I requested this book because I was drawn in by the cover at first, and then the synopsis immediately after. I'm not usually a lover of urban fantasy, but this one sounded like it had great potential, and after requesting it I saw some people being really excited about it on Instagram which is a good sign most of the time!

Finishing this book in only two sittings does mean that the book kept me excited about the characters and the plot.

But first things first - what is the book about:

Joan is a monster, just like all of her family on her dead mother's side. What makes them monstrous is their ability to steal life time from ordinary humans and use it to travel through time. Additionally, each family has a family power which can range from making things vanish to making other monsters unable to travel through time. Joan learns all this right after she accidentally steals time for the first time (and misses her date with her cute co-worker Nick in the progress). They do have a spontaneous date after work, though - and promptly are visited by the Oliver monster family who mean to kill them for being present - but Nick and his monster-slaying gang kills them instead, and Joan's family, too, in the progress. Being the only survivors of the massacre, Joan and Aaron Oliver escape into the past to find a way to change the future...

Judging only by the blurb, the plot came as a surprise to me, to be honest. I was excited to find a heist in there, but other than that the book wasn't quite what I thought I had signed up for. That is not to say I didn't enjoy the plot, it's just something worth noting I guess.

As for Joan, she's a half-human, half-monster girl with an Asian dad and, to be frank, a very standard female main character in my opinion. Nobody ever tells her about the "rules", instead all everybody ever has to say to her is "oh you don't know the rules, what do you even know, why didn't your family teach you" and the result of that is - you guessed it - no ensuing explanations every single time. Why? I don't know, I really don't. Does it hinder Joan from accomplishing anything? Also no. She just magically seems to know what to do and how a plan might work out.

My problem with this isn't only that it leaves some plot holes, but mostly that so many great chances for world building are lost in the progress, really. All I know after reading the book is that each family keeps to themselves, they each have a family power and a different story about the hero. In contrast, I know nothing about the origin of monsters, the limit to their powers (Joan herself feels sick by the amount of time one would have to take to go back millenia or more, and I'm unsure that there are ever enough humans to make a roundtrip possible for all monsters?) or the political system that is supposed to hold it all together.

There is a lot of character development, though, and lots of relationships forming. I sadly didn't feel any spark about either of the two possible love interests. The side romance, however, is extremely cute and I wish there was a book that told the story of these two characters (and the dog)! I do have high hopes that this will be developed more in the sequel.

Which must please be published next week, because that cliff hanger? Oof!

To sum it up, I thought the story had great potential but wasn't executed in the best possible way in some parts. The writing style also wasn't my thing (I actually think I would have enjoyed it more as a teenager), but that's a personal preference of course. Nevertheless, I think I might pick up the sequel some day and hope to learn more about the world of the monsters.

3.5/5 stars.

I want you to imagine a monster. Does it have claws? Razor sharp fangs to suck your blood? Or maybe scales and wings?
Well, that’s not what you’re getting from the monsters in this book. Their ability is time travelling, which is probably the least monstrous ability I can think of. Sure, their powers involve having to steal people’s lifetime, but still… I wouldn’t consider having that power in itself as monstrous.

Anyways, our protagonist is Joan, who is half human, half “monster” and who did not know about her abilities at all. Which is obviously very impractical. She wasn’t a bad main character per se, but the narration of the book made her sound childish even though she is supposed to be a 16 y.o.

Then there’s Nick, the nice guy Joan has a crush on. Surprise, turns out he isn’t all that nice. I didn’t like him.

And last but not least we have Aaron, who is part of another family of monsters and who is Joan’s sidekick while time travelling. He had a tendency to act completely irrational at points, for example, he refuses to sleep on the ground while he is on the run for his life. Grow up.

While the plot itself was interesting, the writing got rather messy at points. Sometimes I found it a little hard to follow the plot when I wasn’t concentrating on what exactly was going on.

A point I found unrealistic was that everyone in the book was way too accepting of everything.
You’re a monster who can travel in time, Joane. - Oh, sure, I see.
Your whole family is dead, Aaron. - No, they aren’t. - Yes, they, are. - Oh, okay.
Okay, this is admittedly the tiniest bit exaggerated, but you get what I’m trying to convey here.

