Did I drop everything to read this book? You bet I did.

Joan starts from scratch in this new timeline but echoes of her past life keep coming up to haunt her. I adored the longing and the angst that Vanessa Len created in this second installment and I kept having to stop reading to get over my excitement every time a character that we know appeared.

I usually love time travel stories, but there’s just something about this series that makes it even better for me.
The hidden depths of the characters got me invested from the first line and the plot twists kept me going right until the ending. The world-building is absolutely amazing and I felt like I was right there with the characters, travelling in time, visiting secret markets, and learning new secrets about the monsters’ history.

Now the reason I’m not giving it a full five stars is because I wish we had seen more of Aaron. I had missed him and his relationship with Joan and felt a little disappointed that he was not more present. I want him to have all the happiness in the world and I’m a little worried about where this is going for him, especially concerning the ongoing question of a possible love triangle..

I literally can’t wait for the last book because that ending left me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you so much Hodderscape for sending me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 5/5⭐️

This is definitely one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and it didn’t left me disappointed at all! Never a Hero follows a few months after Inly a Monster and just like book one, Joan is once again thrown into the time-travel monstrous world!

Nick is still my favourite character, I just love how good he is, how despise everything he always finds his way to what’s righteous and if I could say so, he’s like a Captain UK version of Captain America! I love how Joan and Nick are soulmates and that the timeline always bring them together. Through everything, their love is stronger.

Never a Hero is filled with action, adventure, friendship and found family! Vanessa Len’s writing is still very much captivating and magical! It’s quite amazing how everything came together and how entangled all the plots were! It’s a masterpiece and I cannot wait for the next book to find out how the story ends!


Keep an eye out for my bookstagram (@maria_bookshelf), where I’ll be sharing this review closer to its release day!

Having read Only A Monster well over a year ago now, it took me a while to remember everything that had happened, but once I got going I was completely hooked. The world building is very well done as VL navigates a very complex and layered timeline, reintroducing characters we met in the first book at different times in their own stories. Joan really comes into herself in this book as she grapples to deal with the horrors of the previous timeline and attempts to navigate this new one, all while struggling to protect Nick and accept this new version or Aaron. The last few chapters were insane and that ending has me reeling, desperate to read the next book now!

AMAZING book 2 for this trilogy!!! I do think the world building here is a bit too complicated for my mind to wrap around (which is always the case with time travel) but apart from that I adored the book! So many exciting twists and jaw dropping revelations. Also I'll forever ship Aaron + (clueless) Joan 😭💗

Thank you to the author for the eARC on Netgalley! Can't wait for book 3 already!!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me to read the eARC of Never A Hero by Vanessa Len.

After reading Only A Monster and falling in love with the story I have been waiting with anticipation for Never A Hero and boy, my anticipation was not misplaced.

I absolutely loved Never A Hero, the story started where Only A Monster left off and it was so easy to get into swept into the storyline. This novel is written so well that I loved every minute of it.
Never A Hero set its own rhythm and the plotline unravelled with a pace of ease. I didn't know what was coming next but I was so eager to find out.
I love Joan, Nick and Aaron no matter what timelines they're in! The characters though well built in the first novel, seemed more defined and aged in this offering. The world building as always is awe inspiring and the different time eras are so richly described I could imagine being there.

Like I said I absolutely loved this novel and I couldn't find any fault with it. It gave me mixed emotions, an adventure and plenty of twists and turns along the way. This series will be one of my favourites to read. I loved it immensely.

If I'd had this series as a teen, I would have been OBSESSED. And I'm honestly really thankful for this series for giving me a similar experience now, because I feel like it's really hard to recreate that feeling as an adult.

Right away this book really pulled me in emotionally. I just have such a soft spot for books where someone forgets the other person... the ANGST. Between the time travel, the morally grey characters, and the angst of forgetting each other, this book, and this series as a whole, just hits all the right spots for me. I'm firmly Team Aaron, by the way, and this book cemented that for me even more.

And I love that Joan actually struggles with what happened, because a lot of the time in fantasy, they gloss over trauma, and characters go through the worst things and are always just fine. Which makes them feel more like a pawn to move the plot along than an actual human.

This book definitely did not have second book syndrome, and I could absolutely not put it down. I already can't wait for book 3!

This was an anticipated read for me this year and I was so privileged to be able to read an ARC for this book. Thank you Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity.

