THIS IS THE BOOK IVE BEEN WAITING FOR MY WHOLE LIFEE.
The characters, the plot, AH-
Enemy soulmates? ✅
Morally ambiguous characters that’ll leave you speechless? ✅
ANGST? ✅
Twists and secrets? ✅
KNIFE TO THROAT SCENE? ✅
Time travel? ✅
History?(the good kind) ✅
This book has the kind of ending that makes you scream at the ceiling at 2AM.
This book made me drink ginger tea and I don’t even like ginger. But I would eat raw ginger for the rest of my life if it meant that I could get the second book now.

Wow. Please add this to your 2022 TBR’s

I finished in one sitting as I just couldn’t put it down!
What an amazing story and I’m still sad it’s over I could have read so much more!

This book has left me with the start of a wicked hangover.

I hate giving a spoilery review so I won’t be going into details other than telling you to dive in to Joan’s story as soon as you can! The plot is so original and I have said it I could have had another 20 chapters and been a very happy reader! I loved the characters even the snarky posh boy. And there was not one part of the book I didn’t like.

Again I can just say wow.

Please read!

Thank you to netgalley & the publisher for access to this book.

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!

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!

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.

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?

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 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

I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did, but holy crap, Only A Monster turned out to be so damn amazing. Right from the start, the action picks up and pulls you into the story. I loved the concept of the powers, of the families and the whole worldbuilding surrounding the parallel world of monsters that exists in this book.

This is such a perfect book to read during the spooky season. I devoured it so quickly. And the writing is just absolutely stunning. I already want the sequel now because this book was just so damn good; I literally cannot wait for the next book.

A journey through time itself, a race to the undo what has been done. It took be a little while to get into the story and meld with the characters but once I was it was like a mystery, I had to know the solution to, a tale that's ending had to be found. I was a little addicted the plotline to say the truth. The ending...without ruining any spoilers all I can say is...my heart!

To create a brilliant book, you need several aspects as a writer but there is only one element you must naturally have; and that is the ability to create a world and characters in vivid details with a story that the reader wants to journey along and know the ending of. Vanessa Len has proven in her debut novel that she has this gift. By the end I was needing more, enraptured by the main character and yet had so many mixed emotions about that ending. I re-read the last chapter before writing this review and I still don't know what to feel. This is not necessarily the story you think you are getting when reading the title...but it is the story you will want to read until the very end and beyond.

There were a few negative aspects about this book but nothing that this brilliant debut author can't work on. Firstly, the locations of Kensington High Street and other places in London were repeated several times on the same page and once twice within two sentences....it cut the flow a bit. The flow on the writing itself was a bit choppy which I believe is why it took me a while to get into the character's shoes and see the world for it vivid images straight away, which as I said can easily be learn. As I said before there are certain qualities you must be a nature writer and the main one is the ability to create and develop a world and characters that the reader can fall into with ease. This author has that talent so I cannot wait to see what she writes and develops next.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Only a Monster is the start of a new trilogy that deals with time travel, the fear of the other, morality, self-acceptance and so much more. It is a beautiful, fast-paced tale that is a mix of Passenger and This Savage Song, and while I have not read the latter, I do believe it was better than Passenger (which says a lot as I am obsessed with that duology.)

Vanessa Len has created such a unique magic system that intertwines with fated soulmates and a battle through time. We are introduced to Joan Chang-Hunt, a half-human, half-monster who volunteers at Holland House with a boy called Nick, a monster hunter. While I am usually not the biggest fan of characters realising they are not human and have powers, Len pulled it off incredibly well. Both of these characters were extremely lovable and so human and it was an emotional read as they battled against one another.

We are also introduced to various side characters, such as Aaron Oliver and Ruth Hunt who are equally as lovable people. Everyone feels so human, even though they're not, and they all have wonderful and unique personalities. I appreciate that Len developed her side characters just as well as her main characters as it created a nice atmosphere throughout the book.

The world-building and magic system was also extremely well done, I enjoyed getting to know the twelve Monster families of London and the various displays of their power. It was also great to see the Monster Court and how it works with time - time is at the forefront of this novel as it deals heavily with time travel, which in turn creates many dilemmas and evokes the main thematic concern of morality and the fear of the other.

The book also had many plot twists throughout, many of which were very emotional and shocking. There was also a great deal of subtle foreshadowing involved which was revealed in the end, which made for a very sad ending while leaving plot threads unresolved for the sequel. I have many theories for the rest of the trilogy and I am eager to read the sequels and other books Len releases.

This is definitely my favourite YA fantasy of the year - Vanessa Len is a writer to watch. I strongly encourage everyone to pre-order this book before release: February 17th 2022. - 5*

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.

