coven was James Bond.  It’s not just the title, which of course recalls Her Majesty’s Secret Service, or the opening scene with a commando squad of witches taking down a baddie.  Niamh, a powerful adept she has more than one type of magical power) has retired from HMRC following a civil war in the witch community.  But when HMRC finds Theo, a young person with fantastically strong but uncontrolled powers who may be the dangerous “Sullied Child” foretold by the oracles, Niamh lets Helena, her childhood friend and now the High Priestess of HMRC, talk her into taking on Theo’s care and training. The story grows to involve the other members of their childhood circle, including Leonie, who has set up a competing coven to HMRC called Diaspora, and Elle, who would like nothing better than to forget she’s a witch and enjoy her life as a wife and mother. 

Likes: I enjoyed the plot and the shifts between narrators.  Dawson does a great job of providing even the villains with substantial backstories, so while you may not enjoy seeing the world through their eyes or empathize AT ALL with their point of view (because it is horrible), you at least get a glimpse of why they’re making certain choices.  And she does a great job of showing what sliding scale morality is – the justification one character uses for truly horrific decisions is invoked by another for a decision that’s more sympathetic. This book is overtly political about LGBTQIA+ rights, which works with the central narrative theme: when a minority (the witch community) has carved out a protected space for itself, will it try to ensure the future of this space by becoming exclusionary and policing its membership?  Or will it ensure its future by welcoming new viewpoints, growing, and changing, so that it does not become extinct? 

Dislikes: Four points of view is a lot; one of the characters (Elle) felt a little weaker in her sections. But this is a minor critique – I thought Dawson did an amazing job of making each character’s voice distinctly her own.

FYI: homophobia, transphobia, racism, class-based discrimination, sex discrimination, hate speech, murder, attempted murder.  And oh, my goodness, the ending!  All I can say is that, like Bond, the coven had better return quickly in the promised sequel!!!  Be prepared for a cliffhanger.