I loved how funny and lighthearted the Jane books were by these authors and this one was just as good. It had me laughing out loud in some parts and the story was so easy to follow and heartwarming.

*Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this title!*

Mary is the Queen of Scotland, and will soon be the wife of the King of France. (She likes him well enough.) She's lived in France since she was a small child, with her ladies-in-waiting, all of whom are named Mary, and has the secret power to turn into a mouse and go spying on the rest of the palace (even though animal shape-shifters are being persecuted all across Europe), which she sometimes does for political reasons, and sometimes just for the fun of it. Add in Nostradamus's daughter, Ari, who is kinda in love with one of her ladies, and has premonitions of movie scenes far in the future, and some court intrigue, and Mary's got her hands full. Of course, they're about to be even fuller once she gets married, and while the wedding itself doesn't scare her, the wedding night? Yeah, that scares her. Oh, plus her uncles are up to something, and she hasn't gotten a letter from her Mom in way too long, AND the kitchen isn't allowed to make biscuits for a month. What a life!

Reader notes: First the Jane books and now the Marys - I love it! Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows have delighted me yet again with their latest historical fantasy.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I picked up this book because of the authors. I have read books by all three and was excited to jump into something they wrote together. I also love the story of Mary Queen of Scots (I mean, REIGN), so I figured this would be something I would enjoy.
First off I'd like to point out that I have not read any of the Lady Jane books. In my opinion while most of the story in this book does stand alone, I saw many spots where having read the Lady Jane books would have given me more background and made it easier to understand some things that were happening in the book.
I loved the idea of many points of view. It was fun to the read the story from the three different characters (Mary, Francis, and Ari). Each character was unique in how they viewed the world around them.
I will say this book comes off to me as much more upper middle grade than YA. The characters, while teenagers, are very simple in their views of the world around them. They do not appear mature as 17 year old teens might. Maybe I've read too much YA where the teens are more mature than they really should be. But having a 17 year old myself, I think I can with confidence say these characters acted more like my 14 year old.
I did find the pace a bit slow at times. The last 25% was fun and certainly picked up but that is kind of long to wait for things to really happen.
The romance in the book was cute. I liked that we got more than just Mary and Francis with the addition of Ari's perspective. And that the book addressed a relationship what wasn't just male/female in nature.
Overall it was a fun read, though I didn't find myself running to pick it up and read it and it took a bit longer for me to finish than I anticipated.
I definitely recommend this for middle school to young HS students as a fun read that will take you back to Renaissance France.

This book started out very slow for me. I struggled to get into it and I struggled a little bit with the authors' style of writing despite finding the humor in their hidden jokes. I actually ended up taking a break from it and reading another novel in the middle. However, I really wanted to finish it because I got it from NetGalley. With about 150 pages to go it suddent took a turn and because very interesting. The characters grew and started being proactive for themselves and I really wanted to see how it would develop with them changing their attitudes. The last 150 pages made the rest of the book worth it, and I'm really glad I stuck with it. Despite enjoying the conclusion of the book, I don't think I will seek out any of the other books by these authors. Overall a good story, it just didn't grip me the way I like, I wasn't able to get lost in it at all.

*I was provided a copy of My Contrary Mary in exchange for an honest review*

I forgot how fun these books are! Contrary Mary did not disappoint. If only the real Mary had such a happy ending.....

Enjoyable historical novel that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Mary Queen of Scotts is a notrious historical figure. I would become more obsessed if I had more free time.
The authors create a contemporary tale- present day culture referenced to provide humor not to mention the digs at the French as well as aristocrats.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I played the audio version - just an automated version, while my 14 yo daughter did school work. She enjoyed listening- especially the presence of potions.

My Contrary Mary
by Cynthia Hand; Brodi Ashton; Jodi Meadows
HarperCollins Children's Books
HarperTeen
Teens & YA
Pub Date 22 Jun 2021


I am reviewing a copy of My Contrary Mary through HarperCollins Children’s Books and Netgalley:



Come journey with me to France during the Renaissance era, it’s a place of poison, plots, beauties and beasts of mice and of queens.



Mary is the queen of Scotland and the Jewel of the French court. Except when she is a mouse, yes a mouse. Mary is an Eðian (shapeshifter) in a kingdom where Verities rule. It’s a secret that could cost her a head or a tail.





Mary is lucky to have a confidant in her betrothed, Francis. But things at the gilded court take a treacherous turn after the king meets a suspicious end. After being thrust onto the throne Mary and Francis face a viper’s nest of conspiracies, traps, and treason. And if Mary’s secret is revealed, heads are bound to roll.



I give my Contrary Mary five out of five stars, for a unique and creative spin on the tale of Mary the Queen of Scott’s!



Happy Reading!

I LOVE all these books!!! I read all of the Jane series and ATE THEM UP. I was so excited that they are now doing a Mary series.

