To Best the Boys

This book was such a refreshing read for me and was much more whimsical and witty than I was anticipating! It’s a very empowering story with characters that inspire strength in readers, especially young women seeking inspiration to go against all odds and expectations. I feel that this would be a great story to share with others, my students most of all. Thank you to netgalley for providing me with a copy for an honest review.

You know you've really loved a book when your review notes are double the amount of a book you that just liked. This book was seriously everything and more! I don't even have the words to explain how much I loved it!
It's the first book I have read by Mary Weber and it's not going to be the last that's for sure. This book delivered on so many levels. Straight away I was hooked and I couldn't put it down, reading it in just one sitting. I even propped my kindle up while washing the dishes! Haha. The characters were instantly likeable, The writing was easy to follow and the story was full of adventure from start to finish. It had the perfect amount of Witt which I loved, and there was more to the story than just the upcoming competition which made it even more awesome.
The ending of this book was fricken epic! I didn't expect a certain plot twist to happen at all! I cant wait to read more of Marys books! loved loved loved! Full review on my blog.

To Best the Boys is the first book I’ve read by Mary Weber and I chose it because I liked the fantasy aspect in the description. I also liked the idea of a young girl trying to make her way in a man’s world, which is exactly what Rhen is trying to do. Rhen has always worked with her father in his laboratory to try to find a cure for different illnesses. It is her dream to become a scientist. When her mother falls ill to a disease that is crippling and killing the local poor people, she is determined to find a cure. Every year there is a race inside a labyrinth to award a full scholarship to the local all male university. Rhen and her cousin decide to enter, dressed as young boys, and win that scholarship. But inside, where they have to battle not only the others, but also the puzzles and problems set forth, they find that some contestants will do anything to win. Can they make it through unscathed, uncovered, and victorious? And what else will they discover about life and themselves along the way? I really enjoyed this story. It was a lot of fun and had good detail. I’m curious now about Weber’s other works and will look into finding them. I would recommend this book for people who enjoy fantasy and adventure. I received a free copy of this story from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Why has it taken me this long to read a book by Mary Weber?  I'm now a confirmed fan, and To Best the Boys was an absolute delight to read.

You can't help falling in love with Rhen.  She's exceptionally intelligent, compassionate, driven, and is more comfortable in the presence of dead bodies than at an opulent party.  She's also dyslexic, and has found ways to succeed in spite of it.  Although society expects her to be content with 'wifely duties', she sees a different future for herself, and takes risky steps to make it happen.  It's important to mention that when Rhen's cousin, Seleni, says being a wife and mother is what she wants, her choice isn't disparaged - it's the path that's right for her.  And that's what this book is about - knowing what's right for you, and not compromising your dreams to fit someone else's expectations.

It's also about outsmarting the labyrinth.  Riddles, creatures, death, dangerous feats - all lie within, and you'll be holding your breath through some tension-filled moments.  Besides all of that, ghosts and sirens are also dangerous elements in this world, inhabiting the streets and sea at night.

I have to mention Rhen's relationships with her parents, Seleni, and her other friends - all are honest, loving, and done so well.  Everyone needs their support people.

To Best the Boys is an exciting adventure with a splash of a mystery, and I'd highly recommend it to young women interested in STEM.  And as a bonus, there's a mouth-watering recipe for Labyrinth Cookies!  A joy to read from beginning to end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

I went into this book with such high expectations and am thrilled to state that the author met every single one of them. To Best The Boys by Mary Weber spins a tale of a young female scientist who has to fight hard to obtain what should be simple human rights. Our wonderfully brilliant heroine, Rhen Tellur, was born into a world where only the men can succeed on a educational level, and that's by attending the Stemwick University. With little to no time, she decides to force her way into the system by cutting off all her hair and dressing like a boy, then diving head first into a competition inside Mr. Holm's mysterious labyrinth to see who gets the scholarship.

Things inside the labyrinth are magical and dangerous, but on the outside, a political war between the Lowers and the Uppers is brewing. Things in society need to change, or there's going to be a rebellion, and not everyone is going to survive it. I adored this aspect of the book because the author paints such a thrilling picture when it comes to the politicians—their shark-like smiles, and their upturned noses.

