Review: My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies #1)

Title: My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies #1)
Author: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Gift
Release Date: June 17, 2016
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Edward (long live the king) is the King of England. He’s also dying, which is inconvenient, as he’s only sixteen and he’d much rather be planning for his first kiss than considering who will inherit his crown…

Jane (reads too many books) is Edward’s cousin, and far more interested in books than romance. Unfortunately for Jane, Edward has arranged to marry her off to secure the line of succession. And there’s something a little odd about her intended…

Gifford (call him G) is a horse. That is, he’s an Eðian (eth-y-un, for the uninitiated). Every day at dawn he becomes a noble chestnut steed—but then he wakes at dusk with a mouthful of hay. It’s all very undignified.

The plot thickens as Edward, Jane, and G are drawn into a dangerous conspiracy. With the fate of the kingdom at stake, our heroes will have to engage in some conspiring of their own. But can they pull off their plan before it’s off with their heads?

Review:

I loved this book! It definitely lived up to the hype.

I loved how this history was similar to real history but slightly different. A few years ago, I read some Philippa Gregory books, and I loved the ones about the Tudors the best. The war between the Eðians (people who could turn into animals) and the Verities (people who didn’t think people should turn into animals) mimicked the real fight between Protestants and Catholics.

I liked the twists throughout the story. I could predict some of the things that happened, but some surprised me. Most things seemed like they could be real, but then someone would turn into a horse or bird and the scene would become comedic.

One thing that I picked up on right away was that G kept coming up with lines of poetry, which would later be in Shakespeare’s plays. You’ll just have to read the book to find out that connection.

There were many funny parts in this story. I laughed out loud quite a few times. This was a clever way to retell history with a fantasy spin.

What to read next:

• My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

• 

• Suitors and Sabotage by Cindy Anstey

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Author: jilljemmett

Jill lives in Toronto, Canada. She has studied English, Creative Writing, and Publishing. Jill is the creator and content producer of Jill’s Book Blog, where she has published a blog post every day for the last four years, including 5-7 book reviews a week. She can usually be found with her nose in a book. View all posts by jilljemmett