In the end Only a Monster wasn’t a bad book, but it could’ve been better. I probably would have enjoyed it more had I read it as a teenager.

I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did but WOW I loved this book. The magic and worldbuilding was A+++ and I basically read Only A Monster in one sitting because I was so engaged!

Joan is 16yo and staying with extended family for the summer. She discovered early on in her childhood that her mum's side of the family has an ability to 'hide' things in thin air, and for this they call themselves monsters. Joan seemed to have the same ability, but her power waned as she grew older and now she's basically a normal girl - a normal girl who volunteers at an historical house and has a crush on one of her co-workers, Nick. But Joan soon discovers there is so much more to the world of monsters than her family had ever told her - and so much more to Nick that she would have thought. Soon Joan is running for her life, working with her enemies, and breaking into magical palaces for secret artefacts. It's so fun!

My one criticism really focuses on something that happens near the end, and I can't discuss it without spoilers. Essentially, we aren't really shown a relationship as being particularly extraordinary at the start of the book, and then we discover in the final few chapters that it's a huge important relationship with so many feelings, and that the character has to choose which path to take while knowing it could destroy this big important relationship . . . except it hadn't seemed big or important! It had seemed so ordinary, and now we were conveniently being told it wasn't. Felt too convenient and like something that could have been built in much sooner. (And then there were a couple of other issues with the ending that I definitely can't get into without spoiling thing, but even if I'd known about them ahead of time I'd still have read this book - it's definitely worth it!)

Basically, I really loved and enjoyed Only A Monster and can't wait for the sequel!

This book is a 2022 must read!!

Only a Monster is the story of Joan Hunt, a half Chinese half English and half human half monster young girl who sees her world crumbling down when she finds out that her entire family, including herself, are monsters that can time travel by stealing life from humans. But not only her family has lied to her, her crush Nick turns out to be the famous monster hunter, the hero of the story. After tragic events, Joan has to work with Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates her own. In her journey she'll learn to love and trust her own monstrousness.

This book was a real surprise. As always when I start a new book I try not to expect too much of it but I think nothing prepares you for what awaits for you when reading this book.
The world building is insane ! Not in a way that is full of politics and magic system you don't understand half of it but in terms of escapism. It's not a fairytale but it feels like you're reading one because of the world. It is so immersive and enchanting and because it is low fantasy it feels like it can happen to your world anytime. I loved the time traveling aspect of it, loving History myself I understood the attraction Joan felt to time traveling.

The characters were so charming it was impossible not to love them all (even the hero). First of all let's talk about Joan who has the best development ever. She is this very sensible and not confident woman who becomes a very strong confident monster who is ready to be the hero of her own story. She is brave and stubborn. She never gives up for the person she loves. She truly is the hero everyone is waiting for (or not) and I love the fact that in this story she is the monster. It's the whole paradox of the book.
Aaron Oliver also has a really amazing development. At first he is a coward, he never speaks up for himself or for the others. Meeting Joan changes everything for him and he finds himself caring for someone which pushes him into doing unexpectable things. His story was so heartbreaking and yet heartwarming at the same time because you see, as a reader, how Joan affects his life in the best way. The two really bring out the best out of each other.
Then Nick, the hero. I love how the hero is actually the morally gray character, you don't really know if you're supposed to like him or not because he is the enemy but it's more than just that. I will let you read the story to know what I mean but it's more complicated than what it seems.
Of course there is Tom and Jamie and Ruth, they are all so amazing and you get emotionally attached to all of them. In the end, they are a family (found family trope lovers it's for you).

The thing I loved the most in this story is the moral compass that is rebalanced because of the fact that the whole book is from a monster's point of view. You find yourself asking some questions like "Is the hero really morally good?" "Are the monsters so inhuman ?". Why heroes ? Why monsters? Aren't we all a little bit of both?

Highlights:
- enemies to lovers
- time traveling
- strong female character
- found family trope

For fans of Harry Potter, Ruby Red, Shadowhunters and The Mirror Visitor.

