3.5 stars

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

The best way that I can describe To Best the Boys is The Maze Runner with a sprinkle of Caraval.

In a region that functions on male dominance, one girl, Rhen, disguises herself as a boy in order to "best the boys" and win a university scholarship that will enable her to further her progress in finding a cure for a fatal disease that is spreading the town and taking control of her mother.

The whole labyrinth journey gave me big maze runner vibes - a group of boys (and two disguised girls) are trying to maneuver their way through the labyrinth, without dying. This is organized by the mysterious Mr. Holmes, whom nobody knows who he is or what he looks like. That's what made me think of Caraval, as the whole game is being run and designed by a mystifying stranger.

I didn't find the story very original or engaging, but I think that is it a solid book for someone who hasn't read anything of this genre/storyline before.

To Best the Boys was a splendid fast paced fantasy adventure with plenty of political shenanigans! Rhen Tellur was such a lovable character and I rooted for her all the way! Through her struggles and vulnerability, I admired her strength and courage to break the rules and pursue an impossible task in a male dominated society. The sirens that haunted the waters and the creepy ghouls that walk the graveyards added to the suspense. While the ending was a wee bit predictable and I would have enjoyed a little more closure as far as Rhen’s path, this book was totally worth reading.

I loved the premise of this book but I just didn’t love the actual thing.

I enjoyed the friendship between Rhen and Seleni and how loyal Seleni was to her friend, but I’m afraid that on the whole, this book just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I really enjoyed this story, it took reading more than one chapter to get hooked but once I did I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed the puzzles that they faced while in the labyrinth and the determination Rhen had to succeed. I liked the characters and the world building and seeing the gender barrier to education fought.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Who, What, Where?

To Best the Boys is set in the province of Caldon in which every year an epic competition hosted by the mysterious Mr Holm is held for eligible aged boys to compete for the chance to win a scholarship to the prestigious Stemwick University. Only one can win, and the competition is not for the faint of heart as contestants have died in previous years.

Our lead is Rhen Teller, a sixteen-year-old girl with a talent for biological science. Alongside her father, Rhen has desperately been trying to devise a cure for the deadly disease spreading through the lower classes and slowly killing her mother. Rhen concludes that in order to gain access to the resources and technology she needs to do her research, her best option is to attend university by winning the scholarship. The only problem? It’s an all-male institution. And so, along with her cousin Seleni, Rhen devises a plan to disguise herself as a boy to not only take home the prize but show the boys what an intelligent young woman can do.

Why You Should Read this Book:

A SOLID LEAD
From as early as the dedication, To Best the Boys sets itself up to be a female empowering story and if there’s one thing you need for a book like this, it’s a strong central character. Rhen was one of my favourite components of the book. She’s certainly strong, but also smart, hardworking, quick thinking, confident in her abilities (despite others’ attempts to discount her), and a little bit sassy.

“Miss Lake, I’d heard your cousin would be a fun one, but I’d no idea how pleasurable. You must bring her around, more often. I think I’d enjoy getting to know more of her…spirit.”

…I lower my voice and flick my gaze down his body. “Mr Germaine, I assure you – were you given the opportunity to know more of my spirit, I believe I’d find the whole experience wholly unsatisfying.”

Whilst possessing these bolder traits, Rhen does have a gentler side, too. She’s kind, empathetic, and extremely passionate about using her skills to try and help others in her community. The fact that she isn’t squeamish and starts the novel off at the morgue rooting around a dead body additionally makes for a great first impression.

FEMINIST THEMES
I can never resist a good YA with feminist undertones and To Best the Boys does well on this front. The world itself is designed around forcing women into very traditional mother/wife roles with very little activities beyond things such as sewing and baking. By having intelligent female leads actively pursuing what they want in such a setting, the theme of female empowerment shines through very clearly and as a young woman, it’s hard not to feel great reading it.

“You win this thing, Rhen Teller. Enough to make Vincent and Germaine regret they weren’t born women”.

