I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

What an incredible conclusion to this series! I don’t even know what to say since I feel like anything would give away all the surprises in this book. Each couple and character has surprises. There were gains and losses and lots of turmoil. But through all the fighting and light time travel they ended up in a much better place ready to lead the next generation of witches. Witches of all cultures and backgrounds covering the wide range of LGBTQIA+.

What an epic end to an incredible series. Dawson speaks to the power of friendship through an exquisitely crafted fantasy about the end of the world (with witches, naturally). I am saddened that the series is over, but it definitely went out with a bang. I have recommended this series left and right and will continue to do so for quite a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this title!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

Overall I was thoroughly satisfied with this conclusion, though there were moments that felt hella rushed. The climax was so freaking good though and while there was one thing I wish were different, it made me chuckle to see how things ended. Overall, 8/10 and I wanna go back and listen to the series now that I know who narrates them!

First of all, I have been waiting so patiently for Juno Dawson's conclusion of Her Majesty's Royal Coven series. When I first picked up HMRC, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and there are no regrets as to how much I fell in love with all the characters. This series was a roller coaster of emotions, ups and downs, and a lot of semi predictable "holy cow, I can't believe that they did it," and other "fun" surprises.

As far as Human Rites stands by itself... I loved it. Surely, you can say this review is biased as I own every book, novella included, but how can you not? In this epic conclusion that follows powerful witches that are going against the one and only Lucifer (and other demons), we thrown into the birth of witches with unheard powers, time travel, fate and destinies, and how sisterhood/witch-hood is stronger together than being alone. I love how Human Rites literally picks right up where Book 2's cliffhanger left us. I enjoyed how the ending was a little "pretty" but not everyone "survives."

I highly recommend this book and this entire series for anyone who loved movies like "The Craft" and shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Supernatural. You best believe that I bought a copy of this book, too.

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Viking Penguin | Penguin Books for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.

What an enjoyable end to the HMRC trilogy!

When I first started out on this series, I was unsure if I were going to continue. The first book felt almost TOO liberal (I say this as a raging progressive liberal) - it felt like it was almost trying to be humorous with how many tropes and mentions of different things that conservatives would say are "woke". I couldn't tell if it was being genuine or a parody, which really threw me off. But, I was really interested when the big cliffhanger hit, so I felt like I needed to continue. And I'm so glad I did.

I think that this was a perfect end to this story. I was so happy to have Niamh back as a character to be inside the mind of - she's always been my favorite. I also love that they gave us a quick recap of characters at the beginning, because it was really needed. I think one of my only complaints was I think that we could have spent a little more time between Niamh and Luke and how they rebuilt their relationship after 1) she was dead and he didn't know he was with her twin for a while and 2) that he betrayed her by secretly being a witch hunter. We saw little snippets, but I felt as though it could have gone deeper.

Overall, very good and I actually will now recommend this series to people looking for more modern day witch tales that have a bit of humor to them.

With lots of loose ends to tie up, Human Rites is a confusing, but generally satisfying conclusion to Her Majesty's Royal Coven series. Giving this a 4 out of 5 stars. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

If y'all know HMRC 1 and 2, then you know that there were a lot of plots that needed to be tied up in this conclusion. Generally speaking, most of the character arcs come to an ending that is satisfying and feels authentic to the characters themselves. There is a lot of internal dialogue and friction as each character has to navigate her own problems, and I will admit that the "separation in the time stream" plotline felt a little too convenient for me, but does ultimately fit the vibe.

As with the other novels, the humor in the story is a highlight and as a sarcastic millennial, I love the existential dream and dry humor.

A great ending to an amazing series.

This was a satisfying conclusion to this trilogy. However, there was just a lot happening with a lot of different characters which took me a bit out of it. I understand there's a lot to wrap-up and that makes it more difficult to focus the story in on fewer characters. However, the sheer quantity of everything happening and how briefly we see different characters just really made it difficult for me to stay interested.

