A secret government department protects crown and country from magical forces and otherworldly entities. Four best friend witches are caught at the centre of the apocalypse, but the greatest threat is to emerge from within their solid unit...

Juno Dawson is a bestselling novelist, screenwriter, journalist, and columnist. Her books include Clean, This Book is Gay, and Meat Market (for which she won the 2020 YA Book Prize). She writes for television, with multiple shows in development, and occasionally turns her hand to acting too, with appearances in Holby City and I May Destroy You. She has also appeared on Pointless Celebrities, ITV News, Channel 5 News, Newsnight, This Morning, and BBC Women’s Hour. In 2014 she became a School Role Model for the charity Stonewall.

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, published by Harper Voyager, was the #1 Sunday Times bestseller. Countless reviews have sung its praises and much acclaim has followed. Hmm… Every opinion is, of course, subjective and, unfortunately, I can’t get on with this at all – much as I’ve tried. The premise is intriguing and made me assume it would be similar to the excellent Newbury & Hobbes Investigation books by George Mann. However, its approach is quite different. I started and abandoned this book three times; I just couldn’t warm to the central character or situations. Not one to admit defeat too easily (I very seldom don’t finish a novel), I even attempted plunging into the middle section, hoping to get hooked or drawn into the heightened excitement of the plot, but it wasn’t to be. I simply felt no empathy or interest. Having read some traditional classic novels recently, maybe I was still in that frame of mind.

Opinions are as individual as anything in life. I am one person and plenty of other reviewers have written favourably of this release. Juno Dawson has turned her hand to many successful media outlets, so what do I know. I would suggest you give the book a try if you are in any doubt (perhaps download a cheaper electronic version – although I still prefer a physical book). According, I think it’s fair to offer-up an average score.

5

Ty Power