Mary is the great, great, I forgot to count how many great, granddaughter of Mary Shelley. But the real pressure is being surrounded by a family of writers, especially her mother, when you’re a teen who hasn’t found your place in the world yet.

This was a cute comic that would appeal to anyone who sees monsters and thinks “what if we treated them like people though?” The setup wasn’t wholly surprising, but I feel like it wasn’t written for a surprise to be the focus. This caters to the kids who love Frankenstein, old horror classics, and myths of all kinds. The art has this interesting nod to both classic comics and more modern illustration, that really fits the story.

*I was provided a copy of this book to review, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, I found the description of the novel funny and absolutely brilliant. Curious, whether Mary would pass biology or not… well this wasn’t my main motivation to read the novel, nevertheless, I was curious about how this whole taking on the legacy of the original Mary Shelly was going to play out.
Since the first thing we see in any graphic novel is art, a shout out to the wonderful Yishan Li for producing such a beautiful artwork! I really liked Adam and his interaction with Mary. I also liked the various monsters showing up to get Mary’s help and intruding on some moments I wished were not interrupted. I liked Mary’s character. She is smart and funny and is quick to overcome the shock of first meeting the monsters in order to heal them. The story is fast-paced, easy to follow, and fun. I hope there will be another volume or two.

Thanks to Netgalley and Six Foot Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun read and the art style was so up my street. The perfect October graphic novel. I enjoyed the different direction it took and bits of it had me chuckling like when she quoted Kerry Washington.

First of all, I'm not a huge comic reader and I don't really read more of that genre than an occasional webtoon or a short story by some independent artist.
But this one caught my eye.
Recently having dived into the times of THE Mary Shelley, this comic connect that interest with the edgy, moody teenager that her great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter Mary is.
As the blurb says, this is about Mary who doesn't want to follow into the writer footsteps of her family and struggles to find out what she wants to do with her future when, one night, a mysterious boy introduces her to the world of monsters and her ability to heal them.
It was no long read but an enjoyable one with lots of funny characters and creative ideas.
The artwork was nice (a comic thing I sometimes struggle with) and the monster compendium and character designs included at the end were a nice little surprise.
Mary's character is a real teenager who was portrayed as such and would feel very relatable to sixteen-year-old me. The other characters are not explored as much but nonetheless they're not one dimensional.
My overall favourite monster was Blub Blub
All in all, I read this comic is one sitting, laughed quite a lot and would recommend it to anyone who wants a not-so-spooky comic.

It’s no secret I’m a fan of comic books and graphic novels. And while I traditionally read titles from the big two (yes, I know there are a ton of great titles elsewhere, but I didn’t really read many as a kid!), every now and then I have the chance to read something that is entirely different than what has come to be expected of comic books. Brea Grant’s Mary: The Adventures of Mary Shelley’s Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Granddaughter is one of those titles. Grant could have gone down various avenues to have this story come to life, but the visual-based graphic novel was 100% the best choice.

The story focuses on Mary Shelley, named after her Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandmother, who is in the process of trying to find herself. She, like her namesake, has a lot to live up to—a mother (and family, dating back to the original Mary Shelley) who is a remarkable writer and many expect the current Mary to follow in the family tradition. She just doesn’t feel like that’s her path. However, she soon realizes that she shares another trait with her namesake—the power to heal monsters (though I do feel unclear about it being that specific or not). She’s then thrust into a whole new world.

One of my favorite things is falling down the rabbit hole when presented with a subject I don’t know much about—Mary Shelley being one of them. While I’m disappointed that she doesn’t have any living descendants, with healing powers or not, it was great to read up about a total badass lady who was way ahead of her time. The real Shelley can, and should, be thanked for helping create and shape science fiction, sure it’s mutated over the years, but she planted the seeds and continues to inspire.

While I love the story Grant told in Mary, it did feel rushed. There’s no Earth-shattering freak out at the discovery of monsters living among us, heck, there’s no real meltdown when she meets a stranger whose foot is detached, and the same goes for when her friend is let in on the secret. If this book didn’t end things that left another adventure entirely possible, perhaps I would have understood the rush, but if there’s a plan for more stories, flesh it out. There is always room for the Aquaman approach: throw everything we got, who knows if we’ll get to do this again; but make everything you throw worth it.

