4 ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Harpercollins UK and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.

I loved the first book in this series, and whilst the second in the trilogy does suffer from what all second books in a trilogy seem to be suffering from at the minute, it was still a solid entry in the series.

As mentioned, this does have a bit of the second book lag, blah-ness, aimlessness etc etc. However I have to say the last few pages really helped to establish the overall arc and where the story is going.

I was disappointed that the big bad was such a nothing in the end, they had been built up so much that it was disappointing to see the character be dismissed so quickly and easily.

I love the lore and world of this series, and I really enjoy the wide range of characters.

Excited to see what the last book has in store!

I loved HMRC, Juno Dawson's first entry in this series, and the sequel is every bit as nail-bitingly tense as the first. Cannot wait to see how Juno concludes this series!

4.5 stars!

Juno Dawson has stepped up her game with The Shadow Cabinet, easily opening up her queer, feminist, urban fantasy world, and weaving in new characters that we’d only heard about in the previous book, all while still shining a light on issues that are facing the world today.

I can’t delve into the plot too much, without risking spoilers for the first book, but it did not disappoint. It took a little while to adjust to the different/new POVs, but they provided a fascinating new insight into the history of these characters, even from the very first chapter.

I also still continue to like how animalistic the rituals can be, and how it’s not simply pretty crystals and hand wafting - it’s blood, dirt, fire and sacrifice. There’s also a lot more talk of demons, and demon possession, with both lesser demons and the big baddies, which I found fascinating. Then there are still jokes about the Spice Girls, which is a nice juxtaposition from all the talk of ancient artefacts, spellbooks, witch hunting, politics, and Satan.

One of my only qualms with the book is how some characters react to the loss of a friend - there doesn’t seem to be any acknowledgment of it, not properly. But I also understand that there’s a lot going on, and honestly most of them are just living in a state of shock and exhaustion.

Much like the first book, this one is left on another (MASSIVE) cliffhanger, which left me staring at my ipad, slack jawed, willing the next book into existence. I cannot wait for it. I have a lot of questions, which will pop up into my head for the next however-long-we-have-to-wait, until the next book is in my grubby little hands.

Thank you to Netgalley, and HarperCollins UK, for this early copy to review!

This sequel did not disappoint! After rating HMRC 5 stars I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. I would rate it as better than the first and I cannot wait for the third book.

I love Juno Dawson and have have read all but one of her books. I didn't read the prequel too this, which is probably a mistake, but thought they would work as stand alone books (which on the whole they do). My issue is that I found it a bit too rambly and gossipy for my tastes, but I'm a school librarian not teenager who likes psychopathic witches and their control over others. It is very well written though.

Oh, my gods! Just like its predecessor, the second book in the HMRC series completely blew me away. Jam-packed with feminism, self-discovery, sisterhood and betrail.
The shadow cabinet is the second book in the HMRC series and continues on from the cliffhanger of the first book. Focusing more on misogyny, spanning the magical and mundane world, as loosely quoted from the book, nothing men fear more than a powerful woman. This gripping story is an exploration of the possibility of redemption, the paths different choices take us down and the pull to rebuild past memories. Sometimes remembering costs more to your current self than its worth.

This series is one that will stay with me for a very long time, bring on book three!

The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson

Thank you Netgalley for an arc for an unbiased review.

I loved Her Majesty's Royal Coven, so was so happy to be granted the arc on Netgalley.
Of course, this doesn't mean a 2nd book is in any way as good as the 1st, and yet Juno Dawson not only maintains all I loved about HMRC, but somehow, for me at least, surpasses it.

It holds with fantastic and fascinating characters, both good and evil. The narrative is what you would expect of you've read HMRC. Again, Juno manages to intertwine important issues along the way. I love how Juno just pulls you into the story and keeps you there. The pace felt perfect for me throughout.

Does this book leave you on a cliffhanger like HMRC? For that answer, I'm afraid you're going to have to read it for yourself. What I will say, is personally I found it just as brilliant in how this one wrapped up to lead into book 3.

I loved it and can't wait for my pre-ordered copy to land. It's also one I will be highly recommending to others and gifting out.

Easily 5/5 stars 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This book was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 after reading HMRC and being left with that cliffhanger and Juno Dawson has done it again and left me hanging and desperately wanting to read the next book!
I really enjoyed this series. The world building is great and the characters are flawed but loveable in their own way, even when their actions are questionable. I think there was great character development for all the characters in this one and I can’t wait to see what happens to them next.
This is a fantasy book about witches but is also very realistic to our world and cleverly discusses many important topics that affect our real world including trans rights, women’s rights, familial relationships and friendship amongst others. A bit of escapism reading that is grounded in reality and subtly makes you think and reflect!

