I've never read the Hunger Games, but this book felt like I was reading it. Can Rhen actually complete the Labyrinth? Without dying? What about the disease going on? Oh yeah, can't forget the cute boy, but wait, you have a guy who's interested in marrying you. Which means you'll get out of the Lower life and move into Upper. I can't place the book into a year...sorta modern/future but also like the 1700's. The book proves that a girl can do anything just as well as a guy.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Oh man this one just didn't work for me.
There is a lot of good here -- the messages, the potential talking points for book clubs, the concept, but to me it felt slow. We don't actually get into the Labyrinth until over halfway into the book. So, most of the book felt like build up to me, since that was the part I was waiting for. The labyrinth isn't the point of the book though, but Rhen's journey to finding a cure and figuring out what type of future she wants for herself.

Rhen is a good character -- she's smart, a great friend, and a fighter. She also has dyslexia, which I wasn't expecting. I really liked her friend Seleni though, who knows what she wants in life which is to be a wife and mother. We get so many books where being a mother is looked down on, so to have a book where we get both a female scientist and one who wants to have a more traditional role, is pretty cool.

I did find it weird that for as much build up I still didn't completely understand the setting. There are magical beings and potentially magic, but it isn't said how it all works. I was wondering why the disease couldn't have been a magical one if it was acting so strange.
There are definitely a few suspending belief moments in regards to the girls' disguises and how they flawlessly fool everyone by doing the bare minimum.

There is also a romance subplot. I don't necessarily think it was needed, even if I did like the guy and how supportive he is of Rhen and her dreams.

All in all, it isn't a bad book, it ended up being one I wasn't really interested in. I would recommend this one to people who like contemporaries, but are looking for some fantasy-lite with positive female characters and events.

Rhen wants to find a cure that is killing her mother for a disease that's spreading.
Not having the right equipment she enters the yearly all boys competition for a scholarship. Of course with the help with her cousin she disguises herself as one of the boys to fit in. Rhen is a likeable character that's one reason why I didn't want to give up on the book.
The writing was great and so was the story! I just went in with big expectations for the Labyrinth portion of the book, and of course it wasn't what I expected. But just because it wasn't a 5 star read for me doesn't mean it won't be for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for a free E-Arc to review.

I was instantly dragged into this book, the writing pulls you in and refuses to let you go.
I fell in love with the main character Rhen and the friendship she has with her cousin is beautiful!!
Poor vs rich, and a competition that doesn’t allow wealth to be a deciding factor. But only men are allowed... until Rhen needs to save her dying mother and will do anything to find a cure - including pretending to be male to enter the competition.
I followed this story along so intensely! Thoroughly enjoyed it!

<b>“I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."</b>

In a world where people are classified as the “upper” and the “lower” this book is definitely one of those book that depicts the superiority of the rich versus the poor. It also still has the apt discussion of Feminism in terms of women’s equal rights for education.

Things I love about this book, and why I would highly recommend it:
- It has a very strong female lead character. A girl willing to break the norm. And a girl who stands up for what she wants and what she wanted to become.
- It shows how person’s dream shouldn’t be over- shadowed by what people expects from you.
- It has a very simple narration that even young readers will enjoy.
- No complicated plot.

Overall, this was such a nice read. Definitely recommended!

I loved the premise of this book but it, unfortunately, fell a little flat for me. I think the labyrinth could have been a much bigger part of the book as the blurb led me to believe it would be centre-stage. The characters were quite fun though and there were some enjoyable moments.

I received an arc from Netgalley for an honest review.
To best the boys is such a magical novel. I was so excited to get a chance to read it early. Mary Weber created a world and a story that I absolutely fell in love with. Rhen and Seleni are such good strong females characters in their own way. Rhen, is a scientist, she’s strong and intelligent. Seleni, is Rhen cousin she’s a part of the upper society.
In this story Rhen and her dad are trying to cure her mom because if they don’t succeed her mom will died and so will others. Since she’s a girl, men in parliament who can change things and help people won’t listen to her; so she decides to disguise herself as a boy to enter an all boys competition that Mr.Holms host every to give any boy who is lower or upper class a chance to win a scholarship to a prestigious all boys university. So Rhen decides that if she wins this competition, she has a chance go to university for an education so she can cure her mom.
This novel was so good. I loved the story and the characters they were all well developed. This was the perfect. I really enjoyed To Best The Boys and I would totally recommend.

