3/5: ‘To Best the Boys’ is a Young Adult, Fantasy by Mary Weber; Rhen Tellur, a sixteen-year-old scientist, works desperately to find a cure to a deadly disease plagiarising her seaside town. In order to claim a scholarship prize – to increase the likelihood of discovering a cure – Rhen disguises herself as a boy to enter Mr. Holm’s labyrinth, a yearly all-male competition into Stemwick University. Weber created a Fantasy world that evokes Victorian England with an intertwine of supernatural creatures including those of Ghouls and Sirens, roaming the margin. Sadly, this time period is not confirmed, and the shift between language choice does not help to solidify the background of the world. Also, the plot and character development proceeding in a predictable manner; elements were dragged out, and the puzzles of the ‘Labyrinth’ were simple to solve – no real challenge, per se. The maze was underwhelming, as it is merely a couple of chapters long. Though, the morals and themes of women empowerment and feminism were a clear strength, in a male-dominated competition. Sadly, the foundations of the plot were solid and creative, but underdeveloped. One other criticism is the side plot regarding the Mother to Rhen, whose disease is the main motivation for her involvement in the competition. The issue is never resolved, rather the origin of the disease is the key focus – though this is a personal preference. Nevertheless, Weber has formulated an entertaining piece, a strong page-turner. The novel is a competent but, an unremarkable addition to a ‘nevertheless, she persisted’ display – Simple!