Kindle Price:	$11.99
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishers Price set by seller.

Promotions apply when you purchase

Add an

audiobook with Audible narration for $16.79

Audiobook Price: $22.04

Save: $5.25 (24%)

Read with our free app

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

Follow the author

Jodi Meadows

+ Follow

More books from this author

My Contrary Mary (The Lady Janies) Kindle Edition

by Cynthia Hand (Author), Brodi Ashton (Author), Jodi Meadows (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 169 ratings

Part of: The Lady Janies (6 books)

See all formats and editions

Long live the queen: The authors who brought you the New York Times bestselling My Lady Jane kick off an all-new historical trilogy with the classy, courtly tale of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Welcome to Renaissance France, a place of poison and plots, of beauties and beasts, of mice and . . . queens?

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.

Luckily, Mary has a confidant in her betrothed, Francis. But things at the gilded court take a treacherous turn after the king meets a suspicious end. Thrust onto the throne, Mary and Francis face a viper’s nest of conspiracies, traps, and treason. And if Mary’s secret is revealed, heads are bound to roll.

With a royally clever sense of humor, Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows continue their campaign to turn history on its head in this YA fantasy that’s perfect for fans of A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue.

From the Publisher


	My Lady Jane	My Plain Jane	My Calamity Jane	My Contrary Mary	My Imaginary Mary

Customer Reviews	1,648	540	251	169	80
Price	$10.79	$10.99	$9.99	$11.99	$11.94
Classics are turned on their head in this hilarious and historical YA fantasy series.	All hail the… queen? The comical, fantastical, romantical, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey —because sometimes history needs a little help!	Move over, Charlotte Brontë. This irreverent spin on Jane Eyre is a tale of mischief, romance, and supernatural mayhem.	Hold on to your hats: This is the side-splittin’, not-so-tall tale of the one and only Calamity Jane.	Long live the queen! This historical romp is a royally clever take on the classy, courtly tale of Mary, Queen of Scots.	It’s aliiiiiiiive! This talented trio of authors is back with the electric, poetic, and (almost) historical tale of the one and only Mary Shelley.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—The author team known as the Lady Janies don't let historical facts get in the way of a rollicking story full of queens, court intrigue, and shapeshifters. Set in the same world as the acclaimed "Jane" trilogy, this irreverent and wildly amusing first in a series focuses on Mary, Queen of Scots; her fiancé, the dauphin of France; Francis; and Ari, the famed seer Nostradamus's daughter. Mary, 17, and Francis, 16, have been engaged since they were five years old and best friends for almost as long, both working to keep Mary's true nature as an EÐian shapeshifter secret. For France is a country ruled by Verities, people who do not have such gifts, and where being EÐian is a death sentence. When Nostradamus has a vision of treachery in the court, Ari finds herself dragged into aristocratic life. Either age or his power has driven Ari's father out of his senses, but he does have one clear warning: Beware the biscuits. The authors manage to seamlessly blend modern humor and Renaissance France through a combination of parenthetical asides and wry self-awareness. While Mary and Francis' relationship-turned-romance takes center stage, Ari is a lesbian and has a sweet romantic subplot with one of Mary's ladies-in-waiting. The main cast is white, and the race of most supporting characters is undefined. VERDICT Full of puns, memes, and Disney references, this novel kicks off a trilogy with the perfect balance of history and paranormal and is, in short, pure fun. Recommended for YA collections.—Emmy Neal, Lake Forest Lib., IL

Review

★“Fast-paced, well-plotted, frequently hilarious—as delicious as the finest French pastry.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Praise for My Calamity Jane: “Witty and winsome, this rollicking tall tale makes its own rules.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Full of twists, turns, and laugh-out-loud humor, this tongue-in-cheek feminist alternative history is impossible to put down. A thrilling alternative history that sparkles with wit and charm.” — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for My Plain Jane:
? “The authors’ affection for their source material is abundantly clear in this clever, romantic farce.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A delightfully deadpan deconstruction of a Gothic novel, with a ghost almost no one can see providing the commentary. Marvelously self-aware and almost too clever for its own good.” — ALA Booklist (starred review)