From the very beginning, I loved the spooky, dangerous story world of TO BEST THE BOYS. Ghouls stalk through the mist at night, and sirens make the sea a treacherous place. Add to that a fearless, smart-as-a-whip heroine and you've got a story which delivers on the promised wild ride.

I loved Rhen's passion for science. I also loved that TO BEST THE BOYS features a heroine who's deeply into science, but the book doesn't feel like a science book. Does that make sense? It didn't feel like so much of the book was about the science that it would be a turn-off to readers who don't really have an interest in science.

Rhen doesn't neatly fit in the world into which she was born. She doesn't want to marry and devote her life only to raising a family. She wants an education, something that her society denies her an opportunity to pursue.

I liked that the story took a moment to give a nod to women who do desire a hearth and home life. Not everyone is the same or wants the same things, and it's okay to want to be a full time homemaker, too.

On the romance element in TO BEST THE BOYS. Y'all, Mary Weber knows how to write strong men. Like, not just physically strong, which obviously Lute is because of being a fisherman. But a strength of character and heart. He supports Rhen, sometimes simply by standing back and not interfering. He tries very hard to respect her wishes, even when he believes she's doing something foolish. I liked him a lot. Definitely a worthy addition to a book boyfriend list, if you're the type to keep one.

Overall, I liked this book so much. From the spooky story world to the like-Hunger-Games-but-for-college contest to the whip-sharp heroine, TO BEST THE BOYS has so much to offer. A great pick for DIVERGENT fans.

I have loved every book so far Mary Weber has written. The writing and story is probably just as fantastic but I could not make it past the beginning. This one was just too bloody for me. This is the perfect read for mystery and suspense readers.

Rhen Tellur loves science, and she would give just about anything to attend the local university and come up with a cure for her mother's debilitating and possibly deadly disease. The only problem is that the society she lives in does not permit women to attend the university. Instead, women are expected to marry, have children, and promote their husband's career. Rhen is expected to marry Vincent, the son of a wealthy family with political power and questionable aspirations. Instead she is attracted to a boy named Lute, a fisherman from the poor section of town, as well as her scholastic goals. Every year, the university and a benefactor named Mr. Holm host a scholarship competition in Holm Castle's Labyrinth, a place from which some people do not return. Desperate for a cure, Rhen enters the competition dressed as a boy, along with her best friend and cousin, Seleni. Together they will encounter unspeakable horrors and deadly sabotage as they fight to win the scholarship and the hearts of the boys they love.
I loved everything about this book (except for the ghastly creatures, of course!). Rhen's bravery and her relationships with her friends and family were a great example for girls and women who feel like they are held back from doing what they love. I loved that there were bad or ignorant males and females, as well as those who were fighting for what was right. The portrayal of these various types of people was realistic and accurate, and the plot got so interesting towards the end that I couldn't stop reading. The humor was great and well timed, the life lessons were relevant and necessary, and the slow burning romance was excellent. Towards the end of the book, there were some very beautiful and impacting descriptions and observations about life and love. Some of the characters made me so upset that I was clenching my teeth and digging my fingernails into my hand so hard that it stung, and some of the family moments were so sweet that I teared up a little. Women and men are equally valuable and important, and no one should be belittled or dismissed because of who they are. Having experienced this quite a bit myself, this book hit home for me and encouraged me to keep going, no matter what. I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs encouragement, enjoys a great story, and can handle a little violence and gore.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and bought a copy from Amazon. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This may be my favourite book so far in 2019. Great and believable protagonist and set in a scifi world. I really enjoyed this book. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC.

For some reason I thought that this book was going to be slow paced and boring, so I put off reading it for quite a while. Finally a friend of mine wanted to buddy read it, so I decided to give it a chance. To Best the Boys was so much better than I ever expected it to be. I loved the time period of fancy balls and gentlemen callers and I liked the characters even more. Where it did take a while for the book to get to the labyrinth challenge I found the timing to be perfect because I knew the characters and their individual reasons for attempting something so dangerous. I am so glad that I gave this book a chance.

