Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson
Summary
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.
Book Setting: England
Pendle Hill
Hardcastle Crags
Hebden Bridge
Heptonstall
Market Street
Cragg Vale
Manchester Metropolitan University
Bombay Street
Brixton
Brockwell Park Lido
Brockwell Park Cafe
Chapel Allerton
Belle Isle
St. George’s Square
Hebden Bridge Picture House
Chorlton
Midgehole
National Trust - Hardcastle Crags
Blacko
Shaftesbury Avenue
Malham
Malham Cove
Mildred’s
White Lion Pub (Lamb and Lion)
Pecket Well
Burgess Park
Rye
The Mermaid Inn
Malkin Tower Farm
Reviews
“Superb and almost unbearably charming, Her Majesty’s Royal Coven… expertly launches an exciting new trilogy.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“Her Majesty’s Royal Coven is a shimmering, irresistible cauldron’s brew of my favorite things: a thrilling, witchy plot; a diverse, compelling, and beautifully drawn cast; complex relationships with real heart; laugh-out-loud banter; and the kind of dazzling magic I wish existed. You won’t be able to put it down.”
—Lana Harper, New York Times bestselling author of Payback’s a Witch
“Dawson, in an impressive flex, uses the rules of the fantasy genre to make a statement about people of color and LGBTQ individuals and how organizations can exclude and ignore them. Readers who enjoy witches and watching change ripple through a culture will enjoy this series.”
— Booklist (starred)