The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson

Pages: 400 

Publisher: Harper Voyager 

Released: 8th of June 2023 

In the second installment of Juno Dawson's "irresistable" fantasy trilogy (Lana Harper), a group of childhood friends and witches must choose between what is right and what is easy if they have any hope of keeping their coven--and their world--from tearing apart forever.

Niamh Kelly is dead. Her troubled twin, Ciara, now masquerades as the benevolent witch as Her Majesty's Royal Coven prepares to crown her High Preistess.

Suffering from amnesia, Ciara can't remember what she's done--but if she wants to survive, she must fool Niamh's adopted family and friends; the coven; and the murky Shadow Cabinet--a secret group of mundane civil servants who are already suspicious of witches. While she tries to rebuild her past, she realizes none of her past has forgotten her, including her former lover, renegade warlock Dabney Hale.

On the other end of the continent, Leonie Jackman is in search of Hale, rumored to be seeking a dark object of ultimate power somehow connected to the upper echelons of the British government. If the witches can't figure out Hale's machinations, and fast, all of witchkind will be in grave danger--along with the fate of all (wo)mankind.

Sharp, funny, provocative, and joyous, Juno Dawson's sequel reimagines everything you think you knew about her coven and her witches in a story that spans continents and dives deep into the roots of England and its witchcraft. Ciara, Leonie, Elle, and Theo are fierce, angry, sexy, warm--and absolutely unapologetic as they fight for what they believe in, all in the name of sisterhood.

What I Have to Say 

I wasn't sure going in how this book would be as I really loved Niamh in the first book. But I actually warmed to Ciara really quickly considering she was a murderer who made deals with demons. Actually it was really interesting the way that Dawson dealt with all her characters in this book. It showed people as not really good or bad, but that they made choices that were good or bad. Ciara definitely made some bad choices and I certainly wouldn't trust her with anything (especially Theo) but I  really grew to understand her and why she made those choices and began to believe that she could make better ones. 

Theo is my favourite character and I would die for her. Her friendship with Holly is wonderful and adds to the themes of friendship and sisterhood that are abundant in these books. It was interesting to see them changing and developing especially with the things that happen during this book. 

That ending though. If you don't like books ending on cliffhangers, you definitely need to wait until the next book comes out before you read this one. The ending was killer and I need the next book right this second. My advice is to get all three books when the next one comes out, put them in a pile beside your favourite reading chair and devour them all in one go. 

5 stars 

My thanks goes to Harper Voyager and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review.