I absolutely adored Queen B, the spellbinding prequel to the Her Majesty’s Royal Coven trilogy by Juno Dawson. As a huge fan of the series, I couldn't contain my excitement for a story centred around the intriguing figure of Anne Boleyn, it is pure genius!! Lady Grace Fairfax, a member of Anne's coven, takes us on a thrilling journey through the treacherous Tudor court, filled with betrayal and revenge. The seamless blend of historical facts with fiction kept me on the edge of my seat, especially as we witness Anne's rise and tragic fall through Grace's eyes. This novella not only provides a fresh perspective on real events but also showcases the importance of sisterhood within the coven, a theme that resonates throughout the HMRC trilogy. From Anne's beheading to the witchfinders hunting them down, the stakes are high as Grace seeks to uncover the traitor among them. There some iconic moments, like when Grace takes full control of her fire element. With King Henry VIII's witchfinder on their trail, Grace must rise from the ashes (wink) and fight for survival in a world where witchkind is facing extinction. Queen B is a must-read, I could so easily see this as a TV series! I'm so hungry for the next instalment.

This gorgeously designed and illustrated novella combines two epic things: Juno's HMRC witch world and The Tudors. I loved reading about some of my favourite historical figures/characters through Juno's vivid imagination, action and plot twists. Seeing the women with powers that foreshadow the HMRC ones. I felt that Anne's character both fitted in with how I picture her, whilst being completely original and still keeping a mysterious element. Juno is a brilliant storyteller.

One day, Juno Dawson will write a book that does not leave me swearing like a fishwife; Queen B is not that book. Queen B tells the story of Anne founding the coven. It begins with Anne's execution (if you didn't know she died, sorry for the spoiler) and then moves in time between Anne's time as Queen leading up to her death, and how her ladies deal with the aftermath. Despite an obsession with Anne in my younger days, the aftermath of her death isn't something I ever considered, but Juno portrays all the things you might expect: grief, anger, rage, and a bit of magic. Grace especially takes Anne's death hard and sets out to eviscerate those responsible, a sentiment I am fully on board with. I loved her and her relationship with Anne throughout the book. Queen B gives an insight into how hard things were for women in the Tudor times, when the slightest mishap could have you labelled as a witch. I loved the addition of actual witches to this; especially the idea that the Queen herself founded a coven and infiltrated the court. Stunning work. Juno has delivered the perfect, queer, magical Anne Boleyn story I never knew I needed. However, I am now going to need the stories of every other member of the coven. (I've got a few new swear words to try out).

I was intrigued by the blurb for this being about what would have happened if Anne Boleyn was a bi-sexual witch. The Tudor period was always interesting to me but this was a story about the women, and from the point of view of several women at court who are a secret witch coven, lead by Anne rather than much about the historical details. Very fast paced and it cuts between the past and the present. It was a really good short read, the women's personalities really shone through in this story along with their love and sorrow. A very moving read. I was originally gifted a copy of this from the publisher via Netgalley but I purchased the Fairyloot special edition hardback of this. All the books in this series were released before I got around to reading this as I didn't realise it was a standalone novella and read them all in publication order.

May, 1536 Queen Anne is dead, her body defiled by beheading. Not even her coven could restore life to her. But how had it come to this, and who betrayed her.... Lady Grace Fairfax was glad to escape the North, and her husbands philandering to live at Court. At that time, Henry VIII was married to Queen Catherine. But hidden amongst the ladies of the court, were a coven of witches, amongst them Grace herself and Anne Boleyn who had already caught the King's eye. But are the coven as united as they seem or are there ambitious to reach the crown that will drive them apart and to the ultimate betrayal....the axe Having not read HMSC, I came fresh into this prequel and thoroughly enjoyed all it's themes, mixed masterfully with my favourite genre, historical fiction. A delicious short read, full of intrigues and excitement. Great start to the spooky season. Suse