Rating 3.75

This book is filled with charming characters. I started reading the book until I realized I would rather listen to the audiobook. I'm so glad I made the transition because I enjoyed the book so much more listening to it. A book this size filled with so many different point of views can feel overwhelming but when you are listening to it everything comes to life. The plot was interesting and kept me engaged the whole way through. I liked that we saw characters from a previous book and got to see what they were up to. I loved the main character and the side characters. They all had depth and their own personalities. One thing that I did not like was all of the references to pop culture. This could have just been a me thing though. I found myself rolling my eyes each time a certain character made a prediction about the future and it ended up being about movie references. I thought it was funny in the beginning but towards the end I felt like it broke my immersion. With that being said I think the authors did a fantastic job of making this story their own. I will continue to read their other books. Overall, this book was enjoyable and I recommend it to anyone who likes strong female characters, history, and magic.

**Received an advanced copy through NetGalley in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

"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."

If you're a Reign addict, like I am, but also loved the more supernatural side of it, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!

Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows have done it again. I loved their stories about the Janes and was excited to see they were doing the something's with the Mary's. It's a good parody where someone who might not have gotten a happy ending in history gets their happily ever after here.

Did not finish. Not for me. I really don't think my star rating is fair since I didn't read this. I only read a few chapters before realizing it just wasn't for me. Thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
I read My Lady Jane and enjoyed it, and while this book was a fun read, there were a lot of jokes that missed the mark, especially Ari’s vision about movies scene got old to soon, it was funny the first time but by the third vision it had me rolling my eyes. Yes, we know this book was set in 1600’s and not in present time so the little “but that was not created back then” types of comments also got old really fast. During the narrators interruptions it felt they tried to go Jane The Virgin and Bridgeton route but what they achieved was pulling you out of the story and losing the momentum.

The book was slow, at 44% of the story I still had no idea what the trama of the book was supposed to be. I was also supposed to root for Ari but honestly she was the most annoying and selfish character on the book. I dreaded her POV’s. And the main thing she did to betray someone’s trust was so easily forgiven like if she hadn’t made that betrayal to her gain, not because she was forced.

This book was long and not an easy read int the way it was just too long and it took forever to reach to the main plot.

This start of a new series is just as good as the Janies series, full of humor, quirky narration, and fun characters. Taking place in the same world as My Lady Jane, only across the pond in France, we follow Mary queen of Scots, Francis future king of France and her fiancé, and Ari the daughter of Nostradamus. The plot revolves around different plots by various characters to take the throne, and the three pov characters find themselves in the middle of things surrounded by people trying to use them to get their way. I felt the book wrapped up a bit quick, but the great characters and fun plot make up for it.

I loved the Jane books and i'm thrilled that this Mary series is off to just as good of a start.

I have absolutely loved this series, and this book did not disappoint. If you like a cheeky twist on a historical figure, this book is for you.

Welcome to another wacky adventure from the authors of the Janies series as they once again re-write history, making it better in my opinion. This book is set in the same universe as the trios first book My Lady Jane. So Shapeshifting and magic are a major part of this book. Following Mary, Queen of Scots, this book starts with her marriage to the Prince of France and the subsequent fallout. I do suggest not looking up anything about Mary, I found it made the story more enjoyable. Without too much detail I will say I enjoyed the cross-over with the previous book but the story itself did not amaze me. The three points of view were strong and I enjoyed all of the characters and plotlines, and once again I found the narrators and the modern references amusing. Despite that, nothing really surprised me and I really felt this book was geared towards the younger side of YA. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that but I do feel it affected my reading experience. It was overall enjoyable so I am happy to give it four stars, which for me is a solid book that I will happily suggest to others.

Let me start by saying that I knew very little of Mary Queen of Scots before reading this book. While this is highly fictionalized, it did make me want to learn more about her reign and Francis's. The story and characters were entertaining and well handled. I enjoyed the author commentary as well. I would recommend giving this book a try.

This was a fun retelling of the life of Mary Queen of Scots. I do not think this book had the same charm as the Lady Jane books previously written by these authors but I still enjoyed it overall. The book was full of funny writing and magical plot twists. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who needs a good laugh or just an overall fun read.