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

Sixteen-year-old Joan Chang-Hunt believes she's close to her family. She spends her summers with her grandmother, aunt and uncle, and cousins in London, and this summer is no different. It seems perfect.

Until Joan discovers she's not fully human, but half-monster. Joan has no time to ask her family what this means because as soon as she discovers this, her family is brutally murdered in front of her by a mythical hero whose sole purpose is to slay monsters. What complicates matters is that Joan is in love with Nick. At least, that was before she knew he hunted monsters.

Joan has to align herself with Aaron, who's from a family of monsters who hate the Hunts. Yet, he is the one who explains what being a monster means, and who shows her how to travel through time, by stealing it from humans, thereby shortening their lives. Joan is horrified by what monsters do, yet she has no choice but to hide in a different time to escape Nick, and give her time to figure out how to reverse what happened to her loved ones, and try and understand her grandmother's parting words about a mysterious power she will come into.

I really enjoyed this contemporary urban YA fantasy, which is Vanessa Len's debut novel. I loved the idea of making the monsters the stars of the plot, the ones the reader roots for, while the 'hero' is the one who is a ruthless killer and the person the reader hopes will fail.

If Goodreads is to be believed this could be the beginning of some sort of series, and I'd definitely love to read more about this rich world, and a great main character. And the next book had better have some more on Aaron because I'm seriously crushing on his supercilious yet vulnerable attitude.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Allow me to preface by saying that had I read this book as a young teenager, I would have been insufferable. This isn’t an exaggeration – the younger version of myself was wholly obsessed with supernatural abilities and lore, which means that I would have made this book my entire personality. With the addition of a Malaysian main character (okay, she’s half Malaysian, but that’s still more rep than I had ever gotten growing up), there is no way that I wouldn’t have immersed myself in this world. This book had my inner child crying tears of joy!

First of all, I love Vanessa Len’s take on the monster-hero theme. We experience the book through the eyes of a half-monster named Joan Chang-Hunt, whose life is turned upside down in a split second just as she’s about to go on a first date with her crush Nick Ward, the gorgeous history nerd from her workplace. Nick, the “hero” turns out to be the antagonist, though he still believes that his cause of eradicating monsters from the world is noble. Insert the classic “I have to kill you” trope that never fails here, but it gets better! We then meet another monster, devastatingly handsome Aaron Oliver, whose family is the enemy of the Hunts. To escape and defeat Nick, Joan is forced to team up with Aaron. In essence, the enemy of my enemy is my enemy. As they work together, Aaron and Joan begin to get closer, their hate slowly burning into something more. But wait, it gets better – Nick is Joan’s fated soulmate, written before time began.

Usually, I hate love triangles, but not in this book. I could feel the tension between both Nick and Aaron as Joan’s potential love interests and they both have a valid reason for being there. I have to applaud Vanessa Len for making me love a trope I hate, and making me empathise with both sides. And yes, I have picked a team (spoiler alert: it’s the one who knelt before her and slashed her leggings to tear holes in them for her in the nineties – this definitely beats fastening a dagger to the thigh for me).

Also, I am a sucker for powerful family houses, and this book has 12 of them in London, with the Hunts and the Olivers being two of them. Each house has a specific power, as stated in the nursery rhyme. I have a feeling that this is building for something bigger, since the only powers of the Hathaways, the Patels, and the Lius aside from the main two families were used in this book. I really hope we get to see more of them in the future.

As much as I love the core three, my favourite character has to be Ruth Hunt. She’s the comedic thief of the Hunt family, banned from several places for taking things she shouldn’t have. Her bright presence was a breath of fresh air on every page. She’s the polar opposite of Aaron, which made her friendship with Aaron was so fun to read. I have a feeling that her backstory is one of the most interesting ones yet.

