My Contrary Mary
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- Create Date：2021-06-20 07:51:13
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Cynthia Hand
- ISBN：0062930044
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Summary
Welcome to Renaissance France， a place of poison and plots， of beauties and beasts， of mice and 。 。 。 queens？⠀
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Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court。 Except when she's a mouse。 Yes， reader， Mary is an Eðian （shapeshifter） in a kingdom where Verities rule。 It's a secret that could cost her a head—or a tail。⠀
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Luckily， Mary has a confidant in her betrothed， Francis。 But after the king meets a suspicious end， things at the gilded court take a treacherous turn。 Thrust onto the throne， Mary and Francis are forced to navigate a viper's nest of conspiracies， traps， and treason。 And if Mary's secret is revealed， heads are bound to roll。⠀
⠀
Mary is the queen of Scotland and the jewel of the French court。 Except when she's a mouse。 Yes， reader， Mary is an Eðian （shapeshifter） in a kingdom where Verities rule。 It's a secret that could cost her a head—or a tail。⠀
⠀
Luckily， Mary has a confidant in her betrothed， Francis。 But after the king meets a suspicious end， things at the gilded court take a treacherous turn。 Thrust onto the throne， Mary and Francis are forced to navigate a viper's nest of conspiracies， traps， and treason。 And if Mary's secret is revealed， heads are bound to roll。⠀
Reviews
Nia Dragin
，
Originally reviewed on Cyn's WorkshopThree brilliant authors are at it again with their historical fiction， bringing imagination and creativity to My Contrary Mary。Great StorytellingIt was such a brilliant move to bring readers back into the Eðian world introduced in My Lady Jane。 This was the setting that opened this portal into a new realm of storytelling。 So， it was great to see this world brought to life again。It was also great to see Jane near the end as part of an Eðian refugee organizatio Originally reviewed on Cyn's WorkshopThree brilliant authors are at it again with their historical fiction， bringing imagination and creativity to My Contrary Mary。Great StorytellingIt was such a brilliant move to bring readers back into the Eðian world introduced in My Lady Jane。 This was the setting that opened this portal into a new realm of storytelling。 So， it was great to see this world brought to life again。It was also great to see Jane near the end as part of an Eðian refugee organization （H。O。R。S。E。）。Nevertheless， like the previous novel， what makes the novel so brilliant is how the authors break the fourth wall。 God， I love the humor in their voices and how they talk to the reader without breaking pace。 It works so well because they make you laugh as they reference history and pop culture。 Moreover， it does not run the risk of taking the reader out of the story。 It pulls the reader deeper into the story。Incredible VoiceAs with their Jane series， authors Hand， Ashton， and Meadows combine their unique voices to bring to life three distinct characters。My Contrary Mary splits between Mary Queen of Scots， the dauphin Francis， and Ari de Nostradame， daughter of the famed seer Nostradamus。 I do not know how these authors do it， but they can imbue these characters with strong personalities that fit within the historical context。 Their personalities also fit within what we as readers know of these characters from historical accounts。Seeing Mary Queen of Scots rise in France and then go on this adventure to Scotland was brilliant。 Her voice was incredible， as was her attitude。 The authors made sure to capture this regal self-assured， strong woman， bringing her to life with such ferocity。 Furthermore， it was great to see her turn into a mouse as well。 Many people do not look at mice much except to rid themselves of them， so it was a clever juxtaposition to her personality。As for Francis， what was great about him was his character growth。 Of course， there is character growth all around but what makes him so remarkable is that he starts insecure， unsure of himself， and the entire experience allows him to grow。 Francis grows into this self-assured young man from the man who never felt worthy of Mary。 This brilliant team of authors made Francis relatable and grounded， making him worthy of the fierce Mary。And then there is Ari。 As the daughter of Nostradamus， with the same gift of mixing potions and seeing the future， she is trying to prove herself to the royal court。 Ari makes many bad decisions， like working for Catherine de Medici， but it mirrors the present-day workforce。 Sometimes people think they must sacrifice their morals and ethics to move up， and while that might make her unlikable， it keeps her relatable。 The reader wants to see her escape the clutches of Catherine， they want to see her grow， and she does。 To see her form an excellent relationship with one of Mary’s ladies and grow into her own person outside of her father’s shadow in a male-dominated era gives her depth。Final ThoughtsMy Contrary Mary was incredible in every way。 The authors rewrite history and use fantasy to highlight those religious prejudices gives the story again this incredible edge。 These authors have once again opened the door to a fantastic new series。See more reviews at Cyn's Workshop and follow me on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Spotify Podcast | YouTube | BookBub | Goodreads+ | LinkedIn 。。。more
Kasey Connors-Beron
，
