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. 

Becky's View: Infinite by Jodi Meadows

Infinite by Jodi Meadows
♦publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
♦release date: January 28th, 2014
♦hardcover, 432 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: Newsoul, book 3
  book 1: Incarnate (my review)
  book 2: Asunder (my review)
♦source: from publisher for honest review

DESTRUCTION
The Year of Souls begins with an earthquake—an alarming rumble from deep within the earth—and it’s only the first of greater dangers to come. The Range caldera is preparing to erupt. Ana knows that as Soul Night approaches, everything near Heart will be at risk.

FLIGHT
Ana’s exile is frightening, but it may also be fortuitous, especially if she can convince her friends to flee Heart and Range with her. They’ll go north, seeking answers and allies to stop Janan’s ascension. And with any luck, the newsouls will be safe from harm’s reach.

CHOICE
The oldsouls might have forgotten the choice they made to give themselves limitless lifetimes, but Ana knows the true cost of reincarnation. What she doesn’t know is whether she’ll have the chance to finish this one sweet life with Sam, especially if she returns to Heart to stop Janan once and for all.

With gorgeous romance and thrilling action, the final book in the Incarnate trilogy offers a brilliant conclusion to the compelling questions of this fascinating world, where one new girl is the key to the lives of millions.

Review: With Infinite, Jodi Meadows' epic Newsoul trilogy comes to an end...and also earns it's spot on my shelf of absolute favorite series. It's a rare thing that I can proclaim that a series kept the same level of excellence through it's entire run, maybe even getting better and better with each new installment.  This series did exactly that.

Now that Ana has discovered the truth about Janan and the immortality of the people of Range, she knows she must bring it all to an end.  In her exile, she must form a plan to stop Janan from ascending, bringing with her only those she trusts the most: Sam, Stef, Whit, and very few others.  As more answers come to light, she knows that even those closest to her will question her and possibly even turn on her, but she must keep her strength and resolve because the entire fate of the Newsouls rests with her. Almost ever character is made to question themselves, to come to terms with their own lives and beliefs and loyalties, and to face their worst fears head on.
 
Music has always had an inportant role in this story, and it becomes even more significant as Ana seeks help in the most unexpected of places.  Many fantastical creatures will come into play. Music and magic and Ana's determination to make things right all weave together to propel this story to it's uncertain end.

I won't go into anymore detail than that, because to spoil any part of this experience for another reader would be a tragedy, but I absolutely loved it and recommend it many times over to anyone who loves well-written fantasy, intricate world-building, strong memorable characters, and a story with heart, intelligence, and purpose.

Find Jodi Meadows online:  Website  •  Twitter  •  Facebook

 

Purchase Infinite:  Amazon  •  BookDepository  •  Indiebound

Becky's View: Asunder by Jodi Meadows

Asunder by Jodi Meadows
♦publisher: HarperTeen
♦release date: January 29, 2013
♦hardcover, 416 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: Newsoul,book 2
  review of book 1, Incarnate
♦source: from publisher for honest review

DARKSOULS
Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls–and the newsouls who may be born in their place.

SHADOWS
Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes and the unknown. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

LOVE
Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection.

Warning! Review may have slight spoilers for Incarnate, book 1---if you haven't started the series yet, stop here.

Review:  Last year, I went into Jodi Meadows’ debut, Incarnate, not knowing what expect except for a book about incarnated souls.  I came away completely blown away by the wonder and fantasy that she filled the pages with.  It quickly achieved a spot in my top reads of the year.  So you can imagine my anticipation of Asunder!  While I found Asunder not quite as good as Incarnate, it definitely did not disappoint.

