This is an exceptional addition to the world of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, establishing not only the idea of a community of witches and warlocks at the highest levels of British society, but also the rich diversity of magic and its grey relationship with heaven and hell alike. But the incredible success of this slim volume is how it manages all of the above in a story that is so intimate and focused. And how it takes the elephant in the room about any story about Anne Boleyn and manages to keep you guessing, even when you thought you knew the ending before you began. Anne Boleyn, queen of witches, was condemned for treason and beheaded. Any story about her as a hero, a leader, a woman who was loved and respected, is undercut by the tragedy you know is coming. Which is probably why Dawson makes the whole story about her death, and fashions what essentially unfolds as an unlikely whodunnit, weaving new mysteries, fresh tragedies and unexpected joys around an injustice we all think we know every detail of and which has been plumbed for all it can yield. Anne’s death is the subject and her sister witches, chief amongst them Lady Grace Fairfax, are the focus, as they scramble to avenge their fallen high priestess and protect themselves and their kind from a changed climate at court. A capricious king, new favourites and newly appointed witchfinders threaten a coven that has plunged from having all the power to having precious little, but all that must wait while those closest to be late queen hunt for the traitor who ultimately cost Boleyn her head. All of this is covered with precision and economy in less than 200 pages. Dawson moves back and forth in time between moments of passion and high emotion, picking and choosing her beats exactly right and letting the heightened moments reveal the whole of her world without a wasted word. It’s confident, clever plotting that relies on, rather than getting in the way of, the emotions and characterisations of these spectacular women. I just adored this book. Its sadness. its faith, its unapologetic messiness, its complicated love story, its focus on small moments that change the world. The world of HMRC is a treasure and this book is a crown jewel. Bravo, Juno.

I absolutely loved this novella & only wish it has been longer. Told from the viewpoint of fellow witch & lady in waiting Lady Grace Fairfax, this is the story of Anne Boleyn’s rise, fall & how it started a witch hunt. Weaving fantasy & history, I couldn’t put this book down. I'm a Tudor history nerd & a love a witchy novel so this was perfect for me. I haven’t read the preceding HMRC books, but based on this one I have purchased them. Bow down indeed!

Oh my days, what an absolute joy of a book. I loved HMRC and didn’t think they could be bettered until I read Queen B. It was wonderful to read about the founding and exploits of the Coven in 15th Century Britain and about Grace and Anne and it sets the background brilliantly. The only negative is that I WANT MORE! We definitely need to know more about Elizabeth for starters :) I cannot wait to read more about Coven history and highly recommend them. My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own unbiased opinion.

Another brilliant entry in this series. Dawson creates compelling characters in such a short space of time, and really makes you empathise with all of them, no matter their actions. The continued focus on sisterhood and intersectional feminism was great to see. I especially loved the differences seen in the historical witch culture and understanding of abilities, as opposed to the modern iterations in the main series - this touch made the world feel incredibly realistic and lived in! A quick, emotionally-charged historical fantasy, easy to read even if you haven't read the rest of the series!

This was a great addition to the HMRC universe. As someone who is in love with this series and loves Tudor History it was great to have this tie in. Grace was a perfect main pov for this story and felt like a good gateway into the Tudor court world. I'd love to have more mini novella's that follow on from this or mini stories set in different periods of British History as we all know it gets real bad for witch kind and how that ties in with HMRC past the snippets we get in the original series. My only criticism is that I found the romance between Grace & Anne - while I loved it - did feel slightly under developed and quick but this was probably more to do with the length of the novella than anything else.