My Lady Jane by Jodi Meadows, Cynthia Hand, & Brodi Ashton {review}

My Lady Jane
by Jodi Meadows, Cynthia Hand, & Brodi Ashton
♦publisher: HarperTeen
♦release date: June 7th, 2016
♦hardcover: 512 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone
♦source: from publisher for honest review

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?

Review:  As a huge, huge fan of two of these authors (I haven't read Brodi Ashton yet--I will fix this someday soon!), My Lady Jane was definitely one of my most anticipated reads this year. Fun, adventurous, and laugh-out-loud hilarous, this story definitely lived up to it's Princess Bride comparison! 

The story centers around three great characters: Edward, Jane, and G (Gifford, but he hates that!) with an absolutely crazy-wide array of other players thrown in. I absolutely adored the main three, but also loved sweet and clever Bess and definitely the feisty Grace. Edward's other sister, Mary, and Lord Dudley (a man as ugly as his own nose) were great antagonists, though I suppose if I'm really honest, Lord Dudley was maybe a bit cliche.  We go along with Edward, Jane, and G as they try to fix their upheaved lives while also trying to figure out who they really want to be, and possibly finding a bit of love along the way. :)

At it's heart it's a story of a struggle between the classes (shifters vs. non-shifters), a sinister plot to overtake the crown, and of course, the fight to win it back.  There are so many great memorable moments, and many a nod to favorite stories that will delight fans of Princess Bride, Tangled, Monty Python, and more. So much fun, guys. Do not miss it. 

Neigh...to miss it would definitely be a tragedy. ;)

•ABOUT THE AUTHORS•

Our group is made up of Brodi Ashton (author of the EVERNEATH series and DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY), Cynthia Hand (New York Timesbestselling author of the UNEARTHLY series and THE LAST TIME WE SAY GOODBYE), and Jodi Meadows (author of the INCARNATE and the ORPHAN QUEEN series). Between the three of us we've written thirteen novels, a bunch of novellas, a handful of short stories, and a couple of really bad poems, but this is the first time we've taken a stab at writing a book together. We're friends. We're writers. We're fixing history by rewriting one sad story at a time. 
(photo & bio from http://ladyjanies.blogspot.com)


Purchase My Lady Jane: Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon

Waiting on...

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

My Lady Jane

by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

hitting shelves June 7th, 2016

from HarperTeen

For fans of The Princess Bride comes the comical, fantastical, romantical, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey.

Lady Jane Grey, sixteen, is about to be married to a total stranger—and caught up in an insidious plot to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But that’s the least of Jane’s problems. She’s about to become Queen of England. Like that could go wrong.

My thoughts: Whatever book was previously my TOP most anticipated book of 2016 has just been dethroned by this little beauty.  I have to fess up that I've not read anything by Brodi Ashton, but I have heard many great things about her series. BUT Cynthia Hand and Jodi Meadows---two of my absolute favorite authors---writing a fantastical romantical comedy together, and on top of that, a comparison to Princess Bride??? I can't even imagine the amazingness that this is sure to be. It's like all my favorite things rolled into one. 

Amy's View: Everbound by Brodi Ashton

Everbound by Brodi Ashton
♦publisher: Balzer & Bray
♦release date: January 22nd, 2013
♦hardcover, 384 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: Everneath, book 2
             (review of Everneath)
♦source: from publisher for honest review

Nikki Beckett could only watch as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity — a debt that should’ve been hers. She’s living a borrowed life, and she doesn’t know what to do with the guilt. And every night Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused and wasting away.

Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen — and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to assist her in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself.

Nikki and Cole descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they’d anticipated — and more deadly. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack — even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own.

Review: 

Once again the Underworld calls for Nikki but this time in a different way. Instead of running from the binds of the Everneath, Nikki finds herself desperate to discover a way back into the underworld, once again being reminded she will be forever bound to the world that remains below her. Now that Jack did the ultimate sacrifice of taking Nikki's place in Everneath, Nikki finds herself determined in any way to find him and save him from his soul being taken forever.  She will do and say anything to have him back in her arms safe and only then will she be free from the guilt that plagues her every day. Even if that means she will have to find Cole and beg him to take her back.  Nikki is prepared to barter in any way necessary to have him to take her back to the Underworld.

This sequel takes you into the incredible complex world of Everneath, describing every level in intense detail as you are lead to the heart of their world. Time plagues Nikki as it continues to lapse in the two worlds, from the surface to Everneath and back again.  On the surface each night Nikki finds herself desperately clinging onto Jack’s image in her dreams trying to keep him alive as she searches for him. As well as having to frantically dodge her inquisitive father and meddlesome psychologist while on the surface. And if that isn’t enough being ripped back into the Underworld into Cole’s waiting arms every morning is enough to make a girl go crazy.

The love triangle continues to intensify as Nikki and Cole spend ample amounts of time together searching through the underbelly of Everneath where in turn they have to search their own soul’s fears, longings, and desires to pass through the levels of Everneath together, leaving their hearts exposed and once again opening up to one another.

This book will take you on a maze of twists and turns on its well developed and complex journey. Brodi Aston completely and thoroughly thought out the Underworld’s map and describes in a tremendous amount of detail. However, at times, I did find myself overwhelmed with the detail she needed to use to describe the Underworld properly which made it a little hard to follow. However if you are a lover of mythology you will most likely love this sequel.

For me it was 3 ½ cupcakes.

  Find Brodi Ashton online: Website  •  Twitter 

Purchase Everbound:  Amazon  •  BN.com  •  BookDepository 

 

Guest Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

publisher: HarperTeen

release date: January 24, 2012

hardcover, 370 pages

intended audience: Young adult

series: Everneath, Book 1

rating:



source: from publisher for honest review
reviewer: Amy

description: Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

Review:

To be honest I wasn't so sure about reading this book. Mythology, in a young adult book? Persephone? We all know that classic tale and it didn't end well for her. However I dove right in waiting to be proven wrong. As I started to read, surprisingly the chapters captivated me,and without me knowing what was happening I fell into the pull of Everneath.

This wonderful book is not only a classic mythological legend marvelously recaptured and elaborated upon but also one that makes you search the depths of your soul, questioning your beliefs of heroess and hope. What if all was lost? If all had the chance to be forgotten? Would we take an immortal up on his enticing offer to not feel pain or hurt; to never feel the bliss of love's first kiss and the heartbreak of love's first betrayal. In the moment of agony and sheer heartbreak, would we be tempted to give up just a piece of our soul to not have that pain locked inside our hearts? At that moment of sheer despair, could you abandon all hope?

I would like to think that we have the strength to not give up on hope but yet we are only human. Nikki, in the midst of a broken heart, made the choice to abandon hope and the pain of a broken heart in exchange to live in the Underworld and have immortals feed upon her...to not feel pain or despair but also not to feel happiness and contentment. But she is given a second chance and learns whether all hope was really lost on her as well. Are things always what they appear to be or do illusions allude us all?

The story entwines along, gently enfolds you between past and present and leads you along Nikki's path to discover if there can really be heroes amongst us. Do heroes exist? And not those of storybook tales or that in mythology, just everyday heroes.

And can love serve as the hero that can save a soul?

As you can tell this one made me think, question, and take a look at what I believe about hope, if I believe in heroes, and if so do I believe in everyday heroes? This is a sign of a truly wonderful author. If you can get people to talk, to think, to question...if you can, then you truly succeeded. Congrats Brodi, looking forward to the next one.

Visit Brodi Ashton's site here!

Purchase Everneath at: Amazon • BN.com • BookDepository • Indiebound