Asunder picks up right where Incarnate left off.  The people of heart are recovering from the horrible dragon attacks on the city, when the temple went dark and several souls were permanently lost after 5,000 years of being reincarnated.  It’s a day they now know as Templedark.  While they grieve, there is still growing wariness toward Ana as a newsoul, despite the fact that she saved so many lives during the attacks.  Things are getting worse; the brutish Merton is doing everything he can to rally the people of Heart against her, and suspicion grows as Ana discovers a strange connection to the sylph.  When another newsoul is born, things escalate into violence, and Ana is determined to become the defending voice and protector of all the newsouls.  Her character really grows in strength in this sequel, but she you can see the lasting effects of being raised by a heartless mother has had on her. It gives her a great complexity and vulnerability.  We get to see a different, very vulnerable side to Sam, too, in both the romance between them and in the ways he pays for protecting Ana.

I did feel like there were a few slow moments here and there, and I felt like the dilemma with Ana against the people was growing a little monotonous, like ground that had been covered in the last book, and then even more in this book.  There is a new mystery surrounding the sylphs and what they really are that was definitely intriguing, though not altogether hard to guess, but it was compelling watching the characters come to the conclusion.  

One thing new to this book was the gruesomeness of some the descriptions.  There are a few scenes that I literally had to stop reading for a moment because they completely turned my stomach.  We also get to meet a few new characters, some good, some bad, and some that remain a mystery until the very end.  There were definitely some gripping moments that will catapult this story into it's finale.

A great follow up to Incarnate, this series will definitely be one that I follow until the very end!

Find Jodi Meadows online:  Website  •  Twitter  •  Facebook

Purchase Asunder:  Amazon  •  BN.com  •  Bookdepository  •  Indiebound 

Thanksgiving-Away #15 - Win Asunder!

Time for giveaway #15!  This is another one that I ended up with a double of, so I'm passing it on to my lovely blog friends!

ARC of Asunder by Jodi Meadows

(see event kick-off post for more details!) 

•US mailing addresses only

• Must be 13 or older

• Last day to enter: December 9, 2012

Enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

publisher: Katherine Tegan Books

release date: January 31st, 2012

hardcover, 384 pages

intended audience: Young adult

series: Newsoul, book 1

rating:




source: from publisher for honest review

description:
New soul

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies--human and creature alike--let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Review: From page one, Incarnate grabbed me and didn't let go. On many levels it surprised me and gave me more than I expected: more fantasy, more romance, and more depth. It was incredibly well-written and touched on things like appreciating life (how does a society that lives forever learn to appreciate anything?) and takes a uniquely twisted look at someone facing prejudices born of fear. When Ana was born, a soul that everyone had knows for 5000 years disappeared and no one knew why. Not only did they take that out on her, but they treated her like she'd had some control over what happened, or like if they let her in they might disappear and be replaced, too---like she was contagious or something. That alone, they way Ana was treated by the old souls and especially by her own mother, added a painful depth to her story and her character. Ana is definitely a character to admire,...throughout the story, she shows immense strength, determination, and passion despite being taught all her life that she is some sort of an abomination.

I loved the romance in this story. I've always been a sucker for chivalry---and Sam definitely had that down. He was the first one to see Ana as a person, and not as some sort of tainted soul. He stands up for her when her attempts to stand up for herself go unheard because of what she is. I love that they have a history and connection before they've even met. But then there is doubt and tension and uncertainty--- I thought it was a perfectly imperfect love story.

The costume ball scene!! *sigh* That's all I will say about that. ;)

I can't think of anything I disliked about this. At times there are a lot of characters to keep straight, and wrapping your mind around the whole reincarnation "timing", with characters coming in and out of each others lives at different ages and as different sexes and still remembering those past lives can be mind-boggling, but it was such a captivating and unique story---I absolutely loved every second!

A perfect quote to show what I mean:

Sine was on my side. I liked her even before I found out she'd been Sam's mother in their previous lives. She'd died during childbirth, and was reincarnated when he was three. As a result, he'd spent his teenage years being mothered by a girl younger than him. Then she'd outlived him, and when he was reborn into this body, she was old enough to be his grandmother. I found it endlessly amusing and confusing.

Definitely give this one a try! I'm so glad to hear this will be a series---there are still some mysteries that need solving here! I'm definitely on board for more!

Visit Jodi at www.jodimeadows.com.

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