I really enjoyed the fact that despite the more historical kind of setting, Weber still manages to make quite a few comments on equality issues that apply even in today’s society, and in doing so she really emphasises just how stupid they are. For example, girls as distractions for boys in educational settings. The other thing that I massively appreciated was Weber’s attitude towards equality and feminism. It’s about women having the freedom and opportunities to choose what to do with their future, even if, like Seleni, their choice is to be a wife and mother. You do you, Seleni!

CUTE ROMANCE
“If I go, you go with me.”

“I’ve already won,” he whispers.

Can I once again just say, thank god for authors who know how to write romances that don’t take over the rest of the story. The romance in this book is a nice, little subplot. It pops up now and again and the exchanges between fisherman, Lute, and Rhen are pretty sweet, even if Rhen spends a lot of time commenting on Lute’s luscious lips. Girl, we’ve all been there. However, the best part of this relationship, very much fitting with the overall gist of the book, is that Lute is completely supportive of Rhen being her intelligent, beat all the rest, best self and has absolutely no issues being with a woman who is smarter and more successful than he is. Basically, I am totally here for it.

DIVERSITY
I have to give points to Weber for trying to include some aspects of diversity in terms of learning disabilities into the novel. They’re not extremely prominent but they’re there. Rhen, herself, is dyslexic and it was great to see a heroine showcase the fact that having a learning difficulty does not make you stupid or mean it’s impossible for you to excel academically and in life. It may require additional time and effort, but you can get there.

Why You Might Want to Skip It:

UNMEMORABLE & LACKING WORLD BUILDING
One of the things that I often find gets choppy in fantasy standalones is the world building and, unfortunately, it’s also the case with this book. When the novel starts out, the setting is reminiscent of a seaside town in historical England. We’re given a couple of geographical details and some facts about gender roles, the class divide and the fact that fishing is a big industry, but otherwise, it all feels a little bland and also entirely non-magical. That is, until suddenly *poof*, we find out the world has magical creatures – ghouls, sirens, basilisks, oh my. I love magical creatures, don’t get me wrong, but the problem I had with their use here is that they don’t feel properly integrated into the rest of the world. Aside from some elements of the competition, for the most part, they seem like the only magical element in it. As a result, I just ended up largely disinterested in the setting and, at times, a little mystified.

RUSHED COMPETITION
I feel as though my expectations may partially be to blame for this one, but it is what it is. When I went into this, I expected that, after some time setting the scene and introducing the characters, the majority of the story would take place in the labyrinth. To my surprise, the book builds up to it only for the actual competition to consist of probably only a bit over a third of the story. Although the novel is around 350 pages long, as I was reading through, I couldn’t help feeling like the tasks were rushed and some lacking in excitement. While I’m aware this isn’t The Hunger Games, I expected slightly more.

WTF ENDING
The final challenge is certainly not lacking in drama (even though that drama is not of Mr Holm’s making). Yet, even after having flicked back and re-read through this scene, colour me confused. Everything happens very quickly and although I’m aware of the outcome, how in the world did we end up there and why was it allowed? What was even the point of the entire last challenge if someone could “win” this way. Trying to avoid spoilers here is extremely difficult but I feel as though the way the competition ends isn’t consistent with the idea of besting the boys. While I was on board with the result and everything that followed was great, it always felt somehow…tainted by how it was gained.
___________________________________________________
To Best the Boys is a reasonably entertaining read with some strong female empowerment themes and a likeable lead. However, due to its plot flaws and lack of a distinctive world, unfortunately, for me, it’s unlikely to be highly memorable or encourage a re-read.

3 STARS

**I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

First Thoughts: I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, I was not a fan. While I was able to follow the plotline better compared to other works of the author, I still found myself confused for the majority of the story. I disliked the characters, finding them stereotypical and predictable, and while the story contained beautiful sentences at times, it didn’t ultimately compare to the quality of the rest of the story.

