This book is brilliant - probably the best (YA) fantasy I read this year - and deserves Every. Single. Star.

Put this at the VERY top of your 2022 fantasy TBR.

I FOUND IT. I think I found my favorite YA Fantasy of the whole year (slightly ironic since this is releasing Feb 2022).

My favorite aspect might be how open to interpretation so many different parts of the story was. For example, if you put out of context the mechanism of their powers, they don't really seem that bad and worthy to be called "monsters". However, if you actually think about the nature of it and how its meant to work… they are definitely monsters and Vanessa Len does nothing to make it sound right. Which I loved. Because she was still able to humanize the characters without compensating for the fact that what they do is harmful to people who aren't them.

To be honest, other books might have given it some redemption arc but VL said: "nope! but I'm gonna make you love them anyway."

“Real monsters look like me and you.”


This has all of my weaknesses bundled up in one book:

Unique magic system? CHECK.
Character dynamics that sweep you up? CHECK.
Themes about humanity and monsters? CHECK.
Magical underworld? CHECK.
Time travel and forgotten memories? CHECK.
(Enemy) Soulmate trope? CHECK.
and This cover? *chef’s kiss*

Also, did I forget to tell you that this is set in London…

I'm going to be honest that I still don't know who exactly Vanessa Len is referring to with the "enemy-soulmates" bit. By that I mean I don't which one of the two male leads is actually her soulmate because the "enemy" part can be interpreted in two different ways depending on how you look at it. In my case, I think one of the main reasons the story affected me a lot was because I think I assumed the wrong person in the “enemy-soulmate” trope. I only realized it more than half-way through the story and it destroyed me because I think my ship might drown.


Before reading, I was actually really curious to know if they really are monsters or if it meant something else. There is just something so intriguing reading about monsters that might not really be monsters. The fact that it was not explicitly said in the synopsis why they are considered monsters was a very smart and effective move. It made things that more surprising to me, especially given how effectively executed it was for my preferences. (I am a very big fan of fantasy that is borderline dark, is dark, or has dark themes).

There are some things to be desired in the writing style and I'm not saying it was perfect but, oh, Vanessa Len’s skills in creative writing shows. I can’t pinpoint what exactly it is about her writing style but I was affected more than I thought I would be?? There’s something about this book, I swear, it gets you a certain way. When I know that the same scenes would not have hit as hard if VL’s writing was not what it was. There were just so many parts where I thought to myself that “this could have been a boring scene” but the way VL wrote it made it feel so fresh.

In terms of the magic system, I don’t know what I thought it would be but it wasn’t what I thought it was gonna be with the title and premise. It was slightly more magical but still had hat tinge of dark if you give it more than a second's thought. Given that I’ve read a great deal of fantasy with their fair share of magic systems, I get extra excited whenever one still manages to surprise me, especially in urban fantasy.

I do admit that there were times Joan frustrated me and annoyed me a little bit with her decisions but we're not going to get into that. I just want Aaron, my cinnamon bun, to be happy.

“We believe that if people belonged together...then our timeline tries to repair itself by bringing them together. Over and over and over....”
"Like soulmates?"
"Yes. If you believe in fairy tales,"


If you’re losing faith in YA Fantasy, I hope this helps give that hope back to you. This was definitely more The Last Magician than Passenger to me though, but it was definitely This Savage Song. I am so destroyed right now. I actually teared up when I finished this T_T

I was so affected by this story and it ended on a very destroying, heart-throbbing, and fulfilling note but also, I need the second book, like, yesterday.

