What do you think?
Rate this book
The Curie Society #1
The Curie Society
A covert team of young women--members of the Curie society, an elite organization dedicated to women in STEM--undertake high-stakes missions to save the world.
An action-adventure original graphic novel, The Curie Society follows a team of young women recruited by an elite secret society--originally founded by Marie Curie--with the mission of supporting the most brilliant female scientists in the world. The heroines of the Curie Society use their smarts, gumption, and cutting-edge technology to protect the world from rogue scientists with nefarious plans. Readers can follow recruits Simone, Taj, and Maya as they decipher secret codes, clone extinct animals, develop autonomous robots, and go on high-stakes missions.
An action-adventure original graphic novel, The Curie Society follows a team of young women recruited by an elite secret society--originally founded by Marie Curie--with the mission of supporting the most brilliant female scientists in the world. The heroines of the Curie Society use their smarts, gumption, and cutting-edge technology to protect the world from rogue scientists with nefarious plans. Readers can follow recruits Simone, Taj, and Maya as they decipher secret codes, clone extinct animals, develop autonomous robots, and go on high-stakes missions.
164 pages, Paperback
First published April 27, 2021
20 people are currently reading
3684 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews
August 9, 2022
I really hope that this creative team does a follow-up to this volume.
A group of young gifted women form a sisterhood when they join a secret scientific organization and go on their first adventurous mission. The reader learns a lot about science while having a fun time doing it.
Girls and women need more books like this. 😊🔬
A group of young gifted women form a sisterhood when they join a secret scientific organization and go on their first adventurous mission. The reader learns a lot about science while having a fun time doing it.
Girls and women need more books like this. 😊🔬
September 24, 2022
Another one that makes me want half stars. The protagonists here are college students, but I think the stoy is aimed at a younger crown, teens or even tweens. As an adult, I found the characters and their conflicts stereotyped, and the mentors were weirdly naive for genius operatives. The plot and story beats felt very predictable. On the other hand, for a twelve-year-old maybe these are more novel, and certainly the valorization of science and teamwork are good messages, and it made learning look fun.
May 1, 2021
This book was fun.
The art, the feminism, and the premise, were all great assets to this book.
The only reason that it's not rated higher is because it felt a little obvious and didn't really suprise me. However, when the series continues I don't know if I'm going to continue, just because I wasn't very connected to this book, but I might.
The art, the feminism, and the premise, were all great assets to this book.
The only reason that it's not rated higher is because it felt a little obvious and didn't really suprise me. However, when the series continues I don't know if I'm going to continue, just because I wasn't very connected to this book, but I might.
May 23, 2024
It's nifty to see a graphic novel built around the adventures of young women in science, but I found the characters a little hollow and the story a bit dull. It was hard not to compare this to the much better The Unstoppable Wasp: G.I.R.L. Power, the Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur animated series, or even the male-inclusive The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook.
This just book just feels stiff, having to set the scene and introduce all the characters, as well as being the product of a rather large committee of creatives. Too many cooks?
I have the next Curie Society book on hand from the library, and it has a different writer dropped into the mix, so I'll give it a go to see if she can give the series a little more life.
This just book just feels stiff, having to set the scene and introduce all the characters, as well as being the product of a rather large committee of creatives. Too many cooks?
I have the next Curie Society book on hand from the library, and it has a different writer dropped into the mix, so I'll give it a go to see if she can give the series a little more life.
December 18, 2020
In this new comic series three young women, who just started college, are inducted into the secret Curie Society. A society founded my Mme Curie and with an elusive cast of former members.
When the girls' first mission goes sideways they need all their knowledge and stick together as a team to solve the problem.
This is a very inventive new comic series. I liked the characters and the illustrations. The three new recruits are introduced first, which takes up a bit of space, but once the three are members of the society things get really interesting.
ARC received through NetGalley. Pub Date: 27 April 2021
When the girls' first mission goes sideways they need all their knowledge and stick together as a team to solve the problem.
This is a very inventive new comic series. I liked the characters and the illustrations. The three new recruits are introduced first, which takes up a bit of space, but once the three are members of the society things get really interesting.
