Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson (audiobook)

Pages: 464

Publisher: Harper Voyager 

Released: 21st of July 2022 

Hidden among us is a secret coven of witches. They are Her Majesty’s Royal Coven. They protect crown and country from magical forces and otherworldly evil. But their greatest enemy will come from within.

There are whisperings of a prophecy that will bring the coven to its knees, and five best friends are about to be caught at the centre. Life as a modern witch was never simple … but now it’s about to get apocalyptic.

Prepare to be bewitched by Juno Dawson’s first adult series. A story of ancient prophecies and modern dating, of sacred sisterhood and demonic frenemies.

What I Have to Say 

Can Juno Dawson write anything I don't like? Well she hasn't yet. Her Majesty's Royal Coven was a bit different from her contemporary stuff and even from her horror stuff, with a well defined society of witches hidden from the rest of society. I found the world building really well done and it was completely believable that witches could exist and that they could have the same struggle and politics that we ourselves face. 

I found it a bit difficult to follow which character was which at the start. I will admit, I had covid when I was listening to it, so that probably didn't help, but I have talked to other people who also found it a bit of a problem. It took me until the 50% mark to figure out who everyone was, so be aware when you read it and maybe take some notes if this is a thing that you struggle with. 

Everything else was fantastic though. The plot and the characters, the way that gender and race issues were addressed was really good. I can't say much about this because it's quite important to the plot, but there some diverse characters involved in the plot and the very binary gender divide between witches and warlocks is very much addressed. 

The narration was perfect. I enjoyed it a lot and was very glad that I had the audiobook to listen to. I especially liked the voice that she put on for Theo. 

Basically, I loved this book and I think it's an important addition to the genre. It just could have done with a character guide in the front of the book!! 

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

Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin

Pages: 368

Publisher: Walker Books 

Released: 5th May 2022 

Teen fantasy adventure set in a world of flying ships and sky cities, where chosen ones have the ability to bring paper to life and work as Crafters - people who hunt wild paper spirits called shikigami. Inspired by Asian culture and exploring themes of empire, slavery and freedom.

Kurara has never known any other life than being a servant on board the Midori, but when her party trick of making paper come to life turns out to be a power treasured across the empire, she joins a skyship and its motley crew to become a Crafter. Taught by the gruff but wise Himura, Kurara learns to hunt shikigami - wild paper spirits who are sought after by the Princess.

But are these creatures just powerful slaves for the Crafters and the empire, or are they beings with their own souls - and yet another thing to be subjugated by the powerful Emperor and his Princess? 

What I Have to Say 

I adored this world. I'm a big fan of Japanese culture and love doing origami so the idea that origami could be alive and that there could be magic around folding and crafting was beautiful to me. 

I also loved the main character, Kurara. I can't say much about why I like her because of spoilers, but the whole mystery around her past and her relationship with Haru was so interesting. I guessed some of the reveals but that made me feel clever rather than thinking the plot was predicatable. 

It has to be said that Akane was beautiful and I would die for her. Also, I want to say as someone who speaks Japanese on an intermediate level, I loved the Japanese terms that were used. There was at least one pun and various little bits that I could pick up on as a Japanese learner. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Walker books for providing me with this copy for review. 

Something, Certain, Maybe by Sara Barnard

Pages: 320 

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books 

Released:  1st of July 2022 

Rosie is ready for her life to begin, because nothing says new life like going to university. After years of waiting and working hard, she's finally on the road that will secure her future.

Except university turns out to be not what she hoped or imagined, and although she's not exactly unhappy – really! – she might be a little bit worried that she doesn't really like her course much. Or her flatmates. Or really... anything? But it's normal to be homesick (right?) and everything will have settled in a month or two, and it's totally fine that her friends seem so much happier than she is, and that the doctors don’t seem to know what’s wrong with her mother.

But then she meets Jade, and everything starts to look a little brighter. At least, it does if she’s only looking at Jade. But is first love enough when everything else is falling apart? 

What I Have to Say 

I love these characters so much!! It's really nice to keep coming back to Caddy, Suze and Rosie in each of these books. Especially this one since having read Fierce Fragile Hearts, I've seen snapshots of it without knowing what happens! It was really nice to see it parallel Suze's story, while also being something that entirely stands on it's own. 

The story itself, while a little predictable, was comforting to read. I think the reader is deliberately put in the position of knowing exactly what Rosie should do and it's about the journey she takes to get there, rather than what happens next. While there is drama that I didn't see coming, the final resolution was one I could see coming a mile off and I was so glad to see Rosie finally get there. It may have felt just a little flat, but the rest of the book more than made up for it. 

I'm really glad that this book highlighted the fact that Uni is not always the right path and not everyone enjoys it, because I think it's important for young people to know that they've got options. I remember being that age and feeling that Uni is just what you did next and while that worked out well for me, it doesn't for everyone. 

All in all this was just an incredibly comforting book and I hope this isn't the last we've seen from these characters!! 

My thanks go to Macmillan and Willow Publicity for providing me with this copy for review. 

