Her Majesty's Royal Coven

A Novel

By: Juno Dawson

Narrated by: Aoife McMahon

Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

“Superb and almost unbearably charming, Her Majesty’s Royal Coven… expertly launches an exciting new trilogy." —The New York Times Book Review

"Talk about a gut punch of a novel. …A provocative exploration of intersectional feminism, loyalty, gender and transphobia [that] invites readers into an intricately woven web of magic, friendship and power." —The Nerd Daily

A Discovery of Witches meets The Craft in this epic fantasy about a group of childhood friends who are also witches.

If you look hard enough at old photographs, we’re there in the background: healers in the trenches; Suffragettes; Bletchley Park oracles; land girls and resistance fighters. Why is it we help in times of crisis? We have a gift. We are stronger than Mundanes, plain and simple.

At the dawn of their adolescence, on the eve of the summer solstice, four young girls—Helena, Leonie, Niamh and Elle—took the oath to join Her Majesty's Royal Coven, established by Queen Elizabeth I as a covert government department. Now, decades later, the witch community is still reeling from a civil war and Helena is the reigning High Priestess of the organization. Yet Helena is the only one of her friend group still enmeshed in the stale bureaucracy of HMRC. Elle is trying to pretend she's a normal housewife, and Niamh has become a country vet, using her powers to heal sick animals. In what Helena perceives as the deepest betrayal, Leonie has defected to start her own more inclusive and intersectional coven, Diaspora. And now Helena has a bigger problem. A young warlock of extraordinary capabilities has been captured by authorities and seems to threaten the very existence of HMRC. With conflicting beliefs over the best course of action, the four friends must decide where their loyalties lie: with preserving tradition, or doing what is right.

Juno Dawson explores gender and the corrupting nature of power in a delightful and provocative story of magic and matriarchy, friendship and feminism. Dealing with all the aspects of contemporary womanhood, as well as being phenomenally powerful witches, Niamh, Helena, Leonie and Elle may have grown apart but they will always be bound by the sisterhood of the coven.

©2022 Juno Dawson (P)2022 Penguin Audio

What a ride!

I think it’s always a good sign when the ending of a book makes me angry. And boy did this ending make me angry! I became so attached to Niamb and Elle and Theo and all the characters in this book. I’ve been raving (and maybe ranting too) about it to anyone who will listen. I’m starving for book 2!!

Great story

Had me at the edge of my seat and laughing all at the same time. I was sucked in and thought I was on the missions with the coven. Thank you!!

Everything amazing except… Madame Celestine

I wasn’t ready for how good this was gonna be, but the only disappointing bit was hearing a Congolese witch in ceremony in… French? Of all the languages in Congo, using her ancestral knowledge, why would she use French? Other than that, everything was perfect even the last twist I saw coming, it was delicious

Finally

I've been making my way through the witchy/ magical/fantasy books that audible has to offer and this one stood out in a great way. Finally, a series with adult concepts, language and themes. Usually these stories are from the POV of a virgin teenage girl and it's boring to read as an adult. HMRC is a great read from the way it's written to the humor and the content. I'm ready for book 2

Excellent story!

I absolutely loved this book! Kept me hooked the whole way. Great message and colorful characters.

Couldn’t stop listening!

I LOVED this book! Narration was perfect and the story was one that I did not want to stop listening to. Excellent all round. I cannot wait to start the next one !!!!

Lovely read

I had not heard of this author before this book, but had read a few fey/witchy books and wanted a bit more. The storyline was nice and an easy read. The author includes gender/sexuality and race in a thoughtful way most of the time, which is refreshing. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for strong female/femme leading characters. There is a really lovely throughline of love, courage, and resilience.

well loved

Loved it! Thank you for using a witchy read to share so much relevant truth. If only more mundanes would wake the fuck up.

What an amazing tale!

I was delighted to be given this book to read prior to reviewing the second in the series. It is witty, poignant, and enthralling. Dawson breaches subjects that are controversial with ease, and gives the characters in these situations real depth, so the reader understands their insecurities and their struggles. Such a beautiful book.

Witchy Fun

Great witchy plot, loads of coven politics, lots of humor. Narrator delightful. Can’t wait for next one!