ARC received through NetGalley. Pub Date: 27 April 2021
January 6, 2021
English Review Below.
تتبع القصة 3 فتيات على وشك بدء عامهن الأول في الجامعة عندما يُجندن من قبل مجتمع "كوري"، الذي أنشأته "ماري كوري" نفسها قبل وفاتها لدعم النساء في مجال العلوم والاكتشافات، ويصبحن عضوات في المجتمع السري ويتدربن لخوض مهمات سرية. الحبكة لطيفة ولكن القصة لم تتعمق في تفاصيل خلفيات الشخصيات وظروف تجنيدهن وذلك المجتمع السري بالقدر الكافي للأسف.
أسلوب الرسم لطيف جدا، والاختلافات بين الـ3 فتيات البطلات كانت لطيفة.
This had a very good premise but the story wasn't deep enough, and I assumed it's a first volume in a series, as being the reason it didn't dig enough, and everything: characters' backgrounds, the "recruitment", the secret society was hastily introduced.
We follow 3 young women entering their first year in college when they get recruited by the Curie Society, originally established by Marie Curie herself, to support women in the field of science and discovery. Each girl has her own strength and field of study, and the three of them almost complete each other, but as I said: it didn't dig deep enough.
I thank Netgalley for the digital ARC
تتبع القصة 3 فتيات على وشك بدء عامهن الأول في الجامعة عندما يُجندن من قبل مجتمع "كوري"، الذي أنشأته "ماري كوري" نفسها قبل وفاتها لدعم النساء في مجال العلوم والاكتشافات، ويصبحن عضوات في المجتمع السري ويتدربن لخوض مهمات سرية. الحبكة لطيفة ولكن القصة لم تتعمق في تفاصيل خلفيات الشخصيات وظروف تجنيدهن وذلك المجتمع السري بالقدر الكافي للأسف.
أسلوب الرسم لطيف جدا، والاختلافات بين الـ3 فتيات البطلات كانت لطيفة.
This had a very good premise but the story wasn't deep enough, and I assumed it's a first volume in a series, as being the reason it didn't dig enough, and everything: characters' backgrounds, the "recruitment", the secret society was hastily introduced.
We follow 3 young women entering their first year in college when they get recruited by the Curie Society, originally established by Marie Curie herself, to support women in the field of science and discovery. Each girl has her own strength and field of study, and the three of them almost complete each other, but as I said: it didn't dig deep enough.
I thank Netgalley for the digital ARC
July 12, 2023
Three girls arrive at college and find that not only are they the smartest kids in their class, they're also roommates. Tensions get high as their personalities clash, but they have to overcome their differences when a secret society recruits them to help with life-saving missions involving science. They'll have to learn to work as a team before they can get far in the Curie Society though, and they may end up dealing with their pasts in more personal ways than anyone accounted for.
Conceptually, this was pretty cool. I like that it brings up real science and innovations that I'm reading about in scientific magazines. Maybe I'm just tired of the savant who's too proud to work with other people trope. This story dragged a bit. I'm also still confused about what happened to Dr. Jo and her former partner. Yeah, cool concept, but nothing revolutionary here.
Conceptually, this was pretty cool. I like that it brings up real science and innovations that I'm reading about in scientific magazines. Maybe I'm just tired of the savant who's too proud to work with other people trope. This story dragged a bit. I'm also still confused about what happened to Dr. Jo and her former partner. Yeah, cool concept, but nothing revolutionary here.
May 22, 2025
I saw this on the graphic novel shelf at the Newport Library and immediately wanted to read it. I’ve been fascinated by Marie Curie ever since I was a kid, a fascination I have passed along to my eldest kid.
This is a fun read. Taj, Simone, and Maya are all new students at Edmonds University and happen to all be roommates. Because they’re so smart, they are recruited into the Curie Society, a secret group of brilliant women who save the world when necessary. The students learn each other’s strengths and abilities, as well as how to work together for the greatest impact. They’re guided by adult mentors/professors, and we learn the backstory of one of them and why the Curie Society is important to her.