The only major critique I have is that the magic system could have been developed a little more. I like the idea of each family having a specific power, and I really wish this had been explored in more depth as I found myself losing track of which family had which power. Even with the Hunts, I didn’t really understand what their power was until somewhere around the third quarter. I also wish the lore had been introduced earlier, because the segue into the monster history felt a little too sudden.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and my inner teenager rejoices at finally having the representation she did not have. Vanessa Len’s light writing is easy to digest, which makes it easier to be absorbed into this world. This book transported me to fictional London, and I would love to see more of Joan’s Malaysian side in the coming books. Looking forward to reading them!

4.5 out of 5 stars

This book has some of my absolute favourite tropes so it's no wonder I adored every second of it!

The story starts with a young Joan wishing to be a superhero only to be laughed at by her grandma who tells her no, she can't be a superhero. Because she's a MONSTER. It takes until her teen years for her to find out that grandma wasn't joking with her, but actually telling the truth.

The actual plot of the story is a simple one: Joan's family are in danger and she's desperate to save them. But just the simple fact that she's a monster, not a hero, turns everything on its head. There is so much that happens in this story but I don't want to talk about it all to much because I'd hate to spoilt the experience for anyone. I will say that I loved the underground world of monsters, all the different families and what they could do, everything was so unique and fascinating I couldn't wait to read more.

My absolure favourite aspect of the book was definitely how morally gray everything was, the way Len explored the themes of good and evil in this book was perfect. The struggle Joan has over doing what is right and helping her family was so well played out you couldn't help but root for every choice she made, be it bad or good. She was such a strong, determined young woman and I loved seeing her journey to save her family.

The other characters too were amazing. I've fully fallen in love with Aaron and I'm desperately hoping he plays a large part in book two. I need more of his aloof, disgruntled ways!

Every character was well developed and it really is hard to hate even the antagonist because you know his reasoning and you understand why he's acting the way he is. There are certain scenes that will absolutely tear your heart out and others that will have you gasping at the page.

In short this blew me away, that ending was STUNNING. I fully expect this book to become one of the big fantasy reads of 2022 and I can't wait for see what Len writes next!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for sending me a copy of Only A Monster in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book with high hopes and unfortunately, it just wasn't for me.

I really loved Vanessa's writing and world-building, but unfortunately I just could not get into the characters. As someone who needs to really love the characters to get into a book, this meant that I really struggled to connect with the plot.

It was definitely an interesting one and I loved the time travel elements. It still wasn't enough to grab me.

Perhaps the book is just more aimed at a younger reader and that's completely fine, but I ended up skimming towards the end as I didn't love the book.

I hope that Only A Monster finds it reader, because I know teenage me would have adored this book!

This book intrigued me from its very beginning. It begins like a lot of other YA books and suddenly everything collapses. I liked Joan and her family from the start, even if they are supposed not to be likeable since they are monsters. But in this book, everything is turned upside down and we see the story happening through the eyes of those we are supposed to detest. For once, the hero isn’t telling the story and gives his place to the monsters.

Joan is an average girl on holiday, spending a good time with her family until she discovers they are monsters and that she is one too. Her situation is very interesting because her father is human and she has been raised as one. So, her reactions are the ones the reader can have when she discovers monsters are real and that they are stealing people’s lives. I also liked this idea because it shows that magic comes at a price and it adds some morality to the book which is not often the case or even well done in YA.

If you read this book, you will see that some of the characters are present just for a few pages at the beginning and then disappear from the story. But the odd thing is that you will be attached to them anyway because the author succeeds in giving them a strong background and personality in a few pages. Even more strange, I was rooting for Joan and her monster friends while hating Nick (the hero). The latter was so brainwashed and trapped in his own morality that he was insufferable. This book perfectly shows that there is never just one side to a story.

The action was happening very fast and each time I opened the book intending to reading just a few pages I ended up reading for more than one hour. I was caught up in the story and was helped by the writing which was like a movie, I could see all the scenes happening in front of me. The book is quite complex with all the characters, the different timelines and powers but also so complete that I originally thought it was a standalone but then discovered it would be a trilogy (yeah!!!). For those who usually wait for the all series to be published, don’t wait to read this book since it’s perfectly standing on its own!