Wow! This book is incredible! It is fun, hilarious, clever, witty, and so much more! Whenever I picked up "My Contrary Mary", I was whisked back in time, and went on quite an adventure with this story!

This is the first book in the "Mary" series by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows! I absolutely love their "The Lady Janies" series, and I can't wait to read the other two books in this new series, and I hope they will write many more too! These three...JUST...WOW! Their writing style is so unique, fun, and mesmerizing! They seamlessly blend history, fantasy, historical fiction, and spectacular world building all into one! As the reader, I am hooked from the first page to the last! From the various points of view, to the comments made by the narrators, to magic, to some twists on history, and more, each element adds to the book in a special way, and helps to create a world so unique.

This book surrounds Mary, Queen of Scots! Mary is such a strong, intelligent, and kind woman, who, in this book, is also an Eðian, meaning she can shape-shift into an animal. The Eðians and Verities (non-shape shifters) do not always get along, and that is the basis for much of the conflict throughout the novel. The book rotates chapters from the viewpoints of Mary, Prince Francis (Mary's first husband!), and Ari (daughter of Nostradamus, and one of Mary's ladies-in-waiting who was given the position by Queen Catherine de'Medici), and I found myself flipping page after page, chapter after chapter, to see what would happen next!

Many historical figures feature in one way or another in the book, whether seen, mentioned, or both: Queen Elizabeth I, King Henry II of France, John Knox, Mary of Guise, Diane de Poiters, Mary's other ladies-in-waiting (though named Mary, here called Liv, Hush, Flem, and Bea), Mary's uncles, and more! Each helps to advance the plot in one way or another!

If you enjoy historical fantasy mixed in with historical fiction, I HIGHLY recommend this book! Many moments had me holding my breath, many had me smiling from ear to ear, and many moments are incredibly swoon-worthy (I might have actually swooned!!)! This novel had me turning the pages to see what would happen next, and I can't wait to read what Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows write next!

Thank you so much to HarperTeen and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, I loved it! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Welcome back to the world of Verities and E∂ians! I was so pleased to receive this title as an arc to review because I absolutely LOVED the Jane series and the authors are at it again with the story of Mary, Queen of Scots....as a mouse. I loved how this story mixes history with fantasy and is both punny and lighthearted. The woldbuilding throughout the Jane series continues in the Mary series with the war between E∂ians and Verities being political and many historical figures having a stake in the game. The character development is superb and I especially loved the relationship between Ari and Liv. The writing is humorous and well done and I really enjoyed this story and cant wait for the next in the series.

I was so happy to be back in My Lady Jane's world even if it was a brief glimpse of her and G. The comparison of the Edian to the fight over Protestantism and Catholicism is brilliant. I'm happy to see a better outcome for Mary, Queen of Scots. And Francis--so great. I also love the covers from the Janies series and am glad they've chosen to continue that style in the Marys series.

How fun is it to escape back into this world?! Honestly, I would love to just be part of the writing meetings when these authors get together - I’m sure it would be hilarious! While this wasn’t my favorite of the series, I still enjoyed coming back to this historical fiction/ magical world!

3.5 stars ~ rounded to 3 stars

I wish that My Contrary Mary did more with the magic elements in this story. Everything about this story could just be a little bit more! The plot sags at points and then picks up again - it's all a little bit uneven. There's a lot of winking humor and it lands sometimes and not so much other times. Overall, an entertaining young adult historical fiction fantasy that could be a more developed.

Mary, Queen of Scots is one of this historical figures that had a not-so-great end. She's also a historical figure that both interests me and frustrates me. So when I saw that she was getting the My Lady Jane treatment, I was excited. How could these three lovely authors possibly give Mary a happy ending?

My Contrary Mary is set in the same universe as My Lady Jane (and I would recommend reading My Lady Jane before My Contrary Mary). Mary, Queen of Scots, is living in the French court and preparing to marry the future King of France, Francis. But Mary has a secret- she isn't the Verity Queen everyone assumes. Francis, meanwhile, has a secret too- he's in love with his fiance and not super excited about becoming King. Our third narrator is an original character, Ari, who is the daughter of court seer, Nostradamus. Rounding out our cast of characters is Mary's ladies-in-waiting (all unhelpfully named Mary, but referred to by much easier nicknames), the enjoyably devious Catherine d'Medici, and the doofus King Henry II.