Firstly, Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was really excited for this book because the pitch WAS AMAZING. Monsters in England?? Time travel?? Enemies to lovers?? Soulmates?? Monster court heists?? Yes!! So I was really happy when I was granted an ARC for this amazing book 💖


“Olivers see. Hunts hide. Nowaks live. Patels bind. Portellis open. Hathaways leash. Nightingales Take. Mtawalis keep. Argents sway. Alis seal. Griffiths reveal. But only the Lius remember.”


Only a Monster is set in England with aspects such as time travel, monsters, heists and more! I loved everything about this book- I can’t even explain how much I enjoyed reading it!!

The writing and plot were PHENOMENAL. The writing was descriptive and rich, the plot was well paced. I love how the author expressed Joan’s biracial identity and drew parallels between her being half Chinese and half British, and her being half human and half monster. Only a Monster expressed a new take on “heroes” and “monsters” and I am here for it! The world building was great and I really enjoyed how different families had different powers, it was super cool!

The characters in this book were one of the best I have ever read about. Joan was a great character, she was kind and was willing to do absolutely anything for her loved ones. Aaron was also an amazing character, he was a bit stuck up and entitled, but I really enjoyed his character arc. Nick, well I did enjoy Nick’s character but I was not expecting the outcome that came at the end! I also loved how Joan and Aaron had to work together to survive despite their families having a hatred for each other. In terms of the romance- let’s just say I was not expecting what happened, and while it did leave me a bit confused I do expect more clarity in book two.

The various themes explored such as family and identity were extremely interesting to read about, and they were very important too. In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to read the next one to see how Joan’s journey continues. Vanessa Len has truly written magic! 💖

TL;DR: A magnificent contemporary fantasy debut that explores identity, monsters, heists, family, time travel, and will have any reader screaming for book two!


TW: 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 micro-aggressions, fantasy xenophobia.

"Real monsters look like me and you"

I adored this book, it's everything I wanted it to be and more, filled with morally grey characters whom you often forget are monsters despite their actions and way they work being worthy of the description, and a unique magic system this book will sweep you off your feet.

Dealing with time travel, morality, self-acceptance, this novel plays with the question are monsters born or made, I promise this book lives up to the hype. Expect twists and turns, emotional outcomes and get ready for your new favourite read.

I need book 2 and 3 now.

https://www.instagram.com/charley.therabbithole/

Darkly delicious fun. If you've been looking for your newest YA urban fantasy obsession - you've found it.

I FINISHED IT AND OH MY GOD- NO hear me out seriously, I thought I knew what was coming, I thought I was prepared but HELL NO. I was not, like every damn book.

Joan was having her perfect summer, living with her mother's family in London, who was kind of eccentric but still loved her a lot. She was volunteering at Holland House and was going on a date with her crush and co-worker Nick. Perfect isn't it? But perfect is just oblivion, suddenly Joan is thrust into the battle between Monsters and Monster Hunters, good vs. evil. And this time she was not the hearo, instead she was the monsters whom Nick was destined to kill. Her perfect might turn into the worst nightmare for her family as well as the entire monster community.

If I were to describe the book in a few lines, it'd be like
"A story filled with agony, yearning, hope, and pain. A squad that has everything on-line, if they don't succeed, they might lose everything. Time is running out and their enemies are every step ahead, the world might collapse. The world needs saving, but this time..hero is not leading the story"

Now y'all, let's start with the checklist, shall we?
Enemies-to-Lovers ✔
Angst, loads of it ✔
A squad on a mission ✔
Story breaking your heart into fragments in first half ✔
YEARNING AND AGONY ✔
Time-Travel ✔
Queer rep (not the main character, but the side couple) ✔
Begging on your knees for the second book, even though the first hasn't been released yet? ✔

Wow! What an amazing book! I was so immersed in the story that I could not put this book down and read it in one sitting. Without giving too much away, I'll just tell you that I loved the MC from the start, her character was well thought out and developed. The unique magic system and anti hero pov was a nice surprise. I can’t wait for the next book to find out what happens next.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I cannot fathom how much I loved this book and how much I want the next book in the series now. The day I finished the book I was just me pure screaming and crying and ranting to people to go add this amazing book in their tbr
I was so amazed by the plot of the story since it's unlike anything I have ever read before. The writing was perfect and descriptive and the pace of the book was perfect and fast as well.

The pitch for this book had been so pulling like - villain pov, Captain America like hero, enemies to lover and monster heists- , And the book has it all and that too done exceptionally well. 
The plot of this book is so rich and descriptive and so many layers and the more you read the more you get to know about the monster world and secret they have. The story revolves around in England during different times and the main character is revealed the truth about her own identity, also the parallels between Joan's biracial identity as a Half-British and Half-Chinese and also Half- Human and Half- Monster The cliffhangers and ending had me gawking and my anticipation for the sequels are so much more now.The romance in the book was interesting to read and I liked it and the slow burn enemies to lover has my heart. I can't wait for the upcoming books and to see more of these characters and the relationships.

