This book was different then what I thought it was going to be. I thought is was going to be just about a girl who dreamed of doing a competition and proving she is as good as the boys. Even thought the book did have these things it also had twists and plots that I did not expect. I thought this book started out a little slow but once you get to the middle it starts to pick up. This book was well written and the plot was very good but I do not think the plot is of my taste. I still recommend others to try it though.

To This may just be a light fantasy novel that skirts over most of the predictable tropes and plot devices, but it's the message it conveys which makes this book quite a compelling read. The first chapter is a great hook and I love that we already get to see a multi-faceted feisty heroine and, one that enjoys to slice open a cadaver to study! I've already read 4 novels that have this the same nature with our dear Rhen, and welp I just can't get enough of these types for sure. 

And while this book may lean heavily on a feminist theme riddled with your usual romance and YA dilemma, what I really find worth noting is Rhen's relationship with her cousin Seleni. I love the fact that this addresses the stigma with our perception of womanhood. Seleni clearly wants to be a wife and a mother and, there's no shame in wanting that kind of life, the same way that there's no shame in Rhen wanting to pursue a career path unconventional for women. 

It's in this part of the book where I actually stopped and thought "YUP THAT'S WHAT YOU CALL TRUE FEMINISM." Because let's face it, most people would've thought that feminism equates to man-hating, which I'm so sick and tired of hearing about. It's not a matter of dominance but rather in the acceptance of femininity which by the way we all have! Whatever your gender is we all have different doses of masculine and feminine energy. Feminism is intersectional.

This really stood out to me because I was one of those women who despised other women for being to "girly", too "pink",or too "frilly" before. Which by the way just means that we despise being vulnerable and viewed as too much of a "girl" for fear of being victimized. (It may not apply to you but this was how I felt when I was still a teen) If you're like me before, then please stop rejecting your own femininity. Please stop lumping other girls into boxes with labels like "shallow" or "girly". It's unhealthy my friend, and quite counterproductive. 

To Best The Boys may be predictable in some ways but it's true to the heart. 

P.S. If you're a sucker for purple prose, then this book's just made for you!

I'm a Weber fan and this title reads like a call to arms for young girls. There's so much to love here. My one criticism is it was a slow starter for me compared to some of Weber's other titles, but once it got started (or once I got into it), it was off to the races. Our heroine Rhen is a character you want your children and students introduced to. She's someone who refuses to fit inside the box and refuses to give up on her dreams. In a world where university is unattainable to woman, she refuses to accept the status quo. She and her cousin decide to enter what is presumed to be a "boys" contest to win a scholarship to the esteemed men's university. The implication of their participation and women attending university opens up possibility in this seaside world Weber has created. Navigating the contest will teach the young men and women more about themselves. There are tons of opportunities for discussion and bookshopping for teachers/students/peer groups in the classroom. I highly recommend this one.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Firstly thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an electronic ARC of To Best the Boys in exchange for an honest review. The following thoughts are completely my own.

I was absolutely hooked on this book from the very first page, so much so that I remember the exact place I first picked it up and dived into this world. I have been reading a few settings in historical times lately and To Best The Boys felt one of the easiest to navigate and understand.

I loved the tenacity, pride and courage that Rhen exuded throughout the book and it was so clear to see exactly how much she cared for not only her parents, cousin and friends, but also the poorer people of her town as well. She genuinely wanted to help them and believed that by doing her medical research into the disease crippling her mother and town, that she would be spreading good.

I loved the pacing of the book and never felt bored or like there were lulls in the plot or excitement. I also thoroughly enjoyed the setting and really felt like the author had effectively picked me up and thrown me into the book, like I was watching the whole action as a fly or picture on the wall.

Seleni is another noteable aspect of this story that I really enjoyed and found added a lot of value. I was expecting her to have some sort of alterior motive when she wanted to help Rhen and wouldn't take no for an answer, but she simply loved her cousin and wanted to see her safe (as well as join in on Rhen's adventures!)