I received a copy of My Contrary Mary thanks to the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Review:My Contrary Mary is a retelling of Mary， Queen of Scots。 Rather than having conflict between Protestants and Catholics， the conflict is between those who believe it is natural for animal spirits to reside within humans and those who do not。 Regardless of one's beliefs， there are people who can transform into their animal at will， such as Mary。 This is a closely held secret bec I received a copy of My Contrary Mary thanks to the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Review:My Contrary Mary is a retelling of Mary， Queen of Scots。 Rather than having conflict between Protestants and Catholics， the conflict is between those who believe it is natural for animal spirits to reside within humans and those who do not。 Regardless of one's beliefs， there are people who can transform into their animal at will， such as Mary。 This is a closely held secret because being able to transform could result in Mary losing Scotland and， potentially， her life。 I liked the characters， especially Mary and her contrariness。 The other characters were good， Ari and Francis had a stronger and more unique voice than Mary's ladies， which is likely due to them have a POV and the others don't。 I also liked the plot itself。 It was interesting and paced well。 As for what I didn't like。 The 3rd person omnipotent narrator drove me crazy by the end of the story。 At first I thought it was cute， like "haha a contemporary phrase being used in a historical time but phrased like it was the 'first ever use'"， quickly became "seriously？ why？"。 There were moments that felt forced to make these contemporary links appear （The Princess Bride， TMI， Titanic， etc。）。 This took me out of the story on multiple occasions。I was hoping for something more like Reign or The Other Boleyn Girl but what I got had only hints of Reign that were solely there because they are both about Mary， Queen of Scots。 Overall， I thought the book was fine。 Changing from 3rd person omnipotent to 3rd person limited would have made a world of a difference however， but that is definitely a personal preference thing。 。。。more
Amy A
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3。5The brilliant authors of My Lady Jane now turn their talents towards various Marys of history beginning here with Mary Queen of Scots。 Mary has been living in France pretty much her entire life。 Waiting for the day she can claim her throne while betrothed to the Dauphine， Francis。 But Mary has a secret。 She's a mouse。 Yep a mouse。 Meaning she's an Ethian （shapeshifter） living in a Verity （non-shapeshifter） court where her very existence is means for execution。 But keeping her true self a secr 3。5The brilliant authors of My Lady Jane now turn their talents towards various Marys of history beginning here with Mary Queen of Scots。 Mary has been living in France pretty much her entire life。 Waiting for the day she can claim her throne while betrothed to the Dauphine， Francis。 But Mary has a secret。 She's a mouse。 Yep a mouse。 Meaning she's an Ethian （shapeshifter） living in a Verity （non-shapeshifter） court where her very existence is means for execution。 But keeping her true self a secret isolates her from other Ethians within her kingdom who think Mary is a Verity like all the other rulers。 Soon Mary and Francis find themselves embroiled in court intrigue and conspiracies after Francis is forced to take the throne upon his father's untimely death。 Luckily Mary has a confidant in Francis as well as Aristotle， the daughter of Nostradamus。If you haven't read the previous series by these authors， I note here that these are historical retellings and quite frequently do not play out with how actual history played out。 They take a more tongue-in-cheek approach and I find them a fun read。 I love how the authors do incorporate true events into the more fantastical and I like the creative license they take in changing a few events to suite the needs of a more Happily Ever After-type ending。 This time around I especially like Ari's premonitions particularly regarding certain pop culture phenoms and loved how the authors fit them into the story。 But this time around， I just couldn't get into the story as much as I did with previous books。 I think it's because there's this certain level of disconnect between Mary and Francis。 They're supposed to be best friends and confidants。 But they're rarely on the same page and it take almost the whole book of missed connections and mixed messages until they finally get to the point where they are equally together。 It was slightly frustrating。 But I think this kind of speaks to the weight that was on both of their shoulders and at such a young age too when you think about it。 Adding to that all the scheming going on around them， and I completely understand how things get muddled。 I just wish it was one area the authors had chosen to make that one of the creative changes of the story。 Also， Ari was a wonderful character， but I almost wish she had gotten her own story separate from Mary and Francis。 I guess maybe there was someone needed to break up the sections between Francis and Mary and offer a perspective of someone who was not of royal blood， but past a certain point in the book I felt like Ari was completely underutilized as a character。 I wanted a bit more from her when all was said and done and I feel like she fulfilled that in the first half of the book moreso than in the latter half。 Overall， while this one was a bit more difficult for me to get through， I enjoyed many parts and pieces of it。 As even referenced in the book there are A LOT of Marys in history。 So I'm looking forward to who will be the next featured Mary。 I do like that this book kind of brought things back to the very beginning in terms of chronological timeframe and setting even going so far as to feature characters from that very first Lady Janies book。 If you've enjoyed other books in the series， you will love getting back into the same fictionalized history again。 *ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jenna
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3。5 stars。
Jessica （JessiReadsYA）
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Thank you to Harper Teen and Edelweiss for an Advanced Copy of My Contrary Mary！
Fallon
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This was a fun historical read with a magical twist。 Mary Queen of Scotts has always intrigued me。 I will always root for a strong female in power and especially in history when so many were repressed。 This story stays pretty true to the known tale but I did enjoy that it had the surprise element。