Joan was just mesmerizing to read about, her growth as a person during the book was amazing, even though she was naïve during the start she was kind, hopeful and would have done anything for her family.

I AM A SIMP FOR AARON OLIVER I DON'T MAKE THE RULES. That really sums up my feelings for this character. Hot ruthless monster boy and likes to banter and actually has a soft heart and his last scene made me almost tear up.

Nick as a person I may not be the biggest fan of, but I loved his story and how his character came to be. (if you wanna know what i am talking about go pre order now)
In conclusion this book is awesome and would definitely recommend this to everyone!! the plot, the characters and everything is so well balanced and I just can't wait to see more!!

This book was an absolute gem . From the unique magic system, time travel battle to anti hero pov everything was brilliant. Vanessa Len was successful in created something where I was rooting for the monster side and not the usual hero . Joan is now one of my favorite main characters with her bold and rebellious personality, she was a treat to read .
I honestly believe this is one of the best debut I have read and everyone should give it a try as well .

Thank you netgalley and hodder and stoughton for providing me an arc of this amazing book . I'll post in detail review of this book on different platforms closer to the release date.

Well this book was amazing, it was a breath of fresh air. I loved how this book was so different, how the 'monster' is so up for interpretation. The magic system, while at the beginning did confuse me, was fab. Honestly, I can't think of a bad thing to say from this bok. I cannot wait for this to come out so I can discuss it with others! I've preordered it, and early await the next installment.

Source of book: NetGalley (thank you!)
Relevant disclaimers: None
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.

Okay, the balance of the universe has been restored. After my last YA, where the hero dug up bodies, I am once again back into “love interest is a mass murderer” territory. Although to give Only A Monster credit, it is pretty clear that this is kind of a romantic impediment. Not least because “the heroine’s entire family” is included within the mass murder thing.

And in case my point hasn’t just made itself: holy fuck me, this book is dark. Brilliant but, oh my God, is it dark. Like, read until 5am in a state of heart-gripped anxiety and flailing emosh dark. I don’t know if it’s my lack of familiarity with YA in general that keeps leaving me stranded in what feel like incredibly intense books but … YA seems to be doing SOME THINGS at the moment. I mean, can someone tell me, are the kids all right? I don’t think the kids are all right.

In any case, Only A Monster is one hell of a ride. Its bones feel familiar enough—heroine comes from a family with mysterious powers, there’s a cute boy, there’s an aloof boy, there’s a myth about the past or the future, the heroine might have a special power that is beyond all the other special powers—but when it comes to stories like this, it’s not about the tropes, it’s about how you use them. And this book deploys them masterfully, twists them masterfully, shows you new sides of them, and then totally wrecks you with them. The bastard.

I don’t actually want to talk too much what’s going on here because Only A Monster is super well-structured, doling out knowledge to the reader alongside its heroine at exactly the right pace, and discovering the details of the world, uncovering its mysteries, and being taken aback by everything you didn’t quite put together, is part of the pleasure of the journey. Narratives like this—where the world we recognise sitting alongside a vast and magical one with its own rules and history—are not exactly uncommon (there’s an irritatingly famous example though it’s far from the first or only) but they’re endlessly compelling when they’re done right. For my money, Only A Monster does it very, very right. I would even go so far as to say it knocks said irritatingly famous example out of the park. It’s not fucking twee, for a start, and self-aware, willing to interrogate its own complexities and inequities. Plus it’s effortlessly diverse in a very real and natural way. Queer characters are queer on page, the cast includes multiple people of colour, and the heroine is herself mixed race. Oh, and as a sidenote, it’s set in a London that feels recognisably and specifically like London. I love UK books that make the UK feel like the UK, y’know?

Also: time-travel. There’s motherfucking time-travel in this. If there’s one trope, apart from “this unit has a soul” that kills me absolutely dead in the heart department it’s the whole “we must save the world, but it will make us forget what we are to each other” thing. God. Help. My emotions.

There’s so much to admire in Only A Monster: the world-building, the setting, the plot that doesn’t let up for a moment. But the writing (which is witty and engaging enough to keep the whole thing from spiralling down a plughole of desolation) needs a notable shout out, as does the character work. Joan is a great heroine, out of her depth, but resourceful and determined, the supporting cast are all intriguing and repay emotional investment, and I found myself surprisingly sympathetic to Joan’s two potential love interests. Even though one is a complicatedly damaged poshboy and the other is a complicatedly damaged MASS MURDERER.

