When his mother dies horribly, Toby meets Reluctant Monster William. As they adventure across the UK and Ireland, they fight witches, shape shifters, and other hunters who have their own ideas on how to use Toby and his powers for themselves. The plot revolves around the idea that the creatures in mythology exist, and how the modern hunters are descendants of ancient heroes.
This work provides examples of:
- Absolute Xenophobe: Toby's grandfather and most of the hunters towards all monsters and magical beings.
- Action Mom: Toby's mum, who trains him how to be a hunter.
- Big Good: Meryl is considered to be this for some of the monsters.
- Boy Meets Ghoul: Toby meets William, a shifter, while hunting monsters.
- Contract on the Hitman: the hunter's take this view of Toby when he rescues and sides with William
- Distressed Dude: Happens to both Toby and William at least once.
- The Friends Who Never Hang: Cassie and William discuss how they don't see each other often.
- Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: The reason William wants to help Toby.
- Glamour: The Veil is this trope over all the shifters and monsters across the world.
- Have You Tried Not Being a Monster?: Toby's family suggests this to him.
- The Magic Comes Back
- Quest for Identity: Toby's confusion about his powers over the shifters sends him on one of these.
- Safety in Muggles: The Veil provides this to the shifters and monsters, allowing them to appear normal most of the time (if they want to), but it also limits magical powers.
- Tortured Monster: William, both literally and figuratively.
- What Measure Is a Non-Human?: The hunters like Toby's grandfather view every monster as being a lesser species (even if they're not outright dangerous).
