The second installment of Her Magesty's Royal Coven did not disappoint! I really enjoyed it, watching Theo on her journey of getting used to her new form and dealing with first crushes and loves. I maybe even started liking The Bad Twin a bit, too. I really didn't like her at all in book 1.

This book does kind of have a feel of "I really need to get from book 1 to book 3 but need to get some stuff in place first" kind of book, but I didn't care--sometimes those books feel boring, like nothing is going on, one of those "this should have been an email" work meetings everyone hates so much. But we got to learn a lot about our characters, with some really big surprises coming out about a few of them. The only disappointing storyline in the book was Leonie's search for her brother. That just felt like it didn't really start or end anywhere.

Oof, this was a sequel! I didn't really know where Dawson was going to go after the twist at the end of the previous book, but she really goes deep. Loved diving back into this world.

The Shadow Cabinet is the second book in a modern fantasy trilogy by Juno Dawson. Released 20th June 2023 by Penguin Random House on their Penguin Books imprint, it's 528 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a NA selection, very well written but oddly paced. There are long swathes of internal dialogue where nothing much is going on in terms of action. The plot itself follows hard on the cliffhanger from the first book, and although the author/publisher have helpfully provided an abbreviated dramatis personae at the front of the book, readers coming into the read entirely cold will be lost and frustrated from the start. Additionally, if read out of order, the *major* spoilers for the ending of the first book will make reading them out of order literally anticlimactic.

There is a huge cast of characters. The author does a good job of writing a spectrum of voices, gender identities, and ethnicities. As stated, the book includes a short list of characters and a very brief description of their relationships, but without prior familiarity, most readers will struggle to keep up.

It's well written, but (as with much NA lit), there is a significant amount of unnecessary drama and hopping over or forgetting unforgivable transgressions out of necessity to plot progression. For readers who hate cliffhangers, it might be worth it to wait until the next book is out, because this book (and the first) end on *huge* cliffhangers.

Three and a half stars. The big deus ex machina subplot resolution as well as the "oh well, business as usual" reaction to Niamh/Ciara dinged the overall impression a fair bit.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I loved the first book in this series and was excited to read this one, but it didn't hit the same notes as the first.

The Shadow Cabinet is a sequel to Her Majesty's Royal Coven and follows events that end in the first book. After the elimination of the High Priestess Helen, HMRC is in disarray while they work on instating Niamh as the new High Priestess. The only problem? Niamh is dead, her body taken over by her previously comatose "evil" sister, Ciara. Meanwhile, the other witches in their small group are grappling with the aftereffects of the first book as well.

Dawson has an incredibly imaginative and expansive way of building relationships and delving into her characters minds. Often with multiple points-of-view, tone can easily blend and sometimes the characters all sound the same after a while. Not with Dawson's characters. Each voice has its own personality, its own beliefs, its own world. I felt engrossed in what each character was going through, their struggles, their morals. Even Ciara's internal strife felt more human where otherwise she would've just been a trope of "evil twin sister." Her own growth only took a book and every step was entirely believable, her motives justified.

I also appreciate how Dawson can make her points without the reading experience feeling preachy or self-righteous. It's a perilous line to toe, especially when tackling subject matter like transgender rights, racism, and the struggle to include intersectionality within white feminism, but Dawson manages all of these with precision. As with HMRC, she can get right into the heads of bigots, use their rhetoric, and make her point clear. I found myself cheering and near-t0-tears for Theo.

This was a fantastic follow-up to Her Majesty's Royal Coven and managed not to fall into the dreaded "sophomore slump" that some series can in their second installments. The cliffhanger at the end matches the one at the end of HMRC and I am beyond eager to get my hands on the third book as soon as it publishes.

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!!!