Overall, the pacing, action, interesting competition and endearing characters sucked me into To Best the Boys and was a fantastic read, one that I would pick up and read again, which to me is the true test of how much I love a book. 4.25 stars!

I received a printed ARC in exchange for an honest review. Review and blog tour can be found on *Milky Way of Books*

Rhen Tellur lives in a male-dominated society which kind of reminded me of The Handmaid's Tale minus the too creepy vibe. But the prejudice is clear. When the chance to enter the Labyrinth comes, where only boys can enter she will risk everything in order to change her life and also save her sick mother.

While there is romance, it comes second to Rhen's attempt to fight her way through the contest, trying to save her mother. It's a testament against societies where women are treated badly, and they are excluded from work and science. Rhen's POV is strong and eager to fight while also she has her fears because she breaks tradition.

Really recommended.

This book is absolutely delightful! I mean...the title and the synopsis alone made me jump to read it and I am happy to say I was not disappointed. Rhen is delightful beyond belief, the opening scene is kind of hilarious, and all the characters are so well thought out and developed. But before I give it all away, let's get to the review. 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Every year for the past fifty-four years, the residents of Pinsbury Port receive a mysterious letter inviting all eligible-aged boys to compete for an esteemed scholarship to the all-male Stemwick University. Every year, the poorer residents look to see that their names are on the list. The wealthier look to see how likely their sons are to survive. And Rhen Tellur opens it to see if she can derive which substances the ink and parchment are created from, using her father’s microscope.

In the province of Caldon, where women are trained in wifely duties and men are encouraged into collegiate education, sixteen-year-old Rhen Tellur wants nothing more than to become a scientist. As the poor of her seaside town fall prey to a deadly disease, she and her father work desperately to find a cure. But when her Mum succumbs to it as well? Rhen decides to take the future into her own hands—through the annual all-male scholarship competition.

With her cousin, Seleni, by her side, the girls don disguises and enter Mr. Holm’s labyrinth, to best the boys and claim the scholarship prize. Except not everyone’s ready for a girl who doesn’t know her place. And not everyone survives the maze.

The story starts off with Rhen trying to figure out a cure for her mother's illness. Her father and her have a lab in the basement of their house, testing different formulas and solutions to try and help the woman they love.

But with time running out and their equipment being less than stellar, Rhen comes up with a different plan. Rhen sees the invitation to the annual event at Mr. Holm's castle where all the boys in the village are called to go through the Labyrinth. Whoever makes it to the end will win a scholarship to Stemwick Men's University. Rhen, knowing she is as smart, if not smarter, than any of the boys in the village decides to enter despite a girl never being allowed before. She figures that if she can win the scholarship, she will have access to a bigger lab and more tools so she will have a better chance of finding a cure for her mother's illness. 

In preparation to enter the contest, Rhen cuts off her hair and grabs some clothes from some dead guys to ensure she looks "enough" like a boy. (Rhen is not at all squeamish when it comes to the dead.) Little does she know, she will not be going alone. Her cousin, Seleni comes over the day of the Autumn Festival and the contest and finds Rhen with short hair. Being the cousin and best friend she is, she demands to know what's going on and once she hears Rhen's plan, decides she is going too. Her beau, Beryll is entered in the challenge and she wants to make sure he makes it out alive. 

What takes place next is a wild, magical, and fairly dangerous adventure as Rhen and Seleni try to make it through the challenging course. They use their smarts to get past each obstacle and do their best to not be recognized along the way. 

I could easily read To Best the Boys again and again. It is such an enjoyable read! Yes, there are moments when I teared up and yes, there are times when I was nervous for certain character's lives, but that's what made it so exciting and probably the reason it only took me a couple of days to finish it. 

Rhen is so smart and strong (but let's herself cry) and Seleni knows exactly what she wants and refuses to be judged for it. Beryll is hilarious without meaning to be but also willing to do just about anything for Rhen and Seleni.

