A more than worthy successor to its predecessor! This second volume takes off running exactly where Her Majesty's Royal Coven left off-- what a cliffhanger!!!-- and never lets up. I am so deeply invested in this flawed and messy but loveable group of best friends and witches, and the special witch at the center of a debate that threatens to destabilize magic society. I cannot wait to see how this series ends!

Oh, I love a witchy book and books about a cove. Book two did not disappoint! Darkly funny and always entertaining I’m counting down the days for the next book.

Thank you #penguin and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

This second installment picks up right where book 1 left off with little to no review of what happened. So, if it's been a while since you read book 1, you might have trouble remembering enough to start right in again. There is a lengthy, descriptive cast of characters to help jog your memory and to refer to but I needed a plot summary. Fans of the first will enjoy this second book as it reads very much like the first.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

Thank you Penguin for this ARC
This book tore my heart out and then served it back to me on a silver platter. What's worse is that I loved every second of it!
Dawson perfectly captures what's like to experience life as a woman, it feels like she reaches into my brain and puts my darkest experiences to page. Part of the reason this trilogy is so difficult to read is because how close to real life it is. All the hate, fear, and bitterness isn't fictional. The only thing fictional about this book is the magic and witchery. Everything else sadly, you can easily find anywhere in the world.
This is in no way shape or form a light and happy read. There is sisterhood, family, and love, but what they all go through and experience is difficult at best, depressing at worst. Definitely check your tws before reading because there is a lot of death, murder, homophobia, sexism and more fun stuff.
I was so ready to hate Ciara, everything we learned in the last book really had her painted as "evil" plain and simple. If there's anything I should have learned from Dawson's writing, is that people are messy, complex, floundering creatures. There is no good or evil, only the choices we make, and we can always come back from it. ‘No. There’s always a way back,’ he said, trying to convince them both. ‘You just . . . turn around and go the way you came.’
My favorite pov is from Leonie, she is such a badass and I loved her adventure. On the flip side I always have such a hard time enjoying reading Elle's chapters. She just really annoys me and the way she behaves would drive me to therapy if I were her child. I didn't expect Luke's plotline to take him where it did, I enjoyed it, but it almost feels like too much out of left field.
Another MUST READ from Juno Dawson, this is shaping up to be one of my favorite series! Please I need the final book! DAWSON LOVES CLIFFHANGERS TOO MUCH!!

I tried my best to read this, but my egalley has garbled wording in each chapter, making it impossible to read. I’m disappointed because I was looking to reading it. 3 stars.

The Shadow Cabinet is the much anticipated sequel to Her Majesty’s Royal Coven.

While I enjoy the story and the characters I find the book to be slow-paced and often find my mind wandering and having to back track. I think I’d have preferred to listen to the audiobook version and will probably do so in time for Book 3!

This sequel is so dynamic. I loved the change in main character POV and the way this new character so seamlessly fit into the story. The look at international covens and how the British political system played a continued role in this story was fascinating. While there was a bit of the "middle book slump" here, I think that it overall held me attention and had twists I didn't see coming. I feel like this series is a modern day adult and inclusive Harry Potter.

I did not think Dawson could top the amazing, character-driven action that was the first book in the series, but I happily stand corrected.
The main character and focus of the story changes for this one. We follow Not-Niamh (not saying the name to avoid spoilers) trying to navigate her new life while pretending to be her sister while HMRC prepares to crown her High Priestess, all the while trying to figure out how and why she's been brought back. Meanwhile, Leonie goes after big, bad Hale in an effort to find her brother which leads to tragedy and violence. Elle is still trying to live as normal a life as possible after her husband finds out she's a witch, but his dumb actions lead to a monumental magical accident. And Theo is worried she'll lose her new home even as she grapples with the magical transformation she's been through and what it really means.
It's an oversimplification of the plot, but giving anything else away would ruin the twists and turns that Dawson keeps throwing at readers all the way to the pulse-pounding ending.
This is one of those books where you do have to read the previous book to understand because the relationships and situations are so complex that I'm not sure someone jumping in with this one would understand all that's going on. You'd still get the excitement and revelations, but I'm not sure the brilliant complexity of everything that happens would be appreciated.
Overall, this second book is even better than the first one and I can't wait to see where the story heads next.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for the most excellent read!

