Mary is a teenage girl whose is constantly dealing with family pressure to become the next writer in the family. She is constant doubt of what she should do in her future and rebels against the family career. When a mysterious and cute boy turns up asking for help, she finds herself in a new path in life and realizes her talents lie in a different direction.

Mary, subtitled The Adventures of Mary Shelley's Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Granddaughter, is a buffy like YA comics. Except that instead of killing monsters, Mary has the skill to bring them back to health. I am always interested by Mary Shelley’s life and works that base themselves on this amazing woman, so I was very intrigued by that comic and wanted to see what kind of supernatural world it leaned towards.

This is really an introductory story. I can’t say anything much happens, we just meet the characters as they discover their true calling: Mary, the reluctant power wielding adolescent (think gothic Buffy, same attitude but less sporty) and the usual much more enthusiastic and knowledgeable sidekicks. The only Mary Shelly appearance comes in the form of a family that pressures their little Mary to become a writer too, and the famous portrait of the lady herself in the fictional office. I can't say I was very taken by the story, like I said earlier, nothing much happens except for the usual angst of the reluctant hero, who doesn’t want to help others, until she does.

The drawings serve the story well, all the characters are well designed, in fact I think the illustrator is really good at it. The heroine, her friend and her love interest are all very cute. It is smooth, focused on the expressiveness of the people and helped the volume feel like a TV series. I think lots of teens will like the slick modern American comic look, with a nice realistic colorization.

I really liked that the focus of the comic was on helping people (monsters) and even had a wild animal rehabilitation message. There is no girly squeamishness. The pictures were lovely. I was a bit sad the story was lacking, and I feel like I would need to read more volumes to really make a decision on this work. There is a few interesting historical women quotes, but nothing on Mary Shelley, this is not really important when you have a good story, but I just thought I should point it out to people who were more interested in that.

My real criticism is that the comic didn’t feel like it brought anything really new to the table, lots of clichés (instantaneous love, chosen one, misfit…), which can be fine when whatever story is well treated, but I felt like I just read the intro of a book and was abandoned before the first defining moment of the plot. And the teen characters don’t talk to me as they might to someone of the same age group. As it is I, a young mother, am not very interested, but it could be the Buffy of this generation to some, if the next volume thickens the plot, and adds depth to it’s characters and their relations.

*Thank you to Netgalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Going into this I felt like the subject and storyline of this graphic novel was unique and seemed to be perfect for the spooky season. While I enjoyed most of the plot, I felt like there was something missing and there were points where I felt like the story dragged on and went into too much detail. There were times where I was confused as to where the plot was going to why certain details were introduced or brought up.

I'm assuming there is going to be a sequel one day as the ending of this did not feel satisfactory to me and was pretty open-ended, borderline abrupt. I am interested to see if in the future there are more character developments, especially with Adam and Mary. I would love to see how their relationship grows and how Mary deals with her family and the secrets she has uncovered.

All that aside though, I really did like Mary and I thought this novel was fun and entertaining. I liked the monster aspects to it and the illustration really fit the story and I thought they were wonderful. Besides the rushed plot, this graphic novel is a great read!

I found this book pretty entertaining. The drawings were very well done as i like them. The only thing that I want to criticize is the romance, the relationship grows too fast, and it is only linked to the boy’s appearance without even knowing Who he really is.

First of all, the ARC that was provided to me has a terrible quality.
The idea itself is quite good but the execution of it is horrible.
This comic book is just plain bad.
The only thing I liked about it was the description and Mary's character design.

Very interesting concept, hoping that there are more books to follow as there is a lot to explore within this world. It ticked all the boxes for a successful graphic novel for my students, particularly the funnny and weird boxes! The monsters were great, loved the ghost inhabiting Bun Bun :D

Where shall I start????

THIS BOOK IS AMAZING. There. That's all I have to say.

Seriously, I was blown away by this book and I am PRAYING for more in the series. It checked every box: awesome characters, funny jokes, great art, engaging story.

Kind of weird and quirky but enjoyable. Not the most groundbreaking graphic novel I have ever read, but enjoyable in its own way. It will be cool to see if there are more. I would read them!

