Cynthia Hand

I was shocked when I was able to get an ARC of this book. As most of you know, I really enjoyed My Plain Jane last year and was greatly anticipating My Contrary Mary.
One thing I really appreciated was the humor. It was very similar to My Plain Jane and I had missed it in the second book of the Jane series. (It was also nice to see Jane and G again, even if for a few pages.)
I guess I just wasn't fond of the plot in general. It seemed to be a bit all over and without a clear, concise focus.
Overall, I'm glad I gave this one a try and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the Jane series.

3.5/5

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.… (mer)

Full review: https://wanderinglectiophile.wordpress.com/2018/06/20/review-my-lady-jane-by-cyn...

Let me start by saying I really enjoyed this book! It was a great break from the suspenseful, “oh sh*t” provoking reads I normally pick up. Having said that, it’s probably not for everyone. Nor is it one you should pick up if you aren’t in the mood for a lighthearted, silly, historical-fiction comedy. This book is filled with witty quips, puns, Monty Python-esque jokes, and genuinely hilarious one-liners. Which proved to keep me giggling and snorting out loud throughout. Thankfully for me, I “read” this one via audiobook so it was mostly while I was in my car, alone; no one heard the embarrassing snort-giggles that erupted from me.

The story is a Tudor retelling from the time of Kind Edward VI’s reign, in which The Narrators tell the “real story” of Lady Jane Grey and I enjoyed it way more than I would have expected to. The three main characters are so lovable and full of depth. Sure the characters have flaws and elements that would disgust or irritate some readers, but what kind of story can be had from perfect characters??

I also really enjoyed the inter-character relationships of Jane and Gillford as well as Edward and Gracie, they were just delightful. I felt like the inter-character relationship between Jane and Edward could have been stronger, but I wasn’t altogether disappointed with it either. I also feel like Edward’s character could have used some more…something… I found myself less interested in his perspective than in Jane or G’s.

I love the premise of adding a magic system to a historical retelling. It makes for a really interesting and exciting view of history. The plot of the story was good and flowed easily with the exception of one part – which I’m not going to specify so that I don’t spoil if for anyone else. The humorous, puny spin added a fun layer to the plot that remained consistent throughout the story. There are, unfortunately, a few cliches and tropes but I think that’s to be expected in a story like this. If you’re in the right mind-frame at the time of reading this book, you will likely be okay with it and gloss over them if those types of things normally bug the stuffing out of you. The writing was good, though with a few inaccuracies in the plot, but nothing that’ll make you want to gouge your eyes out…or at least I didn’t think so.

I think that going with the audiobook might have been the best bet as well. The actual narrator – not the ones “telling you the story” as mentioned in the book – Kellgren, did a really good job and made the story a lot of fun. She managed to give the characters the right accents for their perspective origins and with lots of inflection. She also did a superb job of delivering those sarcastic one-liners and puns that would have been less likely to make me giggle if I had read them in the conventional way. Her only shortcoming? She has a tendency to yell when the characters squabble or when the action scenes are building. Sure, some of that is really useful in making a story come to life in an audio file, but she could have dialed it down a notch or two and still accomplished the same thing.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and will be picking up the next book in the The Lady Janies series soon. If you’re looking for a true historical fiction book; this isn’t the book for you. If you will have an issue with blatant changes made to history; this isn’t the book for you. If you aren’t into this type of comedy; this isn’t the book for you. If you’re not in the right mood for this kinda humor; wait until you are.… (mer)

I really am enjoying this series, despite some of the things that irritate me about the main character - which didn't happen in Unearthly...I liked her until Hallowed. And I guess it's not that I entirely dislike the protagonist, really, I just wish she'd grow up already and take stock of what really matters in life. I liked book 2.5. It is engaging, as are books one and two. I like the writing. And I really loved that in this installment, we get to learn more about Angela. I even liked that the narration switched between Clara and Angela each chapter. I'm not so sure that I trust Phen - how can you be an 'ambivalent' angel? And Clara...? I still am a little miffed with Clara, like I was after reading Hallowed, which I've already written about, so I won't do it again here. You're welcome. :) This obsession she has with Tucker is just plain annoying. All through this novel she's pining away after him, Tucker this and Tucker that, and oh, yeah, by the way...I'm so sad that my mom died and my dad is gone. And - here's the best part - my little brother is MISSING! But let me run off to Italy with my friend and spend my summer thinking about my ex. I wanted to yell at her, "Your brother is missing!! What are you doing in Italy? Why aren't you looking for him?! This is NOT normal! And it is UNACCEPTABLE!" I find it a very alarming trend in some - not all - some YA fiction that family is made to be the least important thing in life. So, maybe Clara has gone to Italy to get away from both Tucker and Christian and her grief over all her loss. If it wasn't for her brother being MIA, I wouldn't have a problem with that. But...Clara is still young, so I just chalked it up to major immaturity and read on. And, overall, I did like the novella. And Clara does try to look out for Angela, which redeems her a little for me. I enjoyed reading the little bits with Angela's Italian famly. And I like the introduction of the new character (Phen) to give Angela her own problems and storyline. And I absolutely loved the last line of the story! And I read the little teaser chapter of book 3 - Boundless - and I am really looking forward to that one coming out in January!!… (mer)

I wanted to give this 3.5 stars...and I'm not sure how I am going to give a review without spoilers....hmm...

Okay - I can't review this without spoilers, but I will try to limit them. First of all, I did enjoy the book overall and I will be reading the next. There were some very emotional scenes which were written very well - you may even need a Kleenex. There were also some nail-biting moments that were very well done. However, I am not as happy with "Angel-Girl" as I was in the first book. In fact, I am a little bit irritated with her. Her mother is dying and all she can think about is how she can spend some time with her boyfriend - what? And if she's so eaten up with him that it knocks her dying mom to the rear, why does she continue to put him in danger like she does? Also, her brother - what in the world is up with him hiding the fact that he discovered his "purpose" in the first book? Isn't fulfilling their "purpose" supposed to be the most important thing these Angel-bloods do with their lives? And knowing that his is all mixed up with his sister's makes it even more perplexing that he never bothered to tell anyone anything - not his mother or his sister.

I like the dad showing up. That was good. And I liked the "Angel Conference" they had and the introduction of some new characters and the mild fleshing out of some of the ones that were introduced in the first book. The ending was well done and I am looking forward to the next book, but still...I'm a little disenchanted with Miss Clara. She acted like a 12 year old through much of this installment. I hope she grows up a little before she starts college.… (mer)