The Curie Society: Eris Eternal

The Curie Society #2

by Anne Toole, Sonia Liao (Illustrator), Heather Einhorn (Creator)

The plucky young scientist heroes of The Curie Society go toe-to-toe with a powerful and sinister threat in a globe-spanning scientific adventure on the cutting edge of advanced biotech.

Our heroic teen science prodigies are back for a new mission with the Curie Society, an elite secret organization where brilliant women can pursue the furthest reaches of their intellect, and this time they face a threat more serious and more sinister than anything they’ve encountered before!

Maya, Taj, and Simone are supposed to be spending their summer broadening their horizons, but their plans take a strange and puzzling turn when the Curie Society’s original chapter, at the Sorbonne in Paris, calls on them for help. Daksha, a Society alumna, is promoting cutting-edge science and technology startups at a showcase event, but someone has threatened to stop her and the proceedings. When Daksha is poisoned, the team swings into action to investigate.

Along with new friends from the Paris chapter of the Curie Society, the team is thrown into a globe-spanning quest and a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a shadowy villain intent on controlling the world’s wealth through advanced biotech. The Curie Society will need all their specialized science skills to stop this scheme before it’s too late!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Young Adult

168 pages, Paperback

Published March 26, 2024

About the author

Anne Toole is a WGA-nominated writer for computer games, one-hour television, comics, and short fiction. Anne started her career writing for DAYS OF OUR LIVES, then became Head Writer for a game based on the STARGATE SG-1 series. She's written a number of game titles, including the dark fantasy RPG, THE WITCHER, which earned her a Writers Guild nomination. Anne has spoken extensively on games and entertainment and contributed to books from the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). "

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had some reservations about this series after the first book, and this one confirms that I should not bother with a third if it ever were to appear.

A convoluted and low-stakes plot bores, and there are too many characters with too little character.

Too long, too dull, toodle-oo.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Someone is trying to use the Paris Fashion Week to infiltrate elite society with nanotech for nefarious purposes but is promising them immortality. One of the Curie Society's members has called in reinforcements as she suspects that one of the 3 young female entrepreneurs is working with Eris on this scheme. Maya, Taj, and Simone make their way to Paris so see if they can figure out who the bad actors are and stop their plans.

I'm not exactly sure why, but I felt like this was more disjointed than the first book in the series. Maybe it is because we are following the girls around as they investigate so many different people and places. It also isn't clear what the end goal or method is, so they look at a lot of new tech (based on some real innovative tech...this series does work with MIT after all). I liked learning about the cutting edge tech being worked on. I felt like the plot could have been tighter or less confusing. And it was sad to see Maya, Taj, and Simone doing more independent work than working as a team. I like it best when they work as a team (which they do eventually). This was ok, but I'm not sure if I will continue with the series or not.

Notes on content:
Language: None that I remember
Sexual content: One female/female kiss on page.
Violence: One person's diabetes medicine is tampered with and it puts her in the hospital.
Ethnic diversity: The Curie society and the entrepreneurs come from a wide variety of countries and ethnic backgrounds.
LGBTQ+ content: The Curie member who calls in help has a girlfriend who it turns out is a bad actor and poisoned her.
Other: Two Indian characters deal with family expectations/pressures.

[Sotto · Rating 2 out of 5]

Returning to the world of semi-linear paneled art, the three sheroes from the previous Curie Society volume are back in another...well, semi-interesting adventure. The second installment of this triple nerd team-up tempts the reader with initial whodunnit vibes when a fellow Curie Society member who is an Indian (Punjabi) living in France gets poisoned. However, instead of trusting the audience with a drip-drip of useful clues so we get a chance to solve it ourselves, we get a pretty predictable villain reveal in the final third. The science fiction/design/engineering for gadgets and wearables is also just not as fun or intriguing as it was in the first volume of the series.

"Could the problem be the nostalgia-tinted memories of our initial introduction have tainted your review of this comic book?" Okay, fair question. Possibly. Or it just might be that "Eris Eternal" suffers from a combination of pacing issues, cliched villains, and an easily forgettable slew of side characters. The action scenes and coloring are a slight improvement in comparison to the first Curie Society adventure (good on line artist Ms. Liao), but they aren't in service to a better story. So, yeah. Recommend if you really like the three WoC introduced in the first volume and want to learn more about them while getting a loud splashes of S-C-I-E-N-C-E, but skip it if you are hankering for an engaging story.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, I thought this volume was a lot more exciting than the first one. Each girl's strengths have begun to shine and their teamwork has really gelled together. I loved the higher stakes in this volume too, especially for Maya, with her parents getting involved in Eris. On that note, I found it interesting how much Maya has changed since Volume One. Her character growth was satisfying, though I feel it's a little abrupt because of the time that passed "off-screen." I'm excited to see where the story ends in Volume Three!

[Jesse Post · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid action/adventure read with interesting characters and a ton of real science that isn't shoehorned in -- too often with these types of books, the academic stuff feels crunchy and good for you, but here it's a natural and fun part of the plot, kind of like how Q will explain how his gadgets work while outfitting Bond for a mission.

Kids will want to read it and you'll feel good about getting it for them!

[Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charle’s Angels meets STEAM in an action packed graphic novel. I would have loved for more character development along with the science and action, but I had a fun time reading this graphic novel. The ending leaves the door open for a third volume.

[Evangeline Artino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book as a sequel to the first, it was compelling and very relatable and I would argue important to today’s technology. Only four stars however because I feel like there could have been a bit more to it.

[Ebby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Women in stem

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

tjwrOGhiorghjourghiowrhpibworIORW I LOVE SCIENCE FICTION!!!!!! SHUT UP! i need more of this nowwwwww pleaaaaase what do you mean i have to wait until 2026 to get book three!! come on!

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the first book in this series and this one a bit less. It's still a great way to excite young minds about technology, but the plot felt more muddled.

[Katie Kaste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maya, Taj, and Simone are back in France as the newest recruits of the prestigious Marie Curie Society, just in time for a high-stakes competition at the Sorbonne. With projects aimed at helping both people and the environment, tensions rise as the competitors are mysteriously attacked one by one. It’s up to the girls to uncover who’s behind the sabotage while racing against time to save the event. The art style in this graphic novel is vibrant and eye-catching, perfectly complementing the action-packed plot. The trio’s chemistry shines, as their teamwork is put to the test through conflicts that only strengthen their bond. I thoroughly enjoyed this thrilling adventure and can’t wait to dive into the first installment!