My Lady Jane - Book Review

My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies #1)
by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

What is it about:
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?

What did I think of it:
This is such a fun read.

As you can see my copy of this book has 'The not entirely True Story' under the title, so I went into this book knowing it would not come close to historical events. If you do not like it when people take liberties with history this is not your book. If you do however like a re-imagining of historical events and like your books funny, pick this book up!

I myself was hooked from the start. I loved the humor used in this book, and I loved Jane from the start. She's a total bookworm, how could I not love her!? Besides Jane, both Edward and Gifford/G are viewpoint characters as well. I really liked them as well, although they couldn't beat Jane.

The first part of the book does mostly follow historical events (horses, other shape-shifters and such aside). It's later on in the book that the story steers away from history all together. I can tell you I was eager to find out what would happen to everyone, and if Jane and G could learn to work together. Edward's predicament was just as suspenseful, and I cheered the three of them on to stay alive, keep their heads, and get a happily ever after.

All in all a fun and very entertaining read. I think I'll pick up the next Jane book (which is about another Jane and can be read as a standalone) once it releases.

Why should you read it:
It's a funny and enjoyable read.


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Before She Ignites - Book Review

Before She Ignites (Fallen Isles Trilogy #1)
by Jodi Meadows

What is it about:
Before

Mira Minkoba is the Hopebearer. Since the day she was born, she’s been told she’s special. Important. Perfect. She’s known across the Fallen Isles not just for her beauty, but for the Mira Treaty named after her, a peace agreement which united the seven islands against their enemies on the mainland.

But Mira has never felt as perfect as everyone says. She counts compulsively. She struggles with crippling anxiety. And she’s far too interested in dragons for a girl of her station.

After

Then Mira discovers an explosive secret that challenges everything she and the Treaty stand for. Betrayed by the very people she spent her life serving, Mira is sentenced to the Pit–the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles. There, a cruel guard would do anything to discover the secret she would die to protect.

No longer beholden to those who betrayed her, Mira must learn to survive on her own and unearth the dark truths about the Fallen Isles–and herself–before her very world begins to collapse.

What did I think of it:
I usually don't buy hardcovers, but wait (im)patiently for the paperback. For this book I made an exception as I was just too curious if it was as good as the gorgeous cover and the blurb promised.

And let me tell you: this is a great read.

Even though I didn't get as much dragons as I hoped for, I fell in love with this story. Mira is an unusual, but very relatable heroine with her compulsive counting and her anxiety. I also love that she struggles between doing the right thing and doing what's safer for herself. I loved getting to know her and to see her interact with those around her.

The story is told switching back and forth in time. As a reader you at first dont know why Mira was send to prison, but with flashbacks the story slowly unfolds.

I loved the parts that took place in the Pit. Mira makes friends and enemies there. But is every friendly face to be trusted, and is every enemy as evil as Mira thinks? The characters all felt very real and I eagerly kept reading to see where things would lead.

The ending gives closure on some storylines, so you don't feel like you're left hanging, but there's so much yet to come and to discover, you can bet I'll be getting my greedy trotters on the next book once it releases.

Why should you read it:
It's a cool YA Fantasy read with dragons.


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Incarnate - Book Review

Incarnate (Newsoul #1)
by Jodi Meadows

What is it about:
New soul

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies--human and creature alike--let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

What did I think of it:
This was a nice and cute read with a bit of suspense and drama.

I really liked the idea of a world full of people who constantly reincarnate and are aware of this. It raises questions on how you would live your life in such a case and I was happy to see that Meadows used this in how the other characters react to Ana. It made for some interesting reading.

The suspense part of the story was intriguing although some events could have used a bit more working up to. I like it when you do not see certain things coming even though when they happen you discover there were clues along the way all along. In this book they were either absent or blaringly obvious.

I really liked Sam, he was a breath of fresh air after all the brooding, misunderstood youngsters you usually encounter in Young Adult fiction. Meadows did a good job of mixing his history of many lives already lived with the liveliness of a young man just past his teens. It made Sam a surprisingly likeable and balanced character.

All in all this is a pleasant read with some food for thought and I might give the second book a try once it's released.

Why should you read it:
It's a cute YA Fantasy that makes you think.