This is, somehow, the perfect end to this trilogy and might be my favourite in the series! Which is a big feat considering how much I loved books 1 and 2.
There is some great character work here - particularly the core four of Niamh, Ciara, Elle and Leonie. There are also great moments with all the side characters from the series, with plot threads dutifully paid off throughout.
The compelling antagonists had some delightfully evil moments here, and the threat they pose is really hammered home by Juno's descriptive prose.
11/10 - can't wait to read whatever she writes next!

A phenomenal finale. Everything is on the line for HMRC and I loved every page of it, I’ll miss the characters, the humour, the twists and the magic. Thank you so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

A long awaited and satisfying conclusion to the HMRC trilogy. Fans of the first two books are going to love this final instalment - Juno Dawson has a unique talent for weaving the epic and the ordinary together so skilfully and creates a world where her witches go for girls' nights out, have the usual relationship issues, manage their children and yet can deal confidently with the rise of Lucifer on a mythic island, handle ancient prophecies and time travel completely convincingly. There's a long wait before publication but I can say you are in for a real treat. Everyone (and my favourite resolution was the one Ciara got) gets the right and most satisfying conclusions to their stories.

I absolutely adored this book and I think this might be my favourite fantasy series ever? The HRMC series deals with lots of serious subjects (friendships, transphobia, the end of the world...) but somehow it also manages to keep the whole thing really fun. As a woman in her 40's I would also add the Juno Dawson also writes some of the most realistic female characters for this age group, with the women going out for curries and swearing too much. I'm really going to miss this series, can we have another spin off please?

I have loved this series and I hope Juno Dawson never stops writing such fantastic books. This third installment went in a direction I really wasn't expecting, there were a couple of really incredible "Wait what did I just read" and then staying up way too late moments but overall one particular plot line just....it's not my favourite kind so I struggled with it.

Senait is my issue i think - she is a FANTASTICALLY interesting character and she's used almost exclusively as a plot device and it's a real shame.

Everything else was honestly perfection, so it's really hard to be anything other than delighted to have been able to inhale this into my brain.

Is "waaahhh, omg, omg, omg" an acceptable review?!

I just love the HMRC trilogy so much. Pure escapism and joy. Juno has created a world that feels so real. It's like being reunited with great friends. My favourite witches, ever!

Human Rites has the gang back together after 'that' cliffhanger and this time, the real war is just beginning.

Niamh has been resurrected, Elle is grieving the loss of her son a second time, Ciara is stuck in prison and Leonie has just had a jaw dropping suprise. Oh and Lucifer is hovering about causing absolute chaos in the name of prophecy.

Our lovely Theo has a choice to make - her life was never simple. Save the world and humanity or save the people she loves the most in it.

Human Rites starts with a bang, and the pace doesn't let up. Its absolutely spell binding and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I gasped, I laughed, I cried, I punched the air.

Peppered with Juno's trademark razor sharp wit, it's relatable, emotional, absorbing, action packed, inspirational, inclusive. It's just so fun and packed with girl power!

"What if the biggest lie there ever was was that women are weak? Why did men want us to believe that? So we'd think we needed them?"

Human Rites is the perfect finale to the trilogy. Chefs kiss times a million!

Perfect as it is, I am sad its goodbye. I'll have to comfort myself by remembering this - "The coven never ends. As long as there are women, there will be witches."

I really can't recommend the Her Majesty’s Royal Coven trilogy enough - essential reading for anyone who's ever been told to dull their sparkle or struggled to fit in! Come join the Coven, it's like a big warm hug and everyone is welcome!

Thank you Juno it's been an absolute blast and I have loved every minute!

I have loved journeying through this adventure with the witches of HMRC. This series has been an injection of fresh air into the world of urban fantasy writing. Smart, funny, fast paced writing that doesn't flinch from difficult subjects and a perfect blend of great story-telling and a brilliantly snappy approach to horror/violence. I applaud Dawson's blend of playfulness and dead seriousness. This series feels revolutionary to me.