↣ Highly recommended if you want some YA Time Travel Fantasy with ~maybe morally grey characters~ that is easy to get into but still holds the serotonin rushes that you are craving for. Especially one that holds aspects that are open to interpretation as of this first book. ↢

*ARC received from the publisher -Hodder & Stoughton- for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

— 4.5 —
⇢ content warnings// On and offscreen deaths of parents and guardians, On and offscreen deaths of family members, Threats of violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Weapon use, Brainwashing, Interrogation, Involuntary drug use, Real-world racist microaggressions, Fantasy xenophobia
⇢ representation: diaspora Chinese-English main character

Let me tell you all a little story before we get into this review 😂
The release of Only A Monster is still a little while away, so when I received this Arc, I had fully intended to pick it up closer to release day - Until one night I decided let's just read a chapter, since I was so intrigued by the premise! Well friends you can imagine how well "let's read this closer to release day" played out since I'm posting my review now😂

Only A Monster was an absolute delight!! I had been in a little bit of a slump after my last read so this book had to work twice as hard to grab my attention and folks it did just that!!

Vanessa Len has such a fantastic way with words, I was quite literally sucked in from the very first page. The premise of this book is so brilliantly unique and it did not disappoint one bit.

The world building, magic system and characters were so well written, I have nothing but praises to share with you today.

The story follows Joan who discovers her family are monsters and she herself is half monster.
We have morally grey characters and magical rival families set in modern day London (need I say more😂) This was honestly such a treat!

I so wanted to love this book! Morally grey characters, modern day London, rival magical families… everything sounded great! Unfortunately, this book didn’t click for me personally for a few reasons. Firstly, we get basically no worldbuilding throughout and are very much discovering the “monster” side of things as the MC does. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just makes it hard to become connected with the story, which leads me to my main gripe. I found the characters, especially the MC Joan, to really lack in personality and characterisation which made it hard to root for her or become overly interested in her story. I became more invested as the plot thickened, but the story, characters and writing style just never really clicked for me. I believe this book would better suit a younger audience than most YA. Only a Monster is perhaps geared more towards an audience who doesn’t expect more nuanced plots or prose, which again isn’t necessarily a downfall just something to bear in mind for more advanced readers who still enjoy YA. 3/5 stars from me!

Brilliant, This storyline is unique and Im looking forward to seeing how it unfolds in the subsequent books, longer books please!

I loved the characters and I hope in the next book we will see a little more depth to the story and characters develop,, I wanted to know more about Aaron and his backstory and will we see him again? If Nick is unmade will he be reincarnated as Aaron therefore becoming her new soul mate? This book peaked my interest as quickly as the Sarah J Maas books did yrs ago., I think this author is going to go on to be very very successful.

I’m super excited to read book 2 and I will definitely buy this when it’s on sale.

Good Luck with the launch x

P.s Do you really need to stop at a trilogy?

Only a Monster, as of my writing this, does not release for another five months. I didn't actually mean to read it right now. I was just going to sample the arc, read a few pages, see if it was something that might interest me down the line... then somehow I seem to have ended up here at the end, a little bleary-eyed and disoriented.

I burned myself out on YA urban fantasy some years back, but it looks like I'm ready to get back in the game because I inhaled this. It contains some tropes of the genre-- teen girl comes into new powers, hints of a love triangle, heroes vs villains --but it subverts some too. In this book, you find yourself on the side of the monsters: moral dilemmas, grey areas, and all.

“Monsters look like giant spiders,” Joan said. “Or like robots.” She’d seen enough cartoons to know. Gran sometimes told jokes without smiling. Maybe this was one of those times.
But Gran’s eyes weren’t shiny with a held-in joke. They were serious. “That’s pretend monsters,” she said. “Real monsters look like me and you.”


The protagonist, Joan, comes from a family of time-travelling monsters on her mother's side. They can leech time from humans, essentially shortening their lifespan, in order to travel through time themselves. But there's long been rumours and myths about a hero who will come along and slaughter them, saving humans from their life-sucking powers.

As luck would have it, it turns out said hero is much closer to Joan than she could ever have guessed, and his presence causes a horrible tragedy that threatens everyone Joan cares about. She is forced to travel back in time to try and right some wrongs before they even happen.

I found a lot of this story thrilling. The stakes were high, the potential losses catastrophic, and the secrets mysterious and exciting. Different monster families have different powers and discovering them all is an adventure in itself. I also loved the references to British history and the strong sense of place I got from all the different settings. I am very glad to see we can expect two more books, though, because I still have SO MANY QUESTIONS. Not in a bad way. I can't wait!

