The Curie Society introduces us to a fun, slightly-different from ours, world. A world where Marie Curie started a secret organization to get more females into the sciences. That alone had me hooked, but the art is also killer! I'm glad this is described as the first in a series, but I absolutely want more!

DNF. I did not expect the book to be set in college, and I just wasn't that interested in the characters.

Girls who like science, or adventure, or secret clubs will be glad to check this out. Everyoene likes graphic novels, and while this doesn't create anything new, it does keep giving Easter egg nods to famous female scientists. Boys might read to find out about girls. Includes diverse characters by race and gender, and different backstories and conflicts for the 3 girsl wwe hope will become friends.

I really enjoyed this one I'm a huge fan of seeing women in STEM and this book gave me exactly what I wanted. I didn't realize that it was a graphic novel but it was the perfect way to tell this story. I'm also excited to see a graphic novel focussing on STEM being marketed to girls as well because I feel like graphic novels and comics don't usually target that audience. The story was exciting and unique and I'm excited to read more in the future. It was also super cool seeing all the profiles of everyone you contributed to the project.

This comic was exactly what I was hoping it would be and more! I adored just about everything about it from the characters to the plot to the illustrations. This was just great and a great start to a series.
I adored all the characters in this book so much. Theh weren't all like able at first but they definitely all grew as the story progressed which was really nice to see. Just seeing this great story about smart woman working to uplift other smart woman to positions of power was great. I do wish we had a bit more body diversity in the girls if though...
The plot was also really fun. I did find some of the scientific explanations to drag a bit and make the story slow in places but that may just be me. I know most people like knowing how and why things work the way they do but the composition just seemed to slow down the narrative. That is a very small complaint though.
This was such a solid read. It had a few rough patches but I am hoping to see those corrected in few issues of this series. I definitely plan on continuing in this story.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the early review copy.

4.75 Stars!!

This graphic novel was so fun!

So obviously I am not the target audience being 19 years old instead of a teen or younger. However I absolutely adored this comic.
It was fun, exciting , mysterious , and cute.
Think women James Bond characters being at university.

We are following Taj, Simone , and Maya, three prodigies who have been accepted into Edmunds university.
Taj, being a tech prodigy who is the typical brooding dark character that is badass and can fight.
Simone, the youngest of three, who is a biology prodigy, she feels out of place and awkward.
And Maya, the math/engineering prodigy, she has an overbearing parent that makes her being bossy and unkind to her friends.
Together the three of them have to work together as a group in hopes to be accepted into The curie society, a secret society for women in STEM.

That is the overall premise of the story,
So what did I like about this novel?
1. The characters. Each character has a unique personality that works really well. I mean was written really well.
2. The premise/idea. The idea of a women only society for women working in stem.
3. The mystery of where the previous generations of curies went, and where the stolen data went/ who stole it.
4. The lgbt+ , disability rep.
5. There were technical terms (obviously because the major theme of STEM) but they were easy enough to understand that I think kids would understand.

What did I not like?
- the overbearing parent trope. Maya has an overbearing parent that is pushy. Because of this she is bossy and mean to her other team mates .

I think this graphic novel is perfect for teens (and younger even) interested in STEM majors. Especially girls who have been told they aren’t smart enough or face discrimination because they are female interested in STEM.

I hope that this isn’t the only volume because I definitely need a second one!!!
Highly highly recommend.


-Rachel Bowers

I really enjoyed this science-y, action-y graphic novel! Focused on a spy agency founded by Marie Curie that recruits female STEM majors to go on top secret missions that support female scientists and their discoveries, the story, the characters and the themes were all very fun to read while also posing big questions. Recruits Simone, Taj, and Maya must figure out their place in the Curie Society, while uncovering a secret, insidious plot that has ties to the Society. While it starts off a bit slow, after the initial character intros, the ball really gets going, and we're able to see how cool it would be if an organization like this actually existed! This one is perfect for teens wanting to go into a STEM field, and also would be a cute read for those who have already established their careers as bad-ass lady scientists.