I found this book on the strange side. I liked the art and the concept of it, I just found parts of it to not make sense - and I can't decipher if it's deliberately narrated that way to have that oddball feel. For example, I just can't be sure if this character is someone readers could relate to that much. Like many other readers, I also thought that the story was a little short, and I sure hope that there'll be future volumes because this story has barely started in this volume!

If you've ever read or heard about Mary Shelley's background you will know she was one angsty woman. She's exactly what you'd picture to write a book as chilling and gothic as Frankenstein. I have always been intrigued by this woman, so this book stood out to me.

Who wouldn't want to read a book inspired by Mary Shelley? Especially her great-many-greats granddaughter who's an angsty, gothic teen? It's likely to be interesting, right? Especially a graphic novel!

So, we have Mary - Mary Shelley's great-so-many-greats-granddaughter. She's in high school and is as goth as stereotypical goths can be. Her family is full of women specializing in literature, so you can imagine how that feels. Weird things are suddenly happening, which isn't going to make life easy for Mary. Have you ever had monsters just appear on your doorway? No? Well, Mary has. It's kind of weird.

This book is gothic and different. The illustrations aren't my favourite, but they seem to work with the story. The plot and action is amazing though. I am really impressed and enjoyed dipping into this gothic tale. It's a really fun read! It might not be for everyone, but I sure enjoyed it.

Overall, this book is a cool gothic tale. If you like gothic reads and graphic novels, grab this book!

Three out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Six Foot Press for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

I love Mary Shelley so I was intrigued by this graphic novel about her fictional descendent.

The story is unique and excellently told by beautiful illustrations by Yishan Li. I loved the idea that all of Shelley's female descents had become authors themselves (I imagined both Percy and Mary loving that their passion had transcended the ages) except for her namesake.

The gentle nod to the similarities between the two was so well done, as shown by the jewellery worn by modern day Mary resembling a more gothic and somewhat out-dated look.

The characters are intriguing and I hope that
Brea Grant writes more about the Shelley family and the creatures who seek out Mary's talent. The possible storyline are endless and I can imagine this being a firm favourite for monster lovers.

Featuring Adam, a two hundred year old monster made in the same way Dr Frankenstein does his, a Harpy with tooth ache, a ghostly author trapped inside a stuffed bunny and not one but two Loch Ness monsters amongst others; this graphic novel is perfect as I said, for anyone who is intrigued by things that go bump in the night.

*I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I really enjoyed this magical take on Mary Shelley and her ancestors! It definitely gave me Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes. I'm looking forward to the sequel!

I really enjoyed the graphic novel it was an interesting take on the Author Mary Shelly. The only criticism I have is that I felt that the plot line was a little slow in the beginning, but it eventually picked up its pace. I'll definetly read the next book.

I absolutely can understand where Mary is coming from. Having family constantly pressure you into being someone you're not is tiring and also takes any interest you have in other things out of the equation. The author Brea Grant created an amazing storyline fit for the young generation of modern day. While still touching on the original Mary Shelly and her works, the young great-great and etc. granddaughter, Mary for her name sake finds herself with a macomb and monstrous path before her.

At first when reading the novel, you don't really see where the story is going until Mary notices tiny incidents and new people swarm around her. And as any freaked out teenager would be, Mary is at first reluctant to become the healer to monsters, unsure if this path is meant for her or if she just wishes to be normal.

I like the cast of characters, the possessed stuffed bunny, the harpy, Adam (who might be a zombie), and her best friend who secretly a witch; all of them add personality to an already interesting storyline. I hope to see more of Mary and her adventures in the monster world. Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

Honestly, a very cool graphic novel. I flew through it!
Loved the art style, though I wish the e-arc was better quality.

Mary is the Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Granddaughter of Mary Shelley. Her entire family is filled with women who became successful authors in the legacy of the great author. Mary is expected to become a successful author but she isn’t sure what she wants to do with her future. As she is trying to discover her calling she finds that she has some unconventional powers and unconventional friends. She has the ability to heal monsters, and those monsters aren’t going to let her ignore her calling.