Absolutely loved this book and can’t wait for the next instalment!

After loving the first book in this trilogy, I was really looking forward to this. Juno Dawson didn't let me down. The characters remain fully rounded, the narrative interesting, funny and thoughtful. The stakes are higher this time and the settings more varied but the central core of the book remains friendship. Recommend highly. (Copy received via Netgalley in return for an honest review)

Was desperate to read this after the cliff hanger ending of book one! I got straight back into the characters and spent a lovely weekend immersed in the world of the book. The pace is steady and constant, but I didn’t have a problem with this and it did build to a final action sequence at the end. I’m looking forward to reading the next book, and hoping we’ll have more Leonie/Chinara content!

Somehow this book managed to be better than her majesty’s royalcoven and I loved that book. I do not say this likely when I say this one wasable to weave so much into it and the ending left me in shock, I have been staringat my computer for about an hour wondering how I am going to put into wordsthis book and make my review make any type of sense.  The characters in this are all flawed so you will not get alittle cosy witchy time, and this is what makes it interesting you are constantlytrying to work out what is going to happen next it had me on the edge of myseat. There are demons, yes demons and they play a big role in this and againit will make you question everything. I loved the characters and the arc thatevery single one of them go through and you find more about them as people andtheir role in the coven. This book plays with an alternate England that makesyou question whether this could be real this how well this book is written. Iwas gripped from the first page with the quotations that were used because I knewstraight away that I was going to have a strong reaction from this book, and Iwas not wrong. I was not wrong at all. This book is going to be the book thatpeople discuss for many years when they discuss the issues that it raises andhow I really wish I was now part of the Coven not going to tell a lie. I won’tspoil too much except you really need to read this book!  I will  just sit here and wait for the third one becauseagain Juno Dawson knows how to leave me wanting more and needing more answersbecause the ending as I said before is still sitting here wondering what on earthis going to happen next. If you loved the first book this will not disappointas it builds and it leads into a crescendo that had my heart beating and mybrain trying to take it all in about how it happened and a lot of what the….. Iwill be waiting patiently for the next one and urge anyone on the fence whetherto pick the first book up or not, just do it, because this series just gets better and better. 
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC to be able to review this book. I will now be thinking about it until I have the physical version in my hand.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC of 'The Shadow Cabinet' by Juno Dawson.

I had part-listened part-read the previous book in this trilogy and honestly? I preferred book 1. This one just felt out of place to me and I just didn't like it as much as book 1. Will I read the third and final book in this trilogy when it comes out? Of course I will, but I'm worried for the future.

I was a bit late to the party with HMRC, only having read it last month…BUT, the second I put that book down I ran (not walk, RAN) to try get my hands on the ARC because hot damn.

So firstly, massive thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for helping to keep me sane, and second HOLY HECK!!! This book is even better than the first!

The Shadow Cabinet picks up right from where HMRC left us, and let me tell you it hits the ground running🏃‍♀️ I always find with sequels especially in planned series you can hit a bit of middle book syndrome, this book did not have that at all.

TSC has all the good stuff we loved from HMRC - feminism, magic, friendships, DEMONS, queerness, motherhood and has amped it up to 11. The characters continue to be wonderful and layered. The plot gripping and keeps you hooked, desperate to know how everything is going to pan out!

My only saddness is that I’m going to have to wait AGES now for the next one now. 10/10 @junodawson you’ve done it again💚

I was completely blown away by Her Majesty’s Royal Coven so The Shadow Cabinet was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023.

The characters in this series are very complex and each one is so unique that you’re constantly discovering new things about them. If anything the plot was even faster moving in this instalment and I struggled to put the book down because I just had to know what would happen next.

As with the first book, The Shadow Cabinet incorporates so many important and timely issues in a completely natural way which fits the storyline without feeling shoehorned in.

Character development was brilliant yet again, and it’s the author making you empathise with characters you would not have expected to be able to. I can’t wait for the next book because the cliffhanger of an ending had me on the edge of my seat!

3.5, rounded to 4 because of the good twists.

Overall this book is a brilliant follow up to the first book, was nice to see some of the other characters get expanded upon and enjoyed the twist ending and I am dying to know what has Theo done? I think this and the first instalment really highlights Dawson’s ability to write both fantasy and twists to a high stand. I found the book an easy, and enjoyable read.

I didn’t warm to Ciara’s character and I do miss Niamh as I really enjoyed her in the first book, perhaps we weren’t meant to like Ciara even after her change of heart - and maybe it her character is meant to be a commentary on nature v. Nurture?

