Queen B by Juno Dawson

My review

3/5 stars

Queen B is a novella that explores the idea that Anne Boleyn was a queen at the head of a coven of witches, using her supernatural powers to change history. It's a part of the Her Majesty's Royal Coven series, and takes the reader back to the origins of the coven.

The first thing to note about this book is that it can be read as a standalone even though it is part of a series. The timeline is completely independent of the original story, which I have not read, and there are no character crossovers that I'm aware of.

I enjoyed the supernatural explanation of Anne Boleyn's timeline. It is not completely divergent from historical rumours that surrounded her at the time and feels like a plausible leap for readers to make. It felt well-written and had just enough historical fact to keep any reader that is familiar with her story grounded in reality while the story progressed.

I didn't feel overly invested in the fate of the main character, Grace. I understood her drivers, but I felt the short nature of the story hit the character development the hardest. The author clearly had a good idea to explore, but didn't give herself enough space to do it justice on all fronts.

It was a fun short read, but it didn't draw me into the world enough to make me want to read the rest of the series.

Book blurb

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.

More...

You can buy the book here now. It was published by HarperVoyager.

For more on the author, you can head to her website, follow her on Instagram or check out her Goodreads page.