Imaginary Mary, by the terrific trio of Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows, is a highly creative, clever, unique story with a significant social message, witty banter, based loosely historical figures. The story features a re-imagined, somewhat fanciful Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, and brilliant mathematician Ada Byron (Lovelace). These are strong, feisty, intelligent women fighting for recognition in a man’s world. As in all of these stories, there is a prominent humorous narrator who inserts herself into the story periodically. There are references to current events and songs. The two women’s stories blend together seamlessly and as per usual, a magical element is included.

If you want something a bit different, fun, original, and easily readable, you need to pick up this book and all the previous works by these authors!

Morag Sims, the narrator for the audiobook, has the perfect British accent, posh tone and clear, articulate, somewhat haughty speech. She was perfect, adding humor, feeling, and a connection to the characters.

Okay I am just going to be honest this whole thing is so played out. There is only so many times I can read about a historical figure put into this weird fantasy world without it getting old and it had gotten very old. While the person keeps changing the plot and vibes doesn't. Its just the same thing over and over again.
I would say if you enjoyed the previous books and aren't yet tired of the same thing over and over again you would probably still enjoy this. I am just completely done with this series.

This is one of the funniest stories I’ve read in awhile. The witty observations of the patriarchy to pop culture references. This story unlike anything I’ve read.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t what I got. This story easily could have been a semi-realistic historical fantasy; however, I don’t think I would have loved it as much if it was.

I loved most of the characters, and I loved to hate the rest. The authors fully embraced the style, and I think the narrator was my favorite character of them all.

Thank you NetGalley. I was lucky to be able to get both audio and the book. So even while driving I was able to continue the book. What a wonderful story. I definitely look forward to reading others by these authors.

I received an advanced audiobook of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This audiobook was a computer voiced narrator so I cannot comment on the quality of the narration in the finished audiobook.

Mary Godwin is the daughter of a famous feminist writer. Ada Byron is the daughter of the well known poet Lord Byron. In this story, the two girls discover they are descended from fae and may or may not have powers of their own. Ada is a brilliant inventor and Mary longs to be a writer. This story is a madcap adventure full of pop culture references, twisted history, and monsters.

This is my first book written by this writing team, and I loved it!! It was absolutely hilarious, and a fun, exciting story. I imagine it’s not incredibly historically accurate (while I am a history teacher, I am not very familiar with the stories of Mary and Ada), but it’s a fun take on how the story of Frankenstein came to be. I would highly recommend this to my students and anyone interested in history, science fiction, and coming of age.

I love this series, and My Imaginary Mary lived up to all of my expectations. The story features Mary Shelley and Ada Lovelace as the protagonists of an alternate history fantasy with lots of ties to the Frankenstein story. Like all of the books in this series, the book is full of jokes and modern references targeted at the reader in the style of The Princess Bride or The Hitchhiker's Guide. Overall, this is a fun historical fantasy that never takes itself too seriously.

* I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley

This series is so unique and fun! Clever quips, snappy dialogue, and crisp characters provide the framework for the re-imagined lives of Ada Lovelace and Mary Shelley. What if the two were friends…what if the two worked together…how would things have been different? If you haven’t experienced one of the Mary or Jane tales written by three extraordinary authors, you are missing out.

Honestly, if you haven't started this funny, unique and smart series of books by this author, then I can't stress enough - PUT EVERYTHING DOWN AND START NOW!

The first book was just as fun, quirky and sassy as this one. This one has Mary Godwin, better known in our time as Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein. It also has Ada Byron , loosely based on Ada Lovelace (who I didn't know before starting the story). Both are smart, spunky and just on the brink of needing to make their way in the world. Ada is an advanced mathematician and Mary wants to be an author and excels at thinking on her feet and having an elaborate imagination. I loved learning their world, how they work and how their lives are smashed together.

There is a bit of magic in this story. I loved how the magic transformed the story from one I thought I was getting to suddenly realizing I was getting another! It was so well done that I didn't even see it creeping up until suddenly I saw who everyone else could be, if I just looked at them a little different.