“A madcap story of ghosts, possession, revenge, and murder. Humorously blends fact with fiction and offers a gentler, more hopeful outcome for Charlotte, her siblings, and her heroine.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

Praise for My Lady Jane: “Wacky, irreverent, and just plain fun. This fantasy-adventure politely tips its hat to history before joyfully punting it out of the way. An utter delight.” — Booklist (starred review)

“An uproarious historical fantasy that’s not to be missed.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Gleefully anachronistic comedy.” — Kirkus Reviews

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08JLZ6989
Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperTeen (June 22, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 22, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2293 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 510 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0062930044

Best Sellers Rank: #283,996 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #86 in Teen & Young Adult European Historical Fiction eBooks
- #124 in Teen & Young Adult Historical Romance eBooks
- #228 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Family Issues

Customer Reviews:
4.4 169 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Jodi Meadows

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Jodi Meadows wants to be a ferret when she grows up and she has no self-control when it comes to yarn, ink, or outer space. Still, she manages to write books. She is the author of the INCARNATE Trilogy, the ORPHAN QUEEN Duology, and the FALLEN ISLES Trilogy (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen), and a coauthor of MY LADY JANE (HarperTeen). Visit her at www.jodimeadows.com

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

169 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Janine Michaelson

Ya historical fiction not just for teens

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2023

Verified Purchase

It’s fiction but you’ll still learn some history. Not just for kids. I’m an adult and I really enjoyed it

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2023

I was giddy to finally get into this book. Mary, history with a twist (well some history more twist), and the ladies narrations are a hoot.

If you love the history about Mary and seen the the TV show Reign, you will love this book. Plus its quiet helpful in visualizing the characters.
Mary is living in France with her ladies (all Mary's) and well just living life until she gets married. I love her character right from the start. She is a queen and she makes sure everyone knows it. She isn't gonna be told what she can and cant do. She is head strong, stubborn and a mouse.

In this twist, Mary, along with many others in the world can become an animal. Mary is a mouse and easily has her way around the palace and and front row seat to all the gossip.

Everything seem to be going well...until after Mary and Francis get married. A king dies, another is faked in death, a regent supposedly dead and just pure chaos. If you guessed, Catherine had her scheming evil hand in this, well obviously.

The ending was all sorts of shockers. Francis is alive, Mary doesn't have to remarry, Mary's mother is alive, Francis is King again and a whole lot more. What does all this mean? Well you'll have to read and find out. In the meantime, I'll be nose deep in the next book.

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2022

Verified Purchase

This book was so much fun. I enjoyed that it continued the edian story and we got to see some characters from the other series.

Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2021

Disclaimer: I received an early access audiobook from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: My Contrary Mary

Author: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows

Book Series: Mary Book 1

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Sapphic romance with one of the MCs, Ace side character

Recommended For...: historical fiction, young adult readers, The Lady Janies lovers

Publication Date: June 22, 2021

Genre: YA Historical Fiction

Recommended Age: 13+ (some violence, some language, death, misogyny)

Explanation of CWs: There is some slight violence in this book and the book does have the occasional curse. The book also has some death involved with the plot and because it’s from the Renaissance Period there are some misogynistic views on our MCs and the side characters which reduce them, even a powerful queen, to just a womb on legs. This is quickly thwarted by the kickass MCs though.

Publisher: HarperTeen

Pages: 512

Synopsis: Welcome to Renaissance France, a place of poison and plots, of beauties and beasts, of mice and . . . queens?⠀
⠀
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.⠀
⠀
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.

Review: As my first book into The Lady Janies universe I am absolutely floored at how great this book is! I immediately loved this book from the first chapter. The book is well done, it’s funny, and it’s the right kind of historical fiction for me. It doesn’t take history too seriously and really shows that those of the past were just like us. I really liked the character and how well done they were. I also really liked the world building and the pacing was on par as well. The book’s plot was well written and I was immediately invested in this read. I also thought the romance was well done.