While centering women (and especially non-white women) in STEM was wonderful to read, the storyline is a little simplistic. Nothing is new or unique here, though the asides discussing the science of things is really cool. That said, this is an excellent book to have on hand in a library or to give as a gift to a really bright kid.
This is a fun read. Taj, Simone, and Maya are all new students at Edmonds University and happen to all be roommates. Because they’re so smart, they are recruited into the Curie Society, a secret group of brilliant women who save the world when necessary. The students learn each other’s strengths and abilities, as well as how to work together for the greatest impact. They’re guided by adult mentors/professors, and we learn the backstory of one of them and why the Curie Society is important to her.
While centering women (and especially non-white women) in STEM was wonderful to read, the storyline is a little simplistic. Nothing is new or unique here, though the asides discussing the science of things is really cool. That said, this is an excellent book to have on hand in a library or to give as a gift to a really bright kid.
February 5, 2025
While I appreciate an incredible, ‘Mission Impossible’ style, action graphic novel, it felt like it was missing something. I would highly recommend this for school libraries and young girls with a passion for STEM. It just felt like there wasn’t enough character info and background to make you really care / cheer for them.
Read
November 17, 2020Reviewing for SLC
February 26, 2021
In this new graphic novel from MIT Press, we're introduced to three new students at Edmonds College. The story follows Simone, Taj, and Maya as they're recruited for The Curie Society, a secret organization operating at the college that both supports females in STEM and uses their skills to help save the world. We get to come along for the ride on their adventures.
This was an entertaining, quick read for me. The story spends a significant amount of time introducing us to each of the characters in the story and how they came to be recruited and involved with The Curie Society, but the pace picks up towards the second half of the book. Different STEM topics and historical figures are mentioned throughout the book, but I didn't feel like those small info dumps took too much away from the story.
The Curie Society is a graphic novel that I wish had been around when I had been growing up. I loved the spotlight on women in STEM in the story and the diversity of characters that we met throughout the story. This is an empowering read that I really appreciate as a woman in STEM. I really hope there will be more publications in this series!
Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was an entertaining, quick read for me. The story spends a significant amount of time introducing us to each of the characters in the story and how they came to be recruited and involved with The Curie Society, but the pace picks up towards the second half of the book. Different STEM topics and historical figures are mentioned throughout the book, but I didn't feel like those small info dumps took too much away from the story.
The Curie Society is a graphic novel that I wish had been around when I had been growing up. I loved the spotlight on women in STEM in the story and the diversity of characters that we met throughout the story. This is an empowering read that I really appreciate as a woman in STEM. I really hope there will be more publications in this series!
Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
July 12, 2021
I would pitch this as Charlie's Angels (2019) if they were university students in STEM being recruited into a science-based secret society...
Basically a super fun graphic novel!!
There was a good balance of the pacing, plot, and character development - which can be tricky to do in 150 pages of an origin story. Some of it was predictable, but it was also satisfying to see those predictable beats met.
I loved all the science included in the story and the sheer love of STEM from all our female characters (almost every single character is a woman, which was amazing). The inventions were also pretty darn cool.
There's also some potential queer rep as one of the main characters seems to have a flirty friendship/crush with another woman (yay!).
There's a lot of potential with this story, these characters, and the worldbuilding, and I look forward to more. Also the art style is amazing, Sonia Liao did an amazing job!
Basically a super fun graphic novel!!
There was a good balance of the pacing, plot, and character development - which can be tricky to do in 150 pages of an origin story. Some of it was predictable, but it was also satisfying to see those predictable beats met.
I loved all the science included in the story and the sheer love of STEM from all our female characters (almost every single character is a woman, which was amazing). The inventions were also pretty darn cool.
There's also some potential queer rep as one of the main characters seems to have a flirty friendship/crush with another woman (yay!).
There's a lot of potential with this story, these characters, and the worldbuilding, and I look forward to more. Also the art style is amazing, Sonia Liao did an amazing job!