Analyzation:

I really disliked the characters. Rhen’s pretty much your average YA female lead: bold, called “feisty”, compassionate but also selfish, takes risks for her family, “untamable”, doesn’t think she’s beautiful, feminist, helplessly in love, etc. Also, the love triangle irritated me, mostly because of its predictability and stereotypical nature, but it was also ridiculous from the start—Vincent was never a candidate, so Rhen basically flips between being a bold feminist who doesn’t need a man, and a weak, helpless woman who can’t stand up to Vincent for anything. Similarly, she passionately agrees with the topic of not letting a man rule your life, but then she falls helplessly in love with Lute and lets all logic fall by the wayside. You can’t have your cake and eat it too—make up your mind on your stance, Rhen.

Vincent was horrid, underdeveloped, and just really a painful character. Lute was your typical expected YA love interest—meager, quiet, sweet with his siblings, concerned with others, secretly bold, will do anything for Rhen. Seleni was your typical best friend, and regarding Ben, as much as I appreciated the author’s heart at including him, completed the stereotype by providing the helpless little sibling character that tugs on the reader’s heartstrings and subsequently makes them care for the older sibling/main character.

The Labyrinth thing, despite being the center which the book revolved around, I actually could have done without. It didn’t actually do much for Rhen in regards to her mission to cure the disease—or at least, not a strong enough purpose that it couldn’t have been replaced by another event. Furthermore, it became tedious to read about. Despite supposedly being the most exciting part of the book, I found myself skimming the scenes because I was generally uninterested; it felt disconnected from the rest of the story. And of course Rhen won—how else does any YA story end except for the heroine to win the impossible?

Regarding the feminist themes, I really didn’t like them due to the contradictory nature of the characters, but I did really like Seleni’s point at the end that her dream was just to be a wife and a mother and that there was no shame in that—that Rhen’s vision can be to break the gender boundaries and Seleni can be a housewife and that’s alright because everyone needs and wants something different.

Notes:

I did not like all the demonic elements with the ghouls and ghosts and spirits, especially because there was no real dramatic defeat of them—at least not significant enough that I remember. I’m fine with these elements in books when it’s light-versus-darkness and showing how light can overcome, but when it’s just thrown in there, I really do not appreciate it. The demonic world is not one I really want to be reading about when it’s just there to add suspense or thrill.

Also: the beginning of the story completely tuned me off with all the graphic descriptions of dead bodies and dead bodies exploding. It kept me away from the book for a long time before I finally made myself push through to finish it.

Overall:

Overall, I found the writing choppy, the characters hard to like,, the plot difficult to follow and the demonic elements troublesome. There were pieces of the story I liked, but not many. I did finish the book, though, so that says something; then again, if not for this being a Netgalley read, I may have given up faster.

Rating: 2.0 / 5.0

So Goodreads are my first review of this book when I had just finished it. I remember Giving it 4 stars and really liking the strong female characters and fast pace of the story.

However I hate saying that a week later, I have forgotten a lot of it and an having to think really hard on the plot points. It was enjoyable and I would recommend it but not one of those books that stays with me.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the free ARC!

The cover is gorgeous and I really wanted to love this book but it just didn't happen. The story felt disjointed and the rhythm off sync. I plan on trying again at the end of the month in case it was me!

I recieved this ARC courtesy of Netgalley

I really enjoyed this quick and fast paced read from Mary Weber.

As a lot of readers have expressed, I was expecting something a little bit more like The Hunger Games and I was surprised to find Rhen a very engaging and determined character.

I enjoyed the familial dynamic being more front and center than the romance and I will definitely be seeking out more works by Mary Weber.

I think this book would make a fantastic Book Battle club read choice !

3.5*
What’s not to like about a tale of a girl going up against the boys in an all male contest? In Caldon the girls are relegated to become wives and mothers and the lofty pursuits of college and a career are left to the young men. Rhen is not content with the status quo and wants to show she is as good as, or better than, her male counterparts.