I love the silly references to songs and stories. I also always love the little comments from the narrator straight to the reader that were in both stories in this series. I loved the details and all the fun in the story. Honestly, this one was so enjoyable I just might read it again (and I never re-read!) I hope there are more in this series! I will absolutely read them!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This

I love this series and everything this author group has done. That said, I was really hoping for a good spooky Frankenstein retelling or a delving into the Mary Shelley-writing-Frankenstein story. It was definitely more of a Mary-falling-for-Percy Shelley-and-what-a-rake-he-is story. It didn't have the spooky, creepy atmosphere I thought it would.

It was a great book and I enjoyed it very much. At the end, I was just surprised that it was so different than I expected.

I never can get enough of this clever and fun series. In this story, we meet Mary Shelley and Ada Lovelace as they combine their talents and skills to create PAN into more than he was expected to become. Witty, funny, and full of fabulous one liners and song lyrics tucked in, this story is delightful. Can't wait to read more in the series.

**Thank you to Net Galley for the advance copy. This book releases 8/2/2022**

A believable friends to lovers romance between Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Wollstonecraft, the almost true story of what happened when Shelley won a competition amongst men to see who could write the best gothic story, the possible scandals of Lord Byron, the completely fictitious challenge of bringing an automaton to life at a garden party, and the absurdly mundane act of reanimation are central plot is among the events to take plane in My Imaginary Mary. The coolest thing is that Shelley created a science-fiction trope when she wrote Frankenstein, but Hand uses fantasy tropes to tell her story. The world building is based on creation from imagination, and all those with the power of creation and invention are fae, such is the case for the eponymous Imaginary Mary.

While the book will most likely be marketed to young adults and women, there really is something for everyone to enjoy. I bet, even those folks who pride themselves in reading non-fiction exclusively could get a kick out of this one. It would be very hard for a book to go wrong when it tells the story of Mary Shelley. She is a legitimately fascinating woman. Once you add the imagination and clever wordsmithing of Hand, Ashton & Meadows it is nearly impossible to go wrong. I had the pleasure of getting my hands on this early copy and listening to the automated narrative. I regret not waiting for the legit immersive experience or just reading it. The odd cadence of the computer made it more difficult for me to lose myself in Hand’s world.

All in all, I enjoyed Mary’s story very much. I have long been a fan of Mary Wollstonecraft, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley. I even enjoyed the cameos made by Byron, Farraday and others. It made for a very entertaining read and would work very well as a cross-curricular project in science, history, literature, and, maybe, even the social sciences. Or, just a way to bridge a reading gap between parents and kids. Outside of that, it’s whimsical, clever, funny and subtlety feminist-focused.

I am absolutely obsessed with this book, as always out trio of authors did not disappoint and gave a fresh insight into a classic tale.

The mixing and mingling of our characters who were some of the most prominent from literary history was impressive, I was able to slip away from what I know of these characters and just be drawn into this story.

The mixing of magic and machines was something I wasn't expected but find myself loving. Bringing in an almost fairytale steampunk setting and story was something that was completely new and fascinating to me.

As usual the pop culture reglfrences our authors throw in are great and I find myself looking for them, the "interaction" the authors provide with their notes to us the reader gives this such a fun feeling while making it feel almost like a friend telling a story.

I've read the original Frankenstein as well as a few retellings and this is by far my favorite, so many unexpected moments it's just amazing.

Our characters face love and anger, mortality, magic and everything in between. I mean when one character finds out her live interest isn't available despite those stolen kisses I felt her pain.

I can only hope any future books have the same magical feel all of the Lady Janies have had so far.

Wow! The hijinks of Mary Godwin (known to us today as Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein) and Ada Lovelace (known today as a mathematician and the first computer programmer) are well-told. Mary's infatuation and first kiss with Percy resonate with the joy of a first romance that we still feel today. Mary and Ada learn that they are fae and begin undertaking lessons to harness their powers--and the story moves forward. This is one of the funniest books I've enjoyed this year, and I've recommended it already to countless teens and adults.

I love the first book “My contrary Mary” and this one is just as good. The characters are lovely and the reader makes a strong connection with them, almost immediately. The story is clever and entertaining, there was something new to discover at every chapter.
Since the story is dividen upon the main characters, the reader would get a really deep inside onto the character’s mindset, therefore giving it backup to their personal depictions. The fact that the reader knows that the descriptions the character is making, alines with their personality, makes the characters so much realistic, and therefore the reader can empathize so much easier with them. If the reader cares, they will continue reading.
About the story, I love all the tiny clever details that can be found through the book. All the reference to the people this characters are based upon, amazed me, and adds so much more value to the story itself.
Overall, I think it is an amazing book, with magic, adventure, and important messages that get through easily.

Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for an advanced audiobook recording in exchange for an honest review.

These are just always fun reads/listens and I stand by my statement that these three should ALWAYS write together. I love the fun whimsical writing and the tidbits of actual facts thrown in here and there. The pop references do pop up more often then I would like but they are usually a great addition. I can't wait to see who our third Mary will be and then who we will follow after the Mary's!

As I have come to expect from the books in this series, My Imaginary Mary is funny and entertaining. Besides Mary (Shelley), there are other historical figures and some are not shown in the glowing light we might expect... I was anticipating a monster but was pleased to meet Pan, an A-I. The snarky dialogue and twist on the historical events kept my attention. However, this title seemed to drag out a bit and I began to lose interest. Overall, it was on the verge of being too corny and took too long for the story to unfold.

Yes! Another collaboration by these authors! This time we are back in the 1800s where the story centers around Ada Byron (a/k/a Ada Lovelace) and Mary Godwin (a/k/a Mary Shelley). These two characters’ worlds intersect in a tale of friendship, science, poetry, and magic with a bit of deceit and love thrown in for fun. I couldn’t stop listening to the audiobook! The action was fast paced and the banter was witty. Per usual, I laughed out loud numerous times throughout this story! I also loved how the story took me on an adventure around London, Paris, and Switzerland.

I appreciated the authors showcasing these two fabulous females and giving them a feminist voice. In this retelling, Ada and Mary both defy the social norms of the day and strive for independence and fulfillment within their separate passions. The ladies uplift each other in these pursuits while also outwitting many men along the way. The additional of Pan gave this book more of a sci-fi feel than any of the others in the series. My one criticism of the book is that the villains were contrived and their actions were predictable. But at least with the retelling, Ada and Mary can sever the ties to these ordinary men and attain their own destinies.

4 stars for a delightful historical retelling of two fascinating women! Special thanks to Harper Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I've read the Lady Janies and was excited to learn that there would be a series that featured Marys. True, these books are slightly frantic and definitively YA, but I find them humorous and light, and I like reading about the twisted reality that the famous women exist in.
This installment features Mary Shelley and Ada Lovelace, who discover a powerful secret about themselves and craft a mechanical boy who, not so surprisingly, comes to life. I enjoyed the inner thoughts of each character, which is my favorite part of this series. The caricature of the real life historical figures was amusing as always. Yes, these books have a different writing style, with a pace and frantic energy that some might not enjoy, but I don't mind it. If you liked the others in the series, you'll enjoy this one.
This audiobook is a voice galley, which was not a pleasant experience. I thought I wouldn't mind the electronically created voice, but I did find it distracting. I feel like voice galley productions are vastly improved from even just a year ago, but they are still no replacement for the intonation and expression of a human voice.

My Imaginary Mary follows young Mary, a fae who we all know as Mary Shelley and Ada, a skilled builder and scientist who we know as Ada Lovelace. Mary and Ada are two best friends who are working together and one day bring a automaton to life. Pan, the automaton, starts off as a automaton but continues to grow and change as Mary continues to bring him more and more to life.

This series of books is so fun. They take history, add a twist, and bring in a whole bunch of humor. Pan was absolutely the best part of this book. Watching him getting to know the world was funny and cute to experience. Mary and Shelley’s relationship was complex and executed very well. My main complaint with these books is just how long they are and this one was no exception. I understand that with so many authors involved, a book is bound to be a bit longer than usual and these books are somewhat known for their length, but I feel that it is unnecessary. So many little and useless things were drawn out in this book for no reason and it made the book feel like it was just dragging on. I think shortening the book would’ve made it so strong. There seems to be just too many jokes that it feels overdone when tied up with the length. Nonetheless, I still really enjoyed this book and I think it is a strong addition to the series.

I have to say, while I appreciate the use of the digital voices, there needs to be some variation among them. The audiobook of this book was narrated with the same voice as several others and that, along with the content and written voices of the character made them blend together. These books-which reimagine famous characters or people-are neat in concept, but they lean much more towards the teen end of things than I can handle recently.