My Lady Jane

Written by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

Published by Harper Teen, June 7, 2016

My star rating: 5 million stars!!!

THE SYNOPSIS:

Edward (long live the king) 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 (reads too many books) is Edward’s cousin, and far more interested in books than 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 (call him G) 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? Find it on Goodreads

MY REVIEW:

OMG!!! There aren’t enough words in the english language to express my undying love for this book! I am SO mad that I put off reading this one for so long! It will easily make the top 10 of 2018 list – IT WAS SO AMAZING!!! This review will basically just be a whole lot of word vomit where I express my overwhelming love for this book, so hold onto your hats ladies and gents!

I put this book off for so long because I was apprehensive about it. I knew that it involved a man that could turn into a horse. That just sounded way too weird and on the verge of magical realism which I normally despise. And I also tried to read the first chapter a while ago and didn’t particularly enjoy the character of King Edward. So I just assumed I wouldn’t like it. WRONG! This book was EVERYTHING!

We get the perspectives of three main characters. King Edward, his cousin Lady Jane, and Jane’s new husband/horse Gifford (referred to as G) I absolutely love multiple perspectives and this one was SO well done! Each of these characters has their own story line that merges and separates as the story progresses. Sometimes they are together, sometimes they’re on their own, but all of the events run parallel making the plot cover a lot of action and ground.

Edward was a little hard to care about in the beginning. He was kind of a spoiled boy king who never really had to do anything on his own. With everything handed to him, he felt so entitled and couldn’t make a decision for himself. As much as I didn’t really enjoy him in the beginning, he ended up being a great perspective! His character arc was well developed and we watch him grow as he gains some freedom and makes his own choices based on his heart.

Jane is my new bookish best friend! Lover of books (that’s literally all she could think of), not afraid to speak her own mind, fearless, and bold. She was an absolute delight to follow on this adventure! And she was only strengthened when she meets and marries G. They’re both so young (16 I believe) and are forced into this marriage and political game. They’re trying to find out who they are and now they’re forced into marriage and fighting for the entirety of England. These two together made me laugh so hard! They were sheer brilliance!

Which brings me to the next point. THANK YOU to the authors for developing a relationship properly!!! There was no insta-love and the relationships between Jane and G, and Edward and his female friend, grew slowly. There was instant attraction but that’s a normal human emotion. But these relationships grew slowly. There were mistakes, bad decisions, awkwardness, communication errors (I mean how does one properly convey emotions with a horse??). It was all realistic and possibly the most adorable thing I’ve ever read! Me as a reader could see their love (and so could the other characters), but when that character is in the middle of it, there’s so much uncertainty. It often takes the person in love a little longer to see it and accept it.

Another seriously well done element is the politics. While you’re reading, all the pieces seem small. But when you finish reading and sit back to look back at all the players and the moves made, it’s mind-blowing! There are so many players in this game and each one of them has their own motives. Watching it all play out and seeing the pieces of the puzzle moving together was so entertaining!

The only thing I will warn you about is the fact that this is a historical “fiction”. They warn you right out of the gate that this is a made up elaboration of the lives of these characters. So if you’re going into this expecting to learn some truth about their lives, this isn’t the book for you.

This book was light hearted (for the most part), entertaining, adventurous, fantastical, adorable, and, most of all – ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS! I have vowed to read anything that these ladies write together! I know the second instalment and companion novel, My Plain Jane, is coming in June and I absolutely can’t wait! I know for a fact that I’ll reread this one before the year is over!

Until next time, happy reading!