Member Reviews
This is a historical fiction book with a fantasy twist to make history of the Tutors and Lady Jane Grey short time on the throne intriguing , humorous and entertaining. I listened to new audiobook version narrated by Katherine Kellgren — who was defiantly enthusiastic reader, great at accents and voicing male, female , children and elderly character really bringing the action of the story to life and the humor to hit at the right spots .
Thank you NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for this ALC . this is my honest review .
I was heartbroken when the Prime series ended, but completely delighted to have found the book. My Lady Jane is everything I wanted and more: whimsy and wit, loveable characters and a sweet romance.
Perfect for fans of The Princess Bride and Ella Enchanted.
🌶️ 0.5
⭐️ 4.5
This book was so fun!!
I love the way it subverts history as we know it by giving it a fantasy twist.
It was so clever the way the Catholic vs Protestant issues were reshaped via EðIan’s and Verities
The romance was very sweet and the narration style is funny.
Overall a very enjoyable listen.
My only issue was that it was sometimes a bit cringey because of the focus on humour.
I was enjoying this audiobook but sadly due to the Netgalley app crashing, I lost my copy and now I can't finish it as the archive date has passed.
From what I read, it was a great book and the narration was fab, so I'm disappointed to not finish it.
Thank you to the publishers for the ALC but Netgalley need to work on their app issues.
So this one caught my eye after binging the fabulous TV adaptation. The story has so much humour, whimsy, magic, and in this - I loved it. You get multiple viewpoints, which makes it easy to stay engrossed in this rather unusual book. Some of the characters and situations are snarky (for humorous impact), and it doesn’t feel over the top and the humour is spot on.
And whilst I know the story from the TV show, I’m pleased to say that the source material wasn’t boring or predictable (as the adaptation made a few changes here and there). What I did appreciate with the adaptation is that Jane was portrayed a bit older and quite rightly there wasn’t the romantic/sexual tension in the book version having said that, I loved the book. And the narration on this one was really good - it pulled me along. Kellgreen is a fantastic narrator.
Thanks to NetGalley, the team at Bolinda, and the authors for the opportunity to listen to this review copy.
I enjoyed this book so much. It was such a fun twist on history. It made me laugh out loud the whole way through and I really liked the narrator.
"My Lady Jane" is a charming and imaginative alternate history novel that intricately blends historical events with fantastical elements, This book is an excellent choice for young readers who not only have a passion for history but also crave stories that amplify feminine perspectives in literature. The narrative skillfully intertwines pivotal historical moments with whimsical adventures, creating an engaging experience for those who appreciate the harmony of both genres. I found immense enjoyment in the audiobook format, and the narrator's captivating performance truly brought the story to life, enhancing the overall experience.
Realised that after requesting this, I actually already had a physical copy from it's original release in 2016 - I definitely enjoyed it though!
I am not sure that I qm the right audience for this book. I think it is more suited to a younger audience and I found the narrator not to my tastes
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Didn’t get the opportunity to listen to the audiobook as it was archived quite soon after being approved. But I will definitely be listening to it/reading it once it is released!
two of my favourite genres are historical figures and fantasy this book has both so what's not to love?
fast paced and funny with loveable characters this book was the perfect way to end the year.
thank you to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to listen to an advanced copy of this audiobook in return for a fair and honest review.
This was my first time reading a book from the author but I am delighted to say I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I look forward to reading more books from the writer in the future
Younger readers would love this but I struggled to connect with it much, it's an interesting premise with a lot that could be really interesting. The narrator annoyed me though.
*3.75
I really loved the show so I thought it was about time to pick this up! I listened to it on audio and the performance was excellent!
Part 1 is essentially Season 1 of the show, which has sadly been cancelled 😢 And at first I was feeling a little disappointed by it, but only because I was comparing it to the show so much. Once I got over that, I really enjoyed it. I think the story got a bit lost in part 2 for a while, but it concluded nicely and ultimately, it was a really fun time!
I wish we could get a season 2 of the show and see how they would've translated the rest of this book to the screen, but alas, it's apparently not meant to be!
Review for net gally audible.
3*
I've been listening to this book, but very slowly, might I add? I do like the story of the book , which gives a twist on history, adding magic to it, but I am really struggling with the narrator I think she gives the characters much harsher voices then needs to sometimes shrieking the lines out its put me off listening to more if I'm honest. But I think I will try reading the book putting the characters in my own head.
