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 This book is full of historical references, puns, mystery, action/adventure, romance, friendship, deceit, I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait to recommend it to my students.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 audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The first in a new series of books from the team that brought us the Jane series. This book tells the story of Mary, Queen of Scots with some fantastical elements brought in. Mary is an E∂ian with the ability to turn into a mouse. which is not in the history books. I do like like it when writers take actual historical events and weaving in fantastical elements to create new stories. This book was a great example of that. The version I am reviewing was a Voice Galley version which turn out much better that I expected as far as expression of emotion and pacing.

"Imagine if you will, dear reader, the Louvre in Paris, France in the days before it became a museum. An enormous marble palace stretching along the banks of the Seine. Then imagine a garden behind that palace; a large expanse of meticulously upkept greenery, fountains, and courtyards. In the back of one such courtyard was a... butt. No, dear reader, not a backside type butt, but an archery butt, which is the thing with the bullseye on that archers shoot arrows at" -page 1.

My Contrary Mary is absolutely filled with just the right sort of humor. It's loosely based on the story of Mary Queen of Scotts, but brings new life and a much more interesting ending to this highly-romanticized tale. I loved how key historical facts sneaked into the magical realism, which led me to do more research myself. I was already recommending this one to my book club before I'd even finished it, and my recommendation still stands. It includes themes such as growing up, choosing what's right, judging people by their character rather than looks or reputation, discovering what true love is, and recognizing that racial and sexual diversity has a place even in formal societies. It's rather amazing how all of this is wrapped into one little book and pulled off with humor and style without resorting to inappropriate or gory scenes. this might be one of my favorite books of the year and I can't wait for the sequel.

This audiobook had a synthetic voice robot narrator so it's not the final version yet. I kind of liked the robot voice though because it made all the sarcastic humour in the book so much better. There were so many little quips and jokes that made the story very entertaining to listen to. However, for some reason it felt like the audiobook dragged on forever so I ended up listening to it at 1.5X the speed. The plot seemed a little bit like a slice-of-life manga with lots of big events happening throughout. It fit together well but felt so long and dragged out. There was a ton of plotting and intrigue though which is typical of the location and time period. I wasn't a huge fan of Mary, Francis, and Ari but I guess they all went through some character growth and redeemed themselves by the end? My favourite character was definitely Flem though. Overall this was a pretty interesting story but just felt really long.

This book was fun, engaging, and enjoyable. It was a great twist on history and the life of Mary Queen of Scots. The magical elements give the story a fun and exciting twist. I would definitely recommend this book to my students!

I go the audio version, however I believe that not my reason behind my 3 stars. My opinion is this book lags excitement , however anyone who enjoys history might really enjoy this to the max. I personally didn’t so that is why.

I really enjoy these books. the author team has a very seamless flow, and their pacing on the stories is always great. I love hearing alternative history retellings, and if you want to throw in some shapeshifters, I'm down with that!! adds more fun :)
the way these books are written make me feel like I know more about the historical events and people, but also makes me want to investigate more. thanks to Netgalley for an opportunity to listen to this audiobook

We all know the story of Mary Queen of Scotts, and My Contrary Mary adds a fantasy shapeshifting twist. Think Muggles vs. Marauders. There is a war within the castle walls. Our omniscient and modern narrators add tongue-in-cheek humor and joy to this story. It is self aware and does not take itself too seriously, knowing that it is toying with history. I laughed aloud a hundred times. I had a few issues with the pacing, and one of the narrator's choices were so infuriating that it took me a long time to get through the story. This was almost too effective in its execution. Yet, the ending was both tantalizing fun, and fulfilling.

Thank you to NetGalley, the authors, and Harper Audio for allowing me to read this voice galley in exchange for an honest review.

As with her other books, Cynthia Hand cleverly and enjoyably puts a twist on history to make a thoroughly fun and funny book about Mary, Queen of Scots. So enjoyable, I will definitely recommend.

I've been meaning to read these co-authors' other series "The Lady Janies" for a while now but hadn't gotten around to it. So, I jumped at the chance to read an ARC of the first book in their new Mary themed series and I'm so glad I did!

I've always been a fan of Mary Queen of Scots so I was excited to read a new book about her. However, I was also a little wary as I thought how many times can you read the same story and still find it entertaining? Boy was that not the case with this retelling of Mary's story! Right from the very beginning, the narrators tell you that they are changing the story to give Mary a happy ending and I was intrigued to see how they would manage this. Then instead of tensions between Catholics and Protestants as you would expect, there is conflict between Eðian, individuals who can turn themselves into animals, and Veritie people, who cannot. This adds a much more magical and fantastic element to what is otherwise a historical retelling.

