Who doesn’t love a story about witchcraft and secret societies? About a orphaned child with extraordinary magical powers who was for so long isolated from the magical world? Forced to fight the establishment and figures with great reputation who believe they must be eliminated for them to clutch onto power? Sounds familiar…but how about one with more twists than a rollercoaster and the impending and foreboding rise of Godzilla’s long-lost cousin? This isn’t your run-of-the-mill Harry Potter stuff, this is a brand new magical universe, set to shake you to your very core!
Her Majesty’s Royal Coven introduces us to witches, the likes of which have existed across the UK & world for many years, with Her Majesty’s Royal Coven (or HMRC) being the governmental body associated with overseeing witches and their welfare. The High Priestess, Helena Vance, is charged with protecting her coven from any and all threats that may emerge. When the oracles warn her of the impending rise of leviathan, a demon which threatens to destroy the world as the witches know it, the coven is on alert, determined to snuff out the threat before it causes harm. But when a very powerful young sorcerer is found by the coven, the young child threatens to split the fearful witches, with dark consequences for those who attempt to protect him, and those who think he must be eliminated.
I really enjoyed this story. The first in the series has left me very excited to read the next one for a whole heap of different reasons. Foremost, the entire storyline has been so elegantly crafted and eloquently told that you cannot help but be captivated into this universe. Whether it’s exploring the institution that is HMRC, the witches at all levels within it, the relationship between the witch coven and warlock cabal, or the connected pasts of our multiple main character sisterhood, this book is one of the most well-crafted pieces of fiction I’ve had the pleasure of reading. You never feel as if exposition is just being carelessly dumped on you for the purposes of understanding, and yet by the end you feel as if you get this world so fully that it’s remarkable so much is achieved in one single story. It’s well paced, imaginative and simply a fun read.
I also appreciated the wide range of topics that this book covers throughout its pages. From feminism to LGBTQ+ issues, racism, privilege, mental health and a heap more, the book is incredibly self-aware and tells intersectional stories from a range of perspectives, which is always a positive. But I also appreciated that it never felt like a lecture. Every time that one of these issues are highlighted, it always has a purpose within the wider story. There’s an entire plotline that discusses whether someone should be admitted into the sisterhood of the coven, and the way that feminist issues are treated here are measured and actually give the story an entirely new dimension that many other fictional works may shy away from. If I was to say that this book would definitely be banned in some areas, that should give you a sense of the sorts of topics explored and in my opinion, even more reason that this book is such a good one.
The final thing that took me by surprise was the twists built into this story. Twist after plot development after unexpected turn after unseen connection, the story was filled with huge curveballs that I can confidently say I never saw coming. Even in the closing pages of the story, we’re still getting groundbreaking twists to the tale which sets up the following story The Shadow Cabinet to be an exciting sequel. I was shocked to my core on multiple occasions, sometimes to elation, other times to bitter sorrow in this rollercoaster of a book and I can confidently say that each one was satisfying, unexpected and felt like a true twist if fate. I did not see a single one coming, unlike many stories when you can predict a complication as it arises, and I would place these on par with the Agatha Christie classics. If you’re prepared for a single sentence to fundamentally shift your understanding of the previous 200 pages, you will be overjoyed with this read.
Now for all its praise, I do have one criticism, which revolves around how some of the character development and how this intersects with the real world was handled. Firstly, I love that this is a powerful, queer, high-energy British-based story of a secret magical world of witches and wizards (it would be a fantastic replacement for the series created by She-Who-Will-Not-Be-Named!). However, it’s an issue related to this author that my main criticism arises. One of the characters in the story turns out to be a Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist (TERF) and as such, has heated debates with other characters about this. Whilst I like that these conversations are not hidden so that people can see the realities of them, no detail was spared, which meant on more than one occasion you’re directly reading anti-Trans+ talking points and transphobia. For many people, this may be a frustration but isn’t an issue that would directly affect them, but for Trans+ people, these sections are likely to be a tough read. They can be skipped, but important story points would be lost if they are. So if you do read this book, just be aware that you’ll be reading directly anti-Trans+ and TERF arguments and talking points multiple times, so be prepared for that.
Despite this, Her Majesty’s Royal Coven is one of the best fiction books I have read recently. I instantly fell in love with the world that Dawson has crafted, enjoyed almost every aspect of these characters and the universe in which they inhabit, and cannot wait to read the next edition in the series. I really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy fiction, witchcraft and those who enjoy a good, unexpected twist. Well written and well told, I hope this story continues making waves and rises to the heights it truly deserves.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Her Majesty’s Royal Coven (ISBN: 978-0-00-847854-4) was published in 2022. A copy is available to borrow from the LGBTQ+ Lending Library in the Liberation Lounge
