As a fan of the Her Majesty’s Royal Coven series, I knew I had to read Queen B. This prequel short story novel (more like a novella) takes us into the forming of the coven. Which all begins with Anne Boleyn. Keep reading this book review of Queen B for my full thoughts.
Summary
It’s 1536 and the Queen has been beheaded.
Lady Grace Fairfax, witch, knows that something foul is at play—that someone had betrayed Anne Boleyn and her coven. Wild with the loss of their leader—and her lover, a secret that if spilled could spell Grace’s own end— she will do anything in her power to track down the traitor. But there’s more at stake than revenge: it was one of their own, a witch, that betrayed them, and Grace isn’t the only one looking for her. King Henry VIII has sent witchfinders after them, and they’re organized like they’ve never been before under his new advisor, the impassioned Sir Ambrose Fulke, a cold man blinded by his faith. His cruel reign could mean the end of witchkind itself. If Grace wants to find her revenge and live, she will have to do more than disappear.
She will have to be reborn.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
I love this prequel novella idea which tides us over until the next installment in the Her Majesty’s Royal Coven series. For fans of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven and The Shadow Cabinet, Dawson is able to pack an intriguing story about the origins of the covens. About with queens, loyalties, and witchfinders. By seeing through multiple lenses of the court and of Anne Boleyn herself, Queen B manages to balance historical fiction and fantasy deftly.
With the now and then perspectives, we are able to see their histories together, the wrongs and the betrayals. All the things we might discount in the moment, but end up festering into something more. While the quick chapters and now and then shifts was confusing at first, when you get a better handle on things, Queen B is allowed to bloom. It’s a story about mentorship, friendship, and love. About trust which can be soured, love which can be twisted, and betrayal which can be turned. In a world that seems to be ruled by the whims of men, the lusts of their desires, then what about women’s desire?
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Queen B manages to bring it back to the nature of a witch. To the ways women have been persecuted, blamed, and scapegoated. All the ways they have been named as witches when they act against what society, and men, want from them. Find Queen B on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.