Did not finish (70%): I wanted to like this book but felt like it skipped around too much. The characters are in college but have a low emotional maturity level and the premise seems young. I would not purchase this for a YA GN collection.

In this new graphic novel from MIT Press, we're introduced to three new students at Edmonds College. The story follows Simone, Taj, and Maya as they're recruited for The Curie Society, a secret organization operating at the college that both supports females in STEM and uses their skills to help save the world. We get to come along for the rid on their adventures.

This was an entertaining, quick read for me. The story spends a significant amount of time introducing us to each of the characters in the story and how they came to be recruited and involved with The Curie Society, but the pace picks up towards the second half of the book. Different STEM topics and historical figures are mentioned throughout the book, but I didn't feel like those small info dumps took too much away from the story.

The Curie Society is a graphic novel that I wish had been around when I had been growing up. I loved the spotlight on women in STEM in the story and the diversity of characters that we met throughout the story. This is an empowering read that I really appreciate as a woman in STEM. I really hope there will be more publications in this series!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

In a world where superheroes are always rich, powerful and/or lucky, it is nice to have Sheroes who are such just because they are smart. In this graphic novel about a diverse cast of women, we learn how three young recruits to the scientific minded Curie Society are cultivated as leaders and agents of good. While the arc of the stories follow comic book pacing, this novel stops to navigate some important lessons that tends to get lost in the comic book world - interpersonal relationships, and not simply of the romantic variety. The Curie Society is clearly prepping our future scientists not be be not only original thinkers but also team players by providing real life lessons in how to work with (versus against) your team, how to appreciate interdisciplinary collaboration and how to navigate what can be a fine line for women between being assertive and confidence and being thought of as bossy and hard to work with. This is, to my knowledge, unique among action comics and I applaud MIT Press for taking on the challenge.

This had a very good premise but the story wasn't deep enough, and I assumed it's a first volume in a series, as being the reason it didn't dig enough, and everything: characters' backgrounds, the "recruitment", the secret society was hastily introduced.

We follow 3 young women entering their first year in college when they get recruited by the Curie Society, originally established by Marie Curie herself, to support women in the field of science and discovery. Each girl has her own strength and field of study, and the three of them almost complete each other, but as I said: it didn't dig deep enough.

I thank Netgalley for the digital ARC

I highly recommend this fiction book about strong female protagonists using STEM skills to succeed at everything they want to do!

I found this a fun graphic novel, empowering females in STEM fields.

I love the concept, and I definitely enjoyed the execution. Some of the characters were definitely more likeable than others. I was definitely drawn in by the spy missions, even as an adult, because there is nothing better than a undercover society.

As a scientist, I loved the themes and explorations of science, and it is definitely something I want in MORE literature.

Rating: 4/5

(Review available April 6th)

Where do I even begin with this graphic novel!?
We have 3 female characters going to college, all three with great academic talents. All three girls are roommates and just so happen to be chosen to be apart of a secret society created by Marie Curie with the intent of helping young girls succeed in the sciences.
The girls are faced with their first mission when their secret research laboratory has been broken into with information being stolen. The girl's mentors each face old foes from the past.

This entire book was absolute perfection. I loved the science, the girl power, the secret society, their mentors, the sapphic romance, and of course, the action at the end.
Ahhh, this was so good! I need more!
5 stars, anticipating the next one!

**ARC provided by The MIT Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really fun story!

Taj, Maya, and Simone are new students at Edmunds University and get recruited into the secret Curie Society. There, they have adventures and contribute to the progress of science. Plus, they stop a team of evil-doer intent on using science for evil.

I really enjoyed the story, the art, and the information at the end about real-life female scientists and modern scientific advances.

This is a very interesting graphic novel! On my e-reader the font was a bit small, but I think when the final print comes out it will look amazing!