All of which said, I have the mixed-est feelings about this being the first book in a trilogy. Part of what’s so successful about Only A Monster is that it feels like a complete (albeit wildly tragic) arc, rather than the first part of a really long three-part story that has just been lopped off from the whole. And, as a reader, I super appreciated that: I’m a bit tired of planned trilogies that leave you with the narrative equivalent of blue balls after book one. This, by contrast, just left me curious and emotionally fulfilled. Which, yes. Thank you for respecting my time and investment, Only A Monster. I can’t deny, however, that there’s part of me, the deranged masochist part, that kind of … likes is a hard word for a conclusion so brutal and compromised, but there’s a powerful coherence to the book’s arc as it currently stands. On the other hand, there is clearly so much more of this world to explore—antagonists as yet unmasked, much still unknown, carefully established themes to be developed—that I will be running not walking the moment book two is available.

I also suggest you run not walk for this one. It's an incredible read.

(Do be wary of the content guidance, though, and protect yourself: I am not kidding when I said this book goes to some places and takes on some stuff).

My panic that I'd only be reading one five star book this year has been unfounded because this book has come along and blown my socks off. I'm somewhat tempted to write this entire review in all-caps, because the book was just that good, but I might save it for some pertinent words. For example: THIS BOOK IS AMAZING AND EVERYONE IS GOING TO LOVE IT.
⠀
Writing a positive review is sometimes harder than a negative one. I could waffle on about the amazing characters for hours. Or perhaps speak in-depth about the plot, and how I was pulled into the story from the very first page. Maybe I'll mention that this is nothing like any book I've read before, with so many incredible ideas that it made me envious I hadn't thought to come up with them myself. Or maybe I'll just repeat that: THIS BOOK IS AMAZING AND EVERYONE IS GOING TO LOVE IT.
⠀
I can't stop thinking about Only A Monster, it's burrowed into my brain and won't leave me alone. I wish I could read it again for the first time and soak up every second of this magical story. The people and places seem so really, and I've already spent hours deciding which family I'd want to be in (all of them. It's all of them), and a long time planning my wedding to Aaron (simultaneously lavish and classy).
⠀
I'm not dropping any spoilers at all for this, but I will say that I needed book two, like, yesterday. My only regret is that I don't have a physical ARC of this, because putting it into my 2021 favourites stack is going to be tricky with just an eARC, but I will find a way.
Only A Monster is out February 2022 and you can preorder it now. Why should you preorder it, I hear you ask. Well, because THIS BOOK IS AMAZING AND EVERYONE IS GOING TO LOVE IT.
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Thank you hodderscape for the eARC. I recieved it through NetGalley in return for my honest review.

This book was one of my favourite reads of 2021 and it’s not even published until next year! Thank you so much NetGalley and HodderScape for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Joan is a 16 year old girl who always follows the rules and loves history (a girl after my own heart), so much so that she volunteers at a museum in her spare time - this is where she meets love interest Nick.

As she gets ready for her first date with Nick, an incident happens where she blacks out and loses half a day, missing her date. She finds out that she’s half human and half monster, and the monsters from her childhood stories are real. In this world, monsters aren’t as we know them, but are time travellers who are able to travel by taking time from humans.

After another incident, Joan learns that Nick is also not as he seems, he is the famed hero from her childhood stories who’s main mission in life is to rid the world of monsters.

I loved the magic system in this world and how time travel/history was portrayed. I also loved the aspects of the different powers that each monster family has and I can’t wait to see how the story continues to develop.

I loved reading about a main character who isn’t naturally rebellious, I loved seeing how she navigated this new world and how she adapted to all these new situations. I struggled to put this one down and wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone who likes YA, history or anything time travel.

There is plenty of angst, betrayal, mysteries and high stakes as well as forced proximity, star-crossed lovers and other tropes which I’m definitely missing - pick this up!!!

Why do I always love the stand-offish men?!

I adored the mystery and intrigue in this book and even better yet…
That ending had me sobbing.

You know a book is fantastic when you’re trying to tell your partner about it and you start crying because the author has just ruined your life and your emotions are so raw.

Things I loved about this book:
High stakes
High loss
Enemy soulmates
Morally ambiguous characters

There are supposed to be more books and I don’t know if I can handle the emotional trauma that comes with them… but I’ll read them anyway because this was so good.

It does surprise me that this is meant to be part of a series though. It felts very rounded off and complete. BUT I am super excited to see where Len might take this.

The world building, the plot, the characters, all of this was utter perfection. I was completely engaged throughout this whole read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

“Dragons need not fear other dragons”

I think I got whiplash from this book. I absolutely loved this book and something was happening every second! Thank you to Hooder & Stoughton for giving me the chance to read this ARC!