And lets talk a little bit about our girl Rhen. She's such an interesting and unique character! Her love for her friends and family knows no bounds, and her interests are only a slight bit macabre. I mean, who would want a life of frilly dresses and pleasing your husband when there's dead bodies to be examined and diseases to be researched?

I especially enjoyed the light humor displayed in the letters from Mr. Holm. It made the story charming and made it feel less dark. I can't wait to have a copy of this in my hands once it gets published because I definitely want this five star book sitting on my shelf!

Loved it. Loved it. Loved it!
This book was so, so very good. I enjoyed every second of it.
I've had this book sitting on my wishlist since I first heard about it, and then I was lucky enough to receive a copy through NetGalley and I was delighted. It's everything I've ever wanted in a YA Fantasy.
I cannot praise this book highly enough.

First off, this book is a feminist piece of fiction. It's set in a period world in which women are seen as wives and mothers. Every year young men compete in a deadly labyrinth to win entry into a prestigious college. This year, Rhen decides she will be entering, too. She has an active background in science, dissecting corpses with her father and attempting to cure an illness that is plaguing the poorer people of her town. She is out to prove that women are just as intelligent as men, and earn her place in a masculine society.

The book throws you right in at the deep end with a horrifying depiction of corpses in a morgue. This is a delightfully graphic book, so if you're somewhat squeamish about bodily functions, or the dead, this might not be up your alley. If you were one of those kids who enjoyed the detailed descriptions offered in some of the more gruesome childhood tales, you'll eat this up! It's wonderful!

There are also a host of supernatural creatures inhabiting this world along with Rhen, including Sirens, Ghost and Ghouls. The Ghouls in particular are perfectly creepy, and brought to mind those creepy Stalfos from The Legend of Zelda, or the Falmer from Skyrim. You know the kind of atmospheric terror I'm talking about here, right? Super duper creepy, is what I'm saying.

There's some great characters here, including my favourites—Germaine and Mr Holm. These are phenomenally written and have such depth to them. Rhen is, of course, a perfectly written heroine, too. She's just the right amounts of bold, clever and indignant. I loved her.

In the end, this book is great. I cannot find a fault with it, and there were some very refreshing scenes to read. I enjoyed the atmosphere and setting, as well as the central story. I would love to read more books like this one. My congratulations to the author on such a successful story which tackles important elements.

To Best the Boys is a breath of fresh air in the YA Fantasy genre! Strong female leads have become an essential staple these days, but Rhen Tellur is a marvel all her own. She reads as such a real person, whole and flawed and funny and strong. I instantly fell in love with her spirit, and even though we don't share a love of cadaver research, I found her passion inspiring. The fact that more traditional female roles are also recognized as legitimate (as illustrated in Rhen's cousin and best friend Seleni) was also wonderful. We all have different dreams, and they should be celebrated.

Mary's rich world building makes Pinsbury Port feel like home, with that perfect layer of magic that I wish existed more readily in our world. I could have taken up residence and wandered through the town with Rhen and Seleni indefinitely. Mr. Holm's mysterious identity and the labyrinth he created add a fascinating layer to the world, and gives off a cool vibe in the mashup of fairytale fantasy kingdom and nearly modern coastal U.S.

One of the most refreshing pieces of this story is how Mary weaves together the notions that the future is female and also we're better together. Women, we don't have to destroy men in order to be seen and understood. We need to raise our men up with us--and remind the good ones that they are good, that they can be forces of change, and when we work together and love well, we become our best. Yes, there are deeply drawn villains in this story, and the worst of them happen to be backward thinking males, but there are also strong, caring men who do good. I love that so much. It reminds me that there is hope in this world for all of us to do better, and that there are good men out there--men like Beryll and Lute and Rhen's father.

In all, this story left me with happy tears, a swoony sigh, and a lot of hope, which are three of the main things I look for in a story. I can't wait to see what Mary's magical brain dreams up next.

This book was insanely good. It definitely had an Alice in Wonderland feel with a good dose of feminism and squashing of misogyny. I loved the inclusion of those with special needs as people with special needs are never represented in books. The main character has dyslexia. I really hope it is optioned for a movie later on, it would be absolutely amazing!