And can we talk about the end? It was so refreshing! No easy resolution, no easy choice or miracle unlike what I’m used to seeing in YA. And there’s a real growth of Joan, who realises that some things can be heavy on your conscience, and especially memories. I found this analysis particularly true and poetic.

So, the only criticism I have is the trope (I don’t even know if it’s one or just a literary trend) of the heroine discovering her powers/a new world and being stupid about it. I don’t know but when you know nothing about something, you listen to the advice of people who already know the ins and outs of your situation, no? I’ve always found this to be an easy way to make the action happen and here that’s exactly the case with Joan making rash decisions when everyone’s telling her ‘uh no that’s probably not a good idea’. However, the other aspects of the book are so good, and the fact that she’s finally growing up a bit towards the end saved this book from being spoiled for me.

In brief: Well, this one is definitively one of my favourites of the year (even if theoretically it’s one of my faves for next year 😀 ). It was a surprise until the end and I can’t wait to read the next ones in the series to see more of this strange family!

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review!
Perfect first book of trilogy series. I was swept away from the very beginning and couldn't skip absolutely anything! The concept of time-travel is what makes the book unique among others, because it requires a sacrifice. There's new feel of duality that is created for the concept of a single touch. It sucks your whole life force for the our main girl to borrow just few minutes of time. Something so grand, so big and essential for something so small. And the beginning we believe we'll have a beauty and the beast vibes regarding the romance subplot, but it's way more tragic, heart-wrenching and bittersweet. The book twists intriguingly even the concept of enemies to lovers, so it's definite must-read and can't wait for the next book!

4.5 stars! Only A Monster contains a fun concept about time-travelling monsters and heroes with a bittersweet romance. I like that despite Joan's feelings for Nick complicating how she feels about what he did to her family, she stayed true to her goal in her battle against him and didn't let her feelings get in the way.
I'm excited for the next instalment of this series!

Thanks to Netgalley and Harperteen for providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I started and finished Only a Monster on the same day, it was so good I just couldn't put it down!

The whole concept of the story was really interesting and totally different from anything I've read before, I love time travel in books anyway but this twist on it was great. It felt new and exciting, from the morally grey time travel to the general magic system - it was all so intricately done.

The characters all go through so much, Joan in particular grows a lot in a short amount of time and really has to reevaluate how she feels about her whole world. I don't want to give too much away because I really think this is one to go into blindly, the twists and turns came thick and fast and the whole story was really addictive.

I'm really excited to see where this series goes, I'm kinda mad I have to wait so long for a sequel now!

A great read! An excellent and well-executed concept with a fantastic host of characters. Very much looking forward to the next book!

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Normally with fantasy books, they take me a couple of chapter to get into them, but this book had me gripped straight away, and I read it in one sitting.

This big gives us a unique take on time-travel, with good historical references. Very morally ambiguous characters that you can't help liking. The pacing of the story and the world building was perfect.

Looking forward to the next book on the trilogy.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley.
4.7 stars
*Spoiler alert!*
I was curious about the book since the moment I've read the synopsis. Who doesn't like monsters and hero stories? At least, I do.
The beginning was a bit slow for me, that's why it lost 0.3 stars for me. But when the pace picked up - oh my! I couldn't put the book away and finished it in one sitting.
Joan, the main protagonist, was told from when she was little that she was a monster. She did not understand what that meant and I neither. I thought that it was cruel to raise a child seeing themselves as a monster and not the hero they wanted to be. And then the story began...
As I mentioned, the beginning didn't wow me. We met Joan and her family, we saw her volunteering in a museum and having a not so secret crush on her co-worker. Seems like a normal teenage life, doesn't it? And then it happened. She touched a man who pushed her and the world changed. The day changed to night in a blink of an eye. That moment changed Joan's life drastically.
Her Gran revealed the story behind calling her a monster. Because she truly was. Half-monster and half-human, not belonging to any world. Joan could travel through time by stealing time from humans. Stealing their time on earth.
I did enjoy a different concept on time travellers. No machines, no science but a simple touch. A touch that could suck the rest of your life from your body or borrow just a few minutes.
And here's the first tragic plot twist in this story. Nick, Joan's first love, is a hero in this universe. A hero whose job is to kill monsters. He kills Joan's family, slaughtering them without a second thought. But not her. Not yet. This story couldn't finish so soon.
And there's Joan, who just found out about her powers and lost her family to her beloved one. Doesn't it sound like perfect timing for some adventure to begin?!
Joan meets other monsters who help and teach her. Aaron, the first monster who was mainly nice to her, taught her how to travel, how to borrow time.
I don't want to retell the whole plot but I cannot stop thinking about how good the story was!
I'm used to happy endings after such a tragic storyline so I was expecting to see another one. There was a legend about a hero falling in love with a monster girl so why couldn't Joan and Nick be happy in the end? But the author decided to take another turn. Prepare yourself for the plot twist you won't be able to forget for a long time. This is where I need to stop myself before I reveal too much.
Get ready for different lovers to enemies, for the monsters who are not as cruel as they think they are, for the time travel of your life.
The writing will lully you into reading and reading more until you reach the last page in disbelief. And you'll be left hungry for more. But is there going to be more? The time will show.