16 year old Joan visits her Gran and family every summer. She loves to follow the rules and history- which is how she meets love interest Nick

Before her first date with Nick, the unexpected happens and then it’s dark. Hours have passed and she’s missed her date.

She goes home to find her family is not just eccentric as she thought and she is half human Half “monster” and can time travel by taking time from humans.

Joan is thrust into a new world who everyone she thought she knew have been keeping secrets. Especially Nick.

This novel is jam packed with angst, betrayal and family love that will keep anyone interested!

There were some occasions where I had to reread because there was just so much information that I was trying to absorb and my mind couldn’t take it!

I loved the mix of different families and what they are known for and how they had to come together to stop the “hero”

If you love star-crossed lovers, forced proximity, and world full of magic and time travel, you will love this!!! Could not reccomend enough!!

Joan is a normal girl enjoying her summer after moving to London to live with her maternal grandmother. She’s loving her job at the museum and has met a cute boy. Then everything turns on it’s head when she accidentally discovers the family secret — her grandmother and the rest her late mother’s family are monsters. Not only that but the boy she’s falling for turns out to be monster killer determined to take out her whole family.

Wow this one was a ride! The pace was super quick and I loved Joan. I feel like there wasn’t a single word wasted in this story, it was so well done. The reveals were spread out well throughout the book. I loved the relationship building and back and forth between the characters.

The world building was really interesting and pretty much I enjoyed every aspect of this story. I have so many questions and theories about what will happen next, I’m so glad it’s the first ina trilogy. A refreshing and creative YA fantasy.

I've just finished 'Only a monster' by Vanessa Len and I need a few days to fully recover this. This is such a unique and thrilling YA novel, that I just couldn't put down. Joan finds out that she's one of the monsters from the stories her Gran would tell her and her cousins while they were growing up, She needs to team up with her family's enemy in order to defeat the hero who is hell bent on destroying all the monsters.

This was such a unique and well developed magic system set in an urban fantasy setting. I was sucked in within a few pages, loving the dark tones from this. Len has created a world where, although the monsters are indeed monsters, we learn how to love them and root for them to win. The characters are all wonderful and varied. You genuinely love them all (well, nearly all!) There's romance, but it doesn't take over from the plot. I loved how I couldn't see how it would end up too.

This is part of a planned trilogy and cannot wait for the next two instalments, though as the first isn't published till February next year I may have to wait longer than I want to! Shame I can't travel through time to read how this series continues! I really recommend 'Only a monster' to fans of YA fantasy. It's so different to everything I've read recently.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an E-ARC of this brilliant novel.

Brilliantly enthralling and unputdownable, debut author Vanessa Len masterfully blurs the lines of good and evil in this vividly immersive tale of time travel, forbidden romance and monsters that you’re definitely not gonna want to miss.

When sixteen years old Joan stay with her mother’s eccentric family in London she’s determined to enjoy herself. With a nerdy job at the historic Holland House and a date with the boy she’s been crushing on all summer, things feel like their falling into place…

But when her attempt at a good deed reveals her mother’s family secret her life quickly starts to unravel. For the Hints aren’t just eccentric: they’re monsters with terrifying, hidden powers. To make matters worse, Nick (the boy she likes) is a monster slayer whose sole purpose is to hunt her people to extinction.

Forced on the run Joan begrudgingly teams up with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a rival monster family who hates her own.

If she’s to save herself and her family Joan will have to embrace her own monstrousness. Because in this story…she is not the hero.

I loved every second of this and literally devoured it in record time. The world building was exceptional and no attention to detail was spared, the alternate version of London was also well developed. Having the monster for a protagonist was also utterly refreshing.

I absolutely fell in love with Joan who was just as new and unfamiliar with this world as we (the audience) were. Her struggle coming to terms families’ abilities was well thought out and led to some interesting questions around morality and what makes a person ‘evil’.

There were some pretty intense scenes of Joan with both Aaron and Nick (there was definitely chemistry) but I loved that the story mostly focuses on Joan, her family and trying to save them, which was really nice.

The time travel element was also well crafted and I absolutely adored that one of their stops happened to be my year of birth—I like to think a baby version of me exists in this world (and no one can convince me otherwise.)

The pacing was really good and the non-stop action was undeniably, edge of your seat addictive—it’s a beautifully written and richly detailed twist on the Hero vs. Monster trope and I can guarantee that it’s the monsters you’ll be rooting for in this marvellously mind blowing, fantasy YA debut.

So if time travelling monsters and a heart wrenching, Romeo and Juliet-esque romance sounds like your thing, then I definitely recommend you check this out—it’s magnificent!