June 23, 2021
I thought this was such a great graphic novel. Once I got started it was hard to put down. I loved the characters and plot of the story. I love the idea of having a graphic novel that was geared towards young female adults and talked about STEM in a positive way. To encourage them to pursue their dreams in the science and math fields. This book is about a group of girls who go to college and each of them have something different that makes them smart and they are invited to join the Curie Society which is like a top secret spy ring that is full of women who use their passion and abilities to help. It is not just their smarts that they have to have tested, but can all these girls with different personalities be able to work together as group to save the day.
December 7, 2021
I really wanted a lot more from this than it gave. I was really excited about it because, hello? Women in STEM? But if felt too young and fell a little flat. Also some of the characters were a little too dramatic in certain situations and I found them annoying and unrealistic
July 14, 2022
The graphics were amazing it was a perfect read for me I think this book is perfect for kids who like to read to young adults and also already grown-up adults.
March 23, 2021
Thank you to The MIT Press via NetGalley for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review
Nossa, eu fiquei encantado demais por essa história e tudo que ela tem por trás. Um quadrinho publicado pela editora do Instituto de Tecnologia de Massachusetts sobre um trio de garotas (ao melhor estilo Três Espiãs Demais), cada uma com sua especialidade, sendo recrutadas por uma sociedade secreta fundada pela Marie Curie com o intuito de resolver enigmas, criar tecnologias e até (porque não?) salvar o mundo combatendo alguns vilões. YOU WIN ME OVER!
Simone é uma garota prodígio, indo para a faculdade com 15 anos e sendo uma entusiasta sobre biologia e ciências da vida. Maya é uma gênia da matemática e da física, resolvendo problemas na cabeça em segundos e almeja o perfeccionismo. Taj, com seu jeito criativo e rebelde, é uma mestre em tecnologia e programação. É um trio incrível, e o mais interessante é que por ter 3 grandes mentes pensantes na sala, nem sempre são mil maravilhas. Há conflitos de interesses e tudo é mostrado. O dinamismo é bem palpável.
A história, apesar de deixar margem para explorar muita coisa em volumes futuros (que imagino que irão ocorrer pensando no final desse quadrinho), é bem rasa para uma introdução ao mundo. Tem um começo forte, com o convite das meninas à sociedade, mas na hora das missões tudo pareceu meio avulso e sem muita conexão (e por isso tirei 1 estrela).
Fiquei bem curioso pelo futuro desse trio. Espero que venha aí!
Nossa, eu fiquei encantado demais por essa história e tudo que ela tem por trás. Um quadrinho publicado pela editora do Instituto de Tecnologia de Massachusetts sobre um trio de garotas (ao melhor estilo Três Espiãs Demais), cada uma com sua especialidade, sendo recrutadas por uma sociedade secreta fundada pela Marie Curie com o intuito de resolver enigmas, criar tecnologias e até (porque não?) salvar o mundo combatendo alguns vilões. YOU WIN ME OVER!
Simone é uma garota prodígio, indo para a faculdade com 15 anos e sendo uma entusiasta sobre biologia e ciências da vida. Maya é uma gênia da matemática e da física, resolvendo problemas na cabeça em segundos e almeja o perfeccionismo. Taj, com seu jeito criativo e rebelde, é uma mestre em tecnologia e programação. É um trio incrível, e o mais interessante é que por ter 3 grandes mentes pensantes na sala, nem sempre são mil maravilhas. Há conflitos de interesses e tudo é mostrado. O dinamismo é bem palpável.
A história, apesar de deixar margem para explorar muita coisa em volumes futuros (que imagino que irão ocorrer pensando no final desse quadrinho), é bem rasa para uma introdução ao mundo. Tem um começo forte, com o convite das meninas à sociedade, mas na hora das missões tudo pareceu meio avulso e sem muita conexão (e por isso tirei 1 estrela).
Fiquei bem curioso pelo futuro desse trio. Espero que venha aí!