Lute is one of the best broody (but not too much), smoldering, chivalrous male love interests I've ever read and I think it's almost impossible not to fall in love with him at least a little bit. (As an almost 30-year-old, I would hug him and pat him on the head for being such a nice young man lol)

To Best the Boys is a wild adventure through a maze of unknown dangers and I highly recommend grabbing a copy of this book and going along for the ride. I am giving it 4 out of 5 stars. If you like YA fantasy with badass girls, you will love this book!

To Best the Boys by Mary Weber comes out March 19, 2019.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I ended up not finishing this... This book just wasn't for me? The writing and the time period was confusing; I was expecting a sort of dystopian future kind of deal. It took so long for the contest to happen and I didn't really care for the characters. And above all, I was extremely bored.

This was a great fantasy book with a strong female lead, who is smart, headstrong, brave, and from the poorer side of town. And being YA, there is of course a love interest, but this love interest doesn't need to adapt to her or adjust to the idea that the girl he fancies will be who she is - he loves everything about her from the start. Such a great message for girls and boys - that you can provide love and support, a la RBG and her sweet, smart husband. My only gripe, and reason for the one star drop, is that I wish the labyrinth adventure had begun sooner than nearly half way through the book.

A bit "Hunger Games" mixed with "Maze Runner", this book teaches that society can and will change and that gende inequality, poverty, and illness are things everyone can understand and cure.

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

This book takes place in the fictional kingdom of Caldon where, unfortunately, separate gender spheres are the norm and women are not admitted to universities. The protagonist is Rhen Tellur, the unconventional daughter of a scientist of sorts, who is helping her father try to find a cure for the mysterious illness that threatens to take her mother, and has been slowly taking the lives of the people in her town. In her desperation to crack the code to curing her mother of this mystery illness, Rhen decides to enter the Labyrinth of the mysterious and enigmatic Mr Holm, in hopes of winning a scholarship to university. She and her cousin Seleni masquerade as boys and university hopefuls, working together to make it to the end of the Labyrinth.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that this book doesn’t just zero in on gender politics and gender divides; it also weaves in elitism and class divides (Rhen is a “Lower” i.e. socioeconomically disadvantaged, while her cousin Seleni is an “Upper”), the struggle of the powerless when the choices are made for them by the ones who don’t understand their situation, the shortcomings of standard education systems (Rhen clearly has a brilliant mind but she struggled in and was pulled out of school because her dyslexia got in her way and her grades were suffering). I feel like it isn’t just the plot, but the issues that crop up in the book and how they’re so masterfully interwoven that made this such a compelling and relevant read.

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!

I've read some of Mary Webber's previous books, so I know that I enjoy her writing when her characters aren't full of dumb ideas and even dumber actions.

Luckily, To Best The Boys stars a female scientist in the misogynistic world designed to keep her nothing more than a placid housewife, providing for and driving her husband's success at the expense of her own. That meant than Rhen, our heroine, had to be smart. And one of the smartest thing she did was disguise herself as a boy and enter a competition that wasn't specifically and strictly gentlemen only, even though everyone assumed it was.

There was a long build up to the actual competition where we got to see Rhen interacting with her world, facing up against casual sexism and misogyny and a suitor who just expected her to marry him without ever asking her what she wanted. We saw a fantasy world that seemed on the verge of industrialism, a mishmash of pre-Victorian politics and attitudes fused with a modern quasi-British vernacular that kept you always wondering at the actual setting - until the horror monsters were unveiled, like ghouls that stalk the streets at night, and sirens in the water, both hunting human victims to feast on. The competition doesn't start until well past the half-way mark, and although we got to see very clearly Rhen realising she was eligible and figuring out just how to enter the competition, and we got to see some typical girl-dressed-as-boy tropes such as cutting her hair, darkening her face, donning boy clothing to disguise herself, and trying to disguise her feminine walk, we didn't some one of my other favourite girl-dressed-as-boy tropes such a breast binding (she was flat-chested so didn't even think of it) or remembering always to lower her voice.