I liked the pacing of the book, it opens with a cute museum date, and then descends into sword throwing and chaos and keeps up the intensity throughout the book. I was never bored of the story, but I also wasn’t a big fan of the time travelling. The system and rules were a lot to follow, and because Aaron wasn’t patient enough to explain anything to Joan, the reader didn’t really get an explanation either.

I am glad that this is going to be a trilogy, as I think there is a lot that can be done with the story, and hopefully the characters grow, and I find them more likable, as I was struggling to connect with them. I think the description of the book gave me a different story to what I was expecting, I assumed the story being told through the monster's perspective would be more of a morally grey, anti hero, and not whatever 'monster' the story was trying to push.

Don’t mind me, just adding this to my ✨all time favourites✨ pile!
Honestly, where do I even start?
Vanessa Len has created the most astonishing world within our own world, a world where monsters exist.
When I first read the plot I adored the sound of it but I have to admit I was a little sceptical because there’s a LOT going on and I was worried how it would be pulled off without it being confusing and messy… but Len did it! Ohhh she did it and it was IMMENSELY GOOD!
I have never read a book where the hero was my enemy and I’m supporting the “bad guys”. Every second was executed perfectly. It’s fast paced, easy to follow and interesting! So many YA fantasies I’ve read recently have fell flat and been boring, not this one!
I’ll be raving about this book for a long time to come.

Oooh I really enjoyed this one. It’s deliciously dark. If you like morally grey characters or you're a fan of Marie Lu or V E Schwab then this is for you! Joan’s biggest concern after a perfect summer working at a historic house is how her date with her co-worker is going to go but when she discovers she is a monster, who can steal time from people in order to time travel, missing her date is the least of her problems. Joan barely has time to confront her family’s secret and her own monstrousness before she has to decide how far she is willing to go to save her family when a monster slayer is hunting them all down. The settings felt really solid, the characters fit together really well and I especially liked the tension and uneasiness between the families. The main plot had enough twists and turns to keep me wondering and I just really liked the feel of the book in general. There was a little bit of everything I like in here and it reminded me of some of my favourite YA reads growing up. Vanessa Len was not afraid to go to a very dark place and I’m a bit scared but very excited to read the next two books in this trilogy.

The series has potential and the story and characters weren’t nearly as predictable as the blurb suggests. I mainly enjoyed it as an unchallenging fantasy/ ya read… but very reliant on Rowling magical universe, and not the time travel/ multiverse isn’t tight enough. Will probably come back for the sequel, as generally a lot better than so many other books in the gentry

Wow! This book! It had me hooked from the start and I could not put it down!

We follow Joan, as she spends summer with her Gran and cousins in London, when a chance incident sends her spiraling through time, uncovering family secrets and on a mission to to re-write the timeline. The magic system, time travel, angst, friendships and world building were all outstanding.

This has easily became one of my favourite reads in a long time, and I'm sad that it doesn't release until next year, because I need the next book now!

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to read Only a Monster.