An intriguing concept with a lovable main character. Only a Monster had me hooked from the very beginning!

Only a Monster follows Joan as she discovers the truth about her family and herself, and fights against the boundaries of their secret world to save them all.

The Hunts are monsters - they look like humans, but with a simple touch of your neck they can steal days, weeks, months, or even years of your life and use them to travel through time. When Joan stumbles into the monsters’ version of a bedtime story and encounters the human hero, her world is turned entirely on its head, for the second time in a couple of days. Her journey takes us through time and across London in order to see if she could be the one to defeat the human hero, despite him being the boy she loves. Accompanied by the ex-heir of the Oliver family, who infamously hate the Hunts, Joan gathers a group of unlikely allies and sets out to save, not only her family, but all monsters.

Only a Monster was an interesting concept and I will definitely continue the series. A wonderful debut by Vanessa Len.

This was a real slump buster for me. This book was certainly not revolutionary on the side of YA fantasy with its naïve Main character, a couple of love triangle hinting hunks and an adventure of discovery of the MC’s own strength. Yet it stood out by having fantastically fast paced and energetic writing style that pulled you in, curious world building and a fun twist of time travelling.

This was just such an easy book to fall into. It is fantastically enjoyable and the writing is so engaging you cant help but turn the page and continue on. I really liked the detail in the world building particularly between the different times that our main characters travelled to. I also genuinely liked the stories of the characters and who they developed over the course of the main plot. I liked the twists on the classic tropes that this book took and how they all played out.

However there was a lot this book set up but never really delivered on. The love-triangle angle never really materialised, no real romance materialized, the big bad was just to conveniently over come that it just didn’t pack the punch I was looking for compared to how powerful a start this book had. I think it just lost its momentum. We didn’t really get to explore enough. The various powers of the characters were eluded to but we didn’t learn very much, a lot of story lines were left unfinished. So the story that excited me at the beginning just sort of petered out. I hope that it if the series does continue that it answers a lot of these questions as overall it was well written and enjoyable.

This was a mixed bag for me. It started off well and had a really interesting concept then it tailed off and picked up again by half way and then I was fully invested, so much so I actually had to do a double take when I got to the epilogue. I couldn't believe it was over. I really hope we are getting a sequel. It can't end like that. I feel like there is so much more to experience from this story. I really liked the whole star crossed lovers aspect of the story. It played along quietly in the background leaving space for the main story to play out. I can't make my mind up if I'm team Nick or team Aaron. This is a story which will definitely keep you on your toes. Full of twists and turn and intrigue. Can't wait for more

Me at 2 a.m after finishing this book: my therapist's gonna hear about this

This book was one of the books that I underestimated and actually turned out to have exceeded my expectations. I loved every element and trope that was inquisitively embedded in this book, starting with the refreshing and original plot. Tbh, I was expecting this fantasy book to be some sort of patched-up plot lines from various YA books, but it was totally distinct and original that this had me excited and gripping at the edge of my seat every page as the events started to unfold. I could not put this book down, especially during the climax until the end. The plot was exhilarating as more plot twists began to uncover, and I've never been this as much as stirred from a fantasy book because it's so rare to find an utterly distinct book that has a riveting story these days. I tend to guess the plot early on in most books, but this one has been a complete conundrum. Going to complain to my therapist about the crumbs I got for Aaron, though, and why is he a second lead when he is, clearly, the hotter male lead? We need Joan's eyesight checked. I could not care less about Nick and Joan; they are bland and has no chemistry at all. Come on.. give me all the Joan and Aaron scenes in book 2 when this pairing serves amnesia tope with lots of pining in book two; y'all gonna see the serve.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton (my bestie for real!) for providing me an arc of this book for an honest review of this gorgeous masterpiece!

I did not want this one to end! I loved it so much and the story felt so addictive and has me needing the sequel right now!

Joan is spending the summer in London with her late mother’s family, she has a job at Holland House, which she loves, and a date with her super cute co-worker, Nick. Except before Nick can arrive, Joan somehow travels to later in the evening. Once she returns home, her Gran informs her that she is a monster, and their whole family have the ability to travel to different times by taking time from humans. The next day, she returns to work to apologise to Nick for missing their date. After a strange turn of events, it’s revealed that Nick is a monster slayer, or, the hero. He vows to kill every monster, including Joan if she ever takes time from a human again.

