Joh Skovron's reading of his own book was brilliant. He had different voices for the characters that really fit each character. This is a very clever take on what has become of literary and mythical monsters like Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, and Medusa. Boy, the manmade son of Frankenstein's monster and Bride, is a very likeable young man trying to make his own way in life but having a difficult time when he runs away to the world of humans. ( )

I adored this book. I'm a huge fan of Frankenstein, and to see that this was a book about the child of the Monster and the Bride, I just had to read it.

Boy is your typical teenage boy. He has a crush, and wants to prove himself worthy of her attention. He also doesn't want to end up like his father. Having to basically be the bouncer amongst the monsters in The Show. I loved seeing Boy go throughout all of his little ordeals. At times I wanted to scream at him to see if he realized that he was making some major mistakes in how he handled things. But after all, he is a teenage boy. I also loved that he had the hormones and thought process like most folks at that age.

Claire and Sophie are definitely up there with my favorite characters. They bring lightness, and sometimes a little badassery to the front lines. They had me laughing, and cheering them on. There are so many creatures that are mentioned int his book. The Invisible Man may be another favorite of mine. I won't go into more because I don't want to spoil anything. But wow, if you're looking for a book that includes so many monsters, this is it.

Boy's journey was definitely one of self-discovery. I don't think he realized how alone he was until he was out there in the real world. Even then, it seems like the world is moving so fast, and he's left behind. I enjoyed the whole cyber-talk even though I had no clue what most of it meant. I was able to put two and two together, and figure it out though.

Jon Skovron does an amazing job bring Boy and his family into modern times. I definitely can't wait until my son is old enough to read this book. ( )

Man Made Boy was like reading the best B-Movie ever! I don’t know about everyone else but I’ve always been a big fan of B-Horror Movies because they were fun and always gave you the monsters in the classic way. That is exactly the way you’ll see them in this book, except you’ll see just how well those old monsters do or don’t adapt to the modern world.

I immediately fell in love with the character Boy and his quiet personality. Though I seriously wish his name would have been something other than “Boy.” He is the son of Frankenstein’s Monster and of course he wasn’t born in the same way other creatures would be – no he was created. Patched together with the parts from dead humans. But whereas his parents were science experiments, Boy was a labor of love. Not only is he a wonderful character, he is also a tech genius! A computer hacker extraordinaire if you will. He’s been locked up his whole life inside the Broadway show house where his family and a myriad troupe of other creatures live, hiding from humanity right under it’s nose. Entertaining humans with a magical Broadway show each night.

“Humans are pretty complicated,” I said.

“No, Boy. Rain-forest ecosystems are complicated. Humans are just a mess.” – pg 24

But Boy is restless and wants to get out into the human world. And that is where all the trouble and this adventure starts. He is a bit naive but also strong. After all, it would take a brave person to strike out on their own the way he did. I really adored this guy and my heart was constantly going out to him. There were moments when I was so achingly sad for him because of his self loathing that I could see many teens relating to him.

“Haven’t you ever been in bed with a girl before?”

“One.”

“That’s it? Geez, are you ridiculously shy or something?”

“No, I’m just fucking ugly, okay?” – pg 208

We get to see Boy’s life in the theater, outside of the theater, on the run from his mistakes, as well as him finally finding a place where he thinks he can be happy. Even during moments that weren’t action packed this pace moved along so well that I could barely put the book down. Not to mention the dialogue constantly had me smirking.

“You don’t believe in extraterrestrials?”

“Do I believe they exist somewhere out there in infinite space? Yes. Do I think they’re hanging out around our solar system, occasionally sneaking over to steal a cow or probe someone’s ass? No.”

“Arse-probing gets a bad rap,” she said.” – pg 211

I can’t say enough how much I really enjoyed this book. I knew from the moment I read the book description that this would be an excellent read for me and I was not let down.

There are so many creatures from different cultures and folklore that you find yourself wondering what or who Boy might encounter next. I was surprisingly thrown for a loop when I made assumptions about things to find out later I was wrong. This was definitely a coming of age story of a boy on the cusp of adulthood and about self acceptance and doing what’s right. I can only hope there will be more of these books and have already picked up another book by this author in hopes I will enjoy it as much as I did Man Made Boy. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Interesting setup with some humor, but overall the vulgar language and poor transitions made this just an ok read.

Opening Sentence: In the beginning, there was zero.

The Review:

Boy, the son of one of the most famous monsters of all time. Boy, the kid who has grown up hiding with all other outcasts. Boy, the computer whiz able to create, hack, and code with ease. This is a boy, whose name is Boy, whose birthday brings new challenges and a chance to live a life outside this captive prison where he has grown up.

He is being forced by his father to move to Europe to go to school and return to his father’s old painful roots. He rejects this, and runs away. The life outside is one he was getting a hang of, even if he looks like the ugliest human ever. He has a job and a place to live, which he is happy about. That’s when things go from ok to horrible. As he ventures into the world he meets many new people including a couple different girls that teach him about love and heartbreak. He also has made a lot of mistakes on his journey of self discovery and if he wants to right the wrongs he has committed he will have to face his dysfunctional family once more.

I look on the back of the book and see age 12 and up. I’m sorry but with the vast amount of strong profanity, I’m having a hard time seeing this appropriate for teenagers. Maybe Jon Skovron has a potty mouth, but that doesn’t mean that the rest of us want to read it. It destroyed the book for me. Just because the characters are teenagers, doesn’t make it appropriate for young adults. I cringed anytime the characters were arguing or mad, waiting for strong “F” words to show, and I was hardly ever wrong. Also, I listened to the audio book of this, so having to hear all the profanity made it even worse.

I liked the plot, it was interesting, although the transition from the first girlfriend to the second girlfriend seemed poor. Half the book is one story and then is sharply put on hold. The second part quickly begins with new characters and a different setting, which I really didn’t like. I felt like I was just getting into the story when all the sudden everything changes and that made me feel a huge disconnect with the story. There were parts that were funny and I liked the characters for the most part. But due to the profanity and the poor transition between the parts of the book, I would have to say that this was just an ok read for me.

Notable Scene:

“Where are you off to so suddenly?” asked Laurellan

“Hot date?” asked Mozart.

“Oh, uh…” Sometimes I wish I was quicker at responding. “Not really.” And better at lying.

The two of them grinned at each other.

“An almost date?”

FTC Advisory: Viking Penguin provided me with a copy of Man Made Boy. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

Boy is the 17-year-old son of Frankenstein's monster and his bride--made from human parts like his parents but also somewhat of a cyborg with a knack at computer hacking. Having never left the catacombs of the NYC theater where he was raised, Boy is itching to go out into the real world (not an easy thing to do if you're a mishmash of stitched parts). When Boy's father has other plans regarding his son's future, Boy runs away in a quest to find himself as he works his way west, meeting some interesting and unusual folks along the way. An adventurous title with fantasy characters that will appeal to guys. Peppered with "F bomb" and other choice words; those who take offense may not want to choose this book. ( )