I did love this final book, which tied up all the loose ends very satisfactorily and gave a very good conclusion. My only sadness was that this felt a little rushed and I would have loved it to have been two books rather than one. Perhaps that's just me being sad that it's over, because I really am.

The third and final instalment to the HMRC trilogy delivers exactly what the previous instalments promise… ‘Leviathan will rise!’

Much like the previous books the writing is accessible, witty, at times emotional and full of cultural references with short punchy chapters.

The world the witches live in is more magical realism than full on fantasy which I personally prefer as it’s easier to submerge yourself into their world and there is more time for character development instead of world building.

However, this is where the book didn’t quite deliver. Even without the need to explain fantasy elements some of the characters were still a little underdeveloped or their storylines rushed. I felt the book needed to be longer (or have an extra book in the series) to really do all the character arcs justice. I also wasn’t a massive fan of the time travel element as it could be a little confusing and would have like more explanation in some parts.

That being said all the loose ends were tied up at the end. It was a brilliant ending to a phenomenal series and wanting the book/series to be longer is never a bad thing.

I would definitely recommend the entire series and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy when released and of course I’m hoping for Nicola Coughlans return to the audio.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance download of this book.

Thank you so much to the team who sent me the early copy of Human Rites. I was very grateful!
In the last instalment of HMRC we get to follow the wonderful witches again, in their battle with Satan.
It was so beautifully written I didn't want the book to end. I highly recommend this to everyone

If you've been along for the whole ride of this series - this book does its job and concludes many of the character arcs. That being said, this did stray a bit from the original series style as it gets very focused on time travel which seems to allow us to jump around the timeline from all the books to pull in various bits of plot line to the main battle. Lots of action in the book, lots of pop culture nods - but didn't feel like we got much character introspection like the first two books, although Ciara now is my hero and I wish we'd gotten more of her!
Overall - it's a good conclusion for the series, although not as strong as the first two.

Juno said this: « In 2018, in a hotel room in Melbourne, I had an idea: Desperate Housewives, but they’re witches. » And I think it describes the vibes, even though it’s more than that now. This saga is wild. It’s sarcastically funny and the pop culture references are on point. It’s also political and queer -obviously. The characters are the centerpiece of this incredible chaos tapestry. It’s the found family you’re rooting for. The secret magic societies you’ve hoped for. Dawson’s writing is just so smooth, so immersive and fun. The pov are switching with such an ease, she makes it seem effortless -which I bet isn’t. Queen B was one of my favorite reads of 2024 and I will always remember the first time I’ve read Her Majesty Royal’s Coven. This saga could have been a rom-com except it’s pretty dark. Terrible things happened (in all four of those books to be clear), and I still haven’t recovered from the bold choices, from all the ups and downs. Still, the ending was satisfying. To me, Human Rites is a great conclusion. Sure it hurts, in so many ways because I will miss those witches. Leonie especially, which I found had such a great arc in this one. But also, Theo, my love, you’ve been through so much.. Like all of them to be fair. Niamh and Ciara. Elle and Holly. *bow down*

Human Rites is the hotly anticipated third and final outing for Her Majesty’s Royal Covern. Following the strong witches of Hebden Bridge and continues their story. No spoilers here but Juno Dawson has developed a strong and compelling cast of true to life women and all the loose ends are tied up nicely at the end.
The only reason for a 4* review is there is a vignette of memories at the start of each chapter which is interwoven through the first few pages and, I'm not sure if it's a formatting issue but it made each of the 74 chapters hard to get into.
A great ending to a good story.

Human Rites brings the series Her Majesty's Royal Coven to a nice ending. The loose ends are brought together, and we get a real conclusion. 


I really enjoy the writing of Juno Dawson. It is contemporary and has a lot of references to pop culture, but for the right people they will hit. Spice Girls and Buffy are some that come up now and then, and I think they fit well. The characters are well rounded for the most part, and they're an easy squad to get attached to. The LGBTQ+ and feminist themes in the books are written in a way that comes across as natural and true to real world situations. 