‘If you ever steal time from a human again, I will kill you myself.’

Joan is then on the run and meets Aaron, who takes them to the nineties, where they can hide out and get their bearings together. Despite being a monster her whole life, Joan has only just found out, and has no idea how to use her powers and the ability to travel. Let me tell you I adored Aaron, the tension between these two characters had me swooning and I was obsessed. Aaron is from an enemy/rival monster family, the Oliver’s, and they do not get along with the Hunt’s, Joan’s family. But he seems to make exceptions for Joan and even shields her from his family in the earlier time period.

‘You’re a hero and I’m a monster. There’s only one way that story ever ends.’

This plot felt so unique! It’s not often you read a book that makes you root for the supposed villains, but this one definitely does! Whilst the characters are morally grey, to travel they have to take time from a human’s life, you can’t help but fall for them. This plot had me hooked to the book and I couldn’t put it down. I’m desperate to know what happens next and gutted that the sequel isn’t out for another year! I am a sucker for romance, but this was a slow, slow burn, so slow that it’s mainly just tension and stolen looks, but I’m ready for the sequel!

If anyone reads this book, please talk to me about it. It’s definitely one of my favourites so far this year!

There were so many elements about this i liked but i wasn't completely sold on this novel. Joan was an interesting character and i liked the romance and drama in this but i think the pacing could've been a tiny bit better as it felt a little uneven in a couple of places. The action was fine but it wasn't entirely sold by the writing. This is unfortunate as this could've done so much more with what it had.

It should have been the perfect summer. Sent to stay with her late mother’s eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old Joan is determined to enjoy herself. She loves her nerdy job at the historic Holland House, and when her super cute co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like everything is falling into place.

But she soon learns the truth. Her family aren’t just eccentric: they’re monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers. And Nick isn’t just a cute boy: he’s a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to bring them down.

As she battles Nick, Joan is forced to work with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates her own. She’ll have to embrace her own monstrousness if she is to save herself, and her family. Because in this story . . .

. . . she is not the hero.

Publication details: 17 February 2022, by Hodder & Stoughton. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Rating: 4/5

Honestly, the blurb for Only a Monster sounds a lot like generic YA-fare. A girl with a monstrous power, a love triangle… thankfully, it’s actually one of the more unique YA books I’ve read in a while, in that it actually takes a look at some of the tropes in a critical light.

It helps that I love time travel stories, but the premise of this story is basically: what if time travel was limited to a small number of powerful families, and only made possible by shortening someone else’s lifespan in exchange. All those fun jaunts back to the 1920s for a garden party now essentially involve taking months off someone’s life… making those that travel rather monstrous, indeed.

It’s an interesting and different way of looking at the ethical conundrums of time travel, and it also sets up an engaging story where travelling through time to escape those who hunt monsters is no longer a morally simple activity. It also establishes the basis for the relationships between Joan, our half-monstrous MC, her monster-hunter crush, and the boy she’s reliant on to teach everything she needs to know about time travel (even if his family would like to kill her too). While that sounds like it could easily descend into trope-laden madness, Only a Monster is very clear that the murderous intent of both boys is a barrier to romance, and the focus is instead on Joan figuring out her own boundaries and how far she can trust each of them, as well as coming to grips with her abilities.

In case that also all sounds painfully heterosexual, this book is also very casually diverse. Joan is half-British, half Chinese-Malaysian, and there are several queer characters – for some of them, this is quite relevant to the plot.

I will also acknowledge that I was very impressed with Vanessa Len’s writing abilities. I was a little worried at the beginning as the protagonist read a little young (though admittedly this was a nice change from all the 17 going on 70 protagonists in YA), but once the story got going, Len has a fantastic scene of pacing, knowing when to dole out information to the reader and when to just let the scene unfold. I won’t say it’s the most evocative story ever written as the prose is fairly simple, but it reads very quickly as a result, and there is still enough detail to fully imagine this version of London.

Given how events unfold, Only a Monster definitely feels complete as a story in its own right, but there are some unanswered questions, and I’ll definitely be picking up the sequel.

Read this book quite a while back and am only now getting to review it. let's just hope I remember enough to write a sensible review.