“You’re a hero and I’m a monster,” she whispered. “There’s only one way that story ever ends.”


As for the romance(s), I didn't mind it. To be fair, while there were some flirty elements, the romance mostly waits in the wings until the end of the book. Unless the author is my kind of evil, I think it's pretty obvious what the endgame is on this front. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m going for the main ship. Partly because star-crossed isn’t my jam, and partly, I think, because I’m a masochist who likes to hitch myself to sinking ships. (view spoiler)

The ending wraps up this chapter, but it is FAR from over. Now, I wait.

Everyone who said they couldn’t put this book down was right - I literally could not put it down. The concept was brilliant and refreshingly different. I loved the world of the monsters and their powers, and while time travel can be a real hit and miss, Only A Monster executes it extremely well. Also, a bit of 90s nostalgia never goes amiss.

Having said all that, the ending was … really not my favorite. It all happened so quickly and I thought it was going to go in a different direction and what actually happened was not the closure I wanted, but that’s a me problem 🤷🏼‍♀️

BUT I am looking forward to the next book - I still have so many unanswered questions and I can’t wait to return to this world.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for letting me read via Netgalley.

I devoured this book in one sitting (: I have so many questions, little snippets of information that wernt expanded on or characters we briefly glimpsed, looking forward to seeing how they will be answered in the sequels.

Would love to see more of the other families and their powers, more background on their rivalries, and the wider monster world!

The book is so nerve-wrecking so I can not express enough about the plot. The plot is so interesting that you will find yourself gasping everytime you find something new. Thank you so much netgalley providing an arc!
I really like the worldbuilding, and how the author can create a world that has the capability of making us vicariously live through it. I feel like the introduction was a bit too slow-paced for me. The characters are fairly interesting.
Henceforth, it was quite a good read.

Please take in mind it’s my opinion, and everyone is allowed to have one.

This book was quite interesting to read, actually liked it. The whole plot was so amazing, and the writing style was just as good.

I liked all of the characters! I do wish we could’ve seen more of the monster powers, but it still was such a nice read.

I’ve read quite a few sci-fi/fantasy books recently, and this is definitely one of the better ones. The theme is so different to the normal, about monsters, humans and a hero, a unique slant on the subject. Joan is bobbing along nicely in her life when one moment in time literally changes it. She is a really good character, with guts, tenacity and a real moral code of her own. And, no spoiler as it’s in the trailer, she’s not the hero. The other characters are also really well written, mainly likeable and definitely draw you in to this book. This is a must read, and not just for the Teens and YA market, one for all sci-fi & fantasy fans, I look forward to reading what ever this author writes next.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Damn this is a good book. It’s exactly the kind of YA fantasy I adore. I raced through this one, sneaking chapters whenever possible and found it so addictive – I’ve been struggling to keep focused on a single book recently but this one managed to grab all my attention. I was pulled in by the V.E. Schwab comp (I’m a basic fangirl) but I stayed for the complex morality, compelling characters and fast-paced story.
I think my favourite element of the book was the magic system – the so-called monster families are able to steal time from other people, which they then can use to travel through time. And that presents them, and the readers, with interesting moral questions. Joan, the main character, isn’t truly aware of the extent of her family’s machinations and powers, and so she discovers what she and others can do along with the reader. There are still a lot of open questions by the end of the book, but it is open-ended enough that it looks like it will continue on and there’s plenty of space to continue on in later books. It’s definitely one of those books where morality isn’t quite so clear cut and no one is sure if they’re really on the right side, and I really appreciated that.
Another thing I really liked is that romance isn’t at the centre of this story. All too often YA focuses on romantic pairings over everything else, and this one doesn’t. It’s about Joan, her family and saving the future (and the present). It’s a book where teens are actually teens despite being faced with problems far bigger than themselves and overwhelming odds. Only A Monster is a good one. One of the best YA fantasies I’ve read this year, so definitely one I’d recommend.