My Favorite part of this book is the narrators. Throughout the story, they address the reader and add their own thoughts and comments. The tone of the book is incredibly witty, sarcastic, and irreverent. It's really a breath of fresh air in the YA genera, which I find can sometimes take itself a bit too seriously. It's a different type of story writing than I have experienced before and I quite appreciated that. Although, I can see how if you were expecting a more traditional historical fiction novel it could be frustrating to read.

In this past year where the real world seems so dark, I have increasingly found myself drawn to light-hearted stories with happy endings and that is exactly what this book provides. It is a page-turning adventure, that had me legitimately laughing out loud. If you are looking for a happy ending to a traditionally dark tale this is the book for you.

I recieved an advanced audiobook copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

This novel took me a little bit to get into it because I love history at this time frame and it felt jarring since they were re-writing history a bit! However, then I really started to enjoy the novel and I like that the narrator is not involved in the story, merely telling it! The quirky remarks and references to modern day pop culture was quite funny. And probably my favorite thing was all of Aristotle's visions....pay attention when she references them, it will make you laugh out loud!

A fun enjoyable book and I appreciate the change in history and it makes you wonder what would have happened in the history books if it ended up in real life like it did in this novel.... super fun and I am excited to explore all their other novels!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an audiobook ARC of My Contrary Mary.

As someone who really liked the Lady Janies trilogy, especially the first book, My Lady Jane, I was thrilled to find out not only are the authors starting a new trilogy dedicated to the Marys throughout history, but that My Contrary Mary returns to the world of Eðians and Verities.

It is a clever and fun premise, changing history to give historical figures happy endings, and adding magic into it. So many times books with magic tend to be dark, but this series/book is lighthearted and you'll smile throughout.

Brief book synopsis:
Mary is the queen of Scotland, engaged to Francis, the future king of France. She is also hiding that she is an Eðian, a dangerous thing to be when living in a Verity-loving kingdom, from everyone sans Francis and her ladies in waiting. Francis and Mary must battle scheming courts and relatives, with the help of their friends, if they want to keep their thrones and lives.

I liked the new characters we were introduced to - Mary Queen of Scots, Francis, and Ari. Ari was my favorite because her (pop culture) visions of the future made me chuckle and I enjoyed the potion making. It was enjoyable to read how these main characters are able to battle conniving villains and gain their agency and confidence in the end. I also enjoyed how there's more pop culture references/dialog sprinkled throughout the final battle.

Anyone who loved My Lady Jane is going to enjoy stepping back into the world of Eðians and Verities. And while I don't think you have to read My Lady Jane first in order to enjoy or understand this book, it will make certain cameos more exciting. It made me so very happy to see the cameos.

This was my first installment of these fantasy retellings of historical woman by these authors, and I enjoyed it so much more than I thoughts I was going to.

The first thing to comment on is the way they tell the stories. The writing is humorous, and while it felt like at times it took away from the importance of the story, for the most part it added a lot of interest to what could have been a dull historical event.

Mary was a great characters (all of them). They helped show the many sides of this queen while also explaining why should would have made some of the choices we see today as being dumb. She was well rounded and a great perspective for us to follow through most of the story.

My favorite part was the magic that they threated throughout. Not only did it add so much more to the story, but it also helped explain some of the political intrigue that was going on at these courts. Of course the magic was all made up, but it blended with the story so well there were times it was hard to believe that the authors added it in.

The ending was wrapped up too quickly for my taste. Everything was done well, no major ex machines to speak of, but I felt like we covered a lot in the last 5 chapters and it would have been nice to spend a little more time coming to grips with what was happening. The romance also escalated so quickly in the end, whereas through most of the book it was believable, here it just seemed to come to a head.

As I received an ARC, the narrator was a robot and I cannot judge how well that did on telling the story. I also think it would have been nice to have a part at the end of the book talking about the real history, and where the authors chose to change it (and why). There are a few hints to the real story throughout the book, but a part at the end could do some real justice to the real heroic women.

Overall I really enjoyed this story, like I said earlier so much more than I thought I would, and I am grateful to have received and ARC so early.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio for giving me a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first of Hand, Ashton, and Meadows' books that I have read and it has definitely piqued my interest. My Contrary Mary is a historical fiction with inventive fantastical elements which take the Queen of Scots story to a whole new leave.