Joan apparently comes from a family of monsters who have the ability to time travel by taking time from other humans. This was what got me interested in the book, the time-travelling trope. There were other common tropes like a protagonist with new powers (obviously something more special than the rest, am hoping it doesn't turn out to be some chosen one bs), the love triangle (which wasn't necessary really). I personally love the enemies to lovers in this, I think it's quite interesting because they do like each other but are on opposite ends due to what they believe in and the two different things they want to protect. Am not mentioning who (I hope is) the main love interest because it could be a bit of a spoiler.

I loved how there were different families of monsters who had different special abilities (apart from the leeching time of humans to travel). My mind currently draws a blank on the exact intricate workings of the magic system of this book (this is why you don't wait three months to write a review!) but I know it falls under urban fantasy and as far as I remember, the magic system is pretty cool in the book. In terms of plot, it was fast-paced with some good action scenes and some moments that surprised me.

Although the book is very much marketed as something about monsters and heroes and being on two opposite ends of the spectrum, being a monster didn't seem as all that bad as it was supposed to be. I don't know if Vanessa Len is planning on having some intense reveals in the upcoming books but from what I read in this book it didn't seem as bad.

I am not going to read through this review again because I know it's a mess but in short, the book was good, quite fast-paced with some good characters and great worldbuilding. The ending seemed like it's a wrap but we are getting two more books so I am excited to know more.

I truly appreciated Vanessa Len's novel, in particular the unique magic system despite the fact that I'm not a particularly huge fan of urban fantasy. However, I really enjoyed this as it took my by surprised, especially the time travel aspects. I also really liked the dynamic in exploring monstrosity, but the reason why I'm giving it 4*s (4.5 I guess to be precise) is that in some places I felt like the world building was a little lacking. Other than that, this was an innovative and fresh take on some standard fantasy tropes. Thoroughly enjoyable!

I absolutely loved Only a Monster. It has everything I want in a book! Such a great magic system and an underworld, all set in the urban world. I am really getting into urban fantasy novels.

The character dynamics are fantastic and I loved the soulmate aspect to the story. I can’t wait for the second book. I need to know what happens.

Let's just say right from the start that the synopsis doesn't do this book justice at all!
What got me interested at first was the monster-part, especially for once a so-called monster is the true hero of the story, and not the mighty monster-slaying, shining hero you know from so many tales.

Len throws you right into the thick of it - and at the same time makes it easy to follow without the need of explaining half of the vocabulary and magic system in an extra glossary. As a reader you are told what you need to know and it works so well!

I like the fact that the monsters aren't really what you expect them to be. Yes, they have powers normal humans do not have. And yes, looked at it from the viewpoint of morality, those powers harmful in nature. But yet the monsters - and there are a lot of families with all kinds of history and lore and I love it - aren't exactly bad, either. Len manages it to create morally grey characters without trying to put them into the right light. They are who they are, and that is it. And as a reader, you love them anyway.

There is one point I didn't like that much, although it was hinted at in the synopsis: the love-triangle. Because I am rooting for my adorable cinnamon roll Aaron, and this ship does not look so very good at the moment. But there are two more books to go in this trilogy, and I cannot wait to see what Len comes up with in them. There is so much more to discover!

Only A Monster is an exciting young adult fantasy that’s difficult to put down.

Joan is staying with her late mother’s family over the summer, working at a historic house with a hot co-worker she has an immediate connection with. Everything seems like it’s going right, like it’ll be a perfect summer. Then she finds out her family are monsters, and she’s one too. Everything starts to go wrong. The cute boy turns out to be a legendary monster hunter out to kill everyone she loves. As the unspeakable happens, she has to work with the heir of a monster family who hate her and go back in time to find a way to save them all.

Only A Monster is extremely readable, the fast-paced and interesting plot will make you never want to put it down. It’s always exciting to see books that play with the typical monster-hero dynamic, and this one was a lot of fun. Joan is half-human, and she’s torn between her monstrosity and what she understands to be good. Similarly, the ‘hero’ is very flawed, sure, he’s protecting the world from monsters, but he’s also a murderer. The way Joan being mixed-race and half-human interacted was fantastic, and representation a lot of people will be excited to see. It’s got time travel, it’s got magic, it’s got heists, it’s so much fun. This is the beginning of a new trilogy, and it left on a very intriguing note while also having a satisfying ending. The romantic relationships were underdeveloped, but it’ll be interesting to see where they go in the rest of the series. Overall, Only A Monster was a fun read I’d recommend to lovers of young adult fantasy.