This was so very interesting, the way monsters magic works and the story line with the hero the wrong timeline, the impossible love story. Everything in this book is super interesting and cant wait to read more and keep discovering the answers to those hundreds of questions still hanging.  The characters are very varied and real and I would have loved to know more about everyone but that, I imagine will be coming in the next books of this series.
The only think is that for some reason I struggled to continue, after the first few hours of binge reading, every time I went to pick up to book again I found myself  doing something else. I cant put my finger in why this book didn't hook me as much as I would have expected, but I found the middle of the book hard to get through.
I will put my review up on Instagram closer to release date.

This book was a really good, easy read! I loved the unique storyline and magic system. It was fast paced and hooked me from the start. It was good and the last 20% was amazing….but then there was the end (I’ll get to that).

Joan was a really likeable character though she irritated me a small amount when she tried to do things when she had no idea about the world she stepped into. She had motivation though so I did understand it.

Omgosh I just loved the hero (won’t say his name because spoilers) How can you not love a hero who is avenging his family, especially after learning about his past and what happened to him.

The ending seemed rushed and it just didn’t feel right! I know it’s a trilogy so lots of things that was left unanswered will come later on but I just hope something happens to change the ending!? Instead of shocking me and thinking how tragic, it just felt abit like oh? Is that it?
That’s how this epic love story ends? But maybe (hopefully) not…I will eagerly await the next book, which is so long away, and see what happens 😭

Thank you Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. My review is my own and not influenced by others.

While reading this book I’ve been flipped forward and back a lot of times. There were moments when there were a lot of things happening, action after action. However, there were also a lot of moments when the story drawled on and I had to focus on the story instead of drifting away. At some parts, especially at the end, the story could use another few pages, while through the book there were too pages with no added value.

There were a couple of characters which I liked, Nick and Aaron, the main character Joan was someone I didn’t like. She’s in the victim role for the most part in this book and even at the end I didn’t really got the feeling that she stood for her action.

Knowing this is an debut book I’m going to give this book 3*

My first act on finishing Only a Monster was to check to see when the sequel comes out, only to realise the book isn't out until next year so I have quite a wait on my hands. And honestly, a month is too long to wait,, let alone at least a year!

So - destiny, magical powers, family secret, possible love triangle, handsome enemies, love interest nemesis. You've read this before, right? Well, we have read lots of attempts before some of which manage to hit the mark, but the real deal is rare indeed. Happily Only a Monster is the real deal. It's clever, inventive, original, fast paced, beautifully plotted and unflinching. Now you know why I need the sequel!

Joan spends the summer with her dead mother's family, The Hunts. They are unusual - and thieves - but just like anyone else. Or so she thinks. Until one day something happens and she learns that they are not humans they are monsters and she's a monster too. At least, half of one. Before she can process the information and what it means for her, things escalate with the boy, Nick, she is fast falling for, not to the summer romance she envisions but to the point where they are trying to kill each other. Because Nick is a hero whose destiny is to kill all monsters - and that includes everyone Joan loves. Before she knows it she's joined forces with the arrogant, absurdly handsome and probably evil scion of the Hunts ancient enemy on a desperate attempt to change time and bring down Nick.

Joan is a little reminiscent of Buffy in the High School years, a little naive, a little reluctant, impulsive and gung ho, and despite her monster blood, all too human. She's no special snowflake to whom things happen to make the plot move along, she shoves the plot along with intention. Please take note all aspiring YA authors!

Only a Monster deserves to be a YA sensation. Hurry up with the sequel!

Summary review incoming because I'm not sure I have the brainpower to be incredibly coherent right now:

- loved many of the characters, although Joan leaves something to be desired in terms of development. I would've loved her more if she made an effort to learn things instead of whining about not knowing things. Inquisitive/Curious Joan > Whiny/Clueless Joan.

- Was told that it was enemies to lovers but honestly I didn't sense any of that. Enemies to reluctantly working together to fight the same antagonist, sure. But the romance wasn't there except in 'he had a weird look on his face whenever he looked at her'. It needed more substance.

