My Contrary Mary is the newest book from the author trio Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows, who call themselves the Lady Janies, and it starts off the new Mary trilogy from them. The authors have previously done the Lady Janies trilogy, retelling the tragic stories of three Janes from history and literature as comedies. If you have read any of those books, you might have an inkling of what to expect from My Contrary Mary.
Being a huge fan of the Lady Janies’ particular brand of historical fiction, I was quite excited about My Contrary Mary, especially since this one brings us back to the world of E∂ians (humans who have the power to shift into an animal) from My Lady Jane, which was the very first Jane book and happens to be one of my all-time favourites. My Contrary Mary was every bit as humorous as I’d expected, and I had an absolute blast reading it.
My Contrary Mary takes place in Renaissance France, and tells the story of a seventeen year old Mary, Queen of Scots, who despises doing as she’s told. As Mary gets married to her betrothed, the French dauphin Francis, back in Scotland John Knox is publishing pamphlets condemning all Verities (normal humans who don’t have E∂ian powers) and leading a revolution against Mary, who is presumed to be a Verity. Meanwhile, in a France where E∂ians are despised and oppressed, only Mary’s ladies-in-waiting and Francis know the truth about her— that Mary is actually an E∂ian and can turn into a mouse at will.
When King Henry mysteriously dies in a jousting accident, Francis and Mary suddenly find themselves in charge of France. Along with the seer Nostradamus’ daughter Ari, Francis and Mary now have to make their way through mousetraps, conspiracies, and treason to seize their thrones, and maybe fall in love along the way.
My Contrary Mary is quick-paced and hilarious; the voices of the three authors merge together seamlessly and their writing flows, with a well-built plot and flawed yet strong characters. There’s also some political intrigue involved, as is to be expected from the time period the book is set in. However, the religious conflicts this time aren’t between the Catholics and the Protestants; instead they are between the Verities and the E∂ians.
Coming to the characters, I really liked how the main characters all behaved like actual teenagers. There was Mary, headstrong and queenly and still so naïve, and Francis, a loveable dork who’s too in love to see sense. However, Aristotle or Ari, the third point-of-view character, struck me as the most interesting one. Ari’s prophecies tend to go sideways always, and they rather resemble scenes from popular movies of our time, which I found to be a quite witty and amusing way to sprinkle in pop-culture references.
As for the romance, friends-to-lovers being possibly my favourite trope, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Francis and Mary’s relationship. There was also a sapphic romance that, despite being on the sidelines, was also quite well-written. We also got to meet some beloved old characters from My Lady Jane near the end of the book, which was one of my absolute favourite scenes.
In conclusion, My Contrary Mary is a funny and sweet story that I thoroughly adored, and I can’t wait for the next books in the Mary series! If you like fantasy, books about royalty, friends-to-lovers romances, and historical fiction, or if you are simply looking for some light reading material, this is a book you should definitely check out!
My Contrary Mary is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up My Contrary Mary? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
