Make Me a Monster
Kalynn Bayron
Bloomsbury YA
Published September 30, 2025
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About Make Me a Monster
New York Times bestselling author Kalynn Bayron is back with a Frankenstein-tinged horror romance.
Meka is used to death. After all, it’s the family business.
As a newly certified mortician’s assistant at her parents’ funeral home, her days are not for the faint of heart. Luckily her boyfriend Noah isn’t squeamish, and Meka is finally feeling ready to say the three little words that will change everything.
But then tragedy strikes, and Meka’s world is torn apart. Nothing makes sense, especially the strange things start happening. Ravens are circling her home. Strangers are following her. Someone is leaving mysterious items at her door. And worst of all . . .
The dead don’t seem to be staying dead.
Meka thought she understood death better than anyone. Turns out, the family business is a bit more complicated than it seems. And Meka isn’t the only one desperate to unearth their secrets . . . because the truth may be worth dying for.
My Review
Meka’s job working as a mortician’s assistent is such an interesting part of this story. She prepares several “guests” for their wake or funeral services and even accompanies her father when he picks up new guests.
This is something that most readers won’t have a lot of knowledge about, including me, so it adds a lot of interesting background to the story. And as the darker side of the plot unfolds, it also makes a lot of sense why this was included in the story.
If you’re familiar with the story of Frankenstein, you might guess a couple of the plot points before the story reveals them. I didn’t find this to lessen my enjoyment of the story, though. In some ways, it was really satisfying to see Meka put the pieces together and figure out her own role within the story.
I really appreciate that the ending left unanswered questions. It made me think back through the story to try to predict what I think would happen and how it might go.
Because I’d read and loved My Dear Henry, Bayron’s reimagining of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I think I expected the setting to be historical, like set during the time that the original Frankenstein took place. It’s set in the present day, though, and once I realized that, I adjusted to it just fine. I’ve read enough of Kalynn Bayron’s books at this point to know I’ll follow wherever the story leads and love it.
If you are looking for a contemporary story with a strong connection to Frankenstein, you will want this one on your reading list. It’s a great pick for a Halloween read.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 14 up.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing.
Spiritual Content
Some characters have the ability to reanimate the dead.
Violent Content
Situations of peril. Body horror. Meka prepares “guests” (deceased people) for viewing at a wake. (Not violent, but might be disturbing to some readers.) Loss of a person close to the narrator.
Drug Content
None.
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