Author: Cynthia Hand, Brody Ashton, Jodi Meadows
Genre: alternate history
Similar books: Jackaby by William Ritter
Odd and True by Cat Winters
Rating:
Summary (provided by publisher):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
My opinion: Most depictions of Mary Queen of Scots don't paint her in an especially positive light. Typically she's shown and ruthless, vindictive. I admire that this book shows all of the royalty as essentially political pawns, especially given their relative youth. This book does, of course, take liberties with the timeline. I mean, we have functional magic in the form of shapeshifters and potions both. There are real prophetic visions (though these are largely played for humor - one of my favorite parts). But these elements are integrated with the historical facts relatively well. The villain dynamic is fairly sharp here. Villains are primarily after power, though some personal prejudice certainly comes into play. While the plot is predictable the characters are dynamic enough to keep us engaged and make for compelling reading.
More information: My Contrary Mary releases June 22.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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