Brodi Ashton

Honestly, if you haven't started this funny, unique and smart series of books by these authors, then I can't stress enough - PUT EVERYTHING DOWN AND START NOW!

The first book was just as fun, quirky and sassy as this one. This one has Mary Godwin, better known in our time as Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein. It also has Ada Byron , loosely based on Ada Lovelace (who I didn't know before starting the story). Both are smart, spunky and just on the brink of needing to make their way in the show more world. Ada is an advanced mathematician and Mary wants to be an author and excels at thinking on her feet and having an elaborate imagination. I loved learning their world, how they work and how their lives are smashed together.

There is a bit of magic in this story. I loved how the magic transformed the story from one I thought I was getting to suddenly realizing I was getting another! It was so well done that I didn't even see it creeping up until suddenly I saw who everyone else could be, if I just looked at them a little different.

I love the silly references to songs and stories. I also always love the little comments from the narrator straight to the reader that were in both stories in this series. I loved the details and all the fun in the story. Honestly, this one was so enjoyable I just might read it again (and I never re-read!) I hope there are more in this series! I will absolutely read them!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. show less

This reading year has begun with several choices outside my usual genres, perhaps the most extreme being this one: a YA historical romantic comedy that replaces history with fantasy anytime it wishes. For example, Henry VIII was able to transform himself into a lion and devour anyone who ticked him off (thereby earning himself the nickname of Lion King). Oh, and Jane Grey's husband Gifford (historically Guildford) Dudley turns into a horse every morning and back into a man every evening. And show more Bloody Mary is all about purging England of anyone with an animal form.

Should any of this work? Well, not for me it shouldn't. It does, though, because the writers know exactly what they're trying to do. At five hundred pages, it feels a bit long by the end (really my only critique), but My Lady Jane delivers on all its promises. It's a joyride of pure romantic fun, with unpredictable turns and endearing characters--poor kids who are expected to run a country instead of chasing true love, who are threatened with beheading when all they ever wanted was freedom to live their lives. They are developed with consistent motivations and adorable details. The recipe for this sweet treat of a book would look something like this: blend wit, nonsense, and huggability; sprinkle with "aww" and humor. I look forward to the next in the collection. show less

In this alternative history, Lady Jane Grey is not executed after her nine-day reign as Queen of England; instead, she takes an animal form to escape, reunite with (also not dead) King Edward, and overthrow Queen Mary, a Verity who has a hatred of Edians (those with the power to turn into animals). The first half of the story largely follows historical knowledge; the second goes entirely off the rails, in a fun, speculative way which nevertheless echoes history (with the Verity/Edian show more conflict standing in for the Catholic/C of E conflict). Altogether a more joyous outcome for all! Full of humor in the style of The Princess Bride and Monty Python, with plenty of Shakespeare quotes thrown in for good measure.

Quotes

But what could one person do? Nothing, he thought. One person could do nothing. (Gifford "G" Dudley, 130)

"If it is a gift, I do not deserve it. If it is a curse, I do not deserve it." (G to Jane, 136)

How easily, she thought, despair could turn to hope. (Jane, 276)

"Imagine how much money the realm would save if the rulers focused their finances on libraries, rather than wars." (G. to Jane, 428) show less

I have to say, I liked this version of Mary Shelley way better than what I know about the real Mary. And I quite enjoyed seeing Lord Byron and Percy Shelley portrayed as foolish men, even if they weren't in real life (although the historical record kind of suggests they weren't all that awesome). And I loved the idea of Mary and Ada being friends - two strong and talented women joining forces makes for a great story.