Mary: The Adventures of Mary Shelley’s Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandaughter is an upcoming YA graphic novel about the teenaged descendant of the famous author who shares the same name. What modern Mary doesn’t know is that she has gifts beyond this world and she is about to fall into a role she wasn’t prepared for.
I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The women of the Shelley family have all become successful writers. But Mary isn’t so sure she wants to follow in their footsteps which brings a lot of arguing between her and her crime-novel writing mother. If life wasn’t stressful enough for a teen, she also find out that monsters are real and she has the power to heal them, which is also a trait inherited from the Shelley women. And to make matters even worse, demons are hunting her down. So Mary has big decisions to make and a lot to learn about who she really is.
The art is perfect for this story and is very well done. Especially when we see different monsters and their unique appearances especially compared with the human world.
Much like Mary, we have a lot to learn as readers about this monster world, demons, and the fact the Shelley’s have the ability to heal monsters. The story is well-paced where it is not confusing to follow despite it being crazy for Mary to live. And it is a story full of surprises that I really enjoyed.
The writing and humor are really on point. Hands down my favorite character is Bun Bun who is possessed by Shirley Jackson. Yes you read that correctly. It is a really funny companion character to Mary that pairs well with the overall core group of Mary, the undead Adam, the harpy Polly, and the witch Rhonda.
While the novel ends in a way where it could be the end, I really hope it isn’t because the world and story they set up is great for a series. I would happily read more about the antics and shenanigans of being a monster healer. Plus the demons aren’t done, as far as we know. So hopefully we get more adventures.
Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel. It is a fun read full of humor and interesting story. I can see it being enjoyable for younger teens as a coming-of-age story about finding your own path and what you want to be in the world.
Would you rather be a famous author or a monster healer? Let me know with a comment!
How fun!