That said, save for what I consider those minor issues with the book, Grant’s writing is on point. And while I, a cisgender white dude, have no experience being a teen girl, I do know what it’s like to not fit in. I know what it’s like to not know where I belong. And I certainly know what it’s like to not know what path I should take. Every bit of that hit home and that’s a sign of great writing—getting someone who isn’t in your target demo to connect with the material.

I’d be lying if I said I was familiar with the artist’s work, but Yishan Li does a great job. There’s a great blend of traditional and manga art happening in this book. I missed the boat on that manga/anime style of art in both comics/manga and animated series—it just doesn’t mesh with the style of art I connect with. Li’s work bridges that gap for me and makes me realize that I’m probably missing out on some great stories because I’m not allowing myself to connect with that style. There are certain moments in the book that things look weird or awkward, but none of it takes away from the overall tone of Mary. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Li’s work in the future.

Mary: The Adventures of Mary Shelley’s Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Granddaughter is a fun story that should lead you down a rabbit hole of the real-life Mary Shelley. While moments felt rushed, I’m looking forward to seeing the continued adventures of the current (fictional) Mary Shelley and hope that both Brea Grant and Yishan Li get to team up for them.

NOTE: Rating is 3.75 and rounded up since the system only does whole stars.

I loved the concept, especially during the spooky season!

I felt that it was too short and I was trying to find out if there was another volume in the works. I would have liked to have more details or more volumes. Mary Shelley could have so many adventures with her new found gift.

I also enjoyed the artwork and found it perfectly fitting for the storyline!

Thank you to #netgalley and #sixfootpress for the review copy!

I requested this book on Netgalley because the cover caught my eye and the premise intrigued me. I am a huge fan of Mary Shelley so the idea of seeing what her 7th generation granddaughter was up to sounded like a lot of fun. And I was glad to see that it more than met my expectations!

I thought it was neat how the author was able to work in three big elements from the original Frankenstein novel. First, that Mary Shelley wrote it. In this graphic novel, Shelley’s daughters and granddaughters were all famous writers. Second, the spooky element of monsters. And third, the science part of it. Not only can Mary see the monsters but her power is to be a monster doctor. I thought that was a great connection to the sci-fi element of the original Frankenstein.

I thought that the illustrations would wonderfully spooky and atmospheric. The art style fit perfectly vibe of the story.

My only complaint was that it was short! I found myself wanting to read more. But I guess this is a good thing. I sure hope that there will be multiple sequels with this fun characters. I can’t wait to read more.

This follows the famed author Mary Shelley's descendant, also named Mary Shelley. Mary is a teenage girl who doesn't feel she fits in with the rest of the women in her family who are all writers. She feels constantly pressured to live up to her namesake and the great expectations of her family, but she isn't even sure if she wants to be a writer at all. Her already angsty, confusing teenage life gets even <i>more</i> angsty and confusing when a boy named Adam shows up and Mary discovers she has the powers to heal monsters. Now, Mary has monsters lining up for help while trying to juggle keeping her secret and those ever present family expectations.

This was very cute and my goth teenage self would have self-inserted on Mary so hard. The way the plot developed was a little stilted and jumpy, and the dialogue was fairly basic. Still, it was a very fun concept and the art by Yishan Li is gorgeous. Recommend if you are currently a teenage goth, or are a former teenage goth wanting to get nostalgic!

I really liked the dark universe of thecomics. The heroine side with a slightly gothic look, coming from a family with a history filled with success while she herself doesn't have the impression of being able to make her family proud.

I also really liked the graphics that totally match the universe of the story.

However, I was less conquered by the intrigue, the outcome of which did not seem very clear to me. I had the feeling that everything was solved suddenly without logic. Moreover, even the denouement aside, I did not manage to fully cling to the plot itself from the start.

In fact, I don't think it's a bad book, but more of a plot that I didn't find myself in and which failed to satisfy me despite its good sides.

The moment I saw this title & cover, I knew I was going to love it. This is about a girl named Mary who the Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Granddaughter of Mary Shelly. Every woman in her family has been an author of some kind and she's struggling to find her place in both life and the family. She feels she cannot escape the pressures of what's expected of her, until one day she finds out she has a special skill. Queue in the weird... lol. I enjoyed both the art and the writing and really hope their will be more volumes to come.

A fun look into Mary Shelley's great-great-great-great-great granddaughter. Mary is in a lot of pressure to follow in the footsteps of every other woman in her family and become a great writer just like her very famous ancestor who penned the first sci-fi novel. The only problem? She doesn't want to be a writer. Mary is kind of stuck in her life and isn't sure what she wants to do exactly. During a high school biology class she discovers she has a hidden talent and this quickly becomes the forefront of the story as she learns what her gift is and how to use it. This graphic novel is full of themes of finding yourself and coming into your own, family and the things you feel are required of you, and there's tons of fun creatures! Who doesn't love creatures?