Also thanks to Hodder&Stoughton and Netgalley for the e-arc.

I would like to thank Hodder & Stoughton for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
You know when a you are reading a book and the world building is intricately beautiful and tje writing is soooo good that you forget that you are reading? Only a monster did this for me.
THIS BOOK IS A MASTERPIECE.
The tropes! It had all my favorite tropes. What more could I ask for? If you hadn't realized already this book has HERO X VILLAIN (monster but you get the idea)
The idea 0f a monster as the protagonists is absolutely fantastic. I want to see more books like this.
If you like the shadowhunter world, this is for you. I swear you will love it.
I read the story in one sitting, was hooked from the very start. I must also mention how there was no boring info dumps. The world and the setting was perfectly discribed. Ohhhh and TIME TRAVEL!! This book has time travel y'all!!! And it's not even too si-fi, it was pure fantasy and history.
I would like to conclude by saying, Aaron Oliver, will you marry me?

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.

I used to love reading new fantasy authors, till a couple of years back when a bunch of massively hyped new fantasy releases were absolutely terrible. I'm really glad I set aside my wariness of the genre for this book, though. Vanessa Len's a very talented writer, with a great control over plot-of course you require suspension of disbelief when it comes to fantasy, but that doesn't mean there are plot inconsistencies. All the characters are memorable, and distinct, and they all have their parts to play.
The protagonist of the book is Joan, a 16 year old who's spending her summers at her beloved grandmother's in London. She volunteers at Holland House, and has a crush on a fellow volunteer, Nick. Like any good fantasy protagonist worth her salt, though, Joan isn't an ordinary 16 year old. The twist in the story, is that the heroic Chosen One, Nick, is on a mission to wipe out Joan and people like her, called 'Monsters', so the "heroes" in this story are actually...Monsters. The Monsters in this world are like reverse Weeping Angels from Doctor Who-they can take time from non-monsters, and store it up and use it to time travel, thereby reducing the lifespan of the human source. I love the moral dilemma Len sets up- Joan knows this is morally wrong, but for a history buff like her, the temptation is hard to resist-would some stranger she steals time from really miss that one hour from their life?! Joan has to team up with the only living member of the Capulets to her Montague-Aaron Oliver, to figure out how to save themselves. The plot's twists and turns, the people she meets-they're all ingenious and wholly unique. An element I've sorely missed in a lot of modern fantasy is humour, and I absolutely loved how witty this book is. While this works excellently as a stand-alone and all the loose ends are tied up, there's enough left for sequels, and I really hope there are more. Read this book to fill up the Harry Potter-shaped hole in your life!

The fact that this book isn't coming out until february next year upsets me because how am I supposed to go through 3 months without talking about this book?

I loved Only a Monster, and this was such a great YA Fantasy debut. I saw this on Netgalley a month back and I was intrigued by the description that was written. A star crossed fantasy? I was sold instantly.

I love the concept of monsters existing in the real world and this was a perfect execution. The world building was easy enough for me to understand but also complex enough without it being too info-dumpy. I loved how Vanessa also kept me in my toes because as the story goes, there are still stuff I learned about the world and the characters itself. The action was so good and I love the little heist storyline and the time travel concept and everything.

The characters were also really well written. Not going to lie, it took me a while to like Joan but she's such a clever character and I know why she acted that way in the first place. My heart breaks and cheers for Joan as she tries to save her family in this one. It annoyed me how reckless she was in the first half of the book, but it grew on me and I have grown to love her. My favorite characters were definitely Aaron and Tom though.

One of the things in this book that intrigued me was the romance. Vanessa really played my emotions with the romance in this one, and I think this is the first fantasy book I could actually remember enjoying the complicated romantic relationships between the characters (Is it a love triangle? i honestly could not say but every single romance in this book that I've gotten was 10/10. The romance is one thing I cannot wait to talk and discuss about when this book comes out.). I also loved the family aspect in it, although I would've wanted more, but there's always the next book.

Super glad to see the untitled #2 and #3 books on goodreads because I would love to come back to this world and meet these characters again.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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

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.

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!

“In a way, Joan had always known what she’d have to do.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Joan is someone who has been kept in the dark before suddenly being thrust into the light and expected to cope. Her family have kept secrets from her and now she must deal with the consequences of that. Seeing her slowly understand the monster side of herself is great as she doesn’t just jump in with both feet and accept everything. She questions actions and motives and considers how these new monstrous actions will affect others which I liked getting to see. It was a fresh perspective. Sure, there were moments where she frustrated me with some choices she made but it felt like a realistic journey and I was glad to go along with her.
Aaron has gone through a lot in his life and I just wanted to wrap him up in a hug and tell him it would be okay. He’s snarky yet gentle, brash yet kind. In other words, he’s rather perfect and I wouldn’t mind getting an Aaron Oliver in my life… There’s definitely never a dull moment when he is around.
We don’t see a massive amount of Nick throughout the story, though he is mentioned a lot. Appearances are certainly deceiving with him as he is not so sweet and innocent as we first believe. In the moments we do see Nick, I feel like we could have gotten a bit more from his character - just to see him really pop. He’s multi-faceted but we sadly only really see glimpses of this when he pops up. I would have loved to understand his motives just a little more so I could connect with him further.

