Lady Jane Grey, cousin of King Edward, is caught up in an arranged marriage, a plot to take over the throne, and a magical Tudor period with shape-shifting galore.
The writing trifecta of Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows will be coming out with the much anticipated My Salty Mary novel in August 2024. In preparation for this, I read all three of the Lady Janies books and the first two Mary series books. Across five book reviews, I will share my thoughts on these wonderful, unique, sarcastic, YA historical fantasy series.
My Lady Jane, the first novel of the Lady Janies books, focuses on a retelling of the historical period when a sick King Edward’s line of succession is in question. In addition to the tension this question raises in respect to his two sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, the magical introduction of shape-shifting results in two trains of thought regarding the ability of humans to change into animals: the Edians, who are comfortable in their ability to change from human to animal form and back, and the Verities, who believe this type of magic is evil. Deciding which sister will take over when he is unable to rule gives credence to one of the aforementioned beliefs, and the kingdom will be forever changed by this stressful decision. In an effort to set things right before his untimely death, the king asks his book-loving cousin, Lady Jane, to marry a complete stranger, so as to secure her position in court, no matter who is in charge next. She reluctantly accepts the betrothal and consents to the marriage, but with her new husband, she gets much more than she bargained for.
This book alternates POVs between three characters: Edward, as he learns of a plot against him, Jane, as she navigates her role as new wife and cousin of the ill king, and Gifford, or G, Jane’s new husband with a magical secret and scheming friends and family of his own. I personally liked Edward and Gifford’s story lines better than Jane’s, but I do think this is due to my own personal preferences. Edward’s plot was full of awesome side characters (Go Gracie!), and Gifford’s character development focused mainly on his transition from feeling like an unlovable burden to discovering there is power and confidence to be found in letting yourself be open to love—a trope that I will read over and over again until the day I die with a content smile on my face. The characters are over-the-top in comedic moments, and the magical, shape-shifting elements integral to the world of the story made for fun shenanigans and plot developments. What made this book even more unique, however, was a combination of the tone, word choice, and narrator commentary. The stylistic choices of this book feel akin to a less dramatic, more comedic kind of Gossip Girl running commentary. The narrators weave modern references into the historic vernacular, and the levity with which they explain their inside jokes to the readers seems like the YA version of an episode of Drunk History. This book was my first introduction to the style that Hand et al. created, and while it took a bit of getting used to, I did enjoy it—in the same way that I enjoy big blockbuster Marvel movies. It is a popcorn-eating, happy, and entertaining take on historical fantasy, so if you are in the mood for simple plots that tie up at the end like a bow on a birthday present, these fun, low-stakes reads might be for you. Out of all five of the released books, this one ranks fairly low on the full list, but it earns a solid 3.5/5 only because the Edian/Verity political and philosophical differences felt too complex and out of place at times for such a silly little book.
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