liralen's review against another edition
4.0
As ever, a delight. I'm not so much one for automatons and magic, but I am always here for things that send me down Wikipedia rabbit holes—and those for Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Ada Lovelace, Claire Clairmont, Fanny Imlay, and Percy Bysshe Shelley, are something...so you can only imagine what comes out of a story featuring those characters.
There's some glossing over of history here that I'm not sure about—the real-life stories involve a number of early deaths, including by suicide; pretty much all of that is treated as 'not going to happen in this story here. I'm torn because part of me wants more happy endings and independence for the women of the story, but part of me does not love the hard parts of history being ignored. Still, this series remains fantastic fun and I'll very happily read every book that comes out of it.
There's some glossing over of history here that I'm not sure about—the real-life stories involve a number of early deaths, including by suicide; pretty much all of that is treated as 'not going to happen in this story here. I'm torn because part of me wants more happy endings and independence for the women of the story, but part of me does not love the hard parts of history being ignored. Still, this series remains fantastic fun and I'll very happily read every book that comes out of it.
megs004's review against another edition
4.0
My Imaginary Mary was a fun and charming story. This was the first book I read in this Mary series, but this will not be my last!
This book is a fictional account of Mary Shelley, who wrote Frankenstein, and Ada Lovelace, the first tech visionary. Mary wants to become a writer, and Ada is a mathematician. Both want to make a name for themselves, so they partner up. Together the two women accidentally brought a young man to life from automation.
I really like this book. I loved the whimsical feel and the writing was witty enough to keep me entertained. I loved all of the pop references too. This did not affect my rating, but listening to the book through a synthetic voice did not do this book justice, making it lose some of its charms for me. I am planning on listening to the book again soon.
Thank you to NetGallery and to Harper Audio for giving me a copy of the book.
This book is a fictional account of Mary Shelley, who wrote Frankenstein, and Ada Lovelace, the first tech visionary. Mary wants to become a writer, and Ada is a mathematician. Both want to make a name for themselves, so they partner up. Together the two women accidentally brought a young man to life from automation.
I really like this book. I loved the whimsical feel and the writing was witty enough to keep me entertained. I loved all of the pop references too. This did not affect my rating, but listening to the book through a synthetic voice did not do this book justice, making it lose some of its charms for me. I am planning on listening to the book again soon.
Thank you to NetGallery and to Harper Audio for giving me a copy of the book.
shaina's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
thebooknook180's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
bookswithnopictures's review against another edition
4.0
This trio brings me joy every. single. time. Yes the stories are rooted in history and I recognize everyone doesn't love it like your girl here, but I sincerely hope that doesn't deter you from trying. If you need wild and fantastical, funny, all of the pop culture references, character mockery - look no further. And! They can 100% be read as standalones.
My Imaginary Mary is such a fun take on the story of Mary Shelley and her creation of Frankenstein. Mary and Ada ought not to be friends but fate and a faery godmother have something else in mind. Magic and disaster around the corner force these unlikely friends to team up against a mad scientist.
This wasn't my favorite of theirs to date but still a great addition to the collection. Not sure they can improve on My Lady Jane but it would be hard to beat my first experience with their version of events. I highly recommend the narration as Morag Sims' dramatization sucked me in and added the right flair for optimal enjoyment.
Thank you to @harperaudio for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.
My Imaginary Mary is such a fun take on the story of Mary Shelley and her creation of Frankenstein. Mary and Ada ought not to be friends but fate and a faery godmother have something else in mind. Magic and disaster around the corner force these unlikely friends to team up against a mad scientist.
This wasn't my favorite of theirs to date but still a great addition to the collection. Not sure they can improve on My Lady Jane but it would be hard to beat my first experience with their version of events. I highly recommend the narration as Morag Sims' dramatization sucked me in and added the right flair for optimal enjoyment.
Thank you to @harperaudio for the alc. All thoughts in this review are my own.
booklovewithmelanie's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for an advanced audiobook recording in exchange for an honest review.
These are just always fun reads/listens and I stand by my statement that these three should ALWAYS write together. I love the fun whimsical writing and the tidbits of actual facts thrown in here and there. The pop references do pop up more often then I would like but they are usually a great addition. I can't wait to see who our third Mary will be and then who we will follow after the Mary's!
These are just always fun reads/listens and I stand by my statement that these three should ALWAYS write together. I love the fun whimsical writing and the tidbits of actual facts thrown in here and there. The pop references do pop up more often then I would like but they are usually a great addition. I can't wait to see who our third Mary will be and then who we will follow after the Mary's!
bookswhotravel's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lioness20's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
whatsheread's review against another edition
3.75
Have you ever wondered what would happen if Ada Lovelace and Mary Wollstonecraft were best friends? And created an automaton? And had Percy Shelley helping them evade a mad scientist? Well, you are in luck because Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows already did that for you with their latest collaboration, My Imaginary Mary! While it wasn’t my favorite collaboration of theirs, it is a rollicking good time. The combination of Mary Wollstonecraft and Ida Lovelace is crazy. Add the automaton and the mad scientist, and the word insane comes to mind. All you can do is stay for the ride. For a wholly distracting and yet charming insanity break, you can count on Mademoiselles Ashton, Hand, and Meadows to provide just that.
serenabales's review against another edition
5.0
I received an advanced audiobook of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This audiobook was a computer voiced narrator so I cannot comment on the quality of the narration in the finished audiobook.
Mary Godwin is the daughter of a famous feminist writer. Ada Byron is the daughter of the well known poet Lord Byron. In this story, the two girls discover they are descended from fae and may or may not have powers of their own. Ada is a brilliant inventor and Mary longs to be a writer. This story is a madcap adventure full of pop culture references, twisted history, and monsters.
This is my first book written by this writing team, and I loved it!! It was absolutely hilarious, and a fun, exciting story. I imagine it’s not incredibly historically accurate (while I am a history teacher, I am not very familiar with the stories of Mary and Ada), but it’s a fun take on how the story of Frankenstein came to be. I would highly recommend this to my students and anyone interested in history, science fiction, and coming of age.
Mary Godwin is the daughter of a famous feminist writer. Ada Byron is the daughter of the well known poet Lord Byron. In this story, the two girls discover they are descended from fae and may or may not have powers of their own. Ada is a brilliant inventor and Mary longs to be a writer. This story is a madcap adventure full of pop culture references, twisted history, and monsters.
This is my first book written by this writing team, and I loved it!! It was absolutely hilarious, and a fun, exciting story. I imagine it’s not incredibly historically accurate (while I am a history teacher, I am not very familiar with the stories of Mary and Ada), but it’s a fun take on how the story of Frankenstein came to be. I would highly recommend this to my students and anyone interested in history, science fiction, and coming of age.