Now this story gave me big LOKI vibes. Protecting the timelines, jumping place to place, seeing the implications of such a thing? Genius. Absolute genius. Len’s writing style is engaging and I found myself enjoying what I was reading each time I picked this up. I liked that the romance was a steady undertone throughout the course of the story before popping up a bit more at the end. It never felt like too much. There was a bit of a love triangle moment and whilst I usually roll my eyes a little at that (before enjoying it anyway because I’m a sucker for that sort of thing) I didn’t feel that way at all reading this as it was subtle and not too in your face. I’m looking forward to seeing what is next to come - especially after that ending!

Overall, Only a Monster is a thrilling story that pulls you in and traps you in the best way.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day.

I didn't think I'd give another book five stars before the end of 2021, but here we are!

Initially I picked this up because I was in the mood for some fantasy, and when I saw that this was enemies-to-lovers I was bursting to start this. Although I have to say I thought the enemies to lovers was sort of done twice? But one done better than the other…

We begin when Joan accidentally travels in time and finds out who (or rather what) she really is. A monster. Part of twelve powerful families in London, Joan must now team up with a rival family's shunned heir to solve a mystery that puts every monster at risk.

I just fell into such a deep, addictive state when I started reading this book. The pace started off so well and only got better. The banter between Ruth and Aaron was hilarious! I didn't like Aaron at the beginning- I felt like we didn't get much from him, except the obvious issues with his father and that he isn't as hateful of the Hunt family as his father is. I really started rooting for them, until I realised her sort-of-ex was still in the picture?? And then I started shipping Joan with Nick instead, because damn their chemistry was just so sizzling- I was hooked and sadly there was no going back. I forgot the synopsis of this book, so it was a shock to find out Nick was actually a monster-slayer and at such a crucial time too!

Joan was a really flawed and intriguing protagonist. I really started loving her the more I read. She does make some questionable decisions and she's not one of those girls who's automatically good at every new task, which was refreshing to read. The fact that she's supposed to be a monster did seem a little underwhelming though. I expected monsters in this book to be darker than they were. Other than that, I did really like the mechanics of time travel and the magic system.

The writing was great! I did think that sometimes it jumped from one scene to another too fast, and it took me a while to get my bearings, but once I did, I was drawn in so deeply, it was hard to put this book down. The author actually shows her grieving and doesn't just brush it off as the book progresses. No spoilers, but when I hit the 80% mark, I quite literally couldn't look away from the page! So much was happening, and I still don't know how I feel about that ending…

The monster families each have different powers, and it was so cool reading about them! This was more like a sci-fi fantasy blend, and wow the time travel aspect is one of the best I've ever read (and I'm not just saying that!). The travelling in time, paired with the 'meet my younger loved ones' was just beautifully done. The author really knows how to keep a scene tension-filled, enough that you're actually holding your breath and can't read the words fast enough. I did like the romance, although it wasn't a massive part of the book… or was it? This is one of those stories where you want to go into it knowing as little as possible!

So, choose your poison:

1. Friends to lovers to enemies to maybe lovers?

OR

2. Enemies to friends to maybe lovers?

I honestly cannot wait for the next book!! Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-arc :)

Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for my honest review

When I saw this book being was for fans of This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab, I instantly picked it up since TSS has been a 2021 favourite read, and Only a Monster did not disappoint.

Oh my god I loved this book so much. I was hooked from the beginning. I loved the characters, the setting... everything. I was a bit confused with a couple of things, but that confusion was easily resolved with further reading and the odd re-reading of a passage.

I absolutely loved everything between our MC and the love interest(s) and our MC and the enemy(/enemies). It was just ugh, both frustrating and everything I wanted at the same time.

This is a solid debut and yes, I will be making everyone read it when it comes out.

Wow! What a book!

Joan is a monster! There is a hero who’s job it is is to rid the world of all monsters. They can’t survive. They can’t be allowed to keep taking from humans and not be punished. The 12 families of London will suffer like they have never suffered before.