The art was really well done but the pacing brings this graphic novel down a bit for me. It felt very slow for most of the book but then very rushed towards the end. I'm still not clear on if there's supposed to be another volume because this just abruptly ends with a wanting for more.

Thanks to Netgalley and Six Foot Press for providing a digital ARC

I'm not one for classics but this was a fun read. The story kept me engaged throughout even if I didnt completely connect with the main character. The dark tones and various monsters gave me major halloween vibes.

Freakish, surprising and beautiful. Thankyou netgalley for providing the review copy.

This book was quite a surprise to me, when I started it I thought it would be a normal twisty mystery kinda book but lo and behold monsters and a variety of them too, I loved it a lot.
A pressured environment to be what the family legacy is, a troubled mind about the future, the pressing need of telling people off to mind their own business and leave you alone were some of the strongest emotions of the book and I absolutely loved that vibe.
The story was a but sketchy and initially I didn't know what was happening but as the story progressed I grew more and more intrigued about what her choices would lead to.

I love a good graphic novel with superb art illustrations and this was one of the best ones. The art was fabulously detailed and the characters were actually accurate and some swoon-worthy.
I would love to read more if this book has sequels and the distinctive monsters had my interest, some quotes were also well used. The school work and the landscape scenes were well written as well. This can be a quick, fun and slight spook surprise read for graphic novel lovers with cool illustrations. #netgalley #mary

This was such a fun take on Mary Shelley. I loved that this was about her ancestors and that they all were famous writers. Except for Mary, who wants nothing to do with the family business. Mary doesn't really know what she wants to do and she tired of getting pressured by her family to decide on a career path. While on her way to her dad's clinic one rainy night, she runs into Adam, who is holding his severed foot in his hands. Mary soon discovers her true calling - being able to heal monsters. Her life quickly becomes more complicated as she deals with her new powers, her overbearing family, and still trying to pass her classes at school.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and I hope there's more! I liked the art style and the story was pretty good to. To me it was a little obvious what was going to happen but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. I think this would appeal to a lot of people, especially fans of horror.

3.75 Stars ( I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

First of all I do want to say that the art style in this graphic novel is decent but just not a style that stands out to me. I love that the beginning has Mary Shelley introducing the story from a portrait breaking the fourth wall. Her descendants have all achieved great success but the Mary we are following is at a standstill in her life (even though she is only still in high school). She does have a great amount if pressure to be a writer from her mother and also lives with her aunt and grandmother who also have done a lot with their life’s. She likes spending time with her dad who is a doctor and seems to have an affinity for biology and that leads further into her discovery of her destiny. Overall this was an enjoyable story and you do of course have to disband your disbelief for some of the situations. I didn’t like that Mary’s female family members leave her in the dark about some information regarding the family history. The love interest, as well as her best friend do have some convenient plot points but it was quick read great for the Halloween season.

Mary offers a solid twist on the legend of Mary Shelley - Mary Shelley: Doctor to Monsters! The story of a girl trying to figure out her future only to find her family legacy is more complicated than she thought, Mary doesn't offer an surprises but is a solid, engaging story that readers will enjoy. The sidekick monsters give the story an extra level of charm, the art supports the story nicely and the story overall begs for a sequel to explore Mary's world.

The art was really good and the plot is interesting. I found myself engaged with the story and want to read more of the following chapters and even the next volume of the book to find out what will happen to Mary and her new discovered power. I love Mary Shelley she is a great inspiration. imagine 17 yrs old and to write such a masterpiece is indeed admirable.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fun concept, making the descendant of Mary Shelley into a healer of monsters. I liked the combination of diverse creatures, sarcasm and the relationships between the characters.

I believe it would be suitable for age 13 and over. The horror aspect is not too gruesome, there is no sex and the worst language is the use of the word virginity. I enjoyed this and will be adding it to our buying list.

This is a delightful spooky tale, perfect for Halloween written by the amazing Brea Grant. It’s funny and sweet, with the perfect autumn feeling that will make you want to cuddle up to read it over cider. I know it just came out but I already want more!

2.75. It was alright, but there were times I was confused and not following the story. I loved the illustrations and concept, but the execution wasn’t 100% there for me.