These books are so much fun to read and informative too. For example, did you know men wore high heels first? I didn't, hahaha.

For a fun, light hearted historical fiction these are definitely a must read!!

Thank you HarperCollins and Netgalley for this fantastic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hand, Ashton, and Meadows once again turn history into a happy ending with twists of humor throughout. I hope there are many more Mary tales to come!

My Contrary Mary is a book about Mary Queen of Scots….sort of. In this historical fantasy, readers return to the universe of My Lady Jane. In this alternative history, there are two types of people: E∂ians or Verities. E∂ians can shape-shift into an animal form, while Verities cannot. In My Contrary Mary, Mary, Queen of Scots, is an E∂ian who can shift into mouse form. Unfortunately for Mary, she is living in exile in France, which just so happens to be a Verity kingdom. If Mary’s secret were to get out, the results would be terrible. Fortunately, Mary has confidants and allies in France: her ladies in waiting and her fiance Francis (the future king of France).

I read this book while I was in a reading slump. Honestly, I am still in a reading slump. Although this book did not cure my reading slump, I did find myself entertained by this alternative history. I loved My Lady Jane, so I was very excited to return to the same universe. Although My Contrary Mary fails to meet the same level of entertainment and humor of My Lady Jane, it is still a fun read. I do think this book is worth a read - the characters are fun and dynamic and the mix of fantasy and history still piques my interest. I particularly enjoyed Ari’s story-line and character development.

I loved returning to the world of Eðians in this latest book from the dream team of Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. In their start to the Mary series, we return to France and Mary Queen of Scots but now she's all grown up and preparing to marry her betrothed Francis. Between politics, being a teenage girl, and secretly being an Eðian in a court of Veritas, Mary has plenty to be rather contrary about. Like the previous Janes series, this start to the Mary series brings history to life with hilarious success, albeit with some poetic license. Mary and her Marys (her ladies maids are all also named Mary) and the squad goals of history, especially once Aristotle (you knew he was really a girl right?) makes a potion-making splash with prophecies from the future. While the first My Lady Jane will likely always be my favorite from this dream team, My Contrary Mary might actually steal the crown with its delightful cast of critters.

Simply Amazing. The lady Ladie Janies Meets tv show Reign. This was the book I was most looking forward to in 2021 and it didn't disappoint. Fun light hearted book.

This story is based loosely around, Mary, Queen of Scots. In this story, she is an Eðian (shapeshifter who can turn into a mouse) in a kingdom where Verities rule. She is betrothed to Francis, King of France. The story is full of conspiracies, traps, and treason. If you love the Lady Janies series, this is VERY similar. These books are just OKAY to me.

*Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book*

3.5 - Fun, humorous, with a bit of history that I didn’t know (and am now interested in learning more about). Much more enjoyable than the last two Jane books. A little long, but I enjoy these narrators very much! Would be interested in the audiobook after it has been recorded. Once I got into it a little bit, I was able to read more.

I enjoyed Ari's visions of iconic movie scenes. But, I could have used more narrator quips (those always add good humor). I will continue reading this series!

This was a little too far from accurate for me. Unlike My Lady Jane where you could clearly understand the how it deviated from history, I found this to be more confusing. I wasn’t sure what was accurate and what wasn’t and was disappointed that I didn’t gain any extra historical knowledge from it.

I struggled with enjoying the characters. * can see this being appealing to YA crowd but too young for me.

I enjoyed My Contrary Mary. It is just as fun and quirky as the other books by these authors. I loved the Princess Bride references. This book made me laugh out loud. It is a fun twist on history. This book is full of historical references, puns, mystery, action/adventure, romance, friendship, deceit, I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to recommend it to my students.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

At first, I wasn't sure what to think as I started reading this book. I have never read any of the authors' previous works, and it started off kind of immature in tone. As I continued reading though, I enjoyed the narrator's view and tone, and it lent a fun, reality tv type vibe to the story. I really enjoyed the characters and their interactions. Overall, it was a fun read!

Contrary Mary is Mary, Queen of Scots. In this version of the story, Mary is, like Lady Jane Grey, an Edian, one who can change into animal form. This book tells of Mary's love for her husband, Francis, King of France and how they supported one another to overcome the attempts of Mary's Uncles and those of Catherine de Medici, Francis's mother, to control France, England, and Scotland.

Filled with references to modern day films and events, the book is a fun read for both the references and fantastical version of alternate history.

Those who enjoyed other books in the "Jane" series will also enjoy Contrary Mary. While readers won't learn actual history, their interest may be piqued enough to investigate 16th century France and England.

I read My Lady Jane so I was prepared for the writing style, but this time around I found the modern pop culture references jarring. There is already so much going on between the magical and "historical" elements that when the narrators would take their aside or Ari would give a prediction, I felt like I was getting whiplash. I can't decide if I like these books and their stylized storytelling or if I'm just rubbernecking past a small fender bender.