July 19, 2022
3 new freshmen roommates at Edmonds University don't know it yet, but they have all been targeted as the newest recruits for the Curie Society. Simone is super excited to be in college, even at her young age. She's the bio nerd. Taj is a standoffish gamer who is a computer science whiz. And Maya is being groomed by her parents to be the next Nobel Prize winner. She's a natural at mathematics. The 3 girls don't get off on the right foot as roommates, which proves a steep hurdle they must overcome if they are to successfully work together as agents in the society founded by Marie Curie to promote women in STEM fields and save the world from evil and neglectful science. While the trainees are on a routine mission, they discover someone has stolen top secret research on reviving extinct species. They must see if they can retrieve the data before it falls in the wrong hands.
This was a fun, smart spy story with the perfect balance of action, interpersonal and personal development, and math and science stuff. The science nerd in me really enjoyed it. Hand this to spy story fans and those looking for STEM stories. The back of the book includes paragraph biographies of numerous real female STEM notables.
Notes on content: No language issues (swears appear as grawlixes). No sexual content. It is hinted one girl may like one guy, and another girl may like a girl, but neither is clear at all. They could be just friends. It is left up to interpretation. An explosion in backflashes killed some and wounded others (all off page). In the present people are threatened but no one is seriously hurt.
This was a fun, smart spy story with the perfect balance of action, interpersonal and personal development, and math and science stuff. The science nerd in me really enjoyed it. Hand this to spy story fans and those looking for STEM stories. The back of the book includes paragraph biographies of numerous real female STEM notables.
Notes on content: No language issues (swears appear as grawlixes). No sexual content. It is hinted one girl may like one guy, and another girl may like a girl, but neither is clear at all. They could be just friends. It is left up to interpretation. An explosion in backflashes killed some and wounded others (all off page). In the present people are threatened but no one is seriously hurt.
April 14, 2021
*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*
Being a comic is a very quick story to read, in about an hour you can read everything.
I really liked the art style, for me, it is kind of old school, or at least it reminded me of older comics because of the drawing.
The story itself is very interesting, it brings a very cool context of college and characters that are very different from each other, which I liked because it brought different views and opinions to the story.
The plot of the story is a little bit Jurassic Park vibe in the beginning but which evolves to a villain who wants to do the right thing in a certain way but in an illegal manner.
I found the comic very good and I recommend if you want to read something with scientific girls who work together to save the world
Ps: I found the comic very complete with some extra parts at the end that related to the story.
Being a comic is a very quick story to read, in about an hour you can read everything.
I really liked the art style, for me, it is kind of old school, or at least it reminded me of older comics because of the drawing.
The story itself is very interesting, it brings a very cool context of college and characters that are very different from each other, which I liked because it brought different views and opinions to the story.
The plot of the story is a little bit Jurassic Park vibe in the beginning but which evolves to a villain who wants to do the right thing in a certain way but in an illegal manner.
I found the comic very good and I recommend if you want to read something with scientific girls who work together to save the world
Ps: I found the comic very complete with some extra parts at the end that related to the story.
May 24, 2021
3.5 Stars
Thank you, MIT Press, for the review copy.
The Curie Society is (hopefully) the first instalment in a series of books following Simone, Taj and Maya in their adventures. As an introduction to a series, I think this book works well. I am pretty sure it will be a series because while there is an ending it isn’t final and leaves room for much more story and character development.
The characters are likeable, and the world building is interesting, plus I really loved the art. There is an element of predictability with both the characters and the plot but it’s more reassuringly familiar. As I enjoyed reading this, I didn’t mind that my assumptions about the story turned out correct. I think this still works even if you can guess where the plot is taking you.
Thank you, MIT Press, for the review copy.
The Curie Society is (hopefully) the first instalment in a series of books following Simone, Taj and Maya in their adventures. As an introduction to a series, I think this book works well. I am pretty sure it will be a series because while there is an ending it isn’t final and leaves room for much more story and character development.
The characters are likeable, and the world building is interesting, plus I really loved the art. There is an element of predictability with both the characters and the plot but it’s more reassuringly familiar. As I enjoyed reading this, I didn’t mind that my assumptions about the story turned out correct. I think this still works even if you can guess where the plot is taking you.
