Talk about a book that punches you in the face, steals your lunch money, and leaves you gaping like a fish, asking yourself what just happened. This is a fantastic introspection on a modern magical matriarchy that is stunning. Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson follows four witches in the UK who grew up friends, fought in a magical war together, and largely have gone their separate ways in adulthood. Helena is the priestess of HMRC, with a young daughter and a white tory attitude. Elle has given up her life as a healer to become a stay-at-home mother to her two children. Niamh is a countryside vet. Finally, after being fed up with the close-minded practices of the HMRC Leonie has founded her own inclusive Coven, where being black and a lesbian is not a problem. When oracles in the HMRC predict a great danger to come after the discovery of a powerful teen, their lives will drastically reorient. Even in a world where the future is foretold, fates can always change with the smallest choices. The question is, will these four be able to avoid calamity, or will the choices they make domino into disaster? In this version of London, the witches' coven and the warlocks cabal work for the British government in a secret. The world is unaware of the existence of magic, and the magic users who can heal, read minds, predict the future, and call on the elements do their best to keep it that way. These systems are on the precipice of large changes, prompted by the magical institution's moral rigidity. The book challenges rigid notions of gender and explores the consequences of disrespecting others’ bodily autonomy. The place of trans women in the witch’s coven is a primary point of conflict in the book. I cannot imagine it being explored better. The book has compassion for trans women and trans youth and the characters will quite literally move the earth to protect them. Now, the female friendship dynamics in this book are messy and I absolutely love it. Capturing the feeling of growing out of your friendships or growing around your childhood friendships is not an easy thing. Even without communicating telepathically, characters know with a look when something is wrong. They know what to fix, and what to leave alone. More importantly, they show the ways you have blindspots for people you have grown up loving. The fact that they are brilliantly talented witches with complex emotional and personal lives is simply icing on top of the cake. You will know what I mean when I say I will actively die if anyone harms Holly and Theo. I could say more about how I absolutely adore their character arcs, interactions, and overall existence, but I will not because you have to witness it. Considering there is another book in the series that may be just as deadly as this one, I will need all the help I can get. If you are a fan of British workplace fantasy books like Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s Good Omens or Daniel O'Malley’s The Rook but are looking for something a bit queerer and more witchy, this is the book for you. I need to let you know right now there are TERFs in the novel so please take proper care as you read. I would also like to say I think Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson is a wonderful book that will take the world by storm if we let it.

Does your magical employment involve spreadsheets, scheduling, emails, and a corporate management structure? If so, you may be in a workplace fantasy novel.