When the annual invitation to the mysterious maze contest comes, Rhen decides to enter dressed as a boy. Her cousin Seleni is not about to be left behind so she joins in the competition deception.

In Caldon there are two social groups – the wealthy who want to compete for pride and the chance to boast, and the poor who are desperate to win the college scholarship that is the reward for the winner. Rhen is from a poor family and her mother is ill. She is a budding scientist and wants desperately to go to school to find a cure for her mother’s illness.

The labyrinth is filled with misdirection and threats from creatures. Succeeding takes the ability to think on your feet and to use intelligence to solve the puzzles and clues. Participants are divided into groups and Rhen and her group must work together at the same time as defending themselves from members of their own group who are intent on eliminating the competition.

One can’t help but root for Rhen who uses her mind to search for clues to the mysterious illness debilitating her mother. Her clandestine forays to examine corpses starts the book off to a strong start. She later uses her skill at deduction to help survive the maze. Lute is the local boy who had to quit school to go to work to provide for his widowed mother and family. He’s the strong silent type who will stand by Rhen. He is reliable, hard-working and the kind of guy one can’t help but like. His devotion to his mother and his disabled brother say a great deal about his self-effacing character. Someone else has a claim on Rhen’s affections but she may have other inclinations. Vincent was once Rhen’s good friend but his new demands on her complicate things. Rhen is focused on one thing only – winning the contest. Should she win, she still would be faced with the obstacle of wanting to attend the all-male college.

Weber’s book promotes female empowerment. It champions girls who reach for more. It also highlights dedication to family and care for those with special needs. The competition itself isn’t quite as intense as expected but there are some surprises in store for those involved with the contest. The concept and the characters are strong even if the paranormal element was disappointingly downplayed and the contest buildup was not quite fulfilled.

I just couldn't finish this one. It wasn't what I expected and the material was too graphic for me. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

To Best the Boys by Mary Weber is a young adult fantasy that I couldn’t help but think was a bit like taking The Handmaid’s Tale and mixing with The Hunger Games. This is a lighter read than either mentioned but it does take place in a male dominated society which runs an annual competition.

Rhen Tellur is unlike other girls her own age who only train to run a household and please a husband. Rhen instead is out surveying corpses and trying to come up with a cure to her mother’s disease working alongside her father in his laboratory wanting nothing more than to become a scientist herself.

Every year the citizens receive an invitation for all teenage boys to come compete to win a scholarship to the all male university. The labyrinth is by no means easy to complete and not all entering will make it out but Rhen decides that she needs to do whatever she can to change her own future and win that scholarship so dressing as a boy along with her cousin Rhen enters this year’s competition.

The world building in this one with the treatment of women in the society could really remind you of any time in history that has women barefoot and pregnant and off in the kitchen. Heck what am I saying? There are still areas and women treated as less than in today’s world so as far as that goes it gave it a realistic feel. Rhen then became that voice in the crowd that refuses to be treated as less and stands up for what she wants in an interesting fantasy story way by competing in the male tournament. There was plenty of action and adventure to the story to keep the pages turning and you can’t help but root for Rhen “to best the boys”!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was definitely a one sitting book. I really enjoyed it. Knowing Mary Weber’s work and also being a sucker for anything with the word “labyrinth” in the description, I had high hopes for this. Hopes that were thankfully met. Rhen was an incredible protagonist, and I loved Seleni as well. Weber did an incredible job of letting both have value, even though they wanted very different things.

The pacing was a little off in the beginning and at the end, but the middle was edge-of-your-seat perfection. And Lute. LUTE.