This book is a lovely romp full of characters who are enjoyable to read and root for. For those of you unfamiliar with the books in these series, don't expect anything more than the bare minimum of historical accuracy. These books are more alternative history/magical realism. But even if you are usually a stickler for historical accuracy (like me), you'll enjoy My Contrary Mary once you let go of your facts. I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys either of those genres. If you loved My Lady Jane, you absolutely have to pick up My Contrary Mary!

It seems that most of the time when I read a book set in another country (I live in America) or about people from other countries, I oftentimes don't know much about that country. Such is the case for this wonderful book about Mary Queen of Scots. I love historical fiction as it's one of my favorite genres. My only complaint is that I don't know when the history told is factual and when it's fictional. Cynthia Hand gave me some fantasy along with some history and I loved it. For example, I seriously doubt that Mary was really a shapeshifter. So some of what is in this book is obviously untrue.

There are quite a few allusions that might go over some people's heads if they haven't read closely at times. But I loved it and I'm sure that might've happened to me. I love when puns, allusions, and alliteration are used in books. And humor works well too. This was my second book by Cynthia Hand, and I know that I'll want to read more of her now.

I want to thank NetGalley and Harper for both the physical and audio of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed both. I have given my honest opinion of this book.

My Contrary Mary is a spin on the life of the tragically doomed Mary, Queen of Scots, and it should be noted going into this that though there are plenty of true historical tidbits woven throughout the story, there's also a refreshing disregard for almost anything that denies our heroine the happy ending she didn't get in history.

Much like My Plain Jane, this novel is set in a world whose citizens are divided into two types - Verities (regular, normal people) and Eðians (shapeshifters who change into animals). Verities rule and in some countries (including France where young Mary Stuart lives) to be Eðian is to live under the constant threat of a death sentence if discovered. Which is something of a problem considering that Mary herself is Eðian, and regularly turns into a mouse.

This story follows many of the beats of Mary's actual life, she is betrothed to and does marry Francis, the dauphin of France; she eventually returns to Scotland, where a preacher named John Knowx publishes slanderous tracts against her; she frequently butts heads with her mother-in-law Catherine de Medici. But the similarities are often used to hilarious effect here, and generally point out the various deficiencies of a society that wants to control those it deems different or unworthy.

The fast-paced tale is pure fun throughout, with authorial inserts adding commentary and snark at regular intervals. The romance between Mary and Francis drives the bulk of the story - those of you who loved the CW series Reign will find so much to enjoy here - and is utterly delightful. Unlike Reign, we get to see Francis' direct POV throughout My Contrary Mary, which adds a charming new layer to their relationship and allows us to see him grow both as a potential ruler and a partner for our Scottish queen.

Partner in crime to My Lady Jane, this companion novel is a wonderful escape back into the world of EδIans through a new country and a new lens. Featuring a new (yet familiar) cast of characters including Mary Queen of Scots, Francis Valois, and a band of loyal friends, readers will be hooked by the humorous and witty rewriting of history through this romantically comedic lens. Brimming with treacherous schemes, betrayals, and amusingly out-of-historical-context references, this book is an engaging and laughter-inducing read from beginning to end! Perfect for fans of the Lady Janies series, Austen-esque romances with a twist, and anyone with a decent sense of humor.

This book returns to the world of My Lady Jane with the story of Mary Queen of Scots. I'm really glad that the author's decided to return to this world, because I feel like they have a good grasp on their characters and world building. The plot was exciting and fast paced in most parts, although a few scenes did tend to drag on a bit. Some events could have been left out and the plot would have still been fine. I enjoyed the character mostly, even if some of the main ones made infuriating decisions. And like with My Lady Jane, I am glad that the author's chose to rewrite history to make it less tragic. Overall I would recommend this book to people who have followed The Lady Janies series and I look forward to the other Mary books to come.