This is easily one of my favourite reads of the year. I loved Aaron, I loved Joan, and the unique magic system had my attention instantly. I cannot wait for the sequel!!

Only a Monster follows Jane who finds out her mother’s side of the family are monsters, making her half one, and she ends up running through time to avoid the Hero who is set to kill her.

I loved read this book. It’s such a unique concept with an unusual magic system and fascinating world building. On top of that, Jane is amazingly complex and interesting character. This is such a great read and I can’t wait to read what Vanessa writes next! I believe this is the first in a trilogy and I absolutely can’t wait to return to this world!

I had high expectations for this book, and although I did like the book, it wasn't what i was waiting for, and maybe because of that I gave it 4 stars.
Only a Monster follows Joan and her family, a family of monsters, which we come to understand is a different species with powers and that can travel through time. Joan is a half monster of the Hunt family. In the beginning of the book, we also meet Nick, the love interest that she meets in her summer work in a museum. But as the story unravels, there is a lot more to it. Ruth, Joan's cousin and best friend, and Aaron Oliver, an unlikely friend for an enemy family.
I really liked the characters, and their relations, and enjoyed the plot. For the romance part was a little let down. (spoiler) I felt that the author was hinting at Aaron and Joan, which made me root for them, and place Nick out of the picture. But this made the tragic ending lose its emphasis, since i didn't care for Joan and Nick together anymore. Still in the end she chooses family, which I think was the lesson, but being honest I still wanted her with Aaron. (End of spoiler)
The end of the book still left some lose ends, which might point to a sequel, which I would like to read, to know more of Joan and the mystery unravelled in the end of the book, and maybe some development for the romance part.
All together I liked the book, was an enjoyable read and would recommend it.

“Real monsters look like me and you.”

4.5 ⭐

This book. It was like someone reached into my history graduate soul and said you can have your wildest dreams (time travel obviously 😂), but it will make you a monster. For every moment you travel you’re taking that moment from another human life, leeching time from others and shortening their life span. This premise. It’s such a slippery slope, what’s taking a day from a criminal, what could you do to the timeline, what’s possible? But with the discovery of family legacies and established rules, stealing time is clearly more than just a hobby to those ‘gifted’, it's life and death for a whole secret community.

Joan has always loved history but when she discovers her family secret she’s horrified, all the stories of monsters and the mythical hero told by her bedside for years are true and she might just be on the wrong side of history. Yet a horrific turn of events forces Joan to do the abhorrent and travel back in time and change it all. With blood on her hands, enemies in her bed and on the run with the hero so much closer than the stories suggested- this summer hasn’t turned out quite as planned.

This book was thrilling, apart from the premise which we’ve already established as awesome, it remains fast-paced and full of twists and turns. The setting is engaging, I love London and travelling back through time and exploring that aspect with a city I know well is so cool. The magical underworld felt extremely in sync with London both gritty and posh, with definite similarities and the magic system wasn’t hard to grasp and made it easy to sink into.

I enjoyed the characters, both layered and heart wrenching but I have so many questions. The romance arc was great, although I’m not normally a love triangle fan and maybe that’s because it wasn’t really a stereotypical love triangle? Refer back to the fact I have questions here 😂 Something that would have made it easier to get my head around and created a bit more of an impact would have been if more time had been spent fleshing out the relationships, especially with the end result.

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

One thing that bugged me a little was the use of the word ‘monster’, it's such a great concept but then ‘monster’ starts to be constantly thrown around and I wish we could have looked at it a little deeper. It’s a small thing though compared to how much I loved this book and devoured it. It just went by so fast I wish we could have explored more of this fantasy world.

I definitely recommend and personally can’t wait to pick up the sequels.

2.5 stars

Well, this took me a long time to read.

First and foremost, I'd like to say that the plot of this book is unique. If you're looking for a book with time travel magic with a reversed human versus monster storyline then this book is your pick.

I'm right in the middle of liking it and disliking it. I'm leaning more towards disliking it but the plot of the book pulls me back to the middle. It's conflicting.

