My Lady Jane by The Janies

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Authors’ Website

Synopsis

The comical, fantastical, romantical, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey. In My Lady Jane, coauthors Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows have created a one-of-a-kind fantasy in the tradition of The Princess Bride, featuring a reluctant king, an even more reluctant queen, a noble steed, and only a passing resemblance to actual history—because sometimes history needs a little help.

At sixteen, Lady Jane Grey is about to be married off to a stranger and caught up in a conspiracy to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about. Jane is about to become the Queen of England.

Reactions

 

My Thoughts

I read this book on my tablet for e-reader-a-thon and knew when I finished it I wanted to share it with you guys. First off let me say that I love a good historical retelling. I used to be obsessed with The series Dear America and The Royal Diaries. Add a little fantasy into the mix and it’s even better. I devoured Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman. But add humor and this book is not the perfect formula for a grade A story. At least for me personally. I’m all about a funny read. Let me tell you why you might want to read this lovely story.

Likes

1. The humor. Like I said before, this book is pretty funny. Jane is snarky and scarcastic, one of my favorite heroine combinations. She has a comment for everything. Her cousin King Edward is blessed ignorant of the fact he is sexist, but it’s presented in a humorous way. He mentions that of course women can’t do ___ or he will take a females sarcasm for being serious. So he is sorta like the awkward, not socialized enough kid. Stuff just goes right over his head. I laughed out loud numerous times in the reading of this book and chuckled many more.

2. The romance is authentic. Lady Jane Grey is forced to marry Gifford Dudely in what was a common arrangement in those times. And while Gifford’s name was changed, this actual event did happen in history. But I liked how the Janies took these two characters on a journey from not know who the other person was to falling in love. The romance didn’t detract from the story at. It felt real and well paced. I also swooned a bit.

3. The drama around Lady Jane’s rise to the throne is real. While The Janies admit to rewritting and completely ruining history, the part about how Lady Jane came to the throne is completely real. Edwards adviser Dudley convinced him to sign something forcing Jane to marry Dudley’s son so that Dudley could control the throne via his son via Jane. It’s all very scandalous. And while this version does bring about a happier and more fair ending, you can see the highlights of the original story reflected through My Lady Jane.

4. The magic isn’t complicated. Basically The Ethians can turn into animals. Verities can’t. There isn’t much magic that goes into it. How you become a Ethian and control your gift is discussed heavily as part of the political plot points. But it’s not like a convoluted magic system. The fantasy aspect is easily to follow and get wrapped up in.

5. All the fun references. I feel like every chapter had a new reference to something from pop culture. Princess Bride, Game of Thrones, and Shakespeare are just a few of the pop culture mentioned in this book. It was so fun trying to catch every little reference.

Dislikes

1. My only real dislike was the many many times Jane and or Gifford assumed something about the other and then used this assumption to fuel their dislike and justify their rude behaviour. Jane thinks she knows everything and more than just brushed Gifford off in the beginning. Granted we get a look into Gifford’s life and thoughts so we know what is true and what isn’t about Gifford. But I just really struggle with the miscommunication trope and it’s use here is no exception.

Overall

I really enjoyed this book and hope you will find time to check it out.

I hope you guys are having a fabulous day. Let me know in the comments if you’ve read this one. I’ll TTYL.