One of the best things about this book were not only Rhen's struggle against a society trying to stuff her into a tiny little box, but her best friend, rich cousin Seleni, who joined her on her quest for masculine domination. Seleni was the flip side of feminism: she made a choice to be a wife and mother to her beau Beryll, and she was happy with that choice, and she even had to tell Rhen off when Rhen insisted she continue on the contest rather than stay back and look after Beryll.

Beryll was also an awesome character. It's already established that Seleni and Beryll are courting, and at first painted as a tightly repressed nerd, over-polite and aghast at girls showing their ankles, there was one point where he had to take off his shirt and all of a sudden became ridiculously hot and heroic. It was like Ned Flander's reveal in The Simpsons.

While in this case having a relationship already established helped with secondary characters development, Rhen's pre-existing relationship with Lute fell a little flat. Obvious that they are dancing around each other, Rhen's inability to stand up for herself made Lute unbearably jealous that she had apparently chosen another over him. With poor communication skills, the two were destined to be romantic, right? Ony because Rhen was already loopy for him and he her, the forced conflict felt contrived, and I wasn't convinced that fiery, mouthy Rhen would never stand up for herself. That was why all the boys were joking about wifing her, except that her fire wasn't consistent.

I also felt like the stakes weren't quite aligned in a way that made sense. Rhen wanted to win the competition so that she could go to university, complete a three or four year degree (unclear), and work on finding a cure for her mum. This seems like it would take a long time: she'd only be accepted in the winter, and then who knows how long it would take before she was allowed to run her own experiments. The other people dying of this disease died within a week. Rhen's mum managed to hang on - barely - for months because of the experiments her dad has been trying on her. So basically, Rhen's mum could slip away at any point, which is made clear in the novel. However, it's only until AFTER Rhen has completed the competition does she begin contemplating staying to look after her mother. She literally didn't even think of it until it became a convenient and unconvincing conflict. The entire novel I was thinking, this plan of Rhen's seems really long-term, and her mum could die at any second. It seems very odd.

Overall this was a highly enjoyable novel if you can engage your suspension of disbelief and accept the fantastical world it's built in. Rhen was smart and capable with room for character growth, and although I wasn't really into the romance, the secondary characters (and unexpected villain) made up for that. If you've enjoyed Weber's other books I'd recommend this, and if you enjoy your Scorpio Races/Maze Runner/PG Hunger Games type teenage competitions heavily sprinkled with liberal doses of feminism, then this is not a book to miss out on.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.Thanks, Netgalley! This was really an enjoyable read!

“You win this thing, Rhen Tellur. Enough to make Vincent and Germaine regret they weren’t born women.”

What I liked:
- The at-first ambiguity of the world. Is there magic or not? There are some interesting references to ghosts and things in the fog and this Labyrinth test that is a little reminiscent of the Hunger Games, but you don’t explicitly know for a while what’s going on. The ominous fog reminded me of the movie The Fog, which I loved – so I was really interested in those vibes. Also, those ghosts totally behaved like Dementors. Guys, I need more.
- There are diverse characters, not in a race sense, but in other ways. Our main protagonist is dyslexic, another character’s brother is developmentally-disabled – and the author wrote these people from her own familial experiences so there’s that air of authenticity. The dyslexia in the main character is all the more fascinating because she’s a devout scholar.
- There’s this implication that a plague is only targeting the lower class, reminiscent of the one in Give The Dark My Love, and making a class struggle sort of inherent in the plot. Even a bit of political activism and smart commentary by our main girl.
- Rhen likes to offer up very random, inappropriate scientific explanations of phenomena like how corpses rot, during otherwise romantic moments. Hilarious.