It's the first book I read by this author and I'm happy I did it because it was a great discovery.
I appreciated the strong female character and the feminist topic present in this book, it's entertaining and it makes you think at the same time.
The style of writing is amazing, full humour and care for details. The characters are well written and fleshed out.
The plot was engaging and I was hooked since the first pages.
A great discovery, I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I loved this book! It has a strong, spunky female, Rhen Tellur, as the main character. She is from the lower, poorer level in a time and place where the more fortunate have power and men rule the world. While her best friend, Seleni, desires nothing more out of life then to become a wife and mother, Rhen’s interest in sickness and disease, especially as it relates to helping her mother who is ill, pushes her to wish for more in life.

The little details that make up this world, from sirens in the water to the dead who walk in the graveyard at night, add an extra layer to this amazing fantasy book. The characters are so realistic, I felt as if I personally knew them.

This is without a doubt a five star book.

Rating: 5/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: SO. MUCH. WINNING.; I really enjoyed these characters and this story!; total boss girl power moves of epic proportions; I need more from this author, stat!; someone help me find my brain, it sort of exploded from the awesome</b>

HUGE thanks to Mary Weber, Thomas Nelson Publishing, and <a href="https://fantasticflyingbookclub.blogspot.com/">Fantastic Flying Book Club</a> for sending a complimentary galley of this title my way! This in no way altered my review of or opinion on this book.

And OH, MAH PENGUINS, am I ever so glad they did! This book has a LOT of winning happening--and I cannot wait to pick up my next Mary Weber read, because y'all, she blew this out of the park completely! If I wasn't worried about my brain being a splattered spatter of matter before, I should be now--that's exactly what this book did to me. Please, please don't get the wrong idea--I enjoyed every. single. moment!

These characters are well-rounded, multi-faceted, and so so easy to empathize with and feel for. I really enjoyed the gritty, dark atmosphere matched with the strong girl personalities and kick-Penguin-butt go-get-em attitudes. The amount of snark and "down to earth, say it like it is" from Rhen just put this above and beyond for me. Not to mention, HELLO, woman going out and fighting for what she wants instead of playing meager mouse? GIVE. ME. MORE. of this deliciousness, please! The fact that Rhen owns up to the whole, "Yeah, I may have had a crush on him at one point, but dude's gross" thing didn't hurt much, either. Just sayin'.

There were so so many good things about this read, I can't possibly list them all--I'd be here for the rest of forever. So I'll end with this: READ THE BOOK! The characters are awesome, Mary Weber knows how to rock a story, and I promise you won't regret picking this up. And while you're going out to buy yourself a copy, just imagine me, your Royal Penguin Extraordinaire, flinging fish in all my squeeing glory.

To Best The Boys was an entertaining story that I literally got lost in. I immediately connected with Rhen as she searched for answers as to why a mysterious plague was affecting the poor people of her community. She was ready to do whatever it takes to find a cure and save her mom from this deadly disease.

This story was well-written and exciting with dialogue that at times had me laughing out loud. Ms. Weber is a new author to me and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the books that she has written. To Best The Boys is a book that shouldn’t be missed and everyone needs to add this to their TBR pile today!

To Best the Boys was not at all what I expected - in a good way! This is the first book I've read by Mary Weber and it was everything. From the strong lead character to the social themes to the fantasy elements, I could not put this one down!

The main character, Rhen, is so richly written and depicted. She is very unique and basically the opposite of the other girls in the story. Her interests focus around STEM, and she is especially dedicated to finding a cure for a debilitating disease that is affecting her town. Empowered by her parents to be a strong and independent woman in a place where women are only expected to be good wives, mothers, and hostesses; Rhen embraces the freedom she is given in her family to be herself and explore her interests. This includes challenging the boys in the labyrinth game for a scholarship to a university that is only for men. With her incredibly supportive best friend/cousin, Seleni, by her side, Rhen battles the structures of gender roles, education, and society.

This book is phenomenal with its blend of fantasy, adventure, science, and social themes; I absolutely recommend it!

A brilliant light fantasy with a strong female lead and a bit of sci-fi. I adored the friendship between Rhen and Seleni and how the author also potrayed other relationships too was a treat to watch.

First five star of the year.

Couldn't find any faults in this one.