December 3, 2020
Full disclosure, I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a vrey entertaining read, I would rate it more at 3.5. The only reason I would take out points is because everything was pretty obvious. You have the one with stict parents that push them to study hard, the antisocial gamer and the friendly one. Together they discover the power of friendship and team work.
The characters are lovable, but not very developed, but I hope to see more in future installments of this, because the idea is amazing!
This was a vrey entertaining read, I would rate it more at 3.5. The only reason I would take out points is because everything was pretty obvious. You have the one with stict parents that push them to study hard, the antisocial gamer and the friendly one. Together they discover the power of friendship and team work.
The characters are lovable, but not very developed, but I hope to see more in future installments of this, because the idea is amazing!
July 16, 2023
Absolutely love love love! It's a super fast read because it's a graphic novel designed for young adults and I am a grown adult, and it is so worth the time! I can't wait to read the sequel when it comes out.
I love the creators' decision to include bios of women in stem and small explanations of all the stem-related technology in the book at the end. It's so inspiring to read a story with so many women in stem, then see the real life role models right next to it. 10/10 totally recommend
I love the creators' decision to include bios of women in stem and small explanations of all the stem-related technology in the book at the end. It's so inspiring to read a story with so many women in stem, then see the real life role models right next to it. 10/10 totally recommend
December 29, 2020
3.5 Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read a review copy of this book! I am still getting into graphic novels, but I definitely enjoyed this one. The illustrations were detailed and really helped tell the story. It was a fun adventure full of things I like - secret societies, missions, friendship, and more! I think the different personalities of Simone, Maya, and Taj worked well together, and I hope that there's a sequel with their next adventure!
May 20, 2021
This was so fun with a great premise, interesting characters, and fantastic art! I loved all of the science and college elements, and then, when we get to the main meat of the story, it was such a wild ride! I could see this being a really good book to pick up for any teen looking to get into a STEM field or just has a passion for sciences!
June 25, 2021
I'm unsure about this one. The illustrations are stunning. The idea was intriguing. But the story itself was just... lacking. There were things to appreciate here, but none of them really succeeded at captivating my attention properly.
October 5, 2021
Great adventure involving young female scientists and including real information about Marie Curie and other female scientists. The relationship between the characters felt real and engaging. Check it out!
May 27, 2021
Girl power! STEM power!
August 9, 2023
Action-adventure | STEM | Well-developed (Appeal terms from NoveList) - Hilary
December 31, 2022
I'm a big fan of spy movies/books and Marie Curie so this sounded like a perfect mix of the two. This graphic novel had great artwork and a lot of science facts!
October 2, 2024
This was cute
And also the most accurate cybersecurity scene I've seen in a while. I love the easter egg with the IP address.
Although if I were making a secret website, I wouldn't make it an IP address accessed through a university network, with no other security on the site. I would at least hide the path in robots.txt or something. All in all, a fun mashup of scientific fields.
And also the most accurate cybersecurity scene I've seen in a while. I love the easter egg with the IP address.
Although if I were making a secret website, I wouldn't make it an IP address accessed through a university network, with no other security on the site. I would at least hide the path in robots.txt or something. All in all, a fun mashup of scientific fields.
November 30, 2020
(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley.)
New to Edmonds College, Simone, Taj, and Maya find themselves sharing a dorm room in Lovelace Hall. Though they're all exceptionally talented young women with ginormous brains, they seemingly have little in common: Simone the biologist loves doting on her ant colony, while ambitious mathematician Maya hopes to impress her demanding father by cultivating influential Mensa connections. Computer wiz Taj is a bit of a rebel, with her illicit art installations and penchant for (well-deserved) fisticuffs, both virtual and IRL. Needless to say, all these big personalities crammed into one small space results in conflict like whoah.
The trio is forced to work together - and, dare I say, bond? - when they all receive cryptic invitations to join The Curie Society. Founded by none other than Marie Skłodowska Curie herself, the secret society exists to help women scientists achieve their full potential, despite the many hurdles placed in their paths by entrenched misogyny (and racism!). The Edmonds chapter is led by two of their professors, Drs. Burkhart and Warsame, as well as their "orientation guide," Emma - and they waste no time in pushing their latest recruits to their physical and mental limits.