Violet Made of Thorns by Gina Chen

Pages: 368 

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton 

Released: 26th of July 2022 

Violet is a prophet and a liar, influencing the royal court with her cleverly phrased—and not always true—divinations. Honesty is for suckers, like the oh-so-not charming Prince Cyrus, who plans to strip Violet of her official role once he’s crowned at the end of the summer—unless Violet does something about it.

But when the king asks her to falsely prophesy Cyrus’s love story for an upcoming ball, Violet awakens a dreaded curse, one that will end in either damnation or salvation for the kingdom—all depending on the prince’s choice of future bride. Violet faces her own choice: Seize an opportunity to gain control of her own destiny, no matter the cost, or give in to the ill-fated attraction that’s growing between her and Cyrus.

Violet’s wits may protect her in the cutthroat court, but they can’t change her fate. And as the boundary between hatred and love grows ever thinner with the prince, Violet must untangle a wicked web of deceit in order to save herself and the kingdom—or doom them all.

What I Have to Say 

This book was a refreshing change from the usual fantasy books I read. It was just so different. I loved the main character so much. She had such a strong voice and she didn't care about being liked or what was right and good at all. It was just so cool to see a character that was unashamedly out for herself and herself alone. 

I liked how much the prophecies were a part of everything, how every moment of the book seemed to hinge on how each character reacted to the prophecies, both real and fake. It was predictable in some respects, but in others it entirely wasn't, leaving me guessing as to what would actually come to pass by the end of the book. 

I also loved the relationships between the characters. They all felt so natural and real, especially Violet's relationship with Cyrus, which is filled with what happened on the past, who they were as children especially, as well as their present personalities. It made it complex and interesting. 

If you don't mind dislikeable characters and you're looking for something that's just a bit different to read, Violet Made of Thorns may be just up your street. 

My thanks go to Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

Toxic

Pages: 400

Publisher: UCLAN Publishing

Released: 7th of July 2022 

Llewella has straight-A grades, a lead in the school play, a prefect badge, a successful blog and a comfortable life. Despite this, she feels like a brown, chubby square peg at a school full of thin, white girls. She's never had a best friend. Could the new student at sixth form - glamorous, streetwise Aretha - be the one? Llewella and Aretha get tight, quick. 

Before long, Llewella is following a diet Aretha has designed for her and has abandoned her own passions to dive headfirst into Aretha's world. She's determined to be the most loyal, greatest friend she can be, even when Aretha says and does things which make her feel the opposite of great. Even when the anxiety disorder she thought was cured starts to re-emerge. Isn't that how friendships work?

Trigger Warnings: Anxiety, Diet Culture, toxic friendship

What I Have to Say 

This was a book that was easy to read and easy to get in with. Llewella was a character who was really likeable and I enjoyed reading her thoughts. For someone who knew what was coming, Aretha was easy to hate, but I could also see what Llewella saw in her so the friendship didn't see unrealistic at all, just toxic. 

There were trigger warnings at the start were useful, but it was also obvious that the author had put a lot of thought into how to make the book as sensitive to triggers as possible. As someone who is sometimes sensitive to eating disorder triggers and diet culture, I didn't find the book triggering at all. I really appreciated the thought that had been put into it. Of course that's not to say that the book wouldn't trigger someone else, so please check the warnings, both on this post and in the front of the book before reading. 

I really thought this book was just spectacularly well done. I could really see where the relationship was heading and I was worried for what Llewella would have left at the end of it. Well worth the read. 

My thanks go to UCLAN and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

Hexed by Julia Tuffs

Pages: 400

Publisher: Orion Children's Group 

Released: 8th July  2022 

Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Sex Education - Jessie Jones has just discovered she's a witch. Too bad there isn't a hex to make slimy Callum Henderson and his friends disappear ... yet. A feisty, funny YA series about discovering your place and your power.

New girl, new school, new life on stupid island - thanks Mum. All Jessie Jones wants is to keep her head down, avoid school douchebag Callum Henderson, and coast - middle-of-the-road-like. But when strange powers start to manifest during crippling period pains, flying under the radar seems highly unlikely.

Can Jessie embrace her new-found witchiness, control her erratic powers and work out a way to bring down Callum and his cult of toxic masculinity? 

What I Have to Say 

This was such a fun easy read. Classic teenage witch tale, with added feminism! I loved Jessie's character and her voice. It was really easy to get into a just an enjoyable reading experience. I love that she didn't just want to use her powers for personal gain, she wanted to do it to get revenge on the slimy boys who made the school unsafe for all the girls around her! 

The only complaint I had with it was that everything felt too easy. I was waiting for everything to fall apart on her as she was using her powers without thinking of the consequences, I was waiting for her to learn her lesson and swear never to do it again, And there were consequences, but they didn't seem to really sink in and register with her. There wasn't a moment of "oh god what have I done". 

All in all though, I really enjoyed reading it and can't wait for the next. Look out for a review of that one, coming soon! 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Orion Children's Books for sending me this copy for review.