Add this to your TBR. You won’t be sorry.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

To Best the Boys is a breath of fresh air in the YA Fantasy genre! Strong female leads have become an essential staple these days, but Rhen Tellur is a marvel all her own. She reads as such a real person, whole and flawed and funny and strong. I instantly fell in love with her spirit, and even though we don't share a love of cadaver research, I found her passion inspiring. The fact that more traditional female roles are also recognized as legitimate (as illustrated in Rhen's cousin and best friend Seleni) was also wonderful. We all have different dreams, and they should be celebrated.

Mary's rich world building makes Pinsbury Port feel like home, with that perfect layer of magic that I wish existed more readily in our world. I could have taken up residence and wandered through the town with Rhen and Seleni indefinitely. Mr. Holm's mysterious identity and the labyrinth he created add a fascinating layer to the world, and gives off a cool vibe in the mashup of fairytale fantasy kingdom and nearly modern coastal U.S.

One of the most refreshing pieces of this story is how Mary weaves together the notions that the future is female and also we're better together. Women, we don't have to destroy men in order to be seen and understood. We need to raise our men up with us--and remind the good ones that they are good, that they can be forces of change, and when we work together and love well, we become our best. Yes, there are deeply drawn villains in this story, and the worst of them happen to be backward thinking males, but there are also strong, caring men who do good. I love that so much. It reminds me that there is hope in this world for all of us to do better, and that there are good men out there--men like Beryll and Lute and Rhen's father.

In all, this story left me with happy tears, a swoony sigh, and a lot of hope, which are three of the main things I look for in a story. I can't wait to see what Mary's magical brain dreams up next.

It's really hard to put into words all the emotions I felt reading this book and when I wasn't reading it all the emotions of WANTING to read it.

I've waited to read this book for a bit, because of other commitments and I kept seeing it and it called to me.

There's just something about Mary Weber's books which draw you in even when the book is closed! They hauntingly call to you. This was one such book!

At first, I thought oh a fun story about young girls dupping boys, but there was so much more to this story! After all, it is a Mary Weber book! If you've ever read any of her books you know she writes with just a touch of fantasy in a real world which will make you think, "Wait, can that be possible?"

This story shows how a girl of lower class can have dreams, drive, and skills to achieve anything a boy can.
I love the picture of strength and courage Rhen uses, to meet all the challenges she has. I also love the fun relationship she has with her cousin. Even though Rhen feels alone, she really does have someone who is there for her.

I want to thank Mary Weber for choosing to place in this book many characters who the world might not notice. Those, who might be shunned or looked down upon. She brings to life the sweetness and courage of these people.

This book will be one I'll carry with me for a long time. It was full of wonder, strength, courage, hope, and yet there were bits of darkness, mystery, magic, suspense, and romance. (I liked the last bit on that list!)

What truly stood out for me was - HAVE COURAGE! Dare to dream and dream big!

I highly recommend you pick this book up! But be prepared to possibly not be able to put it down!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley. All opinions and my own.

3.5/5
I'm not sure why I'm not rating it higher, it was a sound story, it just lacked some compelling moments. There was never a doubt in my mind in how this would end, so maybe its predictability lowered its score. I really liked Lute, he was my favorite character, Rhen's hemming and hawing during the final two chapters frustrated me. It was okay, better than most YA fantasies, but not enough where I'm going to go scrambling for more of her work.

Read: 01/05-01/07

Publication Date: March 19, 2019

To Best the Boys by Mary Weber

Every year for the past fifty-four years, the residents of Pinsbury Port receive a mysterious letter inviting all eligible-aged boys to compete for an esteemed scholarship to the all-male Stemwick University. The poorer residents look to see that their names are on the list. The wealthier look to see how likely their sons are to survive. And Rhen Tellur opens it to see if she can derive which substances the ink and parchment are created from, using her father’s microscope.

In the province of Caldon, where women train in wifely duties and men pursue collegiate education, sixteen-year-old Rhen Tellur wants nothing more than to become a scientist. As the poor of her seaside town fall prey to a deadly disease, she and her father work desperately to find a cure. But when her mum succumbs to it as well? Rhen decides to take the future into her own hands—through the annual all-male scholarship competition.