Brittany Filopanti
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I was given an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review， via Netgalley。 I have to admit， like My Lady Jane， this story was enjoyable， but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was reading it with my eyes and not listening to it with my ears。 I listened to My Lady Jane and didn't enjoy it as much as My Plain Jane and My Calamity Jane which I physically read。 With that said， I loved this。 I loved Mary， Queen of Scots and King Francis。 I loved the story and Ari and Liz。 I was given an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review， via Netgalley。 I have to admit， like My Lady Jane， this story was enjoyable， but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was reading it with my eyes and not listening to it with my ears。 I listened to My Lady Jane and didn't enjoy it as much as My Plain Jane and My Calamity Jane which I physically read。 With that said， I loved this。 I loved Mary， Queen of Scots and King Francis。 I loved the story and Ari and Liz。 I just loved everyone and can't wait to physically own this one。 。。。more
Cyndi
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I gratefully received this audio from #netgalley。 I loved it！ As you may have guessed this story is about Mary， Queen of Scots。 The author has taken an already interesting historical account and gave it some awesome twists。 She has vibrantly brought the characters to life and given personalities to side characters in Mary's story that were sadly neglected in historical facts。 Then she added some supernatural just to make things more interesting。 An excellent story that is so much better than re I gratefully received this audio from #netgalley。 I loved it！ As you may have guessed this story is about Mary， Queen of Scots。 The author has taken an already interesting historical account and gave it some awesome twists。 She has vibrantly brought the characters to life and given personalities to side characters in Mary's story that were sadly neglected in historical facts。 Then she added some supernatural just to make things more interesting。 An excellent story that is so much better than real life！！ 。。。more
Tiffani Reads
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*Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review。The Lady Janies have done it again！ I just love these books and was so excited to read another book about Edians。 Mary Queen of Scots is a historical figure that I have always wanted to read about so I was so happy when it was announced that this author team was doing a whole Mary series。 Mary is an Edian in France， a strict Verity country。 She has been using her abilities to listen in on all *Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review。The Lady Janies have done it again！ I just love these books and was so excited to read another book about Edians。 Mary Queen of Scots is a historical figure that I have always wanted to read about so I was so happy when it was announced that this author team was doing a whole Mary series。 Mary is an Edian in France， a strict Verity country。 She has been using her abilities to listen in on all the gossip at court while she waits to wed Francis。 This story obviously diverges from the original history but it is oh so funny。 The sneaked in pop culture references had me giggling like crazy while reading。 The one thing I love about all these books is how much random trivia is packed into the narrative。 For instance， I did not know the nursery rhyme， Mary Mary Quite Contrary， was about Mary Queen of Scots。 I was also excited to see Jane and G back for this book。 I really wish there could be a whole series of historical Edians novels because they are just so fantastic。 。。。more
Angela
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I received this as an audio galley to listen to for free in exchange for my honest review。 Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for giving me access。A story about Mary， Queen of Scots -- I am already sold。 Much like the Lady Janies， this takes place in the same world that has magic and Eðians。 And our Mary has a secret， she is an Eðian。 Hand， Ashton， and Meadows are on another adventure featuring the 'Mary's' of history and boy， they know how to weave a story into a story。The whole time all I I received this as an audio galley to listen to for free in exchange for my honest review。 Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for giving me access。A story about Mary， Queen of Scots -- I am already sold。 Much like the Lady Janies， this takes place in the same world that has magic and Eðians。 And our Mary has a secret， she is an Eðian。 Hand， Ashton， and Meadows are on another adventure featuring the 'Mary's' of history and boy， they know how to weave a story into a story。The whole time all I could do was compare it to Reign （TV show） and just imagined those faces as the characters in this story。 While Reign didn't have Eðians， My Contrary Mary was even better。 The sarcasm and wittiness had me chuckling through out and I already want to read it again。 。。。more
Elizabeth Mellen
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Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Audio for the synthesized audioARC of this in exchange for my honest review。 This continued with the same humor as the previous books， which could be counted on to be a lovely change of pace between more series books， I especially liked Ari's "visions"。 However， I felt like this one went a little overboard， it was so long and there were a million and one "but [item] hadn't been invented yet" （to give an example， though this may not be in the finished product， a Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Audio for the synthesized audioARC of this in exchange for my honest review。 This continued with the same humor as the previous books， which could be counted on to be a lovely change of pace between more series books， I especially liked Ari's "visions"。 However， I felt like this one went a little overboard， it was so long and there were a million and one "but [item] hadn't been invented yet" （to give an example， though this may not be in the finished product， a character is described as being on auto-pilot， although auto-pilot， pilots， and autos had not been invented yet） it might've been funnier if they were just sprinkled throughout but they felt so numerous in this one。 The synthesized audio voice was really rough， and while I understand the finished product will be narrated by humans with emotion and pacing， I found it really hard to listen to the robot voice， with it's odd tone， delivery and cadence， and that may have taken away from my enjoyment level as well， and I might give this another try once it is released in it's finished format。 。。。more