When it comes to witchy books it does not get any witchier than this series! I feel like with each book the stakes got higher and the sacrifices so much more devastating. I really was shocked at the cliffhanger in the end of book two and was happy to see that this book transitions firmly. I love each of these characters. I feel like each of them had tremendous character growth in this story. I was happy to see that the world building was just as rich as the rest of the series. I really found myself giggling at the pop culture references and relating to the very real issues that we face today with climate and women's rights. I will say that there were a few twists that I wholeheartedly did not see coming, and just wow! I am sad to see this series come to an end but that ending was so perfect and I can't imagine it any other way for these characters.

The conclusion to Dawson’s Her Majesty’s Royal Coven Trilogy is a roaring fun time! I’ve loved all of the books in the HMRC and Dawson delivers a worthy conclusion. First conceived as “Desperate Housewives, but make them Witches” our favorite British Coven is all that can save humanity from literally going to hell!

As with the previous books, reading feels a lot like riding a launch coaster. Chapter one picks up right where The Shadow Cabinet leaves off at 100 miles an hour and never lets up. Filled with humor, action and more mind blowing twists, I couldn’t have asked for more !

Pictured here is my signed Waterstones edition, complete with endpaper character art that is just perfect!

If you are looking for an irreverent contemporary fantasy with female rage that’s just a damn good time, I’d highly recommend you check out the HMRC.

An easy 4/5 stars and a satisfying end to our witches' journeys. She doesn't always stick the landing - Helena and how that impacted Snow felt like an afterthought at times, and some of the plot decisions felt mildly fanfic adjacent and as if they were made for shock value. But even those were forgivable with the satisfying conclusion to Theo and Niamh's story, along with the conclusion for Leonie and Ciara. That, and the occassional strokes of comedy laced into the text and the penchant for dramatics within the lives and reactions of our characters allow the more surprising plot additions to still be believable plot progressions for the story. Well done, Juno Dawson - thank you for a wonderful read and a wonderful ride with these characters and their story!

In this conclusion to the HMRC trilogy, the coven is in chaos and the end of the world is imminent. The witches must come together to defend humanity from Satanis and protect Gaia’s creation.
This was a solid conclusion to the HMRC trilogy. It can be difficult to wrap up a series this complex and with characters we’ve bonded with over so many pages, but Juno Dawson did each of the characters justice, while still managing to sneak in some twists and turns that kept me on my toes. I’ll miss the witches in this series, but sincerely hope that Juno finds her way back into this world again in the future.

Picking up right where the last book left off, I was very excited to see where the story was going to go. We have Niamh back from the dead, and Ciara is in prison, and Theo is in danger, and really, a whole hot mess of problems are going on with the other people in the coven.

I'm not sure where exactly in the story it happened, but somewhere along the way, I began losing interest in what was going on. There was just so much happening, and only a few of the threads were ones I was interested in following. I was all into Niamh and Ciara figuring out their relationship, and helping Theo. Then we get this time travel thing, which maybe I missed the clues in the last book, but if felt like it felt like it came out of nowhere. Especially at the end, when we get this weird 22-year gap that happened for a couple of characters but no one else. I was just left confused. I did like how Niamh's and Theos' story ended. I think they deserve some happiness after everything they have been through, and while I wish things ended differently with Ciara, I was happy with what we got from her at the end.

This series is one of my favorites and I would highly recommend it to anyone! Readers who love witches, LGBT rep should definitely read this trilogy. I can’t wait to see what Juno Dawson writes next! That said, this did have some weak moments and I would recommend all 3 together than leaving some time

I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This novel didn't disappoint! What a great finale for the HRMC trilogy. I strongly recommend this series to anyone that enjoys a great fantasy "beach read". Lots of action and interesting plot twists, great characters moving into their 40's -- you couldn't ask for more!

Human Rites is the third book in Juno Dawson’s Her Majesty’s Royal Coven series. It continues the story started in prior books and so this review contains spoilers for earlier in the series.

His name is Milo, but he’s not the boy Theo knew. He’s not Elle’s son, Holly’s brother, or Theo’s friend. He’s someone dangerous, someone she shouldn’t trust, but to bring Niamh back, Theo will do anything, including listening as Milo helps her break through the barriers of life and death and bring Niamh back from the dead. No matter that she did so with love, no matter she had the support of the the rest of the coven — Ciara, Leonie, Elle and Chinara — Theo’s action has signaled the end of the world.

