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. 

The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand {review}

The Last Time We Say Goodbye
by Cynthia Hand
♦publisher: HarperTeen
♦release date: February 10th, 2015
♦hardcover, 400 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦stand-alone
♦source: from publisher for honest review

There's death all around us.
We just don't pay attention.
Until we do.

The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment.

Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be.

As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone-a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

Lex's brother is gone. But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on.

From New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand, The Last Time We Say Goodbye is a gorgeous and heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and letting go.

Review: As much as I loved Cynthia Hand’s debut paranormal series, and as much as I am not a contemporary fiction reader, I think that this is my favorite book of hers so far. So beautifully done but in a way that feels like a snapshot out of the life or a normal teen.  It’s an incredibly touching story that sends us reeling through a girl’s journey of grief, guilt, and trying to move on.

Alexis is in her senior year of high school, half-way to the graduation finish line when her life is turned upside down by her brother’s suicide.  Before, her greatest worry was getting into MIT’s elite mathematics program; now she’s faced with overbearing sympathy from those around her, a mother that is drinking her pain away, her absent father that she and Ty used to face together for their weekly awkward dinners, and an overwhelming guilt that she could have stopped her brother from taking his life. The story is told alternately through journal entries that her psychologist is requiring her to do, and in her first person perspective. I thought the journal entries were a perfect way to really get inside her head, interject backstory and important memories, and see how her character grows and heals through the months after Ty’s death.

All the character development really stood out for me.  Every one of them, even side characters, felt really genuine, a group of kids you might find in any high school. It showed how everyone had their own ways of dealing with grief, trying to be there for each other, and moving on.  Another thing I loved about this is that the romantic interest is not described as drop-dead-gorgeous, perfectly sculpted body and features with every girl in school after them…he’s smart, funny, a little awkward, real. Alexis writes how on their first kiss, their glasses collided :D. And Alexis herself, she’s snarky, understandably angry, brilliant, lulls herself to sleep by counting prime numbers. I really enjoyed all of these characters.  

There is a little bit of a ghostly vibe going on, as Alexis starts to see Ty everywhere, but is it real or is it her mind playing tricks? Cynthia Hand somehow manages to tackle this sensitive and all-too-real subject, while magically not giving us a story that feels all-out depressing.  With that said, I will admit that the last 20 pages, along with the author’s note at the end, had me crying buckets.

I loved this story from start to finish; it’s a touching, heartbreaking and, in the end, hopeful look at surviving grief and finding a way to heal. 

Find Cynthia Hand online: Website  •  Twitter  •  Facebook

  Purchase the book:  Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday

"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.

Boundless
by Cynthia Hand

hitting shelves January 22, 2013 from HarperTeen

No synopsis yet!

My thoughts: I adore this series! Even with no synopsis yet, as long as there's Clare & Christian & Tucker, I'm in!

Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

publisher: HarperTeen

release date: January 17, 2012

hardcover, 403 pages

intended audience: Young adult

series: Unearthly, Book 2
(my review of Book 1)

rating:


source: ARC from publisher for honest review

Spoiler alert!! Description and review may contain spoilers for book 1, Unearthly! If you haven't read Unearthly, stop now! :)

description: For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

Review: SO, if you've read my review of Unearthly, you know how much I adore this series, these characters, that wonderful mother-daughter relationship and, yes, that cowboy. So what is that strange sound you might hear?? Well, dear readers, it's the sound of my heart breaking and falling like little pieces of glass onto the floor. Two major things happen in the book that completely left me in tears. Once again, Cynthia Hand gives us a story of emotional ups and downs, adventure, uncertainty, and fear---it's all there, just as amazing as in Unearthly. I cried, I shuddered, I hoped for the best, I cheered for the victories, and gasped at the many surprising revelations that came about! And despite a few moments that felt a tiny bit draggy, the action and conflict and emotion more than made up for it. I loved this one almost as much as the first---it was definitely a worthy sequel to Unearthly.

Cynthia Hand has such a way with writing characters. It creates such great intensity when you end up rooting for everyone, even those on opposite sides of a conflict. Even the dreaded Black Wing--despite being a real baddy and wreaking havoc on the lives of all the heroes of the story---garnered just the slightest twinge of sympathy from me at one point. Oh, and Jeffrey! Clara's younger brother--I seriously hope he's not going down the path that he seems to be going down! We also get some fantastic new characters: Billy, who is Clara's mom's best friend, and another new face that I will let remain a surprise! I loved them both! As for the love story--- as much as some people dread love triangles, I don't mind them. But I especially love it when you literally can't decide who you're rooting for the most---and as much as I love Tucker, that's where I stood by the end of this book.

Such a great series so far. If you haven't started this one yet, I say do it now! Definitely one that I consider a must-read! It's going to be one very long wait for book 3!

Visit Cynthia Hand's website here.

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

Trailer:

Review: Unearthly

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

publisher: HarperTeen

release date: January 4, 2011

hardcover, 435 pages

intended audience: Young adult

source: ARC, traded

rating:



description:

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

Review: This book was astounding. No, not astounding for a debut novelist---I mean astounding for any writer. I picked it up two days ago, had to force my self to put it down so I could sleep, and couldn't wait to pick it up the next day. The following night, or morning rather, at 3am, I turned the last page. Sure, I paid the price the next day at work...but it was worth it. :)

I honestly can't pinpoint what it was that I loved so much about this one. The writing flowed perfectly. Both the story and the relationships between characters built up naturally. There was adventure and love and moral dilemma and evil and danger...it was all there, but paced in a way that felt like you were just living a chapter in the life of this angel, knowing that the meaning and purpose of your life is predestined and wanting to succeed at what you've been put on this earth for, but also wanting so much more . Somehow, Cynthia Hand made being one of heaven's angels a completely relatable experience.

I loved the mother-daughter relationship here. Clara regarded her mother with this perfect blend of awe, respect, and teenage angst. Unlike so many mothers in YA these days, her mother was accessible but firm, level headed but loving, and could pull off a fierce "protective mama-bear" with the best of them. It was refreshing to see. Despite being what they are, this little family of three, Clara, her mother, and her brother, Jeffrey, really seemed to pull off "normal" quite well.

The story rose up and down and constantly had me wondering how the conclusion would play out, but it was definitely exciting and surprising! I assure you, you don't want to pass this book up!

A word about the cover: So...I'm going to be waiting until book depository carries the AU version of Unearthly to purchase a copy for myself. Why? Well, because it's gorgeous, of course...and because I love that the girl's hair is actually orange, which Clara's hair is for a good part of the story. Her orange hair is actually quite significant to the story itself, so I love that it was accurately portrayed that way on this cover. Nothing against the US cover, it's very pretty and I do love the pretty periwinkle color!

AU cover: click to see it larger! :)

Visit Cynthia Hand's site here.

Purchase Unearthly at: Amazon • BN.com • BookDepository

Trailer:

Waiting on Wednesday

"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.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

release date: January 4, 2010 by HarperTeen

description:
In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees. . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what it is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place--and out of place, at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make--between honesty and deciet, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

My Thoughts: At first glance...oooh, pretty purple cover, oooh, angels...I want!! And now the first glowing reviews of this are starting to surface and hearing how wonderful it is makes me want to read it right now!!