Yay! A sequel that measures up to a first installment!

The Shadow Cabinet is just as intriguing as book 1, and manages to capture the same essence. It is important to note that this book takes a little bit longer to get in on the action than book 1 did, but it's not an unbearable wait. Just like book 1, we are given a lot of action AND character development.

The Shadow Cabinet picks up right where Her Majesty’s Royal Coven left off, and I think this second book ups the stakes even more than the first! I was a bit worried about this middle book having second book syndrome and it’s rare I like the sequel more than the first but this is absolutely the case in this series.

The ending of the first book left off in such a way that this second book truly feels like a whole new book, same characters I loved but with lots of new plot-twists, drama and magic. There’s a lot of new information added but in a way that expands this world, and doesn’t confuse the reader.

Juno Dawson does a phenomenal job managing lots of different povs and keeping them all interesting in their own way. Each interwoven with each other and the larger plot, I never felt like a pov was there just for storytelling, each character in this book adds so much to this story.

Similar to the first, the representation in this book is unparalleled to any other witch book I have read previously, other authors should take note in the beautiful way Juno Dawson writes a variety of characters.

If you loved HMRC, you’ll really enjoy this one and if you’re on the fence about this one, I highly recommend just trying the first few chapters.

This cool sequel managed to raise the stakes of its already high-stakes predecessor. I have some difficulty engaging with this author's writing style, but it doesn't take away how well done and how clever this series is.

This series has captured my interest since day one. I couldn't put it down. If I couldn't read it physically I would listen to the audiobooks. It keeps you on your toes and wondering what will happen next. I can't wait for the next book.

Really enjoying this series, Looking forward to the third book (what a cliffhanger!!!) and more books by this author.

A great continuation of the series! The ACTION on this book in the second half omg! (Oh my goddess)

That cliffhanger though!!! I need book three NOW!!!

This has been my most anticipated read of the year for sure! I can't wait to get a physical copy! I love all the themes and messages of this book. Def check this out if you like magic and damning the patriarchy and accepting a trans girl into an all girls witch community.

Thank you penguinbooks

Absolutely fantastic sequel! Clever, dark, adventurous, fun. Will be featured on an upcoming episode of Your Rainbow Reads podcast.

3,5 stars

The ending of Her Majesty's Royal Coven was quite the ordeal. With two of our main characters dead and the whole of the royal coven in disaray, it is quite a feat to pull this all back together. Spoiler: they don't.

One of the things that drew me to Her Majesty's Royal Coven was Niamh and the way she managed to do the right thing, regardless of what was on the other end. Whether this was her sister or one of her best friends, she would always do the right thing. Her relationship with Theo was the high point for me.

But that was completely gone with the ending of the last book and it put us on new footing. Footing I didn't particularily like. Ciara, Naimh's replacement, is quite the opposite, despite being her twin. And this whole book was Ciara's redemptions arc. I didn't nessecarily care for that. Again, the book is another slow build-up that dragged a little.

I also cringe at the choices that were being made. Steps back for certain characters, as if to even the playing field to show that Ciara isn't all that bad either. Or just weird typical plot points. It didn't work for me. I also missed seeing more of Theo and hated how Ciara treated her. Leonie had her hero moments there and I think she grew on me more this book.

Yet, like with the first book, the ending was spectaculair. Just enough for me to want to continue on reading with the series. And yes I have a good idea of that very last bit to the ending. Which is why I want to read on with the series.

An incredible sequel. I love this magic system. I love these characters. Character driven, with multiple POVs.
I cannot wait for the next book, I might just have to re-read both of them again.

Wow, what a wild ride Juno Dawson’s The Shadow Cabinet is. After a psychic shockwave ending to the first book in the series, this sequel picks up right where it left off. What I appreciate about this series - in addition to trans, queer witches being absolutely badass - is how it’s not afraid to do the unexpected or push the envelope. It’s difficult to genuinely surprise me in books and The Shadow Cabinet got me so freakin’ good at several points. With more complex characters, higher stakes, and another ending that makes me need the next book YESTERDAY OMG, I really enjoyed The Shadow Cabinet and will continue to recommend this series freely.

Thank you to Penguin Books and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.