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

Published: June 7, 2016 Read: May 16, 2019 Rating: ★★★★☆

SYNOPSIS: I’m honestly not going to provide the synopsis because I think the best decision I made was going into this book knowing barely anything about the plot. I knew this was a revisionist retelling about the nine-day-queen Lady Jane Grey, that this took place in Tudor England, but that was about it. What I got was an absolutely hilarious adventure novel infused with a magic system that made me laugh out loud several times. I haven’t had this much fun reading a book in such a long time. If you’re a fan of historical fiction but with comedic, Monty Python-esque narration, read this book! Spoiler review is under the cut.

As a fan of English history and historical fiction in general, I knew I would like this book, but this was genuinely a pleasant surprise. After reading the dedication, I knew this was going to be quite the ride:

“For everyone who knows there was enough room for Leonardo DiCaprio on that door. And for England. We’re really sorry for what we’re about to do to your history.”

My Lady Jane was absurd in all the right ways. I have a basic knowledge of the Tudor dynasty, but I had barely heard much anything about Jane Grey because her story is quite short. This book takes Jane’s story and literally throws it out a window in the best way possible. The narration was snarky, clever, and the perfect way to execute this fantastical interpretation of the monarchy, its prejudices, and historical gender roles. Shapeshifting royals with daddy issues? I’m sold.

Above all else I think the saving grace of this book was its characters. While the plot dragged in times, and there were moments when I thought the book was ending but still had ways to go, the authors’ reimaginings of these very real historical figures were ridiculous but researched incredibly well. Jane and G’s hate-to-love romance takes this adored trope to new heights. I had no idea about the magical aspect of this book, so when we found out that G spends his days as a horse, I did a double take. The way we got to see our main characters grow alongside each other was super wholesome, and really brought the book to life.

I also need to mention Edward and Gracie because their banter was one of the highlights of this book. The way they made Edward out to be this overly exaggerated 16th century chauvinist while poking fun was a great vehicle to exploit their comedic aspects when viewing them in a modern perspective:

“She was a woman who wore pants. She couldn’t be trusted.”

Where the book lacked was definitely in its translation of the Protestant/Catholic conflict into the Eðian/Verity debacle. That showdown seemed to always be in the background, overshadowed by the characters’ relationship drama. As someone really invested in learning about history, I think that the downplaying of these conflicts hurt the novel because the threats just weren’t taken seriously enough. Despite the set-up in the first half of the novel of “The Pack” as this huge driving force of Eðian/Verity conflict, the pay-off didn’t live up to my expectations. 

I also think Mary Queen of Scots was underused as a villain, as most of the drama for the first 2/3 of the novel centered around Lord Dudley. I know Dudley is supposed to resemble a typical evil-lord-trying-to-climb-up-the-ranks-of-power villain a lá Jafar, but that definitely weakened Mary’s role as the true villain of the story.

I will say though, for such a silly novel, this book was really well-plotted and thought out. Even the Shakespeare references and the nods to some Disney princesses (I’m looking at you, Brave and Tangled) were spaced out well enough so that they didn’t pose a burden to the plot, which is always a bargain when including pop culture references in a book. 

I can’t wait to pick up the rest of the books in this companion series! I’ve never read any books by this trio of authors before, but I’m sure the rest of their collaborations will be full of the sardonic narration I’ve come to love.