In this new comic series three young women, who just started college, are inducted into the secret Curie Society. A society founded my Mme Curie and with an elusive cast of former members.

When the girls' first mission goes sideways they need all their knowledge and stick together as a team to solve the problem.

This is a very inventive new comic series. I liked the characters and the illustrations. The three new recruits are introduced first, which takes up a bit of space, but once the three are members of the society things get really interesting.

ARC received through NetGalley. Pub Date: 27 April 2021

I’m not sure what it was that I expected from this graphic novel. I had though perhaps Lumberjanes meets CSI? Which I would have been pretty excited about. I loved seeing all of these brilliant, brainy, flawed, passionate women, with their different background, and wildly varying passions learning who they were, and how powerful they could be as a team.
This is exactly the book that I will be buying my niece in about two years.
This is the book that I will be recommending to girls in store looking past all of the Batman, superman, manman, and the scantily clad female figures, hoping for something that will spark with them.
And to all the girls who have finished Lumberjanes and are becoming young women and need to be reminded of how awesome they can be.

This was a vrey entertaining read, I would rate it more at 3.5. The only reason I would take out points is because everything was pretty obvious. You have the one with stict parents that push them to study hard, the antisocial gamer and the friendly one. Together they discover the power of friendship and team work.
The characters are lovable, but not very developed, but I hope to see more in future installments of this, because the idea is amazing!

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley.)

New to Edmonds College, Simone, Taj, and Maya find themselves sharing a dorm room in Lovelace Hall. Though they're all exceptionally talented young women with ginormous brains, they seemingly have little in common: Simone the biologist loves doting on her ant colony, while ambitious mathematician Maya hopes to impress her demanding father by cultivating influential Mensa connections. Computer wiz Taj is a bit of a rebel, with her illicit art installations and penchant for (well-deserved) fisticuffs, both virtual and IRL. Needless to say, all these big personalities crammed into one small space results in conflict like whoah.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smiteme/50666676557/

The trio is forced to work together - and, dare I say, bond? - when they all receive cryptic invitations to join The Curie Society. Founded by none other than Marie Skłodowska Curie herself, the secret society exists to help women scientists achieve their full potential, despite the many hurdles placed in their paths by entrenched misogyny (and racism!). The Edmonds chapter is led by two of their professors, Drs. Burkhart and Warsame, as well as their "orientation guide," Emma - and they waste no time in pushing their latest recruits to their physical and mental limits.

The girls' training is fast-tracked when, during a field trip to the Waterton Glacier International Park, thieves manage to break in and steal hard drives containing years of the group's de-extinction work. Worried that the information will be sold on the black market, the new class's first mission is to intercept the suspected sale at the upcoming N.E.D. talk. But why are their mentors acting so sketchy about the group's history? Where are all the previous class's members? And what is Dr. Burkhart and Emma hiding about their connection to corporate espionage?

THE CURIE SOCIETY is a really fun and engaging spy story that has the added bonus of promoting STEM/STEAM as an exciting opportunity for girls and women, including women of color. There's lots of nerdy goodness to be found here, whether you're into IT, math, biology, cryptography, engineering...the list goes on.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smiteme/50665852648/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smiteme/50665852563/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smiteme/50665852528/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/smiteme/50666597431/

Among my favorite panels are those set in the wildlife park, where thylacines and wooly mammoths walk the earth again (even if I don't necessarily agree with the ethics of the thing).

The mystery that drives the plot is interesting enough but, to be honest, it mostly takes a backseat to the ins and outs of the secret society - and, of course, the science!

The characters are fairly multidimensional, especially considering there are around eight major players in a 168-page book. They're very diverse, with the main and supporting characters coming from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. There's also what looks to be a budding F/F romance that's been super-sweet to watch unfold thus far. (Let's hope!)

The plot's denouement involves a potential "ecoterrist" threat which could be prove fertile ground in future installments. (Again, let's hope!) I'm interested to see how it plays out.