Ok, so my feelings about the first book were mixed. I liked it but the firsst tree quarters were a little boring. It made up for it with an action packed finale.
And this one was similar but a littel worse. Most of hte book was rather boring for me, even the giant twist we had at the end of book one lost momentum very quickly. Also didn't help that one of my favourite charakters from book one is now dead. This part of the book was all just build-up. Boring build-up. Do not get me wrong, once all the pieces come together and some mysteries are revealed it is a lot of fun again, but that was just not enough of the book. So overall this gets just 3 stars from me.

Absolutely loved this second book in the series and can’t wait now for more. The plot has so many twists and turns with some mortally grey characters who you still find yourself wanting them to be saved too.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this title in exchange for this honest review.

Enjoyable, but it was missing something that really made me love the first book. Not sure what it was, though.

After the cliff hanger of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven I was keen to start The Shadow Cabinet. This felt like quite a slow build book following on from the final events in HMRC and proved to be just as mind-bending, gut wrenching, twisting as the first.

I had some predictions about The Shadow Cabinet which did prove right though the ending left us on another cliff hanger and you will be screaming to pick up book three!

This was a highly anticipated follow up of mine, so I was excited to start reading. This book follows on from Her Majesty’s Royal Coven and in this second book, we see the characters developed further - into their pasts and how this has affected the people they are. I am already so excited for book 3!
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC.

After finishing Her Majesty's Royal Coven, I was on the fence whether I wanted to continue the series or not. But since I already requested The Shadow Cabinet, I decided to give it a go anyway. It probably never had a chance with me since I wasn't all that into book 1, so it wasn't much of a surprise I decided to put it aside at 25%. I just wasn't interested enough to pick it up anymore. And so this review will be very brief and a bit spoilery, so you might not want to read on. I warned you.

Probably the only thing that made me interested in picking up The Shadow Cabinet was to see what happens to Ciara after taking over Niamh's body. To be honest, when the author kills the only character you cared about even a little bit, that doesn't make you very motivated to continue with the series. Now, does it?

Ciara not only takes Niamh's body but her life too. As in, she pretends to be her, including being in line to be the next High Priestess of HMRC. Giving her a good opportunity to figure out what Dabney Hale is up to after he walks out of his prison thanks to Helena. But she has to tread carefully, because there are gaps in her knowledge of the past 10 years, and also apparently she doesn't remember a lot of her life before that. Which is the result of Niamh taking her memories during the war, just before Ciara fell into a coma. Not that it stops her from calling on demons and using their power. Looks like she is on the way to becoming another Helena. Including the chief oracle asking her to kill Theo, whom she believes to bring Leviathan.

From what little I got to read from The Shadow Cabinet, it seems to me that it follows a very similar plot to Her Majesty's Royal Coven. It also has a similar formula, with the build up being slow. I didn't mind this in book 1 as we needed the time to get familiar with the characters, especially as there are 4 main POVs, here however, it was frustrating. Almost nothing happens in the first 25%. No one thinks Niamh's behaviour is weird - although at least Theo is smart and notices something is off - apart from grief. Not even Luke, who gets flipped off by Ciara quite rudely if you ask me.

Also, no one mentions Helena or her daughter, it's like they never existed. The only one who acknowledges what happened is Leonie, who was the closest to her. She at least admits that she misses her. There is almost no reflection on the events of book 1, the plot just moves on as now HMRC wants to capture Dabney Hale (who still remains a mystery and we don't know much about him besides the few stories from the war, so it's hard to have any kind of feelings toward him), and also still get rid of Theo. We also have Holly who acts as any teenagers do, thinking she is the shit and wants to solve her parents' problems with magic. I mean, I get it, she wants to help and make things right, but... she is not going the right way about things. I can only imagine where that will lead in the long run.

Seeing as I wasn't super keen on the characters or the story in book 1, I didn't have very high hopes for The Shadow Cabinet, and in that regard, it did not disappoint. But I still was hoping for something more... To have emotions or to be just a little bit invested in the story. Unfortunately, that never happened, so it's time for me to move on.