Theo has summoned Leviathan.

Niamh returns to a world in shambles. The coven is shattered, lessened with so many deaths; the Seal of Solomon is destroyed; her sister is freed from her hospital bed, only to be imprisoned; her lover has turned betrayer; and an even more heartbreaking revelation has Niamh questioning the last ten years of her life. But none of that can matter, not now, not when she has to somehow find the strength, the cleverness, and the power to save the world.

With her are her chosen family: Elle, cruelly used by Satan; Leonie, suddenly pregnant with no idea how — only a hope it wasn’t something done to her by the evil warlock, Dabney Hale; and Ciara, her twin, her sister, and the person who has caused her the most harm. With magic and maybe a miracle or three, without their fifth member, these women must somehow find a way to destroy Satan before he destroys them.

This book picks up directly after the events of the second book in Her Majesty’s Royal Coven series and, as the third and final book in the trilogy, really shouldn’t be read as a standalone. However, while I have read (and enjoyed) the first book in the series, Her Majesty’s Royal Coven, along with the connected story, Queen B, I haven’t read the second book, The Shadow Cabinet. Therefore, I will somewhat be treating this book as a standalone, rather than as the conclusion to an ongoing trilogy. In a sense, I’m very like Niamh in this way, who also missed the majority of the events of book two, having been dead. This is not a spoiler; the book opens with Theo bringing Niamh back into the land of the living.

While there is a lot of plot going on in this book — with threads from the previous two books being pulled together and tied into tidy little bows — the focus is very firmly on the characters. On Niamh and her feelings towards her sister, towards Theo, towards Lucas, and even herself. Having died and been raised from the dead, Niahm has less patience for all the little politics the covens want to play. She has seen the evil that is has coming, and that evil is directed at Theo, the young witch Niamh views as her own child. Prophecy or not, Sullied Child or not, Niamh is not going to let them kill Theo, or take her away to an American conversion camp in the hopes that might save the world.

Cruelty is never the answer. Love is. Or … ought to be, which makes it harder for Niamh to deal with her twin. Ciara has done terrible things, killed people, destroyed lives, allowed demons to gain a foothold; she’s responsible for the death of Niamh’s husband! But … she’s still her sister. She is repentant, but is saying I’m sorry enough? Ciara knows it’s not, knows she will always be judged by her actions and accepts that. She knows she deserves to be in prison, but when she finds out Satan has forces inside the witch prison, Ciara does everything in her power to warn Niamh. And when push comes to shove, Ciara will be there at her sister’s side to shove back.

Leonie, an unapologetic black witch, is pregnant. For her, the pregnancy isn’t the only scary part, it’s … how did it happen? She’s never been with a man, and even when Dabney Hale used her as a puppet, he didn’t rape her. So how is she pregnant? When she learns the truth of the child within her, Leonie’s entire world changes. For her, saving the world has suddenly become a great deal more personal.

Elle is broken. Her first child, her son Milo, was stillborn … but Satan took that from her, insinuating himself into her life in the form of a teenage boy named Milo. Her memories were rewritten to allow him to live in her house, eat her food, call her mum. She did his laundry, worried about him, loved him, and now her son is gone, and all that’s left is the knowledge Satan did this to her. Elle’s daughter is turning into a powerful seer, but one whose power will drain the life from her with every vision she has. Her husband has left her, and all Elle has left is so much rage and pain, coming from a place of darkness and anger. Is she corrupted, is her magic tainted?

Every woman struggles, separately, with what has been done to them … but not so much with the choices they have made. Except Ciara, whose choices are all she’s allowed to struggle with. And Lucas, who turns out to be a witchfinder, who is held accountable for the death he caused. Lucas and Ciara, who for me were two of the most interesting characters, are never given time to redeem themselves due to the amount of plot that has to happen, and it makes their endings feel unsatisfying to me.

Niamh and Theo are given a happy ending, which they deserve; Elle is allowed to work through her pain and her guilt and realize that she deserves to be happy. In the first book, I thought Leonie, the only black witch, was given short shrift by being the voice of the plot, rather than her own character; here, she’s given an ending which, to me, isn’t exactly one I’d call happy.