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

I think it's safe to say this book is going into my Top Reads of 2019.
The first thing I want to say regards the genre of this book: it's listed as YA Fantasy, but I honestly feel like it doesn't belong to this category. At least not entirely.
The fantasy elements in this book are very few: the are some sirens, basilisk and ghouls that get named once or twice, and there's a bit of magic to the maze itself, but apart from that this book feels more like YA fiction. Now that I think of that, I almost feel like those elements could've been removed because they don't add anything to the story. They make a good excuse for one or two scenes, but I feel like they could've been easily replaced by something non-magical. One of the main themes of the book is science, which makes me firmly believe that also the magic happening inside the Maze could've been replaced by something similar, but scientifically explainable - like in The Maze Runner.
It is said to be perfect for fans of Caraval, but I feel like it could be truly appreciated by fans of The Hunger Games. What makes Caraval special is the unique magic that surrounds everything, while THG - and TBTB - is more focused on the main character and its actions.
If you like the idea of an untamable girl taking part in a contest she didn't mean to attend in the beginning, a contest that will test out her knowledge, but also her personality, than this is the book for you!

Mary Weber's writing style is phenomenal. She has a way of making you feel involved with everything that is going on that I truly appreciated. There isn't a single character who doesn't feel complex and three-dimensional, which really surprised me! She has a way of portraying them that makes even the most background character feel real and almost necessary, even if - in reality - he isn't. I loved how she added little characters - inhabitants of the village - to give some depth to the village life, I think it's that little something that makes the reader feel completely projected in the world he's reading of.
I appreciated the variety of characters so much, especially their diversity.
One more thing that really surprised me was the romance: Rhen has a little crush from the first pages, which means we get to see a more light and easy romance building from what we're used to. We don't have to wonder too much about how and why the main character falls for a specific person, we just know that she has feelings for this guy and that's it. It could sound shallow and hasty, but I can assure you it isn't.
As soon as we start to know more about this guy, we immediately understand why Rhen has a crush for him and we can enjoy reading about these feelings becoming more and more strong with every page, without struggles or obstacles. Well, there are some struggles to be honest, but they're little and they get easily exceeded.

Another thing I really care to talk about is the perfect balance between the first part of the book - in which we start to understand the world building, we meet the characters, we learn a little bit about their story, and we prepare for what's coming - and the actual focus of the book - the action part in which we get to see the MC facing difficult decisions, obstacles, fighting for whatever she's fighting for.
Sometimes the explanatory part of a book can be a bit boring and annoying, while this isn't the case for To Best The Boys. There wasn't a single page where I didn't feel completely involved with what was going on!
Even if the main focus of the book is the Labyrinth contest, I loved how prominent the background story was and how well it was developed in order to hit almost every character, even the last one you would've thought of.
Honorable mention goes to the friendships/relationships in this book: they're all so pure and genuine, beautiful to witness.

The main themes of this book are feminism, gender role and social classes, and I loved how Mary Weber portrayed them. I admire her so much for being able of writing a book that empowers all kind of women - from the feminine ones to the more wild, from who dreams of being a wife to who aspire to build a career.
It's not something I'm used to seeing, especially in the YA section.
I would honestly make my 12 years old daughter - which I don't really have, just to be clear - read this book, to let her understand that she can do whatever she wants with her life and no decision she makes will ever make her less than the others.
Even though I loved this book, I still have a few things I'd like to criticize: I would've liked for the Labyrinth part of the story to be more complex and detailed, with more tests, more obstacles... I wanted a bit more of The Hunger Games in it. In my opinion, what should've been the center of the story ended up feeling a bit hasty.
I also would like to point out that yes, I get that every boy in the Labyrinth is too preoccupied with trying to understand how to exit the maze, but at the same time I feel like it was almost impossible for Rhen and Seleni to not be recognized. Beryll knows them since they were kids, how could he not know? That's the only thing I found a bit unrealistic.
I was thinking of writing a more detailed review for every single character - as I usually do - but, in this case, I don't feel like it. I think you need to meet them for yourself, without me spoiling even the tiniest bit of their personality. The only thing I can say is that they're beautifully written and they're lovely, especially Rhen and Seleni.
I hope this review was helpful for who hasn't read the book yet. If you did read it and you would like to discuss it further, feel free to contact me whenever you want!