Review: To Best the Boys

To Best the Boys by Mary Weber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rhen wants to be a scientist but in her kingdom, scientist is not an acceptable role for females. Every year there is a Labyrinth contest and the winner can take the placement test to university with scholarship money attached. To participate, Rhen will need to disguise herself as a boy. To win, she'll need every bit of her wits, creativity, and observation skills. But before the contest starts there is a lot of story about the terrible crippling disease that is killing so many people in the town, including Rhen's mother. Rhen and her father are researching cures, but coming up empty handed.

I enjoyed this one, but the contest did not start until about the halfway point. There is a bit of romance and much discussion of gender roles.

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