To start I will say that this was super interesting. It started off with some real spooky season, Halloween vibes and they continued throughout the whole story. I loved how we followed the descendants of the first Mary Shelley and their lives.

For one thing I loved this art style. I loved the dark colour pallet and how each character had their own distinct look and style. I also loved all the characters. They were complex and interesting. I absolutely want to continue this series as it goes on. I am so excited to see what happens to Mary and her friends next!

I had a lot of fun reading this graphic novel. This family has a legacy, and Mary wants nothing to do with it. Things change though when she finds out it isn’t the only legacy this family has. She meets all kinds of creatures, and finds herself in a perilous situation more than once. Yet thanks to some new friends she gets out of them alright. As this graphic novel comes to a close, it looks like Mary’s life has taken a surprise turn, and it won’t ever be the same.

"Mary" is one of those stories that you love from the first page. Since the introduction of the characters, with 101 angsty teenager Mary, descendent of.... well, Mary Shelley, as the center of the story, "Mary" does an amazing job in bringing its world of monsters, magic and writers to life. It is a fantasy story, with some gothic and horror thrown into the mix, with a couple of humorous moments, about a not particularly original in her insecurities but very relatable teenager that discovers that the world is not as she thought it was.

This, the teenager that discovers things are not as they seemed, is a very old, well trodden, starting point for a story. But this graphic novel has charm to spare, Grant and Li doing an amazing job in making all characters interesting and cool from the moment they appear, from our main character, to her family, the mysterious youth that she meets one night or her best friend. The story is full of potential, and the plot gives little snippets of a bigger world where many surprising and full of wonder things may be happening. And if the characters and the possibilities of its world are not enough, the story offers an engaging plot, with a couple of little interesting side quests, and developments that make the reader care for where the story is going.

However, I also feel a little bit ambiguous about the plot. It feels too rushed, with too many developments given little space to breath, and with some things that seem to come out of the blue. In some ways it feels like the pilot for a TV show, where things are a little bit rushed, a little bit rough around the edges and the characters and the world for the story are still not perfectly set. But I will give it the benefit of the doubt. With so beautiful and charming characters, engaging world, and endless opportunities, "Mary" easily wins you over.

The art is also quite good, perfect for the story. Yishan Li does an amazing job with the characters, and also with the background, which gives the story its 'gothic' mood and also drawing some very cute characters. Again, a couple of vignettes are a little bit messy, or empty, but that is a minor complain.

Totally worth your time. And I hope they continue with Mary's adventures.

MARY - The adventures of Mary Shelley's Great Great Great Great Great Granddaughter is a horror/fantasy comic novel the I read in under an hour.

The target audience is 13 to 18 years so the themes and writing are pretty simple and easy to follow. Very appropriate.

What I liked most about it is the underlying message to let kids discover themselves. That they should always have a choice and not have to live in their parents/ancestors shadows but adults should still talk to them about their history. The family is also very matriarchal with badass /successful women...I loved that. The illustrations are really good, plus I love how they create the dark, horrific mood of the book (the art was my favorite part)

The one thing I'm still not sure about though is Mary and Adam having something going on? Because from the look of it, Adam knew her mom from when she was younger and I know he's pretty much immortal but I can't shake that off. I see him to be the same 'age?' as the mom

Mary was an interesting reimagining of the descendants of the legendary author, Mary Shelley. Sixteen-year-old Mary who is the grand-grand-grand-..-grandchild of the Frankenstein author has a legacy to live up to and is invariably expected to be the next buzz in the gothic literature field. All the constant pressure puts her off track and amidst all the literary chaos, she stumbles upon the handsome vampire-like-monster, Adam, who occasionally loses a limb or the other, asking for her help. Turns out, Mary has a special gift to heal monsters/demons and the whole monster universe depends on her to "fix" their qualms being the only living monster healer. Overwhelmed by her present situation, Mary does not know what to make of everything and needs to do is figure out if this is what she wants to do with her life!

This was a fun, quick, perfect-kind-of-spooky-for-a-wimp-like-me read and I hope there'd be more additions to the book! By the time I grew attached to all of the characters, the story was all wrapped up and I want MOREE!