Eight Books to Read Right Now if You’re Sad About the ‘My Lady Jane’ Cancellation
Just Don't Buy Them From Amazon
Well, My Lady Jane was canceled and I’m pretty mad about it. But unfortunately I’m not surprised. It didn’t make Jeff Bezos money so it had to get the ax.
While fans are starting petitions to renew or calling on other streamers to pick up the show, I’ve turned to my usual source of consolation: making lists of book recommendations.
Here are eight historical and/or fantasy novels with dynamic female protagonists that will give you at least some of the elements that made the My Lady Jane TV series so special.
Young Adult
My Lady Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows
We’ll start with the obvious; if you loved the show, but haven’t read the book yet, what are you waiting for? There are some differences between the TV series and its source material, but they share the same essence. The authors also wrote two more historical fantasy books about famous Janes: My Plain Jane (inspired by Jane Eyre, and the best one in my opinion) and My Calamity Jane.
That Self-Same Metal by Brittany N. Williams
Staying within the vicinity of Elizabethan England, That Self-Same Metal takes place in a magical Shakespearean London. Our heroine is Joan, an Orisha magic-wielder who can bend metal to her will. She works at the Globe Theatre, and there are tons of Shakespeare references for eagle-eyed readers. Williams has written a sequel, Saint-Seducing Gold, with a third book to complete the trilogy coming next year.
The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee
Moving on to the 18th century, The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy is a sometimes laugh-out-loud adventurous romp. Felicity is a young woman with ambitions of becoming a doctor, and avoiding marriage proposals at all costs. This book is a sequel to The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue.
The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
If the biggest draw of My Lady Jane for you was the romance and/or the royal intrigue, this romantic fantasy retelling of The Thousand and One Nights is a must-read. Shahrzad knows that every girl who marries the king ends up being executed the next day, so she has a plan to survive. But it turns out there is far more than she thought going on at the palace. Ahdieh completed this duology with The Rose and the Dagger.
Adult
Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
Half a Soul has a similar blend of history, fantasy, humor, and romance as My Lady Jane, though it ends up having a very different vibe. It takes place in the Regency era, when a lot of popular stories like Bridgerton and Pride and Prejudice are set. This is the first in Atwater’s Regency Faerie Tales series, which also includes Ten Thousand Stitches and Longshadow.
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
In early 20th century Europe, Emily Wilde is a professor studying and documenting fairies and folklore in a remote town in Iceland. Her work is hindered, however, by Wendell, a colleague from her university who may be hiding a magical secret of his own. This is the first in Fawcett’s Emily Wilde trilogy.
That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming
As you can probably tell from the title, this book is hilarious, but also romantic. It also really delivers on the fantasy elements, taking place in an entirely imagined world. Cinnamon just wants to live a quiet life, but when she accidentally saves a (really hot) demon from danger, she ends up going on a quest she never signed up for. This is the first in Lemming’s Mead Mishaps series.
Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
In a vaguely medieval Europe-inspired fantasy world, Halla, an ordinary housekeeper, inadvertently wakes a warrior trapped in a magical sword. The two go on a quest to restore Halla’s inheritance and fall into various adventures along the way. There are definitely sword puns, iykyk. Kingfisher also wrote the Saint of Steel series, romantic fantasy mysteries set in the same world.
If you’re sad about My Lady Jane getting canceled, I’m with you. It’s always disappointing to see decisions made for the sake of business and not for good art. I’d love for it to get renewed or picked up by another platform, but I won’t be surprised if it doesn’t. In the meantime, I’m going to read more romantasy books.