This book is amazing! The writing has you hooked from page one; the descriptions of the characters, the powers, the rules it’s so good. There are so many characters that you grow to love the more their traits and characters are unwound through the book. Aaron has my heart! I really hope there is more to come from this world! I already want to dive back in! Phenomenal!

I've grown pretty weary of all the generic YA fantasy I've read this year, so I really didn't see coming how much I would like this. I'm not gonna lie, the blurb sounded totally cliché YA to me - all the more to my delight the book really surprised me with originality and great writing.

I was just planning to read the first couple of pages into it to see if it was for me, not expecting much, but somehow I found myself incapable of putting it down. It really drew me into the story right from the start and I ended up reading all of it in two sittings.

It has so much going for itself that I enjoy in a good fantasy novel: lovable morally grey characters, unlikely reluctant companions teaming up for a heist, a really cool time travel magic system, a diagon alley-esque parallel space in London, yearning, betrayal and fast-paced action. Best YA book I've read in a while.

I'm not one to give out 5 stars easily, but honestly I loved it from beginning to end and can't wait for the next book.

Wow this book blew me away. It has such a unique magic/power system, I loved our main character, even if she is a monster. I read this book over 2 days and couldn’t put it down. I’m obsessed with Aaron so Joan better find him again!

The romance was amazing and I didn’t expect Joan to do what she did in the end, it was a huge sacrifice. The monster court was fascinating and I could picture every part of it. Loved it!!!

Only A Monster is Vanessa Len’s marvelous debut, a brilliant take on the chosen one trope with incredible characters and an exquisite use of time travel. Trust me when I say that the Doctor Who vibes were so perfect that, as a life-long fan, it was impossible to not fall in love with this book.

The world-building is truly exceptional: from the viciously fascinating idea of human-looking monsters, who are able to time travel by stealing life from real humans and have different powers categorized by families; to a brilliant take on the classic-sounding myth of a human hero destined to kill monsters, whose adventures get often told as children bed-stories. And what is probably the most original detail is that the point of view of the narration is the one of who is usually meant to be the villain, the “monster”.
This creates the perfect setting for an intriguing and fast-paced story, that also takes the time to craft and develop well-rounded characters.

While all the secondary characters are amazing (especially that stunning and grumpy marble-made creature who is named Aaron Oliver and owns my heart) and Frankie the dog (yes, THERE IS A SMALL DOG) is the cutest thing, Joan, the main character, is simply stunningly written.
It’s heartbreaking to see how much the events of the beginning impact her throughout the curse of the book, turning the sweet young girl of the beginning into someone ready to go to hell and back for those she cares about: she is blindly guided by her mission, and even if this may make her appear as annoying, it is actually extremely realistic. And yet Joan never loses her essence, always yearning for peace, for a kind of quiet love that is not inherently romantic (the focus on family, both by blood and by choice, was such a lovely element).

The revelations and plot twists in the final chapters were so brilliant that they completely took me by surprise and left me utterly speechless- to say I’m excited about the sequel would be an understatement.

I totally recommend Only A Monster to everyone looking for an immersive fantasy novel with innovative elements and don’t mind the hypothesis of being slightly obsessed with a single book for months.

'Only a Monster' was one of my most anticipated releases for this year, and it delivered on every front. The idea of a story told from a monster's perspective isn't entirely unique, yet I've never seen anybody pull it off as well as Vanessa Len did. Throughout the book it was acknowledged how dark and horrifying the monster power truly is. No excuses were made and our main character, Joan, had to deal with a lot of emotions surrounding her power and her use of it.

I LOVED the setup of the individual monster families. Each family having their own unique additional power/gift was so clever and I love the way it was utilised throughout.

The plot was so well written. It was tense, exciting, dark and mysterious, and it really kept me wondering what would happen next.

The characters were beautifully written. When writing a book from the perspective of monsters fighting against heroes, it's easy to try to idolise one and villainise the other. Len didn't do this. Each side had depth and motive, and each side had a certain amount of sympathy for the other. Without spoiling anything, the ending was one of the most satisfying yet difficult endings I've read in a long time.

This book really has it all.
Enemy soulmates, time travel (that actually makes sense!! take notes, action films!!), twists and turns, fully developed characters with questionable morals, a wonderful ending that just leaves you wanting more?? What more could you possibly ask of a book?

The only reason I docked .5 stars was because I found the writing to be a little basic at times and it was a little difficult for me to get into the flow of the story at the beginning. Other than that, I loved it, and I will be singing its praises.

Look out for this one, it isn't one you want to miss.

--Rated 4.5/5 and rounded up--

Absolutely adored this book! It had me hooked from the beginning and I loved the idea of this one, a story where the hero is the villain? YES!

I flew through this one, I liked the characters and the plot had me on the edge of my seat and I still want more, I'm excited for book two of this one!