While the life event of Queen Mary are rather somber and dispiriting these three authors keep things light with witty writing, hilarious characters, and a few creative liberties that are sure to keep you guessing. I love their nod to a few classic fair tails while highlighting the most important events that lend to the Queens untimely demise... or did they?

Although I found the plot dragged a bit in the middle it never lost me completely and then end pulled me right back in. The narrators injected references to modern day pop-culture where so fun really adding to the overall charm of the novel. The final scenes felt a bit abrupt however I largely enjoyed listening to My Contrary Mary.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars for this witty, hilarious, and fantastical twist on a fascinating historical figure with a G rating

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Harper Collins, for providing me with AUDIO ARC prior to publication for an honest review.

This was a lot of fun!!! It's the same formula as their other series, the Lady Janies, which I have no complaints about because let me tell you, that formula WORKS for them. I also can see that their writing has improved so much over time and given that I loved all their other books it's no surprise that this one was a riot as well.

Hand, Ashton, and Meadows' My Contrary Mary was a wild, hilarious, and all-around enjoyable read.

It follows Mary Queen of Scots, King Francis, and Aristotle, a potion-maker who can see the future, as they navigate the European Geo-politics in a fantastical setting. As the authors mention before the story begins, they took many creative liberties with Mary's history and completely reinvented her story. I really liked this reinvention because there are many stories about Mary in all different kinds of media, so it allows this one to stand out. The fantastical element is also well-done and made this a very enjoyable read.

Part of the reinvention of Mary's story is the way she and Francis are characterized. It was easy to love Mary and Francis's characters. Specifically, the scenes in the beginning of the book, showing Mary's life before the plot, do a good job of crafting her as an interesting and admirable character.

That being said, as the plot moved on, there were a few problems that arose. Many of the actions that Mary took did not seem in line with the rest of her characterization. She makes many decisions that someone that grew up in the French Court would not have made. This book does not pretend to be historically accurate, which I appreciate because it made the story enjoyable, but regardless, Mary would not have been as dumb in a lot of scenarios as she was. There was payoff in the third act, but the ending felt a little bit rushed too. This problem with the plot and the way it related to Mary's characterization is the reason my review was lower.

In regards to the writing style, it was witty and fun. I particularly enjoyed how the authors interwove humorous allusions to modern day-pop culture into this old story.

Overall, if you read The Lady Janies books and liked them, I think you will thoroughly enjoy this book. It was creative, witty, and hilarious. Although the problems with the plot did distract from the reading experience, overall, I would still recommend it to these readers and anyone that loves reading about this era.

The Jane series by this trinamic trio of authors are the most hilarious YA books I've ever read, so I was excited to read something about Mary for a change. The name may be different, but the writing is still as reference-laden and hilarious. A laugh out loud read for all ages!

Okay, I have to start by saying that when I saw this available on NetGalley, I SQUEALED. I am a big fan of The Lady Janies, and My Lady Jane is my favorite of that series, so this was truly a gift to discover.

In My Contrary Mary, we return to the world of My Lady Jane and hop on over to France, where Mary, Queen of Scots is set to marry Francis II.

I absolutely adored both Mary and Francis! I could read an entire series following their friendship and later marriage. They both have solid character arcs, and while I don’t always need that in this type of book, I certainly appreciate it.

Ari is a bit insufferable, which is sometimes fun but often annoying. Her side of the story becomes more interesting once she’s with Francis and isn’t focused solely on being a lovesick pup.

The rest of the characters are lots of fun. Especially Nostradamus!

The tone, humor, and style that makes The Lady Janies series such a delight is also present here. And thank goodness, really, because couldn’t we all use a little levity right now? Rich in pop culture references and historical references, this is a great read for anyone who lives for endless research into random topics.

I’m excited to do a re-read of My Lady Jane and then My Contrary Mary. That sounds like a very enjoyable weekend!

Another great book by these wonderful ladies! I love that we were taken back to the Lady Jane universe. I was so interested in Mary's story from My Lady Jane and I love that we got a chance to see her story unfold. Can't wait to have a copy of this book in my hands!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC (Voice Galley)!

Hand, Ashton, and Meadows just rock this set up. Set in the same world of Edians and Verities as My Lady Jane, this book follows Mary (Queen of Scots), Francis (dauphin -> king of France), and Ari (daughter of Nostradamus).

It has the same levity, wit, and willingness to eschew facts for happy endings as they showed In the My Lady Janies and books. It’s not longer a novel writing style, so some of the magic is slightly lost. However, I greatly enjoyed reading it and will continue to read all such books by these lovely authors!