Human Rites by Juno Dawson:
I’ve been looking forward to this book since last year. Queen B felt like a sidestep (Anne Boleyn as the first witch) and at just under 200 pages, it felt more of snack. Human Rites is the banquet you need, a dark Summer read for a dark Summer’s day.
If you’ve not read the first two, do that first. Those of us that have, can enjoy the climax hinted it in the end of the last book: Satan rises and only our band of witches can stop it. And, yes the writing seems a little bit peaky at times (every chapter has a cliffhanger) and there are several branches of the fourth wall. Like most final fantasy books, there is McGuffins, retcon and it literally sets every character down for rest.
But that doesn’t stop the fantastic sugary rush of a book that is thrilling, horrifying, funny and most importantly of all - LGBTQ friendly. It is a fantasy book that respects ALL witches and warlocks. Dawson has created something that is of pure delight, rather than something that stands for a franchise (she who shall not be named) that is one of cognitive dissonance.
It’s published by Harper Collins on July 17th and I thank them for a preview copy. #humanrites.