Spoiler title
There are a lot of little moments that didn’t work for me, a lot of emotional beats that I think didn’t hit the way they could have. Sisterhood has always been a focus of these books, but here I think that theme was weakened. However, the pacing was excellent! I know it’s an odd thing to praise but, as the third book in a trilogy, the book has to have a balance in showing the characters where they are after horrible tragedies, give them each a chance to recover, and then give them each a chance to shine as they take down Satan himself and do so without leaving anyone behind and keeping the tension. I did feel the stakes of the world, the belief each character had about how dangerous the big bad was, which made their efforts to fight him and their exhaustion and sorrow and rage all the more effective. It’s just the little moments in between as the characters interacted with each other that didn’t work for me as well.

The characters all felt very similar in the way they spoke and in the way they thought and acted, with only two real standouts: Elle’s rage and shame at being used, at having her grief mocked, and Theo’s heartbreak at being the cause of the end of the world. It’s all well written, and I imagine it would have been more fun to read if I’d read book two, but I still had a decent time with this. If you want to give it a try, though, I do suggest reading all three books in order!

Human Rites is the epic conclusion to the trilogy of Her Majesty’s Royal Coven. I loved this installment and thought it was very satisfying! The story picks up right where we left off in book two. Niamh is back from the dead, Theo is hunted by Lucifer, and Ciara must face the consequences of her actions. Leonie is faced with a choice she never thought she’d have to make and Elle has to reckon with the hell Lucifer unleashed on her family.

I couldn’t put this down! Human Rites ties up many loose ends and is filled with action-packed scenes. Each character has come so far from book one and I love seeing their character growth. This series has been so intricately designed and it’s clear that Fate has been pulling strings from book one. Dawson examines the twisted bonds of sisterhood and choices between good and evil. Human Rites is action-packed and filled with compelling characters. Dawson writes witty and heartbreaking dialogue. This series is one of my favorites and I would highly recommend it to anyone! Readers who love witches, LGBTQ+ rep, and epic magical stories should read this trilogy. I can’t wait to see what Juno Dawson writes next!

Thank you to Juno Dawson, Penguin Books, and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted eARC of this book!

I am, and always have been, a massive Juno Dawson fan. I have been ANXIOUSLY waiting for this book, and let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint.

I won’t do an overview of the book, because if you’re interested in Human Rites, you likely have already read the preceding books in the HMRC world. So, let’s talk.

This book was a masterpiece. An absolute triumph. The world that Dawson has been able to build, and the things we are still learning about it at the conclusion of the tale…just astounding. I took a bit to really digest what I had read, so I could leave an entirely honest review, but my enthusiasm during reading has stuck with me, long past reading.

Most books have exposition, then rising action, then the climax, and descending action to conclusion. Human Rites rewrites all the rules here. The entire book is the climax, with a slightly longer conclusion. Every single chapter ended on a “WHAT?!? REALLY?!?” Like, just constanttttttttttttt action, and it’s all intentional.

I’ve seen some reviews that say the book felt rushed, but I didn’t actually feel that way - maybe because I was on an adrenaline high from reading and I couldn’t wait to get to the next chapter, the pacing felt great for me. Juno Dawson has said that, for now, this IS the last book in the series. However, I could see opportunities for spin-offs that were left not “open-ended,” but were slightly leaning towards it. I feel really quite happy with the way the story ended.

Listen, if you’ve read the other HMRC books, just go buy this. Immediately. And then take some time off work to read.

Amazing conclusion to Her Majesty's Royal Coven series. The coven is reunited—but broken. Niamh is back from the dead…but she hasn’t come back alone. Elle mourns a son she never had. Ciara languishes in a prison for witches, and Leonie reels from a very unexpected surprise. Theo, on the other hand, is being pulled out of time by Lucifer.
Everything is nicely tied up and the ending is satisfying. Of course, you may still want to spend all your time with the Hebden Bridge witches, so have a re-read. Completely enjoyable and I will miss this series!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this digital e-arc.*

In Human Rites, Juno Dawson concludes the Her Majesty's Royal Coven trilogy. Told in multiple POV, it was funny, epic, and action packed, we get to wrap up the story of Theo, Leonie, Elle, and Ciara. I was really satisfied by this ending.