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2.5/5
“The patriarchy, above all else, fears women coming together, so internal female division only succeeds in greasing that machine.”
Her Majesty’s Royal Coven follows five life-long friends who swear an oath to Gaia and decide to lead their lives as witches. Although they share a seemingly unbreakable bond, now adults the women, are living very different lives and tackling very different issues. When an Oracle reveals a dangerous threat will rise to destroy the witch community, the five friends find themselves up against their toughest enemy yet; will they work together to destroy it or will it tear them apart?
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Tackling societal issues and prejudices is where Dawson soars, from Wonderland to Clean, Dawson’s books hold a mirror up to the world and force it to take a long hard look. HMRC is no different and the novel is a strong reminder of the prejudices people deal with daily, with Dawson presenting them in a way that only someone who has dealt with the head-on can.
However, that aside, HMRC doesn’t stand out in the way all of Dawson’s other stories do. Brimming with pop culture references and a reminder this is set in our world, this is where HMRC fell flat for me.
It lacked the magic of high fantasy, the edge of urban fantasy and the whimsy of witchy books, there is something about the mention of local cinema and Tammy Girl that took you out of the story. Although the magic system is interesting it bordered on over-complicated and the world-building will have you re-reading paragraphs for clarity; ironic seeing as it’s set in modern day Great Britain with no fantasy realm to escape to.
At times the dialogue felt juvenile and the fight scenes failed to excite and enthrall, despite some of the witches having stellar powers.
Sadly, won’t be continuing with this series but will still be checking out any of Dawson’s future releases.
Emily xo
