Her Majesty’s Royal Coven

What does it mean to be a woman and a witch? In Dawson’s (This Book Is Gay) enchanting adult debut, four witches, once childhood best friends—Leonie, Helena, Niamh, and Elle—are reeling after a civil war and attempted coup. Helena, now the High Priestess of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, a secret government sect created by Elizabeth I, is determined to continue the rigid traditions of HMRC. When a young warlock with extraordinary abilities appears, however, it seems that a prophecy predicting the massacre of witches may be coming to pass. Tormented by visions of witchkind’s horrific end and contending with personal differences among themselves, the friends must decide whether to take the easy path or the right one. Narrator Aoife McMahon keeps listeners engaged, even through longer expositional passages. McMahon skillfully conveys the tension, but also brings out the novel’s humor and charm. Her gentle Irish cadence perfectly captures the characters’ depth and breadth.