Bridgette
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This is everything I loved about the Janies series and then some。 The voice is witty and light， and I absolutely love all the reference to modern day pop culture， especially Ari's visions。 It was great to have new character and a welcome surprise to see some old ones in the last 25% of the book。 This is a perfect opener for the Mary series。 This is everything I loved about the Janies series and then some。 The voice is witty and light， and I absolutely love all the reference to modern day pop culture， especially Ari's visions。 It was great to have new character and a welcome surprise to see some old ones in the last 25% of the book。 This is a perfect opener for the Mary series。 。。。more
Ally Watkins
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3。5 stars rounded up。 I’m kind of disappointed because I LOVED My Lady Jane and My Plain Jane。 I never finished My Calamity Jane due to having a baby and it being significantly harder to read a physical book as opposed to an ebook or audiobook while holding her， but I’ll get there。。。 and I was really enjoying it。 This one， though。。。 this one wasn’t doing it for me as much。 It was funny， but I feel like I was bored because the plot twists， like， weren’t？ I’ve also seen a lot of the show Reign， so 3。5 stars rounded up。 I’m kind of disappointed because I LOVED My Lady Jane and My Plain Jane。 I never finished My Calamity Jane due to having a baby and it being significantly harder to read a physical book as opposed to an ebook or audiobook while holding her， but I’ll get there。。。 and I was really enjoying it。 This one， though。。。 this one wasn’t doing it for me as much。 It was funny， but I feel like I was bored because the plot twists， like， weren’t？ I’ve also seen a lot of the show Reign， so I knew more of the historical context going in？ I’m not sure， I just wasn’t quite as compelled。 。。。more
Elodia
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Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book My Contrary Mary was a fun and fast-paced read。 I loved the show Reign and this book reminded me of so much of it！The characters were really well written， especially Mary！ She was strong but still somewhat too trusting， which led to some betrayals。Frances had the most development throughout the book。 He was very passive， both Mary and his mom would make decisions for him， but by the end， he started standing up for himself。Ari's sections w Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book My Contrary Mary was a fun and fast-paced read。 I loved the show Reign and this book reminded me of so much of it！The characters were really well written， especially Mary！ She was strong but still somewhat too trusting， which led to some betrayals。Frances had the most development throughout the book。 He was very passive， both Mary and his mom would make decisions for him， but by the end， he started standing up for himself。Ari's sections were delightful。 She was the most dimensional character and did things she knew were bad， but most of the time she had good reasons。 Her visions and the references in them were hilarious。It’s rare for a book to make me laugh， but My Contrary Mary had me laughing throughout the book。 。。。more
Raji
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Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own。4。5 starsThank you to the publisher， HarperTeen， and Edelweiss for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。“Which brings us back to our story， starring a teenage queen who hates being told what to do， a prince who has never felt particularly charming， and the daughter of a famous seer who’s about to be dragged into a political game of cat and mouse。 One thing’s for certain: it’s not easy being queen Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own。4。5 starsThank you to the publisher， HarperTeen， and Edelweiss for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。“Which brings us back to our story， starring a teenage queen who hates being told what to do， a prince who has never felt particularly charming， and the daughter of a famous seer who’s about to be dragged into a political game of cat and mouse。 One thing’s for certain: it’s not easy being queen。”Mary is the Queen of Scotland and has been betrothed to Francis， the Dauphin of France since childhood。 It’s finally time for their wedding， which isn’t so bad since they’ve become very good friends over the years。 Mary has gone so far as to even confide her greatest secret to him – she is an Eðian who can turn into a mouse， a secret that could mean her death if revealed， since France is a kingdom of Verities。 When the king meets a suspicious end just days later， Mary and Francis are brought to the throne far sooner than either of them expected and they find themselves at the center of a conspiracy。 The situation back home in Scotland isn’t much better either with the people protesting against the rule of a Verity queen。 With even her own family and close confidants scheming against her， Mary must figure out the truth of the situation before it is too late。I was so excited to hear that these three authors are back with another series of retellings， and I was looking forward to this one in particular， because not only is it a historical retelling， it takes us back into the world of E∂ians and Verities from My Lady Jane。 