"To Best the Boys" by Mary Weber was given to me as an ebook in exchange for an honest review. And honestly? YOU HAVE TO READ IT!
The main character, Rhen, is a budding scientist and she and her father are doing everything they can to keep Rhen's mother, who is ill, from dying. However, it is not only Rhen's mother who is sick. The entire town is suffering from a mysterious illness. Currently, the poor population is taking the brunt of the incurable illness, but it is beginning to cross the boundaries into wealthy families as well. Rhen and her father use fairly advanced science in their ramshackle basement for a cure with pints of blood, stem cells, and DNA research. Rhen realizes they will never find the cure as long as they have to use subpar equipment in a poor basement. None of the universities or the town's elites put any money into the situation, blaming it on how dirty the poor are. Rhen's only hope - to enter the yearly tournament that awards one student a full scholarship to the most prestige men's college in the kingdoms. The rest of the book reads like Mulan meets the Triwizard tournament from Harry Potter.
I loved this book! It was equal parts whimsical and rebellious. Boys use the term "independent woman" as an insult but Rhen takes it as a compliment (as all women should). The opening scenes are hilarious; I was hooked and couldn't put the book down. I read the whole thing in a single day.
I laughed and cried. I cannot recommend it enough! In regards to trigger warnings, the book was mainly free of gender violence and the few scenes of male-on-male violence was pretty mild. With that said, I would recommend this book to teenagers and older and especially to anyone who loves fantasy and super especially for those who love stories of rebellious women!
It's a five star read for me!
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