I however do find there were some major issues with the content of this book that I think are more flaws and perhaps misguided narratives by Dawson than perhaps her moral standpoint - eg. Ciara having sex with Luke pretending to be Niamh, which raises the issue of consent? This is something Dawson tends to do well, navigating and writing tricky topics, but this scene (& others) are way off the usual mark. I also find the ‘poisoning’ of Theo, via food to weaken her powers, a bit morally dubious?

In addition, I think the ending with the ‘friendship’ ruins some of the characterisations built up throughout the two books. It’s seems none of the character when they find out ciara has been posing as Niamh, and has murdered HER OWN SISTER and their BEST FRIEND seem to care !? Like they ‘hated’ Ciara and she’s killed loads of people, in a war she was heavily involved in addition to killing your best friend but then become best friends with her after multiple years?

I will be reading the third book in the instalment as I don’t necessarily believe the weakness and problems I outlined are Dawson’s own viewpoints.

I may tidy up my review and mull over the book a bit more but thanks netgalley and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to both NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for an early EPUB of The Shadow Cabinet in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I found The Shadow Cabinet to be a phenomenal follow-on from Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, Juno Dawson is an absolute powerhouse of an author and only seems to go from strength to strength with her Coven novels. The Shadow Cabinet picks up from where HMRC left us back in 2022 and I honestly didn’t want it to let me go; a sequel of inclusivity, queerness, laugh out loud humour, female friendships, forgiveness, and the toxicity of misogyny. Not forgetting the witches at the heart of it, the Spice Girls of the witching world.

I will say that you should read HMRC before delving into The Shadow Cabinet (you can thank me later) but it is such an amazing series that I can’t recommend it enough. I actually had to take a short break from reading after I finished because I needed to soak it all in and process it, and I knew no other book would stand a chance trying to follow that so soon after.

The Shadow Cabinet is published on June 6th in the UK by HarperCollins, pre-order your copy today.

The Shadow Cabinet by Juno Dawson ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars)

The Shadow Cabinet picks up right where HMRC left off; the audience reeling with the shocking conclusion to book one, whilst the characters remain blissfully unaware of the change. Other than the obvious switch, the same characters are back but with even more point of view chapters than last time. Luke gets a say, with a surprising twist to his backstory. We get to see what Theo is thinking, which I loved. Even the Prime Minister gets a once off chapter! It’s a free for all, adding a new layer to the story by providing the perspectives of characters with slightly less positive views of the world and witchcraft.

The writing is this book retains the same funny yet emotional flow. It’s easy to read and despite the whirlwind of characters and events, easy to follow. Dawson does not shy away from difficult topics or killing characters, allowing the reader to tackle challenging ideas and moments. Characters are multifaceted and complicated.

However, something is lost from the first book that’s difficult to pinpoint. The plot is similarly fast and a large number of events all converge at the end. Yet this time it started to feel a little bit silly. This is a combination of there being so much going on that nothing has the chance to breathe before it’s resolved, despite the book being quite a 500 page slot at times, and the fact that we are following what seems to be the 3% of witches who are incredibly powerful. The level at which the events operate becomes so big it’s almost ridiculous, and I wanted to spend more time in some of the smaller moments (I’m keeping this spoiler free but for anyone who has read it: the island is a prime example of this). This can be mostly seen in the reaction to everyone finding out the truth about the twins (again, spoiler free!); a moment which represents a huge and shocking betrayal but which is dealt with in seconds and ends with a hug.

I loved the first book dearly, but this sequel just felt like it took what was special about HMRC and tried to do that again but too much. I’m intrigued enough by the ending of this one to pick up the third book when it is released, but I worry about the stakes of that book when this one took them so high.

Thanks to Net Galley and HarperCollins for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review will be published at the links below (Instagram and Goodreads). The Goodreads review will be published 6th April and the Instagram review by the 11th April.

As much as I loved the first book, I actually DNF'd this - I found it slow and couldn't get into it as much as I wanted too.

I'll try again in the future, but for now, 2 stars.

I had been waiting for this sequel and it did not disappoint, it took everything i loved about the first book and just set it up for the last one in a wonderful way! i was so happy to see that this did not fall victim to the useless filler middle book syndrome. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this title.

What a sequel!
Juno Dawson has done it again. Witches, demons, politics and feminism, this book deals with a multitude of themes, all with seriousness and humour. It is so refreshing to read a series that has older female characters, especially when they are so relatable. I totally resonate with Elle and can see loads of myself in her..
The friendships are full of blips and bumps that need to be addressed but Juno's writing is brilliant at bringing all these issues to a head and still leaving you wanting more. I cannot wait until the next book is released. I would recommend this series to anyone that loves fantasy,witches and excellent characters.

This sequel pretty much begins where the last book ends which means you are thrown right into the thick of it, watching as everything unravels. You will guess and guess and still be blown away by the ending. A definite five star read for me.