My Lady Jane (My Lady Janies #1) by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

 

Summary (from the publisher): EDWARD 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 is Edward’s cousin, and far more interested in books than in 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 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?

The comical, fantastical, romantical, entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey but not really. Lady Jane Grey, sixteen, is about to be married to a total stranger—and caught up in an insidious plot to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But that’s the least of Jane’s problems. She’s about to become Queen of England.

Like that could go wrong.

Review: This novel imagines what would have happened if Lady Jane Grey's story had ended differently? What if she hadn't been executed after only nine short days on the throne of England? In this story, Edward is the King of England, and he is still dying and Jane is still his bookish cousin. She is married off to Gifford but that's where the story parts ways with true history. Gifford has a minor little character detail that isn't initially shared with Jane when they are first married - he turns into a horse during the day. And unlike real life, Edward, Jane, and Gifford work together for the good of the kingdom. 

I loved the revisionist history angle to this book. Jane Grey's story has always struck me as some incredibly sad! She was such a pawn in her parents' schemes for power in real life and paid a very steep price at such a young age. I was happy to see the authors imagine a happier ending for her in this. I also loved the witty, tongue in cheek humor of this novel. It is very funny! I listened to the audio version and the narrator did a great job making it very performative and really delivering the jokes with a punch. 

However, the book lost me at the animal transformation part. It was too much of a farce for me. It is presented as something to be taken as funny and many jokes and entertaining scenes are included poking fun at the characters' animal forms. But I just couldn't buy into it. A fun book but just a bridge too far for me.

Stars: 3