My Contrary Mary brings us a somewhat revised version of the tale of Mary， Queen of Scots。 Mary is another one of those historical figures whose life was quite a sad tale with a tragic end， so unsurprisingly， I rather enjoyed this much happier， not to mention highly amusing rendition。 The narration was just as wonderful as I remember， and the more contemporary voice used in the story continues to work beautifully。 The very cleverly placed modern references often had me in stitches throughout this fast paced read。With an interesting cast of characters such as the four Marys who serve as Queen Mary’s ladies in waiting， Ari， the daughter of the famous Nostradamus， who prefers making potions over predictions and a couple of scheming uncles， this was an engaging read right from page one。 All the characters were quite well developed， and despite Mary being the titular character of this book， I found that I enjoyed Ari’s perspective the most。 I loved that the characters from My Lady Jane had cameos and it was nice to see what they ended up doing in the years that followed。I have very little to criticize overall， and will only say that the ending felt a little convenient， not to mention quick。 It would have also been nice if Francis had more page time since I felt that we got to know his character the least。 While My Lady Jane remains my favorite of the lot， mainly because it made me laugh more， this easily comes in second。 My Contrary Mary was a true delight to read， and a worthy addition to the set of retellings from these three authors。 While knowing some of the historical background undoubtedly aids in understanding the subtleties of this book better， it is just as enjoyable without it。 Fans of My Lady Jane are sure to enjoy this book and if you’re in the mood to read a highly twisted and hilarious version of history， I would highly recommend it！ 。。。more
Aryssa
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3。4 stars。
☆ sana ☆
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4。5 stars。 queen mary was one of my favorite characters from my lady jane and her book did NOT disappoint at all。
Angela
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*I was supplied with an ARC by NetGalleyThese authors just continue to amaze me with the stories they construct together。 All of these books have been so witty and hilarious。 I recommend not reading these books in public because they WILL make you laugh out loud and then people will stare at you with weird looks （seriously， it happened to me）。I was so ecstatic when there was the announcement of the series of books continuing with Mary's after the Jane's and I hope they will find another name the *I was supplied with an ARC by NetGalleyThese authors just continue to amaze me with the stories they construct together。 All of these books have been so witty and hilarious。 I recommend not reading these books in public because they WILL make you laugh out loud and then people will stare at you with weird looks （seriously， it happened to me）。I was so ecstatic when there was the announcement of the series of books continuing with Mary's after the Jane's and I hope they will find another name they can continue with as well。 It is best to go into all of these books without knowing anything。 Just be ready for a lot of banter， witty and sarcastic humour， and the authors breaking that 4th wall to add their own commentary on the story。 。。。more
Amber Smith
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Can I say how much I love Mary？？！！ This was such an awesome historical fantasy。 I loved seeing characters from the other series。 The story was so fun and hilarious。 Francis grew so much in this book。 They both did really。 I highly recommend this one。 Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Teen for this ARC audio in exchange for an honest review。
Lindsay pinkcowlandreads
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What a fun treat to be back in the world of Verities and Eðians （shapeshifters）that readers were introduced to in My Lady Jane！In this re-telling of the story of Mary Queen of Scots， we are shown her life at court in France where she awaits to be married to her betrothed， the France Dauphin， Francis。 Both Mary and Francy are nearly pawns in their elders plans， but they yearn for a time when they will be able to rule together and make a difference to their respective kingdoms。 Like the other Jani What a fun treat to be back in the world of Verities and Eðians （shapeshifters）that readers were introduced to in My Lady Jane！In this re-telling of the story of Mary Queen of Scots， we are shown her life at court in France where she awaits to be married to her betrothed， the France Dauphin， Francis。 Both Mary and Francy are nearly pawns in their elders plans， but they yearn for a time when they will be able to rule together and make a difference to their respective kingdoms。 Like the other Janite books before this， magic and comedy play a big role and make this story a lot of fun。 The comedic references to modern movies were such a hoot to spot and decipher what movie they were from！This book went at a relatively quick pace and followed our teenage royalty as they attempt to find a way to rule in a divided world。 The Verities and Eðians seem like a good representation of the Catholic and Protestant divide at the time， but this representative divide holds true now where countries still suffer from different divides。This was a good tale and would hold up well for new readers for this trio and returning fans。 I toughly enjoyed returning to this magical land！The voice galley I was provided did not represent the actual audiobook that will be produced。 The narration of this book was created by computer generation。 My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand， Brodi Ashton， & Jodi Meadows is scheduled to release June 22， 2021。I received a complimentary copy of this voice galley from Harper Audio， via NetGalley。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。Blog link: https://pinkcowlandreads。blogspot。com。。。#MyContraryMary #CynthiaHand #BrodiAshton #JodiMeadows #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads 。。。more