I actually found this to be a lot more interesting than the first installment in the series, Her Majesty's Royal Coven, for several reasons. To give away one would be a major spoiler for that book, but suffice to say one character in particular has a very dark past that creates a lot of internal dilemmas this time around. And unravelling memories leads to new revelations. There's a lot of discourse around what makes a person good or bad - is it destiny, is it upbringing? Nature or nurture. I liked the hints of bigger things to come with Theo too. She takes a backseat this time round, dulled and cut off from her powers, however there's things to come with her. Dark and dangerous things no doubt. The cliff hangers and plot twists allude to as much. And they are some pretty big plot twists. My jaw was on the floor.

I was less interesting in Leonie and Ellen's plots, which had one searching for her brother and the other still dealing with marital issues. While there were some sparks to action, the two spend most of the book discussing the merits of witches, feminism... The usual stuff, which I just didn't find all that interesting. Give me the typical villain origin story over a hero any day. However I do love this group of friends. They all well developed individuals who just seem to gel well together as a friend group. Niamh is the do-gooder, Ciara the black sheep. Leonie the shining star and Elle is the friendly one. The one everyone assumes is a bit dim, a bit nice but secretly she sees everything, knows everything.

Luke's plot I also enjoyed, examining incels and masculinity but with a magical spin. Yes it's a bit obvious - there's no subtlety when the men are basically exclaiming that they need to kill all witches to regain their power, but it was a well thought out plot nonetheless that ultimated in a well worked showdown at HMRC.

Really enjoyable series that brings together the common witchy tropes and adds a whole new spin on the genre.

This was a great second book in the series. It was well written and I felt that the plot was set at a faster pace than the first. The world building was better in this book.
I really enjoyed the plot twists and the ones I did not expect too.
I really enjoyed the character developments in this book and I really enjoyed the depth that they had.

Having read the first two books back to back, I’m really gutted that I have to now wait another year for the next.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, wow, wow!!!!

I was so ready for part 2 and to rejoin HMRC! I most certainly was NOTA DISAPPOINTED with this book!

The Shadow Cabinet is, somehow, even bigger and better than HMRC! This book is unbelievable!! The story goes so much deeper into characters pasts, and their motivations. There are more twists and turns than any rollercoaster, and the ending... Whoa!

I can't speak highly enough about this series!

One of the most hotly anticipated follow-ups on my list for 2023 and thankfully it did not disappoint. I would definitely recommend reading HMRC first in order to get a full grasp on what’s going on as we jump straight into the action that is rapidly unfolding in Hebden Bridge. The Coven have a lot to contend with both within and outside their own ranks. What in actuality is good and what is evil?
Juno Dawson doesn’t shy away from addressing serious topics which is both refreshing and educational. The third in the series cannot come quick enough for my liking, but at the same time, I don’t want it to end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

My word does Dawson know how to write a cliffhanger! I didn't think it could get worse than the one for Book 1 but she did it again! I don't know how we're supposed to wait a year for book 3!

After hearing bits about her in the first book, I really loved the focus on Ciara in this book, though at the expense of Niamh (poor Niamh!). I enjoyed seeing her character develop and work towards redemption for her crimes. Overall I love the balance of characters and the focus on friendship of these books as well. We only get through hard times if we stick together, and though we have a responsibility to speak the truth to our friends when they've done wrong, we can also forgive them.

What a wild ride of a book! I enjoyed HMRC but TSC was in my opinion better. The characters were a lot more settled and despite my initial apprehension I LOVED Ciara. The reveal at the end was a bit of a mind twist leaving me reeling and desperate for the next book ASAP

After reading the first instalment of the trilogy a few months ago, I was so pleased to get a Netgalley copy of the latest novel. This is another strong additional to the trilogy. This story gives more backstory to the characters of Ciara, Luke (the mundane gardener) and develops the relationship between Holly and Theo which was so sweet. Snow (Helena’s daughter) was absent from the novel but it has heavily alluded to her return in the final book for a showdown. The book didn’t have any Niamh in it which was disappointing as she was my favourite character so I hope we find a way to bring her back ! And Leonie travelling around was a little boring in parts but otherwise it was as good as the first. I love the world building of the Shadow Cabinet and the mundane government world. The action scenes are done well and the character development is strong. I also love the northern links in the book as I’m a northern lass myself.