What could’ve been better:
- The brevity of the story was both handy, as I got through it faster, but also a bit of a detriment in that I felt the world could’ve been a little more fleshed out. I, for one, wanted more about the ghosts – and we don’t enter the labyrinth even until 48% in or something, so the plot felt…off balance, somehow.
- The…believability of Rhen pretending to be a boy. Okay, she’s skinny, and puts some dirt on her face but her going into this maze with people she’s grown up with and expecting not to be recognized? Huh. Not that the sham lasts very long, but still.
- Maybe more “good lines”. While the premise is good, I only found a select few lines that made me pause and highlight and want to quote...

Overall opinion:
What I disliked or liked less wasn’t enough to sway my overall favorable feel for the book! I look forward to a sequel, and therefore more fleshing out of the story. More ghosts please!!!

A girl, a maze and some magic.

he synopsis focuses on the maze but really, there is much more to the book than that. Less Divergent, more Frankenstein. While there is action and danger in the maze, the contest doesn't start until about half way through the book. Which is not a bad thing.

The beginning of the book is filled with great character development and world building. I really liked Rhen and her awkwardness. She has a curious brain, interested in science and lab testing and above all, trying to cure this mysterious disease that is plaguing their city. Miraculously, it stays away from the rich.

The events leading up to the maze entry felt real and natural as Rhen's time is running out and she has to do something drastic (cut her hair and pose as a boy) if she has any hope in curing the disease. I love the personal motivation for Rhen. There is a love interest but it's not overpowering and Lute is the strong and quiet type which really make sense given that Rhen is socially awkward and likes to experiment with dead bodies.

When they finally get into the maze, the creativity of the clues and challenges really took me away. I loved each one and honestly, I wasn't sure who was going to survive and who wasn't.

But the end felt rushed for me. All this time, Rhen has been struggling with upper class men. They wouldn't believe her when she kept telling them the disease was spreading, mutating, growing. And yet, at the end of the book when all is revealed, they seem to have no problem believing her story. Not to mention she has little to no evidence to support her claims on the origin of the disease. I was a little frustrated by this because there was such solid motivation through the whole story, this part felt flat and too too easy.

Overall, read this book. It's got everything you want. I blew through it in a short amount of time, only to be sad it was over.

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

I loved this book! It was different than other books I’ve read and that’s what I was looking for. I’m a huge fan of books from this time period and it didn’t disappoint.

Rhen Tellur is a great character. I was rooting for her to “best the boys” the whole time. She is an intelligent and unique character. I love how she didn’t end up with the rich snobby guy like everyone else would want. The characters were really well written and made me feel so many emotions.

I also liked the maze challenges. They were unique and difficult. They didn’t rely solely on one character trait. I thought it was funny how the guys couldn’t figure any of them out. I’m glad Rhen recieved the scholarship and really showed everyone women can do things too!

Overall I’d definitely recommend this book to fantasy and Mary Weber lovers!

An unexpected fun standalone that encapsulates everything I love about YA. To Best the Boys is a combination of pieces of favorites like Stalking Jack the Ripper, The Hunger Games, and even Ready Player One. This is, in my opinion, what Caraval COULD have been, but instead fell far short. It’s everything I wanted in that latter mentioned book and more. It’s smart and a wild ride that keeps you engaged the whole way through.

Rhen was a perfect narrator. She’s smart, driven, and unwilling to settle for less than what she wants. In a world run by men, her interest in the sciences is unheard of and frowned upon. And with a sick mother to worry about (and trying to cure), her only true hope to help cure the sickness spreading through her part of the world is a competition. One that will award a scholarship to its winner. The only problem is that it has always been a male only game.

And so, even though it’s been done before, girls disguise themselves as boys to change the world.

I loved the game/puzzles aspect of this. While it wasn’t something we’d be able to solve, it was more tangible than those featured in other books. And I loved that it was about character and intellect.

