My Lady Jane (Lady Janies, #1)

by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, and Brodi Ashton

Edward is the King of England. He's also dying, which is inconvenient, as he's only sixteen and he'd rather be planning his first kiss than who will inherit his crown. Jane, Edward's cousin, is far more interested in books than romance. Unfortunately, Edward has arranged to marry her off to Gifford secure the line of succession. And Gifford is, well, a horse. That is, he an Eðian (eth-y-un, for the uninitiated) who becomes a chestnut steed every morning, but wakes as a man at dusk, with a mouthful of hay. Very undignified. The plot thickens as the three are drawn into a dangerous conspiracy, and have to engage in some conspiring of their own. But can they pull off their plan before it's off with their heads?

• ISBN10: 0062391763
• ISBN13: 9780062391766
• Publish Date: 9 May 2017 (first published 7 June 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 512
• Language: English

Reviews

[Berls]

3.5 stars

This was not all what I was expecting but it was fun. I have always found this period of history interesting and even butchered to such an extent that it's almost unrecognizable, it was interesting. And despite being quite inaccurate historically, if you know the history from this time period it's actually a pretty comical way of reinterpreting events.

Adding in the Eðian conflict was probably the number one key to taking what was a pretty intense religious conflict and turning it into a ridiculous, hilarious conflict. Rather than the Catholic, Protestant, Church of England divide that occurred under King Henry Tudor and his heirs, this has shifted to an Eðian divide... about people that shapeshift into animals and those that do not. The way it's handled and the dialogue make it so comical that you can't help but laugh.

The authors pause at times to speak directly to you, the reader. This adds to the comedy for me, since they basically assert the truth of their tale. It matches the tone of the whole book, which is just very blatantly humorous and so many awkward encounters, so many caricatures of real actors, and such an obviously farcical reinterpretation of events, that the whole book is just so fun.

The narration did a fantastic job of matching and bringing to life the comedy of the book, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Katherine Kellgren did a great job narrating; this was my first time listening to her but I would not hesitate to listen again.

[Steph L]

A funny Alternative History

I grabbed this book because of all the hype. I loved it more than I thought I would. This book is so much fun and has a well crafted plot. One of the best things is the characters, and how much you want to root for them.

[kalventure]

✨ You can read this & many other reviews on Reader Voracious Blog!

This book is hilarious and exactly what I needed. I was suffering a bit from a book hangover after Crier's War and needed something light, fun, and romantic. I wasn't sure that this would hit the spot, but there's something to be said for a book calling to you on your owned TBR. I loved this book with all of my heart... I am obsessed!

Despite what you might be thinking, this book is a standalone! The books in this series each reimagine the life of a famous historical Jane; My Lady Jane retells the history of Lady Jane Grey and how she came to be Queen of England for nine days following the death of her cousin, King Edward VI in 1535.

"But what could one person do? Nothing, he thought. One person could do nothing. So there was no point in being noble about it."

I love the way that the authors reimagined this period of history into a fantastical world full of magic. This was a tense time in history: Catholicism had taken a blow during Henry VIII's reign given his proclivity for many wives and the ensuing Protestant Reformation. But in My Lady Jane, it's a matter of Edians versus Verities. Magical shapeshifters versus the regular folk.

Told in the alternating perspectives of our three main characters by fourth-wall (page?) breaking narrators/historians who are setting the record straight.

[tweetybugshouse]

The first thing I have to say about this is to do yourself a favor and pick up the audiobook listen to a few chapters get that awesome narrator stuck in your head then continue reading how you wish. I have this in print but I choose the audiobook as I was not sure if I would love it. I did it was funny, comical, and the perfect mix of a historical story with a magic twist. You must remember as you read it meant to be a historical comedy it meant to be funny and is pulled off quite well. Second, you have to be in the right mindset for this type of book. I just read a bunch of really in-depth fantasy stories with lots of details so I needed a light-hearted read. Also, I recommend you not read it in a public setting cause it will cause you to laugh out loud and maybe mutter a bit to yourself. The fantasy parts fit well into this kind of story and the author, of course, points out the plot of the story in no way is accurate but it makes for a delightful story. I will be checking out the other lady Jane stories that are being released I think it a total of four of them. Pick this one up for a bit of comedy relief.

[Joséphine]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Initial thoughts: I’m hard pressed to think of any YA books I’ve read over the past couple of years that are nearly as hilarious as My Lady Jane; and I dare say this is the funniest (alternative) historical novel I’ve ever read. Seriously, ever! The audiobook narrator made it even more entertaining as she knew exactly how to deliver the punchlines, which made me grin to myself as I listened. The “magical” twist on the historical Protestant-Catholic conflict led to some ludicrous situations, what with the shapeshifting, that really drove the humour home. I wish there had been more of an explanation for it though, and not just the mere reference to Jane reading as much as she could to learn all there was to know.

In any case, I really liked this book, so I was sad to discover that the books in this series are basically standalone novels. The “sequel” revolves around a different Jane. I expect it’ll be no less creative but I still would’ve liked to hear more of Jane Grey, Gifford, Henry and Gracie.

[ladygrey]

I don't know that I have the right sense of humor for this book. It "borrows" from several other sources in a tongue-in-cheek way. It brings very modern vernacular to history. It's glib. It rewrites colloquialisms. It's all... clever... I guess.

Except it doesn't feel clever or inspired. It feels slightly heavy-handed. Mildly amusing. Kind of obvious. And then, yeah, overtly heavy-handed in the end.

