Angsty teenager Mary Shelley is not interested in carrying on her family’s celebrated legacy of being a great writer, but she soon discovers that she has the not-so-celebrated (and super-secret) Shelley power to heal monsters, just like her famous ancestor, and those monsters are not going to let her ignore her true calling anytime soon.

The Shelley family history is filled with great writers: the original Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, the acclaimed mystery writer Tawny Shelley, cookbook maven Phyllis Shelley…the list goes on and on. But this Mary Shelley, named after her great-great-great-great-great grandmother, doesn’t want anything to do with that legacy. Th2020en a strangely pale (and really cute) boy named Adam shows up and asks her to heal a wound he got under mysterious circumstances, and Mary learns something new about her family: the first Mary Shelley had the power to heal monsters, and Mary has it, too. Now the monsters won’t stop showing up, Mary can’t get her mother Tawny to leave her alone about writing something (anything!), she can’t tell her best friend Rhonda any of this, and all Mary wants is to pass biology.- Goodreads

I love Mary Shelley more than her book. Her life story, although not so entertaining to her, is the perfect story that captures you and makes you fall in love. With that being said, I read almost anything related to her including retellings.

This graphic novel was okay. I didn't really care for the characters or Mary's angst. I did like the fact that the author plays upon the fact that all the women following the original Shelley were successful in their given fields and not just regular successful but exceptional. I understand the pressure and I know it sucks but that dragged on throughout the book even as she found her way.

I know this is an introduction but I wanted to be captivated and invested. I really wasn't.

Overall, 2 Pickles

Nice reading but with a somewhat "rough draft" pace. The graphic style is dark and the story seemed perfect for Halloween: indeed, the story is spooky and in the theme!
I liked my reading, but I had a problem with the rhythm: the plot takes a long time to settle, and after all the action follows too quickly for my taste.
I also found Mary to be quite stoic: she didn't seem so impacted by seeing wounded monsters show up to her ...

In short, it was a nice read but which will have, I hope, a second volume to develop a little more the adventures of Mary!

I loved Mary! The story perfectly fits the time period it's set. The art style is gorgeous and I love the use of different tones to fit the theme of the scene. Funny, quirky, loved it!

A really nice graphic novel with dark colors.
The drawings are well done and gloomy a bit like the story.
I found the beginning a bit 'confusing, but once the gear is in gear, the story runs smoothly and in no time you are already at the end of the booklet.
Nice, I hope in other volumes to come.

The premise is great but the story had such a slow start. And nothing was every fully laid out, you had to do a lot of reading between the lines to understand what was going on.

I love this concept but unfotrtunately had problems with the filed could not read the graphic novel itself. I will keep an eye out for physical copies.

First thing you need to know is that I am weak for stories about writers, so of course I had to read this.
Second thing you need to know is that if you are history-purist this is not the graphic novel for you.
Third thing you need to know is that this was nice.
As I was saying, I like writers-stories, so when the protagonist had the chance to be a writer but didn't want to take it I thought I would hate her. It did not happen, Mary's thoughts were fun to read.
All the characters were interesting and the plot was cute. However, it felt "mutilated". I believe at least a second volume is needed to conclude the story, because this was a good beginning and it would be a pity if it just ended like that.

***I received an uncorrected proof of this ebook from netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

This was just okay. I loved the artwork, and I loved the cynicism of the titular character. However, this more-or-less read like a very long prologue. There weren't really any climactic scenes... Well, there were, but the characters reacted so calmly to outlandish situations that it was hard to feel any intensity.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this graphic novel. The art was beautiful, and I loved the plot and characters. I loved how Mary was a character that knew herself, and I loved how she isn't afraid to speak her mind. I also enjoyed how Adam wasn't a monster love interest that isn't super angsty and how he isn't participating in toxic masculinity, and I loved how that set this apart from some of the other novels with similar storylines that I've read like this.
The only thing that annoyed me was how the story got a bit monotonous to read at parts, and it seemed a bit like a backstory for a character instead of the book. I would pick up the sequel to this if I had the chance!

I wish things could be developed more though. Things felt rushed and I didn't really connect with any of the characters. I can sympathize with Mary's feelings of not knowing what to do. It was an easy read and I'd pick up a continuation.

Also I dont buy the whole Mary being goth thing. This is a Nitpick that does not influence my enjoyment but until I see her listening to the Sisters of Mercy, or she have a poster of some Goth band in her bedroom, she a poser.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc. 3 stars. Definitely not what I was expecting but in a good way! Mary Shelley's descendant can heal monsters!?!? Definitely a fun and easy ready.

An amazing graphic novel talking convincingly about the amazing talented kin of Mary Shelly's in the generations to come.