Also well done were Rhen’s relationships. From the one with her parents to Vincent to Seleni to Lute, etc, they were all beautifully fleshed out. I got to know everyone and could actually feel their connections, antagonistic feelings, love. That’s quite a feat for a book with so many things going on.

I will mention, too, that there is romance present. It doesn’t take over the story, but it’s sprinkled in enough to feel realistic and actually fits with the story. And the ending is oh so cute!

With plenty of magical elements, this is a good choice for contemporary and fantasy fans alike. There’s definitely a good mix of both genres represented.

I received and ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. And thank god for that! I really enjoyed this book.

When I first saw the cover of To Best the Boys, I immediately thought of Harry Potter meets The Maze Runner. I figured my teen patrons who loved Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire would be drawn to this. I am so glad I received an ARC and saw that it is truly different. The opening chapter, with Rhen dissecting a dead body, that falls, while her friends stand watch blew me away. I knew this was going to be creepy with a sense of humor. The setting of a small seaside town was also a refreshing change. I fell in love with Rhen. With her desire to attend the all-boys school (in disguise as a boy) and to become a scientist, instead of the perfect wife and mother (as expected).

I love that To Best the Boys is a breath of fresh air in new YA. Yes we've seen plenty of girls breaking with the norm and challenging their limits, but we haven't seen that with a comedic writing and eerie taste of cadavers and poor seaside towns.

Okay this was a really interestingly good book. Like I almost don’t even know how to begin this review???? This is another case of me starting an ARC, being interrupted and reading a million other books, and then finally finishing it. Luckily, I finished the last 52% today all in one sitting so it’s still really resonating with me at this moment.

I think the biggest thing that stuck out to me was the writing. Weber is a new-to-me author so I really had had no idea what to expect. Sometimes though, you can tell right away whether or not you are going to like an author’s writing or not. With this book, I literally was entranced within the first paragraph. I can’t really put my finger on what it is about it but I can tell you right now that it was quality writing. I’m actually really happy I immediately thought of the word entranced to describe it. I think the same can be said about the actual story, too.

Like…..it was just so unique. There were times throughout the book where I found myself very interested in this world that Weber created because it all could feel very foreign at certain points but never in a way that made me feel disconnected. At times the language that was used and customs that were mentioned seemed to be a nod at almost a medieval, old fairy tale kind of place??? They all referred to each other and Miss and Mr and women were expected to just become mothers and wives but then Rhen and her father also worked on vaccines and she experimented on rats and dead bodies and there was a king and also an eccentric old man who no one had ever seen but hosted a game within a labyrinth and all these other things that kind of didn’t make sense together but also weirdly meshed and made sense and the same time. That was an incredibly long and convoluted sentence but that’s also how I felt reading this at times lol. BUT NOT IN A BAD WAY! That’s why it’s so hard to explain!

So basically I’m just going to stop trying so that you can pick this book up for yourself and be sucked into this new world and be entranced yourselves!

I will say this, though. I LOVED the characters. Rhen was so amazing and was a genius (while also having dyslexia and never letting it slow her down). She never tried to be anything other than who she was or tried to pretend like her interests (medicine and science and dead bodies) were any different to impress ANYONE. In fact, I loved that when she was truly happy she seemed to word vomit facts about the human body and it made me laugh and love her a little more every single time. Seleni and Beryll, too, were interesting and well fleshed out and I LOVED how Seleni always supported her cousin to the very end. And Lute. OH LUTE. BBF. Like from the very first time he was mentioned I knew I was going to love him and he never let me or Rhen down. Ugh what a dream boat.

