I got a copy of this book to review from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I really reallly enjoyed this book, it was super creative and fun to read. I had previously read and reviewed Misfit by Skovron and really enjoyed that book as well.

Boy is the son of Frankenstein and Bride (the Bride of Frankenstein) and lives in an underground commune of other crazy supposedly mythological creatures. All the creatures help to run a theater in Manhattan and generally try to stay otherwise out of public eye. Boy however is a bit of a hacker and has a lot of online friends. When Boy finds out that his father has arranged for him to go to Switzerland for college, Boy decides to flee the commune and try to make it on the outside as a real human. He eventually ends up hooking up with the granddaughters of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde and goes on the road trip of his life.

I absolutely loved this book. It was creative, heartfelt, and just so much fun to read. I love how folklore, history, and mythology are all blended together to make a story that is witty and well thought out.

Boy was a great character, Skovron just got him absolutely spot on. Boy has many of the same problems as any teenage boy. He can’t get the attention of the troll dancer girl he likes, he feels like his father is trying to run his life, and he is just soooo different from everyone else that it’s hard to fit in. He is a genuine character, witty, smart, and maybe a little naive about some things.

When Boy gets out into the real world he again faces many problems everyone else does. He has trouble finding a job and making ends meet, his roommate is a bit weird and his girlfriend ends up having some deep-seated issues of her own. For awhile things are all good…until they aren’t. Then Boy ends up on the run with the granddaughters of Dr. Jekyl and Mr Hyde.

The other main characters we spend quite a bit of time with are Claire/Sophie…two people in one body thanks to their grandaddy’s experiments. Both of these girls are awesome. They are two completely different people sharing one body….talk about relationship complications. They both have fun personalities that are a pleasure to read about.

This is pretty much a coming-of-age story. Boy is trying to figure out who he wants to be. I was a bit surprised that this is also a techno-thriller of sorts and had a bit of a cyberpunk vibe to it. Boy creates some AI that becomes sentient and ends up trying to hunt him down. As a result of this there is a lot of discussion about creators and the monsters that result and a creator’s responsibility towards their creations.

Of course, Boy being Boy (he is kind of stitched together and huge) he does struggle to fit in quite a bit. Another interesting element to this all is the fact that both Boy and his father have the ability to “turn off” their emotions. However the rebound from doing this is pretty intense.

We meet lots of neat creatures and there is a lot of action throughout. We get to meet the Spinx, Medusa, and many other creatures out of both story and mythology. They are all blended together seamlessly, in a way I really enjoyed. The ending was well done and realistic, again I enjoyed it.

Overall an absolutely wonderful read. This is a very creative story that is fast-paced, humorous, and heartfelt. I enjoyed Boy as a character and loved Claire/Sophie. This is a coming of age story, but with of a bit of a techo thriller twist…and uh…lots of monsters. I just loved this book and can’t wait to see what Skovron writes next.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge
– 150+ Reading Challenge