Her Majesty's Royal Coven

Decades ago, on the eve of the summer solstice, four young witches—Helena, Leonie, Niamh, and Elle—bound themselves to Her Majesty's Royal Coven (HMRC), a covert government department established by Queen Elizabeth I. Today, the witch community is fractured by a civil war, and the friends have grown apart. Helena now reigns as the High Priestess, steeped in the HMRC's bureaucracy, while Elle seeks normalcy as a housewife, and Niamh uses her powers for healing as a country vet. Leonie, however, has founded the more inclusive Diaspora coven, a move Helena views as a betrayal. Their fragile peace shatters when a young warlock of extraordinary power is captured, threatening the very existence of HMRC. This crisis forces the estranged friends to confront their conflicting ideologies: traditionalism versus progress, institutional loyalty versus personal conviction. Juno Dawson weaves a tale that delves into gender, the corrupting nature of power, and the enduring, complex bonds of sisterhood and friendship amidst a world of magic and matriarchy.