Victoria
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I absolutely LOVED listening to My Lady Jane - so I was especially excited to start listening to this one， since Mary Queen of Scots made a cameo appearance in that book， so I was hopeful that Jane would make a reciprocal appearance here （and yes， eventually）。 Set in the same alternate history/fantasy setting where people are divided not my religion， but their views on the humanity of those humans who can take the shape of another animal， this one shows an older Mary as the unrest in France incr I absolutely LOVED listening to My Lady Jane - so I was especially excited to start listening to this one， since Mary Queen of Scots made a cameo appearance in that book， so I was hopeful that Jane would make a reciprocal appearance here （and yes， eventually）。 Set in the same alternate history/fantasy setting where people are divided not my religion， but their views on the humanity of those humans who can take the shape of another animal， this one shows an older Mary as the unrest in France increases。 Mary has a secret that only few know - she， too， can shift shape - into a mouse！ As she prepares for upcoming nuptials， the politics of the pace begin to spin out of control with so many vying for power。 Ari and her visions add a good bit of humor and there's plenty of romance all around - along with excitement， magic and fun。 Most disappointing for me is that the narrator， while talented， isn't nearly as terrific as Katherine Kellgren who narrated My Lady Jane。 There just isn't the same warmth or enthusiasm or comedic timing here。 But， perhaps if that one hadn't been so fresh in my mind， I wouldn't have minded as much。 Either way， I am curious to see which Mary will feature next from this fun series from these three talented authors！ 。。。more
Barbara Schultz
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Well the trio is back with another lady from history。 I have read enjoyed other Cynthia Hand stories as well as the ‘My Lady Jane’ series written by these three。Our lady in this story is Mary Queen of Scots ~ yes the notorious historical ‘beheaded’ character ~ story follows her and Prince Francis of France。 Story takes on some fantasy （perhaps more than ‘some’~ in other words this story is a bit different from the way you remember it happening in any of the history books you have read。 Our aut Well the trio is back with another lady from history。 I have read enjoyed other Cynthia Hand stories as well as the ‘My Lady Jane’ series written by these three。Our lady in this story is Mary Queen of Scots ~ yes the notorious historical ‘beheaded’ character ~ story follows her and Prince Francis of France。 Story takes on some fantasy （perhaps more than ‘some’~ in other words this story is a bit different from the way you remember it happening in any of the history books you have read。 Our authors weren’t pleased with Mary’s tragedies and decided to change up the ending。If you read and enjoyed “My Lady Jane’ you will be pleased at the characters from that story make an appearance ~ a cameo appearance！The four Marys’ will have you laughing。 Mary Fleming ~ Flem; Mary Beaton ~ Bea; Mary Livingston ~ Liv; and Mary Seton ~ Hush，I won’t tell you that this is hilarious as I usually roll my eyes when someone describes a story that way。 It is humorous and I am sure you will find it a fun read！Want to thank NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Book Harper Teen for this eGalley。 This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for my honest professional opinion。 Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 22， 2021 。。。more
Olivia
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I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest reviewThis book was sooo fun！！！ I would say that out of all of the books by these authors， this was definitely my fave！ I adored the characters， and in typical Lady Janies fashion， it made me laugh， which we love。 I felt that the pacing was pretty good， especially compared to their other books。 I also loved the little inception moments :） However， I did find it a bit cheesy at times， which pulled me out of the story。
Ashley
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**30 Books in 30 Days**Book 15/30Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC！ It has not affected the content of my review。I have just finished this and it was glorious。 I didn't know we'd be returning to the same world that their first book was set in！ I've missed those Eðians。 You can read this without having read My Lady Jane first， but I would reccomend doing it anyway because that book is wonderful。 That makes this book an unofficial sequel。I suppose we should have seen it coming， th **30 Books in 30 Days**Book 15/30Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC！ It has not affected the content of my review。I have just finished this and it was glorious。 I didn't know we'd be returning to the same world that their first book was set in！ I've missed those Eðians。 You can read this without having read My Lady Jane first， but I would reccomend doing it anyway because that book is wonderful。 That makes this book an unofficial sequel。I suppose we should have seen it coming， though！ The last time we visited Elizabethan England （or thereabouts） with these authors， it was full of royals and suchlike shapeshifting into animals and causing political turmoil， all while having lovely teenage angst。 Why should the story of Mary， Queen of Scots be any different？ I still haven't read My Calamity Jane， but My Lady Jane was by far my preferred outing by these authors in their first series。 It was funny and smart and silly， and so is this one。 You also learn a lot！ I mean， it does require sifting between the historical truth （Francis， the Dauphin of France did in fact die of an ear malady， King Henry did die in a joust， Mary's uncles were royal trouble-causing leeches at court） and the alternate history （the Catholic and Protestant religious wars and conflicts have entirely been replaced by Eðian （shapeshifters） vs。 Verity （non-shapeshifters） conflict instead）。 I quite liked how these three ladies rewrote history for Mary and her friends and family， just as I liked how Jane Grey's history was rewritten in My Lady Jane。 And we get some cameos from characters from that series！ Which did not feel gratuitous。 The pop culture references were a little much for me this time， but I think that might have been different had I had a normal listening experience （see below）。 There's also a truly hilarious gag where the daughter of Nostradamus （who is a POV character） keeps making prophecies that no one understands， and that is because she only seems to be able to predict the plots of movies made four hundred years in the future）。I listened to the ARC copy of the audiobook， which I did not realize before I requested it would not be read by a person， but by a synthesized computer voice。 It wasn't the best listening experience， although it was surprisingly not bad！ The software they're using is pretty good at pacing and inflecting tone， to the point where if you weren't paying attention you might think it was a real person， but real narrators can understand context and character and nuance， and thus， I missed out on a lot of key character performance that true narrator would bring。 Lesson learned， audio ARCs are not for me！ I'm not sure who they got to do the real audio， but I will forever be sad that it won't be Katherine Kellgren （RIP） whose narration of book one made me fall in love with it。 （Also， this little tiny man voice kept inserting at almost inaudible levels at weird moments， "HarperCollins，" for copyright reasons， so that was disconcerting。）I'll definitely be buying my own copy to sit right beside its sister on my shelf。 。。。more
Karissa
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Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the “Mary” series and takes place in the same world as the “Lady Janies” books。 I got a copy of this book through NetGalley to review。Story （3/5）: This was okay。 The last book I read by this author trio was "My Plain Jane" which was also okay。 I keep thinking I am going to love these books but they are always kind of mediocre。 This has the same light-hearted tone as "My Plain Jane" but follows Mary Queen of Scots。 One of the Janies is in the story a Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the “Mary” series and takes place in the same world as the “Lady Janies” books。 I got a copy of this book through NetGalley to review。Story （3/5）: This was okay。 The last book I read by this author trio was "My Plain Jane" which was also okay。 I keep thinking I am going to love these books but they are always kind of mediocre。 This has the same light-hearted tone as "My Plain Jane" but follows Mary Queen of Scots。 One of the Janies is in the story a tiny bit towards the end。 Like The Lady Janies books this book is told from three viewpoints; Mary， Prince Louise， Ari （daughter of Nostradamus）。 Because of this type of layout the story feels a bit disjointed， drawn out， and long。 Characters （3/5）: The characters are very over stereo-typed and the story is pretty simple and predictable。 I didn’t really enjoy any of the characters all that much。 There was too much lying to each other and sneaking around。 All the characters are pretty shellfish and fall in kind of a grey morale area。 Maybe it’s a good reflection of the times but I just felt kind of “eh， whatever” about them all。 The lighthearted tone used throughout doesn’t lend itself to any sort of character depth and， as such， these characters feel very shallow。Setting （3/5）: The setting takes place in Renaissance France。 We journey a bit between Scotland， England and France， but the vast majority of the story is in the French court。 The history in here isn't all that accurate， which is fine。 Don’t come into this thinking you’re going to learn a lot about the history or the time of the era。 A lot of the settings are a bit over-modernized and made cutesy and YA friendly。Writing Style （3/5）: This is a cute， light-hearted， little read and ends well but is longer than it needed to be。 Having the three viewpoints fractures the story and draws things out。 Of course， of all of the books by this author trio have felt a bit disjointed and drawn out， so I should have expected that coming in。 Technically it’s written fine and parts of it are entertaining， there just isn’t a lot of substance here and it’s not the most engaging read。My Summary （3/5）: Overall， aside from the above I don't have much to say about this， it was completely “eh， okay。。。moving on” to me。 If you enjoyed the format and tone of the The Lady Janies books （which I wasn't a huge fan of） you will probably enjoy this book because it's very similar。 I don't plan on reading any more of these types of books from this trio， I just don't think they are that well done。 I knew that going in， but kind of forgot it， and really keep thinking I will love these books。。。which I know I won't but whatever， maybe this time I will learn from my mistakes。 。。。more
S Tondra
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Hand， Ashton， and Meadows are at it again。 After finishing their delightful retelling of famous Jane's series they are now moving on to Mary's and to start we get a much needed happily ever after for Mary， Queen of Scots。 Of course they keep with the multiple POV's， which I enjoy， and give history a turn on it's head with shapeshifters。 The authors keep up their entertaining commentary throughout the book as the narrators and the book roughly follows the historical trail when it appeases them。 T Hand， Ashton， and Meadows are at it again。 After finishing their delightful retelling of famous Jane's series they are now moving on to Mary's and to start we get a much needed happily ever after for Mary， Queen of Scots。 Of course they keep with the multiple POV's， which I enjoy， and give history a turn on it's head with shapeshifters。 The authors keep up their entertaining commentary throughout the book as the narrators and the book roughly follows the historical trail when it appeases them。 This was not my favorite of the books but kept me entertained。 Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in return for an honest review。 。。。more
