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For the past 54 years, the residents of Pinsbury Port have received a mysterious letter. All eligible-aged boys are invited to compete in the mysterious Mr. Holm’s labyrinth for the chance to win a scholarship to the esteemed Stemwick University. The poorer residents are eager to join, while the wealthier consider how likely their sons are to survive the competition. But Rhen Tellur opens the letter to see if she can figure out which substances the ink and parchment are created from.
In the province of Caldon, women train in wifely duties and men pursue college educations, but 16-year-old Rhen wants nothing more than to become a scientist. No matter that it’s a male-only field. No matter that no female has ever attended Stemwick University.
The poor of Rhen’s seaside town have fallen prey to a deadly disease. She and her father are working desperately to find a cure, while those with the power and skill to effect change do nothing. When her mother falls ill with the disease, Rhen decides to take the future into her own hands.
Rhen — joined by her cousin, Seleni — dons a disguise and enters Mr. Holm’s labyrinth. Their goal: to best the boys and claim the scholarship prize. But not everyone is ready for a girl to enter a man’s field. And not everyone survives the deadly maze.
To Best the Boys is a feminist story set in a Victorian-style, urban-fantasy atmosphere with a dystopian labyrinthian game initially reminiscent of The Maze Runner.
While I enjoyed the story, I was lost for a bit, especially at the beginning. The blurb makes it seem like the maze is the focus of the story, when it’s really not. Readers nearly get through half of the book before Rhen even decides to enter the competition, and I found myself waiting for the games to start. And when they did begin, they only lasted a couple of chapters. Even the danger and mystery surrounding the anticipated maze was replaced with a whirlwind of Willy Wonka vibes crossed with Alice in Wonderland oddness.
Overall, this was a good, clean YA dystopian book with an interesting concept. I enjoyed the setting and the dangerous atmosphere of a gray city filled with ghouls, sirens and mystery. I just wish it had been fleshed out and explored a little more in some areas.
Rated: Mild. Rhen takes sample material from a corpse for scientific purposes, including some details that some readers might find disgusting or unsettling. An unknown plague causes fear and death. Infected rats are experimented on in an attempt to find a cure. A girl is ogled by a man. Characters kiss.
