The Shadow Cabinet

March 1, 2023

Her Majesty's Royal Coven (HMRC) is preparing to initiate its new High Priestess, and Niamh Kelly is the best witch to take that position. Except Niamh is dead. Her twin sister, Ciara, now inhabits her body and must fool everyone into thinking she is Niamh. Comatose for almost a decade (thanks to Niamh), Ciara has amnesia, so trying to figure out her past and masquerade her present is more than enough to handle. As the story develops and continues, more event threads unfold. Warlock Dabney Hale, Ciara's former lover and Enemy Number One for the HMRC, is tracked across the continent, and the rest of the coven must deal with the change of power in the British Empire. The fast pace keeps the many stories moving as the points of view shift, and once again Dawson places a bombshell at the end to surprise readers. VERDICT The second book of the series, after Her Majesty's Royal Coven, is filled with witty dialogue, pop culture references, and features the bonds of childhood, sisterhood, and fighting for what one believes in.--Kristi Chadwick

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 13, 2023
The brilliant and fast-paced second contemporary political fantasy in Dawson’s HMRC trilogy (after Her Majesty’s Royal Coven) takes the series to new heights. Ciara Kelly wakes from a 10-year coma and steals the body of her twin sister, Niamh, just before Niamh is set to take the helm as HMRC’s High Priestess. She struggles to navigate Niamh’s interpersonal relationships without revealing her identity, all while piecing together her fragmented memories and battling her own (literal) demons. Leonie Jackman, the founder of an independent coven, races to locate her brother Radley, who left Britain to track down renegade warlock Dabney Hale. Along the way, she becomes entangled in a much larger plot involving a dangerous and powerful magical artifact. Meanwhile, underground witchfinders, in league with Hale, put into motion a plan that threatens all witchkind in the name of “warlock supremacy.” Dawson handles the tricky middle book with aplomb, raising the stakes and deepening the rich worldbuilding without losing sight of the pathos that makes her characters shine. Magic seamlessly weaves with pop culture references, fun soap-operatic twists, and an incisive look at the psychology of violent misogyny. This is the work of a master storyteller. Agent: Katelyn Dougherty, Paradigm Talent.

Starred review from May 15, 2023
After the events of Her Majesty's Royal Coven (2022), what is left of the group of childhood friends (Niamh, Ciara, Elle, Helena, and Leonie) and the new generation (Theo, Holly, and Snow) must continue to fight the established system of the Coven, evil forces, and those that would control them. The characters that were so carefully and diligently created in the first book are given their own stories in the second book, and it is a blast to read. Leonie Jackman, for instance, is on the continent searching for her brother, Radley, and the escaped Dabney Hale. The complexities of modern life are here; thrown into the mix are magic, witches, and rules created around them. Elle, a healing witch, still has to deal with her kids, her job, and her cheating husband. Theo, her body newly and magically changed, must still find her place among her peers and work on finding out whether she is indeed a cog in an evil plan. There are no limits in this fantasy world; even the established rules are pushed. Readers who enjoy feminist, queer fantasy like The Priory of the Orange Tree (2019), by Samantha Shannon, will enjoy this series.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.