My Lady Jane
by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, and Brodi Ashton
Published by: HarperTeen
Format: OwlCrate Hardback
Big Themes: Tudor England, Alternate History, Animal Transformation, Love

Summary from Goodreads:
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?

My thoughts:
Such a fun read!! This alternate history of Tudor England features many prominent British figures from the monarchy, but takes some liberties with who does and does not lose their head.

The book switches between three point-of-view characters. I loved their version of Jane Grey, a bookworm with a noble heart. Gifford, Jane’s arranged husband and part-time horse, was fun to read. He is a lover of poetry and watching him fall in love with Jane made your heart melt to mush. And finally, Edward, reigning King of England, was surprisingly sympathetic with his own adventure, internal journey, and romantic crush.

If you enjoy alternate histories, this is a fun one! One of my favorite alternate histories is Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan series. Fans of that series would definitely enjoy this! Both have strong feminist undertones, hints of magic, and are woven with bits of real history.

Overall:
Four stars! Definitely worth reading if you like history or a sweet romance. Lots of fun!