I really thought I would love this book but I just didn’t. I wasn’t a fan of the humour and struggled to get through the book.
The narrator was good though and helped me to continue listening longer than I would have if i had just read the book.
Final rating: 3.25 ☆
This book is comicallly YA. I knew it was YA going into the read, but it puts the young in young adult. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it did make some of the jokes and general discussions feel a bit two dimensional at times because I am clearly not the target audience.
Overall though, this was fun. Very quirky, borderline a bit too much but that’s okay. The narration style was humorous (much like the TV show) and I think if you’re missing the TV show and don’t feel like doing a rewatch, this could quench your ‘My Lady Jane’ thirst.
I will say - the book lacks the drama and tension that the TV show bought with the enemies to lovers aspect (if you know me, you know that I LOVE a tension filled enemies to lovers moment and the book really said ‘let’s give them nothing’). I do fear that this is a case of ‘the adaption is better than the book’ unfortunately- which I rarely say!
Perfect for fans of the show who have been speculating on where the story would’ve gone in the forlawn season 2 (rip - truly a great show!)
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.
My Lady Jane is a delightful alternate History book, with fantasy elements like shape shifting masterfully woven in. It is a great book for young people, who love going to History class (but wish that there were a few more feminine voices that floated through our records) and love a story with a healthy mix of fantasy.
Whilst the plot deviates significantly from the events of History, in the most self-aware manner possible. It features real people who, for those who study Tudor and Elizabethan England are well known names, King Edward, Jane Grey, Elizabeth and Mary Tudor, even Mary Queen of Scots. These characters enter a what-if scenario in which they get to experience extended life, its delightfully the opposite of most medieval based fantasy series where no-one is safe and it becomes, in essence, a blood bath. Another element of the humorous self-awareness of the novel in regards to its interpretation of history is how delightfully anachronistic it is! I love the weaving of Shakespeare quotes, and versions of Shakespeare quotes (“My wife’s Kingdom for a horse” is my absolute favourite) and the comments from the narrators about how elements hadn’t actually been invented yet. It made the story a whole new level of funny.
The alternating points of view contained distinct voices, values and motivations. Each was engaging and I never found myself dreading any voice, though I did enjoy Jane most and resonated with her bookish ways, I found comfort in G’s insecurities and found Edward’s pompousness funny.
The narration of this audiobook was another well crafted element of the book, tough I would’ve found a male narrator for the characters of G and Edward a lot more immersive. Though I do understand that the choice of a single narrator was to reflect that this was a version of history being communicated to the reader from a chosen narrator who had uncovered a clandestine version of events that challenged traditional history. There were unique voices for character and expression that were worked in, varying for people of different gender identities and class/stations, I thought Gracies accent was brilliant in particular but also appreciated how narration reflected each of the characters; Bes’ voice was calm and soothing, Mary was patronising and cloying and even Lady Francis’ sycophantic characteristation was communicated in a shrill narration.
I probably keep repeating the word ‘fun’ in my review, but I can think of no better descriptor for listening to My Lady Jane, I simply put, had a brilliant time. I give it 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5. I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley and Bolinda Audio in exchange for an honest review, these thoughts are all my own.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bolinda Audio for providing me with a copy to review.
I'll admit it; I didn't know much about this story before starting, just it was about Lady Jane Grey, it wasn't historical accurate and it had recently been adapted for TV. Given I usually hate historical inaccuracies and that the trailer for the show didn't appeal to me at the time, I had low expectations for this book but as I wanted something new to read, I figured give this story a chance...
And boy am I glad I did!
The absurdist humour throughout the novel had me laughing all the way through and I grew to really like each of the characters. (I won't lie, the constant arguing of the teenage Jane & G and the arrogance and misogyny of Edward was grating at first but you can't help but root for each of them as their story develops)
The talents of the audiobook narrator also helped make this an enjoyable listen and her delivery of some of the lines also helps add to the humour.
This was so fun and I’m so glad I picked up the audiobook for this as the narrator was fantastic! I really wanted to read this after watching the TV show as I needed some resolution. It’s so funny and I desperately need to read more books by these authors!