Rhen was really fun to read about as she was a bit outspoken and a forward thinker in a time period that wasn't ready for her. But what I loved about her the most was her huge heart. She had a bit of a caretaker personality, but not to the extent of people pleasing because she chased her own dreams despite societal ideals. She pushed boundaries and stayed true to herself even through the most trying times.

This book also had one of the best romances that I have read in a long time. Lute was an absolute gentleman and sweetheart despite his 'lower' societal status. I loved the way that he treated Rhen throughout the entire story. He was the knight in shining armor to her damsel in distress, yet still respected her and her dreams. He was a really good man and I found that her attraction to him translated well onto the page.

This was my first read of Mary Weber's work and I have to admit that I am impressed. She managed to capture political and societal issues of the story, yet keep the pace moving the entire time. I did find myself getting a bit impatient for the labyrinth challenge to finally begin, but when I reflect back I think that the beginning was so necessary for character development. The labyrinth itself wasn't as challenging as I expected and focused more on teamwork than individual strengths, but it was also kind of perfect for this story. The book seemed to focus on moral lines and challengers both crossed and upheld them, showing who they truly were at their core.

Overall I would say that I was impressed, although I did go into this book with low expectations. While this story was quite a bit different than I had expected, I really enjoyed it. To Best the Boys at its core is about chasing dreams and pushing boundaries while staying true to one's values. I am so glad I took a chance on a book that I thought would be dull and I would love to check out other books Mary Weber has written. I actually got a review copy of Storm Siren years ago that I never read that I can't wait to read now.

I am a huge fan of Mary Weber so I was super excited when I was accepted on NetGalley for a review copy of To Best the Boys. But I am just going to leave with this one as it just wasn't a "me" book? I found it to be slow and I was incredibly bored the first half of the book. It eventually did pick up, but not enough to really keep my interest.

To Best the Boys, by Mary Weber, is an exciting story of a young woman’s quest to do more for her family, in a society that says she is unfit to do so because she is a woman.

This story took me a little while to get into, and the first chapter was a bit confusing, as the story dove right into this new, lightly fantastical world, without any set up or explanation. However, as the story progressed, the setting became clearer and the character development was done well. As we followed the main character, Rhen, and learned about her desire to be a doctor and to cure her mother’s illness, the reader cannot help but root for her to succeed.

Once I got into it, I couldn’t put the book down and I raced to finish it because I needed to know how Rhen and Seleni would do as they disguise themselves to fight for a place at university in this extremely patriarchal and often misogynistic society. It was well-paced and strongly written, and I loved that I could see bits of myself in both of the central female characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for the free electronic ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

My favorite thing about this book was how much Rhen challenged the social norms that were expected of her and she went against the grain every chance she got. I really hated how the guy who was interested in Rhen acted towards her and treated her like she was his property. The competition part of the book lacked something for me. It all felt a little rushed and not really explained very well while the competition was actually happening. I did really like the ending though! I will most likely pick up other books by this author in the future.

The premise of this book was so good. I read in a day. I actually really enjoyed it but i didn't find what i was looking for. The wordlbuilding was really good and i loved strong female characters. Rhen was fantastic. She was brilliant, clever and strong. In the end she did what she wanted. But the labyrint part was so short. Everything happened so quickly. I wanted that part little bit longer because that was the main part for me. But in the end it was really enjoyable book and that cover was gorgeous.

“For the girl who’s been told to quiet down, calm down, sit down, or just leave it to the men—this is for you. And to those who told you such things? Watch. Us. Rise.”

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own so thank you so much for them.

This book was Mulan meets The hunger games vibes which was soo interesting to me.
I like the book in some points it wasn’t that bad but it could have better than that so I recommend it to anyone how want a historical fiction, lovable characters , fantasy adventure book this one is for you 😉
You can find my whole review here in this link :
https://hebabookaholic.wordpress.com/2019/04/02/to-best-the-boys-arc-review/

“You take this world and make it what it should be. And don’t let the beliefs of a backward system define you. You are the one who has to live with the future, baby girl. So you live it. You understand?” (Weber). 