Yes, lots of Marys in the line. And yes, they got famous in their respective fields but this one talks about a confused teen, confused because of the nagging adults around her and her own family (except her dad who left years ago) because they thought she was not sure of what she would become and be famous for!

She's being continuously questioned, nagged and looked down upon for not being able to figure out her talents and work upon them to become famous like her mother and her grandmother, her great grandmother and the previous Marys.

I can totally relate with the character getting annoyed and irritated for being in the same situation in which people close to you having unrealistic high expectations from you that you do not want to do anything and being tired instead because of it.

I love the art (wish it was a bit clearer!) and the way the dialogues were sequenced.

I wish the ending was a bit dramatic and wholesome because the story started out great and it went on great with unexpectedly good surprising scenes.

I love the romance and the chemistry is amazing!

All the friendship vibes as well.

Well, towards the end, it ended up "healing".

Thank you, monster loving author/s and the Publisher for the book, says the monster loving reader here!

I liked this graphic novel much more than I was expecting! It turned out to be a great story of self-discovery for the heroine. I really appreciated the liberties the author took with this story and what it was initially based upon. Things moved very quickly to my dismay but I can't fault the author because graphic novels are usually quick and to-the-point stories. The art was SO good! I loved that it was in full color because it gave everything that much more dimension!

I just received this graphic novel about a girl named after the great writer Mary Shelley. The girl is a living relative and as the great author of Frankenstein she has to find her own path in life. At first she wasn't sure if healing monsters was what she was meant to do but with the help of Adam she realizes that there's nothing wrong with healing those in need. I think that this book is just the beginning as more things will come in Mary's path as the end of the book suggests. I love all the extra pages. I recommended it to anyone who loves fast paced and intrigue with a little bit of magic.

When I got to the end of the novel, I was expecting more because I flew through reading this!

I was very interested in the monster characters. I liked that even though they were monsters, they were cute (sometimes), like Bun Bun and baby Loch Ness. The interactions between the monsters and Mary were funny. The art style perfectly fit the mood of the narrative and of the protagonist. Mary’s character design, for example, really captured her teenage angst, and the art was sometimes spooky.

While I think I could get on board with Mary and Adam’s relationship with more time, I was not a fan of the insta-love. Also, there was quite a bit of miscommunication or just lack of communication in general that became slightly repetitive.

I’m excited to see where this series goes! I have a vision of Mary, Rhonda, and the monsters creating an Avengers-esque team.

Graphic novel based the life of Mary, a descendant of Mary Shelley.

This was a lot of fun. It’s well illustrated and written.

I really enjoyed the cast of characters. The tone felt very reminiscent of teenage life only with added supernatural elements.

Super cute read; I would continue with the series.

This was a cute read with well-done art. Overall, it was reminiscent to me of the Saturday morning cartoons I grew up watching. There were clear pieces within the art to appear more gothic and age certain characters or settings, which I thought was well done.

The storyline itself intrigued me and I would be interested to see it develop into more, but what I read was a bit underwhelming. Not a lot is explained until the very end, which makes Mary's lack of reaction to events seem odd. The adult characters come across as stereotypes. The protective grandma who bakes, the cool aunt, and the self-obsessed mom. The romance isn't built on much. I also would have called this a middle grade, with the exception of a few topics that were tossed in.

I will say, I appreciated that Mary has a relationship with both of her parents, even though they are divorced. I liked the different monsters we got to see. I LOVED that Shirley Jackson's ghost was stuck in a stuffed rabbit. Honestly, I think I would have absolutely loved this if I read it when I was in middle school.

Mary Shelley, not THE Mary Shelley, is tired of always trying to plan for a future. Her mother, grandmother, and aunt are all successful authors. Sixteen year old Mary is not sure she wants to follow in their foot steps or in the footsteps of THE Mary Shelley, her famous great-great-great-great-great grandmother. But after a mysterious event in biology lab, our Mary learns she can heal monsters. This was a fun graphic novel and the art was magnificent. I felt the ending was a little rushed though. Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

This graphic novel caught my eye because I love Mary Shelley so I thought this had a lot of potential and it didn’t completely disappoint me. I really liked the art style as I think it complemented the story really well. The storyline is also really good and I am looking forward to seeing what happens next! The only thing I didn’t particularly enjoy was the romance. It was too much too soon and I personally don’t like the insta love trope, so it made me not like the story as much. Overall it was a very enjoyable read and I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Actual rating is 3,5 starts

A fun YA graphic novel coming of age story which repurposes the details and themes of Mary Shelley's biography into that of a modern-day teenager grappling with her family's legacy and her own path in life. The gothic artistic vibe is perfect for Halloween season and the plot of the story. Also appreciated the wry asides of some of the monsters and tongue-in-cheek narrator commentary.