The girls' training is fast-tracked when, during a field trip to the Waterton Glacier International Park, thieves manage to break in and steal hard drives containing years of the group's de-extinction work. Worried that the information will be sold on the black market, the new class's first mission is to intercept the suspected sale at the upcoming N.E.D. talk. But why are their mentors acting so sketchy about the group's history? Where are all the previous class's members? And what is Dr. Burkhart and Emma hiding about their connection to corporate espionage?
THE CURIE SOCIETY is a really fun and engaging spy story that has the added bonus of promoting STEM/STEAM as an exciting opportunity for girls and women, including women of color. There's lots of nerdy goodness to be found here, whether you're into IT, math, biology, cryptography, engineering...the list goes on.
Among my favorite panels are those set in the wildlife park, where thylacines and wooly mammoths walk the earth again (even if I don't necessarily agree with the ethics of the thing).
The mystery that drives the plot is interesting enough but, to be honest, it mostly takes a backseat to the ins and outs of the secret society - and, of course, the science!
The characters are fairly multidimensional, especially considering there are around eight major players in a 168-page book. They're very diverse, with the main and supporting characters coming from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. There's also what looks to be a budding F/F romance that's been super-sweet to watch unfold thus far. (Let's hope!)
The plot's denouement involves a potential "ecoterrist" threat which could be prove fertile ground in future installments. (Again, let's hope!) I'm interested to see how it plays out.
New to Edmonds College, Simone, Taj, and Maya find themselves sharing a dorm room in Lovelace Hall. Though they're all exceptionally talented young women with ginormous brains, they seemingly have little in common: Simone the biologist loves doting on her ant colony, while ambitious mathematician Maya hopes to impress her demanding father by cultivating influential Mensa connections. Computer wiz Taj is a bit of a rebel, with her illicit art installations and penchant for (well-deserved) fisticuffs, both virtual and IRL. Needless to say, all these big personalities crammed into one small space results in conflict like whoah.
The trio is forced to work together - and, dare I say, bond? - when they all receive cryptic invitations to join The Curie Society. Founded by none other than Marie Skłodowska Curie herself, the secret society exists to help women scientists achieve their full potential, despite the many hurdles placed in their paths by entrenched misogyny (and racism!). The Edmonds chapter is led by two of their professors, Drs. Burkhart and Warsame, as well as their "orientation guide," Emma - and they waste no time in pushing their latest recruits to their physical and mental limits.
The girls' training is fast-tracked when, during a field trip to the Waterton Glacier International Park, thieves manage to break in and steal hard drives containing years of the group's de-extinction work. Worried that the information will be sold on the black market, the new class's first mission is to intercept the suspected sale at the upcoming N.E.D. talk. But why are their mentors acting so sketchy about the group's history? Where are all the previous class's members? And what is Dr. Burkhart and Emma hiding about their connection to corporate espionage?
THE CURIE SOCIETY is a really fun and engaging spy story that has the added bonus of promoting STEM/STEAM as an exciting opportunity for girls and women, including women of color. There's lots of nerdy goodness to be found here, whether you're into IT, math, biology, cryptography, engineering...the list goes on.
Among my favorite panels are those set in the wildlife park, where thylacines and wooly mammoths walk the earth again (even if I don't necessarily agree with the ethics of the thing).
The mystery that drives the plot is interesting enough but, to be honest, it mostly takes a backseat to the ins and outs of the secret society - and, of course, the science!
The characters are fairly multidimensional, especially considering there are around eight major players in a 168-page book. They're very diverse, with the main and supporting characters coming from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds. There's also what looks to be a budding F/F romance that's been super-sweet to watch unfold thus far. (Let's hope!)
The plot's denouement involves a potential "ecoterrist" threat which could be prove fertile ground in future installments. (Again, let's hope!) I'm interested to see how it plays out.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 177 reviews