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bookswithlydscl 's review for:
Her Majesty's Royal Coven
by Juno Dawson
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2025 re-read
I'm much more used to the writing style now and with how mental the world has gone the lack of subtlety I noted initially now didn't feel so preachy or being hit over the head. It's an indictment for me for how bad things have got that what felt too much barely 2 years ago now feels subtle. and Helena's 180 switch - well, put it this way, for me no longer felt unnatural.
initial read - 2023
And so, on my third attempt, I finished HMRC. I struggled with the writing mostly in this book. There's nothing subtle about many elements of it, which I understand the need but as a reader it meant it felt like I was being preached at and hit over the head with the intent of the writer rather than letting it swirl round and develop more naturally or subconsciously for the reader and so many clichés!
It really is making an important cultural and political point and clearly is written to refute against the current messaging coming from certain very well known people including an author we don't name, and I'm glad for it but I wish there had been more finesse and refinement to that in the prose.
I also had trouble connecting with the characters. There was a few pages at the beginning to quickly introduce why they are all bonded but other than that we don't see too much more and I'm sad that the alternative coven wasn't explored more as Leonie and that set of characters were so interesting. Helena's very swift 180 to villainy also felt unnatural and is exactly where I felt the narrative veered into hammering us with the message territory - nothing subtle whatsoever there.
I really did enjoy the final third as the action ramped up, and I actually thought that I would definitely give book two a shot, but that ending just annoyed me. We'll see how I feel when my library hold comes in because I am intrigued about Leviathan and seeing how the big battle is played out, considering how well it read in this book.
Overall, when I first tried this book I wanted to love it and now I've finished it I still want to have loved it but unfortunately it didn't click for me as it has for so many others. I still feel thought that the political commentary is vital, and the representation here is so important considering the cultural climate over the last couple of years.
I'm much more used to the writing style now and with how mental the world has gone the lack of subtlety I noted initially now didn't feel so preachy or being hit over the head. It's an indictment for me for how bad things have got that what felt too much barely 2 years ago now feels subtle. and Helena's 180 switch - well, put it this way, for me no longer felt unnatural.
initial read - 2023
And so, on my third attempt, I finished HMRC. I struggled with the writing mostly in this book. There's nothing subtle about many elements of it, which I understand the need but as a reader it meant it felt like I was being preached at and hit over the head with the intent of the writer rather than letting it swirl round and develop more naturally or subconsciously for the reader and so many clichés!
It really is making an important cultural and political point and clearly is written to refute against the current messaging coming from certain very well known people including an author we don't name, and I'm glad for it but I wish there had been more finesse and refinement to that in the prose.
I also had trouble connecting with the characters. There was a few pages at the beginning to quickly introduce why they are all bonded but other than that we don't see too much more and I'm sad that the alternative coven wasn't explored more as Leonie and that set of characters were so interesting. Helena's very swift 180 to villainy also felt unnatural and is exactly where I felt the narrative veered into hammering us with the message territory - nothing subtle whatsoever there.
I really did enjoy the final third as the action ramped up, and I actually thought that I would definitely give book two a shot, but that ending just annoyed me. We'll see how I feel when my library hold comes in because I am intrigued about Leviathan and seeing how the big battle is played out, considering how well it read in this book.
Overall, when I first tried this book I wanted to love it and now I've finished it I still want to have loved it but unfortunately it didn't click for me as it has for so many others. I still feel thought that the political commentary is vital, and the representation here is so important considering the cultural climate over the last couple of years.