It's a series I would definitely recommend reading, and I'm excited to see what Juno Dawson will write in the future.

This is the perfect ending to an incredible story.
Full review to come after publication because there will be spoilers.

Human Rites is a great conclusion to the HMRC trilogy & I was so excited to read it early (especially because the previous book ended on such a cliffhanger!).

The story is fast paced and sometimes confusing, but time travel is always a bit confusing to my brain. All the loose ends are tied up with a satisfying conclusion even though it’s nothing like I’d have imagined.

There continues to be a lot of LGBTQIA+ (especially trans) representation in this series which is appreciated & needed in literature. I also liked that the main characters are mid-late 30s as in fantasy women always seem to be teenagers or at most early 20s, it made it a bit more relatable for me as I’m sure it is for teenagers who can relate to Theo & Holly.

The formatting of this book was unreadable on Kindle, luckily I managed to read it without issue on the NetGalley App.

Human Rites had me HOOKED. It’s bold, smart, and deeply unsettling in all the best ways. Juno Dawson doesn’t hold back — the social commentary? Sharp. The worldbuilding? So scarily believable. I loved how messy and real the characters felt, even when I didn’t agree with them. It’s the kind of book that leaves you thinking long after you’ve finished. Not quite a five-star-haunt-my-dreams read, but it came so close!

I have been waiting for this book for a long time and while I’m always nervous for the ending of a series, this was…not what I expected.

There’s a lot of timey-wimey stuff that is quite surprising and I don’t really understand how it adds to the plot but also it’s very much the kitchen sink approach of tying up loose ends at the end of a series.

I enjoyed the book overall and I think for fans of the series it will be a satisfying ending with all the characters in places we don’t expect them to be.

I do think it dragged in some places but the chapters are short and impactful.

I have been looking forward to this book since the second that I finished The Shadow Cabinet, and it absolutely did not disappoint. And now I'm just in denial that it's over. Is it too much to ask to move to Hebden Bridge and become besties with Niamh, Elle, Leonie, and Ciara??

I am genuinely obsessed with everything about this series - strong characters, strong female-friendships, found family, witches... what more could you need? This series really is a testament to how strong women are.

Human Rites is a strong conclusion to this trilogy. There is a lot going on here, and at times it does feel a bit wild, but it honestly the whole story was just epic. I did not want to put this down. And the ending... wow.

If there isn't a spin off story about Seniat I may just protest.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Human rites

Human rites is the perfect ending to this series.

“A with was something like rain or grass, not velvet and gold.”
“A sister isn’t the same as a friend. The love goes all the way to the core, like a peach stone. Whatever you say or do to each other, it stays the same; hard and strong. No matter what.”


After that giant cliffhanger of the shadow cabinet I was thrilled to be able to arc read to conclusion to this series. Once more, the witchy and girl power vibes were very present. Story wise; I feel like everything was tied up neatly. Ciara’s redemption arc was chef’s kiss. I only found the part with the time travelling with Leonie a bit confusing at times but overall I’m glad with how the story ended!
I rated it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

Human Rites by Juno Dawson is a bold, thought-provoking novel that skillfully blends dystopian themes with sharp social commentary. Dawson’s writing is as fearless as ever, tackling complex issues around human rights, identity, and justice with both sensitivity and urgency. The world-building is vivid and unsettling, pulling the reader into a future that feels chillingly plausible.

The characters are richly drawn, each bringing their own emotional depth and perspective to the story. Dawson does an excellent job of making you care deeply about their journeys, and the relationships feel authentic and impactful. While at times the pacing dips slightly in the middle, the powerful themes and compelling voice more than make up for it.

Human Rites is a timely and courageous novel that challenges readers to think critically about the world around them — and the world we could be heading towards. Juno Dawson continues to prove herself as a vital voice in contemporary fiction.

Highly recommended for readers who enjoy dystopian narratives with real emotional resonance and a powerful message at their core.