To Best the Boys is a novel about a young girl who's tired of 'leaving it to the men', and decides to take a shot an an all boys competition for a scholarship at an all boys school. 

The book starts off with Rhen and her friends in a lab, attempting to get a blood sample from the newest corpse to test it for disease. I love that we were thrown into the middle of as situation that was used to showcase each of the character's personalities. 

I really enjoyed the premise of the story. I was really excited for the labyrinth part of the story, expecting it to be the biggest chunk of plot, and I have to say I'm a bit disappointed that the main event only started at about 60% into the book, resulting in it not lasting as long as I would have hoped. 

Rhen Tellur is a strong, smart, and determined female character that drove the story where it needed to go, without being too overbearing. I also appreciated Seleni very much as she not only brought balance to the character dynamic, but she represented a strong, smart girl who also liked frilly dresses and being a housewife. The pair showed off two very different people without making one seem less than the other. 

As much as I like fantasy and otherworldly beings, I found that the fantasy element in this novel was unnecessary. The novel is focused on science and women's rights set in the 1800s (correct me if I'm wrong on the time frame) with implied supernatural occurrences coming from the Holm estate. What I don't understand is the ghouls and sirens coming from the sea. I found that aspect to be unnecessary to the plot. 

The theme of the book greatly surrounds women's rights. It is very much implied that girls should do whatever they want to do - whether that be going to university to cure diseases, or becoming a housewife. The message was conveyed without tearing down the image of all men, and I appreciated that. 

I found the novel to be really well written. I liked the way the story was introduced as well as the way it ended (I won't spoil it) because it gave the story a unique feel. There were a lot of well kept secrets throughout the novel that I never suspected and I thought that was brilliant.

The ending was the perfect wrap up to answering most of the big questions that we had after the labyrinth, but there were a few left unanswered. I think that was a smart move on the author's part, leaving some details to the imagination. 

I really enjoyed reading To Best the Boys. I thought it was smart, entertaining, and exciting. I look forward to reading more of Weber's work in the future. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

I had a few major issues with this book. First, let's get into the story itself. As far as YA fantasy goes, there really are some gems out there. But more often than not, I end up feeling like I've seen it all before. This book was one of the latter. It just wasn't a very interesting read to me. The characters and world building weren't fleshed out enough for me to become invested.

But mainly, I was disappointed because this book is promoted as a feminist YA. Let me tell you: if you're looking for feminist YA books, there are much better ones out there and I'm happy to rec you some! This really isn't it. If you're feminism isn't inclusive, it's not feminism. Period. I think in the year of 2019, feminist books should at the very least have basic diversity, but this just didn't. There was a ton of sexism in the book as well, and I really wasn't convinced by the way it was handled. It all just seemed like the bare minimum. For instance, there's a romance (with literally zero chemistry, but that's beside my point) and the love interest describes the main character as "untameable". And she takes it as a compliment. Really. I'm not kidding.

Then there's the way disability was "represented" in this book. Or rather, not represented? There's an author note at the back stating the rep, but she really had to spell it out because of how unnoticeable it was. On top of that, I've seen several descriptions of "a special brain" or "different needs" and the like. Just call it disability, please? It's really not a bad word.

CWs: sexism/misogyny, classism, ableism, illness of a parent, gory details about corpses.

Rhen Tellur wants to be a scientist but as a girl growing up in a world made exclusively for boys, it isn't going to be easy. When the poor people in her seaside town begin falling prey to a deadly disease, Rhen and her father search for a cure. Then Rhen sees an opportunity to better her world through an all-male scholarship competition so she dons a disguise and prepares to fight for her place.

This book was so much fun! It felt like a cross between The Hunger Games, Caraval, and the Triwizard Tournament from Harry Potter. Rhen is super smart which I loved. She really challenged everyone around her. It was great to see a female scientist holding her own in a male dominated word.

I enjoyed the romance element in the book, it was not the main focus of the story and I was really glad of that. The relationship between Rhen and her father was wonderful. The side characters were well fleshed out, in particular Seleni. I liked that she was a strong and smart but in different ways to Rhen and that their journey's and desires were really different but both were shown in a positive light.

I did have some unanswered questions by the end but overall, lots of fun, a refreshing outlook, and well worth a read.

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