The only issue I really had with this book is that the ending leaves me wanting more and the finale was a bit too quick in my opinion.

Verdict: Highly recommend!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Shelly Hammond

Cheesy yet satisfying!

Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2021

3.5

If you have been following along with the other books written by these authors and keeping up with the “Lady Janies” but in a new series then you’ll likely want to jump into this one and give it a go. It’s pretty much in the same vein and is quite similar in some ways, though it is telling a different story in many ways as well.
In this tale, it’s Renaissance France where there are a whole lot of strange goings ons including mice, plots, poisons, and one very central queen.
Mary, queen of Scots is also the jewel of the French court but she’s also a bit of a mouse, literally. She is an Eðian or shapeshifter. Now, that’s not exactly a good thing since being a mouse could cause one to lose their head! The only good thing is that Mary has some very trusted friends and companions to fall back on.
Speaking of which there is Francis. Francis is her betrothed and great friend. He’s also the next in line to be king. When a terrible thing happens and the current king meets his maker in a very suspicious way Mary and Francis are thrown into a world of conspiracies, treason, lies, and so much more. All the while Mary must make sure her deepest secret stays safe.
This book is alright. As I mentioned, if you liked the first ones you should be good with this one as well. I thought it was decent. It’s well written if not a bit over the top silly. I mean it does rewrite history in a silly way that doesn’t make any sense at all really so it can’t not be silly.
I went back and forth with the audio and the book and I have to say I think that the audio was more enjoyable than straight reading in this case. The narrator is absolutely fantastic and one that just gives each and every character their own personal voice and personality so when you are tuned in to that the story comes alive and the strange silliness becomes a lot funnier. I definitely recommend checking out the audio if you can.
All in all this is an alright book. It definitely should have more readers and reviews than it does. It’s a fun story and just so far-fetched you get to step out of the world for a while and see things in a way that absolutely could never have happened but would have allowed for a better outcome for those it’s based on.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

Laura Machado

Poderia ter sido bem mais engraçado!

Reviewed in Brazil on December 29, 2021

Verified Purchase

Eu sinto que essas séries da Jane e da Mary estão presas em uma maldição em que um livro é bom e o próximo nem tanto, aí o outro é bom e assim vai. Esse daqui, infelizmente, é um dos que não são tão bons. Ele não é ruim, na verdade, mas comparado aos bons, deixa bastante a desejar.

A ideia da Mary ser 'contrária' e da sua posição na França, além da sua relação com Francis, tudo isso foi legal. Adorei as damas de companhia dela e tudo mais, além de que o próprio Francis é um personagem bem bacana. Mas faltou tanto carisma neles, alguma coisa que fizesse eles todos irem de legais a incríveis, ou ao menos marcantes, que é bem difícil se apegar a eles ou às suas histórias. Foi difícil me importar de verdade com o que acontece com eles. A Ari foi um pouquinho decepcionante para mim, porque a achei bem chatinha, mas nada de mais também.

Não tem nada de errado com o enredo, por exemplo, sem contar que ele não é empolgante ou intrigante. A parte mais legal é quando os personagens de My Lady Jane aparecem, mas é algo tão secundário, que nem ajuda a leitura. É tudo um pouco morno, tem até um toque engraçado, mas nada que me fez rir ou ficar envolvida com os personagens.

Talvez seja porque a própria história da Mary não é tão incrível e nem de longe é engraçada, só sei que não funcionou tão bem. Ainda não é um livro ruim, é bem escrito, o enredo faz sentido e os personagens são coerentes. O romance também não é de todo ruim, mas realmente faltou alguma coisa aqui que empolgasse!

Recomendo ainda, porque eu adoro a escrita dessas autoras e adoro essas séries, queria que elas continuassem por vários livros! Mas não vá esperando algo no nível de My Lady Jane e My Calamity Jane (meus favoritos até agora!). Está mais perto de My Plain Jane!