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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Three out of five stars.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!