Uncontrollable Snorting and Laughing Out Loud While Reading My Lady Jane

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows
Publisher: HarperTeen (7th Jun 2016)
Format/Source: Hardback (purchased)

Blurb:
At sixteen, Lady Jane Grey is about to be married off to a stranger and caught up in a conspiracy to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But those trifling problems aren’t for Jane to worry about. Jane gets to be Queen of England.

Like that could go wrong.

Rating: 5/5

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Hello, my darling bookish friends! It’s finally 2017 and if I didn’t get a chance to wish you a happy new year.. HAPPY NEW YEAR, my bookish lovelies. I do apologise for my short absence as I am still having my exams. So, the honour of being the first book review of 2017 goes to My Lady Jane!

Well, I have heard rave reviews about My Lady Jane even before its publication last June but I never got around to getting the book since hardbacks are so expensive! However, living in Malaysia, we are lucky to have bookstores that stock both the UK and US editions of books but I refused to get the UK edition – though it’s cheaper – because the cover is just…

After a disastrous trip to BBW where I only bought one book, I decided to treat myself with the hardback of My Lady Jane. In case you’re wondering what BBW is, it’s a year-end book sale in Malaysia where books have a 75-95% discount and if you’re lucky, you’ll find some pretty cool gems! Anyway, back to the glorious hunk of humour that is My Lady Jane!

“He pretended to stretch his arms, in order to shift even closer to her. (This isn’t in the history books, of course, but we’d like to point out that this was the first time a young man had ever tried that particular arm-stretch move on a young woman. Edward was the inventor of the arm stretch, a tactic that teenage boys have been using for centuries.)”

If you’re looking for something that will make you laugh your ass off, then look no further because My Lady Jane was comedy gold. Imagine reading a book where you’re constantly snorting/laughing/cackling/crying from laughing. How embarrassing is that, no? But you’ll forgive the Lady Janies because My Lady Jane has such a great plot and it is filled to the brim with light-hearted humour and sass.

“So. Her husband-to-be was a philanderer. A smooth operator. A debaucher. A rake. A frisker. (Jane was something of a walking thesaurus when she was upset, a side effect of too much reading.)”

How the heck do I express my love for this book without spoiling it for you? Damn it, it’s not going to be easy but I shall attempt to convince you to pick this incredibly funny book up and love it as much as I did. Oh, bollocks.

“On everyone’s lap rested a book. Any book. In case the wedding got boring.”

Here’s all you need to know about My Lady Jane:

1. The heroine, Jane Grey is a total book nerd and she’s extremely sassy. Did I mention that she loves books because that’s like an instant connection with the MC, dude.


2. There’s shape-shifting magic and Jane’s betrothed is a horse. And horse jokes. Come on, the world is shit, laugh a little, guys.


3. HORSE JOKES.


4. The dedication in My Lady Jane is everything. If you don’t get it, it’s fine. Just turn on the stove and lie down.

“I’m so hungry I could eat a horse. Oh. Sorry, G. Not you, of course.”

The Lady Janies have totally outdone themselves. Though I am not familiar with their books, I’ve only read Jodi Meadow’s The Orphan Queen but after reading – and loving – My Lady Jane, I am sold. Their combined efforts in retelling one of history’s most tragic events in a comical and farcical way was spot-on and I was at a loss for words after I’ve finished this gem. I held it in my arms and sighed. My Lady Jane is perfection.

I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly I fell into the story because the tone the Lady Janies chose to go with the story which focused primarily on the humour behind the actual story and it was wonderful and light-hearted and just so funny. If you don’t believe me, I suggest you to read the teaser on Amazon. Then get a copy of this incredible book. The writing is delightfully easy to read and love. The running commentary throughout the book was genius and it added more wit and charm to this witty and charming tome.

“You should try to be nicer to the other horses. You're herd animals. Who will you run with if he goes back to tell the others of your two-faced personality? Who will you compare apple notes with? Soon you won't have any friends but me.”

I wish I could go on and shower this book with more praises and kisses and hugs – I did fall asleep hugging it – but it would waste your time reading my review that would hardly do justice to My Lady Jane instead of reading it!

“The worst part about her new chambers was that all these wardrobes and vanities and drapes meant there was no space--none at all--for a bookcase. Who on earth could feel comfortable enough to sleep in a room with no books?”

To sum it up, My Lady Jane is a glorious marvel. I had so much fun reading this version of Lady Jane Grey’s fate and how she saved England from the evil grasps of Bloody Mary. The characters were fantastically written, the writing is engaging and I was so hooked on the story of a bookish heroine saving England and kicking ass, no pun intended. If you want to watch a snippet of me being a total fanboy over My Lady Jane, I recommended it on my dear friend, Maliemania’s video. Yes, I am on the YouTube. Ain’t that neat?