Which isn't to say the characters aren't enjoyable. They all are, quite. And in the end that's the most important part of any book. Even Edward in the beginning is likable which makes his whole plot work so well. We are told quite often how clever Jane is and how brave she is and how fantastic she is and normally that's annoying at best. But here it works because she is likable and she is clever and mostly because there's a whole lot more to her than all that. G is quite a bit of fun. And the other supporting characters are interesting enough and likable enough to support the story and keep it moving forward and be entertaining.

The plot follows history enough that, if you know this period, you know by the second act where at least part of the story is going to end up. That doesn't make it any less fun to get there. The third act seemed rushed. I think I'd have trimmed the first to make room for it. Overall, it makes the nasty parts of history much more pleasant, which is... pleasant seems redundant but it fits.

And if you like allusions than this book is full of them. Twenty years later you can get away with all sorts of things. LadyHawk's plot hook. The Princess Bride's tone. And some of the dialog. More Shakespeare than you'd expect, or possibly not. All of it intentional (except maybe the LadyHawk part). I think it's supposed to be part of the charm and the fun. Did I mention the glibness? That, I think is meant to be a big part of the fun too. And it isn't that I didn't find it fun... but I didn't find it as fun as I was supposed to.

I found it mildly delightful and slightly uninspired. With pretty good characters.

[Chelsea]

I was honestly expecting to not like this book. It was hyped up A LOT so I had this feeling that it wasn't going to live up to expectations. I'm glad I was proven wrong.

I think the best part of this book was the subtle elements of the paranormal added into this historical story. The paranormal creatures (shapeshifters in this case) were kind of eased in and they didn't change the story completely. The story could have done ok without the paranormal elements but they made it so much better.

My one complaint is that if felt like everyone and their dog was becoming shapeshifters. It got a little weird (or so I thought anyways). Besides that the story was a little slow but I ended up liking the pace. The romance was super predictable but I was ok with that. Sometimes you need a book that will take you exactly in the direction you think it will.

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

This book was such a delight. I smiled and laughed the entire time. From the cheeky, witty banter to the narrator asides, it had a very fresh feel for something that was historically based.

Our heroine's love for books was quite humorous, and I loved her love for books.

Desperate to console her, he almost considered shouting, Quick, someone, get her a book! Any book!

There were also many swoon inducing moments.

"No." He stepped toward her. "I only want to argue with you."

Now she might die without knowing that she'd become his day and his night, and his sun and his moon.

Overall: A whip smart stroll through the past, filled with action, adventure, magic, romance, and lots of humor.

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[liz089]

I had soooo much fun reading this one !! It was just totally silly and cute and funny and I really enjoyed it !! Loved the characters, the plot was exciting, just a great book !! 4.5 stars !!

Want to read the full review? Check out my blog Freyja Eats Books

[Kelly]

My Lady Jane was absolutely delightful, an alternate history of the first Queen of England infused with a touch of fantasy and hilarity. It was incredibly charming and follows the narrative of Lady Jane Grey, the young King Edward and Jane's betrothed Gifford, a chestnut steed. Lady Jane Grey is a fiercely passionate girl in an era in which men dominate and the fairer sex marry, bear children and master the art of needlepoint. But the sixteen year old only wants to explore fantastically worlds through reading. Although Jane harbours resentment for Gifford, the exploration of their relationship was so incredibly lovely. Both Jane and Gifford find common ground through the atrocities of hardship of the lowly class England and a mutual respect for one another begins their tentative romance and entwined narrative.

I fail to see an upside, except for the possibility that I will one day need a quick escape, in which case it will be useful to have a fast horse.

'No horse jokes,' he said.
'My lord, I apologise for the horse joke. If you put down the book unharmed, I will give you a carrot.'
He brandished the book at her. 'Was that a horse joke?'
'Neigh.'
'Was that a horse joke?'

King Edward has been ruler of England since the tender age of nine years old and until now, has left the fate of his Kingdom to his trusted adviser Dudley. Edward has been diagnosed with the Affliction, a life sentence in which he will never see his seventeenth birthday. Or share his first kiss. Edward is incredibly naive and entitled but throughout the storyline, his narrative matures and he begins to understand the responsibility of leading a country through civil unrest.

The relationships within My Lady Jane were absolutely charming. Jane's friendship with Edward was lovely, the two cousins having grown up with one another and forming a wonderful friendship despite their differences. Being of the era where women are seen as fragile and delicate, Edward wishes for his dear friend Jane to be taken care of, never mind that the tenacious Jane is a perfectly capable young woman of her own devices. Being unmarried and independent is scandalous and reluctantly, Jane agrees to marry rather than deny Edward's last wishes. But Jane is unaware of Gifford's condition.

The romance between Jane and Gifford was delicate, tender and their sarcastic exchanges were absolutely hilarious. But beneath the banter, Gifford begins to care for Jane and despite the overwhelming sexism of the era, Jane is his equal.



Within fiction, the reader is a silent observer and authorial intrusion often feels jarring. In My Lady Jane, it's made apparent that it's an alternative historical retelling but yet the charming authorial annotations are a constant reminder. It was unnecessary and a little too slapstick unfortunately.

Although an alternative history, My Lady Jane explores historical figures such as King Edward, Queen Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots. The Royal dynasty is wonderfully created as a complex network of deceit and deception, infused with humour and animal enchantment. Although occasionally the humour misfired, it was an entertaining and engaging read that captured my attention until the final page.