Friday 14 June 2019

My Lady Jane by: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Published: June 7, 2016 by: HarperTeen
Pages: 491
Rating: 5/5 stars



Sixteen year old Edward is king of England, though he is much more interested in finding a nice lady to share his first kiss with rather than running an empire. He is also dying of a mysterious illness, and must find a successor. Edward's cousin Jane is a smart young woman with her nose in the books, who is less than enthused when Edward marries her off to Lord Gifford, an awkward man with an interesting secret, he shape-shifts into a horse. When Edward, Jane, and Gifford get caught up in a conspiracy for the crown, it is up to the trio to put aside their differences, before someone takes their heads.

If you have followed my blog for a long time you might know that I have been DYING to read this book for a long time. I just never really got the chance... until now. I was so happy to have finally experienced this hilarious masterpiece, and boy did I fly through this novel.

The commentary in this book is witty, charming, and so easy to get through. The authors continuously break down the fourth wall by incorporating their thoughts into the story, and there are little remarks here and there that would make any history or pop culture aficionado chuckle. (That Red Wedding reference.)

The characters are so lovable and incredibly well-written. Jane is smart and level-headed, Gifford is awkward but oh so charming, and Edward is sarcastic and pure. I was rooting for every single one of them and I think the authors did a great job at making their personalities add such wit into the story.

Let me get this straight, this book is a far-stretch from the actual story of Lady Jane Grey, but the premise is incredibly unique that I think even historians would let it slide. I have always been interested in British history, and this book takes a well-known story and puts a funny twist to it. The ending is a lot less dark than in the real tale, and I think that's what makes this story really heartwarming. It was just so fun.

Have you read My Lady Jane? What did you think?

Emily @ Paperback Princess

10 comments:

  1. The story of the 9-day-Queen is pretty much peak example of toxic masculinity in practice - poor girl. Glad you enjoyed! <3

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    1. The true story is very sad :( But Jane kicks ass in this novel!

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  2. I haven't read this one yet, but I have been eyeing it up for a long time and now I REALLY want to pick it up! I love British history and this sounds so awesome.

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  3. I am a HUGE Tudor history buff...so I can't make myself pick this one up because I'm too much of a purist. But I know several bloggers who have adored it, and I'm so glad - it sounds like it would be fun, and introduce lots of people to this fascinating point in history.

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    1. Haha it’s definitely not a very purist take, but great for a good laugh!

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  4. I actually saw a lot of hype for this book when it came out, so I never got around to actually reading what it was about!
    Thanks for the review, you've talked me into trying it at some point! :)

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  5. I love My Lady Jane to the moon and back - made my mom read it too after it was published in Hungarian, and she really loved it too. It's just so light-hearted, fun and unique - I've never read anything like it. So glad you loved this one as well! :)

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    1. It was super unique and I hope that these three authors continue to write in this style! I really enjoy it :)

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