With her cousin, Seleni, by her side, the girls don disguises and enter Mr. Holm’s labyrinth, to best the boys and claim the scholarship prize. Except not everyone’s ready for a girl who doesn’t know her place. And not everyone survives the deadly maze.

Welcome to the Labyrinth.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What I Liked:

I was a little uncertain when I started this book but by the time I finished it there was a lot that I loved about it. I'll start with the setting. I had such a wonderful image of Pinsbury Port in my mind throughout the book. Whenever Rhen was running around it was easy to follow along with her. I would love for the hardcopy of the book to include a hand drawn map of the city and the Labyrinth to add to these images. The characters were all great. While a few seemed slightly one-sided or predictable the majority were done well. I especially loved Rhen as the main character. She was a science loving and goal driven main character who was not perfect. You could understand her struggles and it was great to watch her grow and learn that she deserved more than what she was being handed. Lute was an excellent pick for her love interest. I absolutely LOVED every scene that included him. Their chemistry was great so it was easy to root for them. He also never got in the way of her achieving her dreams which is a wonderful message for YA books to share. We need more love stories like Lute and Rhen.

The other thing I liked about this book was it didn't shame the girls who had different goals than Rhen. Her cousin, and best friend, wanted to get married and start a family. However, this didn't keep her from being any less goal driven or strong. Young girls need to know it's okay if their interests are different from their friends. They also need to know that they should support their friends no matter the difference. The relationship between Rhen and Seleni shows this well in the book. We need more books that show that whatever dreams you have, you should go for them and that is okay.

What I Disliked:

It took a while for the book to get to the actual Labyrinth, like over halfway through the book, which was a little disappointing. I had expected more time in it so I felt a little let down. It also made what scenes were in the Labyrinth feel slightly rushed. It was understandable why it took so long, there was a lot of background stories and character building that needed to happen before the Labyrinth scenes. There were two twists in the book and one was fairly easy to figure out but one I did not see coming. The ending also had some parts that felt as if they were wrapped up quickly while others were dragged out.

Overall though I think this book might fly under a lot of people's radars when it gets released so I encourage you to pick it up and give it a shot! It is definitely a hidden gem.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Rating: 9/10

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*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am in love with this book!!!!
I couldn't stop reading it and omg it is such an ode to all the girls and the fact that we should not listen to people saying we are not capable of doing something.
I feel empowered!! Never read a book so quickly and felt so proud.
I must have a physical copy asap

This book was insanely good. It definitely had an Alice in Wonderland feel with a good dose of feminism and squashing of misogyny. I loved the inclusion of those with special needs as people with special needs are never represented in books. The main character has dyslexia. I really hope it is optioned for a movie later on, it would be absolutely amazing!

2.5 stars

I’ve been looking forward to this book for some time, but it didn’t quite hit all the marks I’d hoped it would. I found it to be "okay." It’s wonderful to see females fighting for equality and what they believe in. That’s a hope-filled message that is really needed in today’s society (even though this story didn’t feel like it was taking place in the present day). It reminded me a bit of some other books on the market in the fact that there were tests/challenges to pass, knowing that everyone would not survive. I found it slow to engage, with a bit too much focus on the fact that there’s an incurable disease for which Rhen’s trying to find a cure. The labyrinth seems to be a small part of the book, though I originally thought it was supposed to be more of a key point in the story. The world building is good, but I had expected a bit more with the character development, as some felt a bit flat compared to other books I’ve read in this genre. The ending was a bit predictable.

I did find the premise interesting and the writing strong overall. I enjoyed the parts about the labyrinth and the challenges. (I wish there had been more on that.) It just felt like too much time was spent on the first half, making the second half feel rushed at times. Perhaps it would’ve worked better as two books. I loved the cover a bit more than the story, though I did find Rhen to be a strong leading lady. I also liked the combo of fantasy, mystery, and a hint of romance.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.