Dazzled by Books

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.

 Review:

“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?”

To Best the Boys by Mary Weber is a fantastic read. Rhen Tellur lives in a society that is male dominated. Each year an annual competition is ran in order to win a scholarship to attending Stemwick University. Stemwick University is an all male school. Rhen is unlike other girls. Instead of training to run a household and be a good wife Rhen is helping her father  by surveying corpses and trying to find a cure for a disease that plagues the land. The only thing that Rhen wishes for is to become a scientist like her father.

When this competition opens up, Rhen decides to dress like a boy and join the boys around her age in the labyrinth competition. She believes in taking her future into her own hands and trying to make a change in her society. Rhen will stop at nothing to help her father find this cure because her mom is sick as well.

I really enjoyed the plot and world building in To Best the Boys. The descriptions of the sea alone was absolutely stunning. It wasn't too far fetched to imagine a world where woman are least important. I love Rhen's determination to reach her goals. I love the friendship between Rhen and Seleni. These two could not be more opposite but they fit together so well. Once again Weber brings us an amazing story with amazing characters.

About the Author:

Hi. I write books. I eat things. I kiss things. I believe in mermaids.
I'm also the author of the Storm Siren Trilogy, The Evaporation of Sofi Snow series, and the March 2019 release, To Best the Boys. When not working, I sing 80’s hairband songs to my three muggle children, and ogle my husband who looks strikingly like Wolverine. We live in California, which is perfect for stalking aging movie stars while wearing fanny packs and sweatpants.
For those who like to know such things (mainly my mom), Storm Siren was featured in the Scholastic Book Fair and my novels have been endorsed by such nice humans as Marissa Meyer, CJ Redwine, Shannon Messenger, and Jonathan Maberry (in fact, Marissa Meyer and I have a fun interview in the paperback of her book, CRESS). Also, Boba tea & sweatpants are life. {We can chat about life (in sweatpants over tea, obviously) in my Newsletter.
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