This, overall, is just purely a tale that warmed my freakin heart. I loved every single bit of Rhen and what she achieved over the course of this book (just all sorts of women empowerment in general). I loved that she didn’t have to sacrifice any bit of her happiness at the end, either. I was worried she might have to for a hot second. I also loved that note from Weber at the end explaining that certain characters were representative of people in her own life (Rhen having dyslexia and Lute’s brother having what seemed like autism to me). So while those things might seem different to other people who have dyslexia or know people with Down syndrome and autism, these specific characters and traits came from the people she knew and loved. I had an uncle with Down syndrome and he lived with my parents and me for the last four years of his life when I was in high school and community college. You don’t know what it’s like to be a caregiver to someone with those special needs unless you actually are one. Even with this challenges and specific quirks, I LOVED having him with us because it meant that I now have a better understanding and love for people with Down syndrome. I loved him more than almost anyone in my entire life so knowing Lute acted as caretaker for his mother and brother like that made me love him so much more than I already did.

Gotta wrap things up before this gets too crazy long but I also kind of liked that this was a standalone? Or is it??? Seems like it is. I haven’t read a great fantasy standalone in who knows how long but everything was tied up perfectly in my opinion. I very much recommend!

“You take this world and make it what it should be. And don’t let the beliefs of a backward system define you. You are the one who has to live with the future, baby girl. So you live it. You understand?”

Huge thanks to the Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! ♥

I loved this book. Rhen is fantastic - strong, smart, and willing to take on the world to help those she loves. The story moved a little slower than I anticipated at first, but then WHAM things (BOYS!), and the contest, picked up and never let down, and I could barely keep up!

I adored the friendship/family bond between Rhen and Seleni. They stick together, through good and bad, and yet allow each other to make decisions for themselves and allow one another their idiosyncrasies and differences. They cheer each other on, even if they wouldn't make those same choices for themselves.

This is my favorite of Weber's books so far. It's whip smart and witty, with just the right amount of romance to cap it off. Bravo!

Super fun standalone that I can’t wait for my daughter to read. She is gonna love it. If you, or someone in your life, likes books about girls who don’t settle and choose to make their own way, then this is for you/them. I have not a single complaint about this.

To Beat the Boys is definitely getting added to my list of YA recs.

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

i keep reading all these ARCs of my most anticipated books of the year, and i'm starting to think that this is a good thing because they all, every single one of them so far, have been disappointing, and i would have been repeatedly devastated to my core had i been forced to wait for them to come out on time (also money. imagine how much i am saving this way. unbelievable).

"To Best the Boys" is a solid, decent young adult fantasy, and there's not much more to say about it. of course, i have fooled myself again, as i always do with books like this: going in, i expected the main character to focus on her studies exclusively, and i really wanted to get inside the labyrinth as soon as possible. i wanted a bit less of the city drama, and a bit more science contest action.

i got chunks of that, eventually. Rhen was semi-convincing at her i-am-a-scientist game when she really put in the effort, that much i can say. the romance subplot was what let me down: love triangles are not my thing on a good day, but here it jumped me in a dark and cold alleyway and confused the hell out of me. i wasn't sure who either of the boys were and why she was even choosing between them (and why she couldn't just say certain things to them, when it was never a problem to say things of the sort to other people).

the plot had its time to pick up the pace. if i'm remembering correctly, Rhen only gets inside the labyrinth around 60% mark, which is insanely late and is just false advertisement to me. this was the selling point, after all, and yet she spends most of her time thinking about the contest, the cure for the mysterious disease that her mom had been struck with, and, of course, The Boy, Lute, for some reason that i still don't know of.

it wasn't so bad, though it took me exactly one month to get through it: i kept getting bored halfway through the chapter because of all the people i either didn't really care for, or Rhen repeatedly describing pretty much the same things and expressing the same concerns over and over again. she wasn't so bad as a character, though: despite being semi-clearly passionate about science, she was also honest with herself about her attraction to this boy, Lute. so that was a nice attempt at character complexity, which is a pretty solid level-up for young adult. puts this book a bit above the average, for me.

i'm glad this isn't a series, and i'm glad to be done with it. though i also really didn't hate it, it just took me a while to start caring at all, which is definitely not the worst crime that a book has ever committed.