I’m not lying, there are references to the Spice Girls, and if anything that should make you add Her Majesty’s Royal Coven to your tbr lists ASAP. Juno Dawson is a mastermind for creating this funny, relatable British modern low fantasy and I am here for it.

If you look hard enough at old photographs, we’re there in the background: healers in the trenches; Suffragettes; Bletchley Park oracles; land girls and resistance fighters. Why is it we help in times of crisis? We have a gift. We are stronger than Mundanes, plain and simple. At the dawn of their adolescence, on the eve of the summer solstice, four young girls-Helena, Leonie, Niamh and Elle-took the oath to join Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, established by Queen Elizabeth I as a covert government department. Now, decades later, the witch community is still reeling from a civil war and Helena is now the reigning High Priestess of the organization. Yet Helena is the only one of her friend group still enmeshed in the stale bureaucracy of HMRC. Elle is trying to pretend she’s a normal housewife, and Niamh has become a country vet, using her powers to heal sick animals. In what Helena perceives as the deepest betrayal, Leonie has defected to start her own more inclusive and intersectional coven, Diaspora. And now Helena has a bigger problem. A young warlock of extraordinary capabilities has been captured by authorities and seems to threaten the very existence of HMRC. With conflicting beliefs over the best course of action, the four friends must decide where their loyalties lie: with preserving tradition, or doing what is right.

I don’t see many of these kinds of fantasy books making waves in the market. These books meaning fantasy books with mature characters (in their thirties) with families, living their adult lives and juggling adult responsibilities like parenting, establishing a business, racing to put your clothes back on before your attractive delivery man brings your organic fruit and vegetables in. You know, the essentials to a proper adult life.

Jokes aside, the fact this is an adult fantasy with older main characters makes this a book in a minority field. This kind of low fantasy, witchy, history-dipped novel does not feature the cooke-cutter mould of young protagonists, repetitive love triangles or immature perspectives that restrict the decisions and conflicts of the characters. HMRC brings the conflicts out with characters who have been friends since they were girls who have grown up, shuffled around, had disagreements and opposing wishes, and now must work together despite what may have been said or done. Human emotions and reactions which differ from each other based on proximity to the issue, assumptions and understandings are a lot more readily utilised and believable with these characters and, in all honesty, refreshing to see in the genre and setting.

The dialogue and style of writing is incredible. I love how diverse the perspectives are, how the voice or each character comes through in their chapters and how compelling they are when it comes to their ambitions and goals. No one character feels stronger than the others, more favoured or focused upon, and that’s what makes this so enjoyable. We get the best of both worlds – the highs and strengths of these characters and their human lows and weaknesses. We get the opinions good and bad. We get their decisions, rushed and well-plotted. We see them being human and making mistakes regardless of their identity as witches. Juno Dawson does a fantastic job making sure to bring our their human qualities and cement them in this modern world, dealing with what is normal and what is supernatural at the same time. The traumatised child with magic they cannot control and that delivery guy who wants a shot at Niamh.

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven is such a pleasure to read and I implore fantasy readers looking for a little more maturity or flavour to pick this up. It is a fresh and hilarious tale featuring all the best things about witches (and the Spice Girls, don’t forget!)