- Thoroughly enjoyed the rival families aspect, though. I do wish we had more about their backgrounds other than just 'this is what they're known for' and that we saw more of the rivalries in other 'clan' members than just our MCs, but it was still one of the better parts of this book!

- I wanted more of a story progression for Nick and Joan, it just felt like we were meant to accept their story, which I did not. They did, however, have one of the stronger relationships somehow. I enjoyed Nick's storyline, but I just think the book on the whole needed more development to it, more backstory and more fleshing out so that things were more obvious.

- The book felt both too long and too short: too long because there was a lot of rambling in between the good storytelling; too short because there wasn't enough development so everything felt a bit one-dimensional and could've used another 20-30 pages of fleshing out.

Overall, not a bad book, but certainly not enemies to lovers in my opinion. If anything had come out of it, I think it would warrant that label. I did thoroughly appreciate reading a book from the villain's perspective and would love to read more like that!

Thank you to Vanessa Len, Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of Only a Monster by Vanessa Len in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Mmmm unbiased, not so sure about that one. I picked up this arc on a wet, horrible Sunday whilst feeling very sorry for myself as I nurse a nasty cold…and I didn’t put it down again until I was finished! Yup, this book totally grabbed me from start to end and transported me to a world of time travel, time stasis, monsters and a hero!

Joan, one of the key protagonists in the story is spending Summer with her grandmother and family on her dead mother’s side, whilst her dad is visiting his family abroad. Whilst there Joan has been volunteering at a stately home - Holland House and is about to finally go on a first date with Nick, another volunteer.

However, things go awry before her date and Joan suddenly find out that she’s a monster and Nick is the Hero, a monster slayer!

Suddenly Joan is on the run with Aaron Oliver, the disinherited heir of another monster family and discovering a whole new world, that is more about when rather than where.

Im not the greatest fan of urban fantasy, but the world-building and structure are interesting and whilst not fully explained, drew me in to Joan’s story. The powers and gang of opposed misfits, united by a common cause are engaging, and the character growth is handled well, Joan doesn’t suddenly have super powers that she can handle perfectly…in fact it’s good to see a truthful reflection of her character’s age and knowledge- she makes stupid choices at times.

There are some pretty standard tropes including the previously referenced coming into new powers, but, also star-crossed love, yet the story feels fresh with the whole monster angle…definitely grey tinges!

I didn’t realise until I’d finished that this is the first in a series, but I’m definitely not disappointed. So, if you want urban fantasy with a new twist, give this one a go! I really loved it and will definitely be looking out for the next book in the series!

Joan is a half human, half monster whose life is turned upside down just as everything seemed to be going right. What follows is an intense, action packed journey across time with the heir of a rival family to try and fix everything that has fallen apart.

I really loved this book and though it was a brilliant story, but there was something not quite right about the world building. There were parts that were a bit confusing, where it wasn't clear what the rules of the world actually were. However, I completely adored it overall and can't wait for the sequel!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for providing me eARC of this book via NetGalley

Only a monster is such an unique and incredible read I am actually at loss at how to describe it! I read the whole book in one sitting because I really could not put it down, it was so good.

We follow Joan, a 16 years old seemingly ordinary girl, who has a crush on her colleague Nick and is about to go on a date with him. But then something happens to her and she realizes that she is not fully human - she is half-monster. From this moment everything was fast-paced and crazy, I had no idea what was going to happen next. There were so many plot twists, secrets, lies and it was so realistically written I felt like I was right there and then with Joan and her friends going through London and trying to make sense what is real and what is not.

At first Joan annoyed me a little, she sounded naive and maybe a bit stupid, but she changed so much as her story progressed that I ended up loving her. All the other characters, Ruth, Aaron, Nick and even Tom were so well-written and likeable they felt like real people. I can’t wait to read more about them.

I am still not sure how I feel about the ending. I guess I hoped for some problems to be solved in another way, but the more I think of it, it really suits this story and I am happy that there are going to be more installments in this series. The ending wasn’t really a cliffhanger, but I feel like I need to know what happens next soon. Overall, it was really amazing and unique book and I can’t wait for the next part of this story!