The whole book is an oxymoron. It tries to tell the story of the other side. The monsters. The bad guys in a story. But where are the monsters? The MC is as nice as a teddy bear. There is nothing "monster" like here.

The only bad thing the characters state here is that the monsters have to take time from humans (shortening their life span by the amount of time taken ) to travel in time. It can be the future or the past.

There is a plot hole in the 1st 10% of the book. Her Grandmother told her that she was a monster when she was six. She didn't believe it at that time. She also used a part of her magic (not the time-travelling one). But her family members were not supposed to talk to the MC about their abilities. Because she didn't believe it. Then how did she remember a conversation with her cousin about a rival family? Or that she knew that her powers were faded and she couldn't use them. I don't know. It just doesn't make sense to me.

Then a few chapters in the MC unknowingly uses her time travelling power. Comes back home and her Grandmother tells her she's a monster and that she has the ability to time travel by stealing other people's time. Then finally recalling what her grandmother had told her when she was a child.

I tried a lot to connect with the characters but I just couldn't get there.

The romance in the book was flat. There was no chemistry, no spark whatsoever. Then the whole triangle-ish, star crossed lovers trope just didn't sit well. I'm a sucker for star crossed lovers.. I wanted this one to work so badly, I felt like crying.

The only part that actually got me excited was the last 20℅ of the book. At the back of my head, I know how everything is connected yet the way it was written, confuses me. Like something is missing. More information is needed to make sense. Although, in some way, it does make sense when you think hard about it.

The problem here is the execution. For me, it felt like it was all over the place. The transition from one scene to another is a bit sudden and jerky. The flow is also a bit awry. In some places it's smooth but in others, it falters.

Most of the scenes in the book were not well thought out. I had a hard time believing them and connecting to them.

I can surely say that this book has great potential. I somewhat enjoyed it. It was the execution that just made it difficult to understand the feel of it. Most of the time I DNF a book once it loses my interest, I'm a big DNFer. I wanted to DNF this book on so many occasions. But I held on just because of the plot and that I wanted to know how it ended.

I'm giving this book 2.5 stars just because of the plot. The plot is so, so good. It could've been an amazing book. I am in pain just thinking how amazing it could've been.

Thanks to H&S for granting me access to this one. The premise of time travel and a monster protagonist is one of the strongest parts of this book, and it starts out strongly. Unfortunately I feel it loses its way for a good chunk of the book, picking up only at the end. Items were introduced as important to Joan (the key, the brooch) that would be immediately confiscated the next scene. We never met Conrad. Aaron's softening towards Joan came slightly out of nowhere.
I did appreciate the ending. Very Buffy season 2.
Overall, good premise that wasn't completely executed.

3.5* from me.

Headlines:
Families, rivarlty and time
Complex plot
So clever and twisty

I'm really impressed with this story that kept me gripped in a work week. I was eager to pick this up every evening. While it is a complex plot that builds and builds, it's not too heavy, if that makes sense.

Joan and the Hunt family were not the bunch of regular humans they seemed at first glance. The reader was quickly introduced to the concept of 'monsters' and it took a good portion of the book to find out why they earned that name. They weren't necessarily the kind of monstrostity I'd initally thought. Everything about how this concept, the world, the time and time jumps were constructed, was incredibly clever. I just went with the flow and found myself pretty enamoured with the creation.

Some of the characters were vile, especially in the earlier part of the story but there were many characters I came to love. June, the protagonist, was out of the loop in her new found power but she was quick to catch on. There was something unique about her amongst her kind because she looked at everything with fresh eyes and she wasn't overly bound by the rules or impossibilites; this idea fed into the plot well. I really came to like Aaron and Tom but I went back and forth over Nick; his story had so much to unpick.

This story felt very much like a YA fantasy thriller, lots of tension, peril, plot-puzzling and the hint of a triangle. I am so glad there's more to come from this world and characters, I'm ready to see things turned on their heads again.

Thank you to Hodder Books for the early review copy.

I really enjoyed this. After the very start which didn't quite work for me this settled into a interesting story of family, concepts of good and evil, predestination and time.

Joan was a bit reckless and impulsive but this kept the plot moving. I didn't find this predictable and I enjoyed the descriptions of real places. The London setting was strong, the relationships well defined and I was genuinely gripped and surprised at the ending.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.