My Contrary Mary (The Lady Janies)
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**This review and more can be found at Love at First Write**
An ARC of this audiobook was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This series as a concept had me so unbelievably excited. After completing a trilogy of historical Jane retellings, Hand, Ashton, and Meadows have set their sights on Marys. The very first, My Contrary Mary, is a Mary Queen of Scots retelling. Get ready to be transported to Renaissance France where Mary is a ward of the French Court!
The book's narration comes from several shifting POV's (primarily Mary), as well as some third-person narrator comments. The narrator's are really what makes this book so special. They are absolutely hilarious, providing a 'so-here-is-the-scoop' tone. They are terrible gossips, but charmingly witty at the same time. They are that friend in college/high school that you always turned to when you wanted to hear about the latest scandals without going through the effort of snooping things out for yourself. Before the book even properly started I was cry-laughing at the dedication: "For the people who feel like they have to be perfect; and for France. We're sorry for what we're about to do to your history, but it was your turn."
I found myself enjoying the return to the Eðian/Verity dynamic (shapeshifter/pure humans) as a metaphor for the disparity and tensions between Catholics and Protestants at the time. It is a cool way to reframe this time period, and was pretty genius!
On top of the comedy, the characters were so well developed. I truly felt for Mary and Francis, and even the side characters like Mary Livingston and Ari. Their actions and motivations felt real, and the stakes and betrayals in court were gutting. While of course this is a series of Marys, in a sense each book is also a stand alone, which I think is a boon to the work. Readers don't necessarily have to read The Lady Janies series to enjoy this latest work. Comedy and Historical Fiction blend together effortlessly in this gem of a book. Bonus points? Bonus points! On top of everything, I actually feel like I learned a lot reading this book. The plot was surprisingly historically accurate, if we overlook the whole fantasy shapeshifting element haha.
All in all, My Contrary Mary is a must-read, and I impatiently await the additions of Marie Curie and Mary Mallon to the new Mary series!
An ARC of this audiobook was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This series as a concept had me so unbelievably excited. After completing a trilogy of historical Jane retellings, Hand, Ashton, and Meadows have set their sights on Marys. The very first, My Contrary Mary, is a Mary Queen of Scots retelling. Get ready to be transported to Renaissance France where Mary is a ward of the French Court!
The book's narration comes from several shifting POV's (primarily Mary), as well as some third-person narrator comments. The narrator's are really what makes this book so special. They are absolutely hilarious, providing a 'so-here-is-the-scoop' tone. They are terrible gossips, but charmingly witty at the same time. They are that friend in college/high school that you always turned to when you wanted to hear about the latest scandals without going through the effort of snooping things out for yourself. Before the book even properly started I was cry-laughing at the dedication: "For the people who feel like they have to be perfect; and for France. We're sorry for what we're about to do to your history, but it was your turn."
I found myself enjoying the return to the Eðian/Verity dynamic (shapeshifter/pure humans) as a metaphor for the disparity and tensions between Catholics and Protestants at the time. It is a cool way to reframe this time period, and was pretty genius!
On top of the comedy, the characters were so well developed. I truly felt for Mary and Francis, and even the side characters like Mary Livingston and Ari. Their actions and motivations felt real, and the stakes and betrayals in court were gutting. While of course this is a series of Marys, in a sense each book is also a stand alone, which I think is a boon to the work. Readers don't necessarily have to read The Lady Janies series to enjoy this latest work. Comedy and Historical Fiction blend together effortlessly in this gem of a book. Bonus points? Bonus points! On top of everything, I actually feel like I learned a lot reading this book. The plot was surprisingly historically accurate, if we overlook the whole fantasy shapeshifting element haha.
All in all, My Contrary Mary is a must-read, and I impatiently await the additions of Marie Curie and Mary Mallon to the new Mary series!
*Thank you to Netgalley & Harper Audio for approving my access to an early audio of My Contrary Mary in exchange for an honest review*
Mary Queen of Scots has lived in France since she was a young girl and she always knew she'd marry Francis. There is one secret she has been keeping from him and the rest of Court, not only for her safety but for the safety of her people as well. Mary is an Eðian. Her spirit animal is a mouse and when Francis tells her that her uncles are scheming against her she decides to use her ability to find out the truth. This gets her in a bit of hot water and after she weds Francis she sneaks away to Scotland to seek advice from her mother. This is when the adventure begins and not only for Mary. Francis finds himself on a separate journey with Ari Nostradamus which leads him to uncovering more plots against them all.
It was so good to be back in the world filled with Eðian! My Lady Jane was so much fun and when I heard that My Contrary Mary was going to be set in the same time and world I was so excited! I will have to admit that this one is my favorite of their works (minus Calamity Jane because I haven't read it yet, which I plan on to remedy very soon)!
My absolute favorite part of this book were all the subtle pop culture references and they were all over the place. If you're not paying attention you may miss the references to Titanic, Terminator, Braveheart, and Princess Bride just to name a few. I found myself giggling out loud quite often.
Although the audio is a bit shaky on the Netgalley Shelf app, I thought it was well done. If you've loved the Janies than you'll definitely need to pick this one up! I can't wait to read about more Mary's in the future!
Mary Queen of Scots has lived in France since she was a young girl and she always knew she'd marry Francis. There is one secret she has been keeping from him and the rest of Court, not only for her safety but for the safety of her people as well. Mary is an Eðian. Her spirit animal is a mouse and when Francis tells her that her uncles are scheming against her she decides to use her ability to find out the truth. This gets her in a bit of hot water and after she weds Francis she sneaks away to Scotland to seek advice from her mother. This is when the adventure begins and not only for Mary. Francis finds himself on a separate journey with Ari Nostradamus which leads him to uncovering more plots against them all.
It was so good to be back in the world filled with Eðian! My Lady Jane was so much fun and when I heard that My Contrary Mary was going to be set in the same time and world I was so excited! I will have to admit that this one is my favorite of their works (minus Calamity Jane because I haven't read it yet, which I plan on to remedy very soon)!
My absolute favorite part of this book were all the subtle pop culture references and they were all over the place. If you're not paying attention you may miss the references to Titanic, Terminator, Braveheart, and Princess Bride just to name a few. I found myself giggling out loud quite often.
Although the audio is a bit shaky on the Netgalley Shelf app, I thought it was well done. If you've loved the Janies than you'll definitely need to pick this one up! I can't wait to read about more Mary's in the future!
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