Thanks to the author Juno Dawson, Publisher Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

My review:⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a direct sequel to Her Majesty's Royal Coven, with events from that book feeling very recent. I thought this was great as there were a number of storylines that needed resolution!

This was a fast moving read, with some interesting new characters and locations! I really enjoyed the story development as well!

It's quite a gritty, dark book, but it's written really well!

The end means there's going to be at least a third book in this series, so I'm looking forward to that!

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to HarperCollins.

This was a great follow up to Her Majesty's Royal Coven that I really enjoyed. Given the events of the first book, this had a far darker tone, which I really appreciated. The plot was compelling and the characters, both old and new were nuanced and well drawn. Being a sequel, it is difficult to go into too much detail, but suffice to say that the cliffhanger ending and its possible ramifications have me eagerly anticipating the next installment.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I'm sure it's good if it's anything like the first, but I was unable to read it as the copy I downloaded (multiple times) had an error, the paragraphs were all mixed together.

⚠️⚠️TRIGGER WARNINGS⚠️⚠️

#TheShadowCabinet is the second book in the #HerMajestysRoyalCoven series by #JunoDawson.
All opinions are my own.

Like the first, this is a Urban Fantasy.

In this second book, the situation changes drastically and things are more complicated. New issues arise, others get gradually solved.
The writing style, is always direct and fluent, it captures you and doesn't let go until you finish or fall asleep at 1am (I'm not a night owl😅).

I was afraid the expedient used at the end of the first book would make the sequel less interesting. I needn't have worried.

It's very, very good, very serious, well written. I think it can be defined as a New Adult.
Almost all the characters are over 30 years of age, except for a couple of exceptions.
There is barely any teen-age, nothing similar to a Romance Fantasy, and it is not a Young Adult.

It is undoubtedly a full 5⭐ read. ❤️

The first book, #HerMajestysRoyalCoven, talked about transph0bia and some other issues in a minor way, but this volume is on another level.
We're talking in length about 4buse, radical1sed mysog1ny, generalized h0mophobia, the 1gnorance of trad1tions, patri4rchy, b4trayal, m3n thinking women owe them their existence, m3n who only want to be in contr0l and are either convinced women are weak and unassuming or they're afraid of women and t0rture and k1ll them for that. Hypocr1sy - m3n that are afraid of witches and their magic but collaborate with warlocks instead. And then, the difference between m3n who are firm in their 1gnorant convinctions and those who can understand their past wrongs and change and grow from that to become better and more respectable people.

The end was particularly mind-blowing. I so look forward to reading the sequel!!!

I advise reading this series and this second installment in particular, to people who are close or over 30 who look for representation in books, and especially Fantasy books.
This second book made an excellent job in making me feel seen and understood.

I thank the author #JunoDawson, publisher @harpervoyager_uk @harpercollinsuk and @netgalley #netgalley for giving me the chance to read this ARC. I loved it so much 💖

While I still really enjoyed this book, I struggled with how disconnected it felt from the first instalment in the series and missed some of the characters from the first book. I still enjoyed it, though, and will definitely be buying the third book.

The Shadow Cabinet is the sequel to Her Majesty's Royal Coven and I was so excited for this one! The last book left off on a massive cliffhanger and the sequel did not disappoint. Literally so much happens, I could not stop reading and the twists left me shocked, this is becoming a favourite series for sure!

Like the first book, real world issues are tackled so well alongside the supernatural plotlines. Everything weaves together perfectly and leads up to another memorable ending that left me excited for the next book! We also have new POVs in this one and I love how complex each character is with their own distinct voice. If you haven't read these books, you need to pick them up because you will not be disappointed!

Following the trial (and killing) of Helena, following her betrayal of the Coven and witchkind, the second book about our Northern witches picks up with the plans for Niamh's coronation as High Priestess. Albeit the reader knows that things aren't quite what they seem.

Offering a look into Ciara's life and revealing some heart breaking secrets, the Shadow Cabinet introduces some new villians, in the form of the Witchhunters, while also revealing the identity of the Sullen Child.

Allowing us to continue to follow Theo's coming of age story, as she grapples with life in her longed for female body. We also get to see how the world of mundanes and witches occasionally clash with mixed consequences.

Containing high octane moments amongst beautifully poignant and moving ones, I've been left - once more - eagerly awaiting the next book!