Title: My Imaginary Mary
Series: Mary, #2
Authors: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
Narrator: Morag Sims
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: August 2, 2022
Print length: 496 pages
Audiobook length: 13 hours 15 minutes
Genre: Young adult
Source: Purchased
Rating:
It’s aliiiiiiiive! The bestselling authors of My Lady Jane are back with the electric, poetic, and (almost) historical tale of the one and only Mary Shelley.
Mary may have inherited the brilliant mind of her late mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, but she lives a drab life above her father’s bookstore, waiting for an extraordinary idea that’ll inspire a work worthy of her parentage—and impress her rakishly handsome (and super-secret) beau, Percy Shelley.
Ada Lovelace knows a thing or two about superstar parents, what with her dad being Lord Byron, the most famous poet on Earth. But her passions lie far beyond the arts—in mechanical engineering, to be exact. Alas, no matter how precise Ada’s calculations, there’s always a man willing to claim her ingenious ideas as his own.
Pan, a.k.a. Practical Automaton Number One, is Ada’s greatest idea yet: a machine that will change the world, if only she can figure out how to make him truly autonomous . . . or how to make him work at all.
When fate connects our two masterminds, Mary and Ada learn that they are fae—magical people with the ability to make whatever they imagine become real. But when their dream team results in a living, breathing, thinking PAN, Mary and Ada find themselves hunted by a mad scientist who won’t stop until he finds out how they made a real boy out of spare parts.
With comic genius and a truly electrifying sense of adventure, Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows continue their campaign to turn history on its head in this YA fantasy that’s perfect for fans of The Princess Bride and A Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue.
The Mary series — beginning with My Contrary Mary, an alternate history version of the life of Mary, Queen of Scots — continues here with My Imaginary Mary, a clever, highly entertaining and extremely silly spin on the lives of Mary Shelley and Ada Lovelace, two creative young women stuck in a world that doesn’t appreciate them.
Mary Godwin, living above her father’s bookshop, dreams of becoming a writer someday, just like her famous mother, Mary Wollstonecraft. She also dreams of running off with her handsome secret boyfriend, the up-and-coming young poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Meanwhile, Ada lives with her controlling mother, Lady Byron, raised to despise her disreputable father Lord Byron (the rock star of his era). Ada is a brilliant engineer, scientist, and mathematician, but must work on her inventions and equations in secret, as these are not appropriate endeavors for a young lady of marriageable age.
When Mary and Ada meet at a society party, their lives becomes inextricably connected… due to complicated reasons involving a charlatan scientist, dead frogs, and… magic. As Mary and Ada soon learn, they’re both fae and possess magical powers, and must be instructed on how to use them. Rule #1: Create responsibly.
This lesson doesn’t fully take… and before long, they’ve used a combination of science, magic, and lightning to bring an automaton to life. After all sorts of further mishaps, they end up on the run across Europe, along with Pan — the animated automaton — Mary’s sisters, and a mechanical horse. Finally, their mad trek takes them to Villa Diodati on the shores of Lake Geneva (which actual history tells us is where Mary Shelley famously created the story that became her novel Frankenstein).
Let’s just say that My Imaginary Mary takes wild liberties with these historical characters, and provides a funny, madcap adventure that is a delight to read and listen to. Narrator Morag Sims delivers the ups and downs, the character voices, and the bonkers moments with style — including a scene of dialogue shared while the characters are all bound and gagged, which is laugh-out-loud hilarious.
After listening and/or reading the Jane books by these authors, I’m not in the least surprised that I found My Imaginary Mary to be oodles of fun. There are moments were the story verges on being too much… but really, in a story like this one, the whole point is being over the top, and the book definitely succeeds.
Little direct-to-the-reader (or listener) moments add even more great entertainment, such as the advice provided:
(Reader, your narrators here. We just want to give a small public service announcement about the tiny warning voice in the back of your head, the one that whispers that you might be about to make a mistake. We’re here to tell you there’s a 99.8 percent chance that the voice is right. Please listen to the tiny warning voice. No matter how good a kisser he is.)
I was also highly amused by some recurring bits such as:
Pan’s throat fan whirred. She had told him to stay. But he also had a strong urge to go and investigate.
Should I stay or should I go now? he thought. If I go there could be trouble. And if I stay there could be double.
And…
… “But you do not even have an idea,” she said.“I shall have one,” he said. “When you give it to me. We’re partners, are we not? We work for our mutual benefit. So go on — ” He lowered his head as if he were expecting to be struck with something tangible. “Hit me with your best shot. Fire away.”
Because I was listening to the audiobook, usually on the go, I didn’t stop and highlight great lines nearly as often as I should have, which is the one downside to not going with a print version of this story. But that’s okay — I really enjoyed every moment, even if I can’t pull up even more examples of favorite passages.
I love the Jane and Mary books, and I’m eager to continue! I supposes the Tudor books (My Lady Jane and My Contrary Mary) are still my favorites, but My Imaginary Mary is a worthy addition to the series, and offers all the fun fans of this series have come to expect.
I look forward to reading the 3rd Mary book, which — sadly — is the last in the series. (Unless the authors decide to write more, or start a new series… here’s hoping!)
Interested in the Jane books? Check out:
And don’t miss:
Purchase links for My Imaginary Mary: Amazon – Bookshop.org – Libro.fm
Disclaimer: When you make a purchase through one of these affiliate links, I may earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
Bookshelf Fantasies 