Catherine
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Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the ARC digital audiobook。I was intrigued by the premise， however wasn't entirely satisfied with the end product。 The writing was really slow paced and the jokes dates itself already。 The odd "My dear Reader" bits felt odd。 Usually if there's a present narrator like that， I would want them to interact more。 Rather they just randomly say "dear reader" and then continue back into 3rd person from Mary or Francis's perspective。Then with Ari's "visions，" they' Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the ARC digital audiobook。I was intrigued by the premise， however wasn't entirely satisfied with the end product。 The writing was really slow paced and the jokes dates itself already。 The odd "My dear Reader" bits felt odd。 Usually if there's a present narrator like that， I would want them to interact more。 Rather they just randomly say "dear reader" and then continue back into 3rd person from Mary or Francis's perspective。Then with Ari's "visions，" they're insider jokes to us but do nothing for the plot。This is an Alt history of Queen Mary， but everything about Mary that had history's interest was lost here。 I really didn't have interest in her as a character。 Also the plot took a long time to build。 There was a lot of intriguing plot points they started but never really fully utilized。 。。。more
Vicky
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I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review :）。What a delight！！ The snarky sense of humor and pop culture references present throughout the Lady Janies trilogy reappears here， and I adore the return to the world of 'My Lady Jane'。 I truly do not understand how three separate authors can come together into one distinct style but also am not complaining。 As an avid reader of the Tudor era I have always thought Mary of Scots received a rather raw deal and this novel really wor I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review :）。What a delight！！ The snarky sense of humor and pop culture references present throughout the Lady Janies trilogy reappears here， and I adore the return to the world of 'My Lady Jane'。 I truly do not understand how three separate authors can come together into one distinct style but also am not complaining。 As an avid reader of the Tudor era I have always thought Mary of Scots received a rather raw deal and this novel really worked to repair that， without compromising the character traits that history documented about her/Francis。 They're both just annoying enough to be real but also lovable enough to root for （much like most real life teenagers。。。）。 The romances are almost painfully cute and I love the Europe that this creates。 I hope these authors return to this realm in future， it is so much fun to live in。 。。。more
Alicia
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Thank you to HCC Frenzy for sending me an ARC via netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 5/5 starsI’ve been highly anticipating this one because I loved the Jane books， and this one did not disappoint！ We return to the world of My Lady Jane with the shapeshifters and tensions between the two groups。 Although we see some familiar faces in this one from My Lady Jane， the story stands on its own and can be read without having read the other one。 The narrators returned with their familiar style Thank you to HCC Frenzy for sending me an ARC via netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 5/5 starsI’ve been highly anticipating this one because I loved the Jane books， and this one did not disappoint！ We return to the world of My Lady Jane with the shapeshifters and tensions between the two groups。 Although we see some familiar faces in this one from My Lady Jane， the story stands on its own and can be read without having read the other one。 The narrators returned with their familiar style， and I loved all of it！ The references， the asides， and the notes about silly things always make me smile and laugh， and it’s one of the things I love about these books。 The pacing was good， and the characters felt distinct from each other。 Our narrators are at it again with their rewritten history and they’re telling the story of Mary Queen of Scots。 Mary’s story was a wild ride full of emotions， laughs， betrayals， magic， and contrariness。 I liked Mary’s character a lot， and I was rooting for her throughout the book。 Our next character is Ari， short for Aristotle， Nostradamus。 Her father is the prognosticator for Catherine de Medici， and Ari is his heir。 Unfortunately， she’s not great at the whole visions of the future thing， but she is good at potions。 Ari’s visions had me laughing so much！ One of my favourite parts of these books is the way they work in all the different references to pop culture， and they had me dying of laughter in this one。 I liked Ari alright， but she wasn’t my favourite character。 I wish that she’d stood up for herself more instead of just blindly following orders。 Our last character that we follow is Francis。 He’s the heir to the throne of France and Mary’s betrothed。 Francis was such a sweetheart， and I loved his growth through the book！ He had a wild journey of his own， and I was really hoping everything would turn out okay for him！ Overall， this was an excellent read and if you’re a fan of the Jane books， or hilarious rewritings of history， then I’d recommend checking out My Contrary Mary！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=My Contrary Mary
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=My Contrary Mary&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,My Contrary Mary&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0