As it has been awhile since I read Only a Monster, but once I started reading I was once again immersed into the world that was created. The world is so intricate and with such a unique take on time travel.

This story follows on from Only a Monster, with Joan needing to deal with the intricacies of the new timeline. I've always loved Joan and this book shows her coming into herself and she has a real strength of character. There is a real sense of struggle with what's right and wrong and Joan having to come to terms with her 'monster' side. There is that moral dilemma of what being a monster means and being human.

I loved seeing the cast of characters again even if they were slightly different versions of themselves. I would've liked to have seen more Aaron because I love a morally grey character. I look forward to book 3 because the twists and turns make this such a fantastic read.

⏱️Never A Hero⏱️

By Vanessa Len @vanessa.len_writes

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Spoilers for Only A Monster

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Description:

Despite the odds, Joan achieved the impossible. She reset the timeline, saved her family - and destroyed the hero, Nick.

But her success has come at a terrible cost.

She alone remembers what happened. Now, Aaron, her hard-won friend - and maybe more - is an enemy, trying to kill her. And Nick, the boy she loved, is a stranger who doesn't even know her name. Only Joan remembers that there is a ruthless and dangerous enemy still out there.

When a deadly attack forces Joan back into the monster world as a fugitive, she finds herself on the run with Nick - as Aaron closes in. As the danger rises - and Nick gets perilously closer to discovering the truth of what Joan did - Joan discovers a secret of her own. One that threatens everyone she loves.

Torn between love and family and monstrous choices, Joan must find a way to re-gather her old allies to face down the deadliest of enemies, and to save the timeline itself.

⏱️⏱️⏱️⏱️⏱️⏱️

Only a Monster was in my 2022 top ten reads so I have been hugely anticipating the sequel.

After the events of the first book, Joan is back home with her Dad, trying to get on with her life.

Things quickly go wrong though, and Joan finds out that they have much bigger things to worry about.

I loved getting back into the world of Monsters. I find the concept of the timeline, and the true timeline, really interesting. The way the Monsters have enclaves in every time period is really cool.

All the key characters are back, but they have no memory of what went on in the previous book due to Joan’s actions, so they have to learn to trust each other again.

This is particularly painful with Aaron. I am still very much #teamaaron and I’m holding out hope!

This was a really great sequel. I’m not sure if this is going to be a trilogy or longer series, but we’re left on a cliffhanger so I hope it’s not too long til the next one!

Thanks to @netgalley and @hodderscape for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Never a Hero is out on the 29th of August.

Thank you NetGalley & the publishers for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.


The moment I finished Only A Monster, I was desperate for the sequel. I have hardly stopped thinking about it since that moment, and it has not disappointed in the least.

Going into this book, I wasn't wholly certain of what to expect considering where things were left. But wow!

This sequel picks up beautifully from where Only A Monster left us, with a reset timeline and only Joan with memories of all that has happened. Only a reset timeline does not fix everything and Joan finds herself on the run with Nick. And amongst the people after her? Only the friend she forged and promptly lost with the resetting of the timeline.

Throughout the whole of the first book, I was shipping Joan and Aaron so hard. I loved their relationship so much and I was desperate to see so much more of Aaron. I didn't think anything could make me doubt that those two should be a couple... Then Never A Hero comes along and shows us how a love triangle is done RIGHT.

Normally, I'm not a fan of a love triangle. There are so many instances I have been completely uninterested in a book because of it. But this manages to be an exception to that rule and I am SO glad that it is.

Romance is only a small portion of this novel though. The main star is undoubtedly Joan herself. Whilst the people around her have been "reset", she has not; her memories from the before timeline are in tact, which makes for some of the most gorgeous character development. The way she has grown from all that happened in the first book and how she continues to grow in this one is just wonderful. I absolutely adore her as an MC and her point of view is one of my absolute favourites to read.

I'm not going to mention much on the plot, other than I LOVED it. And this is only because the blurb gives you all you need to thoroughly enjoy this novel. It is so beautifully pieced together and I am DESPERATE for more. I'm definitely going to be rereading this one when it comes out!

The only thing I would warn is that you check the TWs for this book as it touches on a variety of subjects, including but not limited to: loss of family members, blood, violence, imprisonment, torture.

Wow, this series, I have no words!

I was completely blown away by Only a Monster so it’s sequel immediately became one of my most anticipated releases of 2023. I was over the Moon when I got the ARC from Netgalley.

Second books in trilogies often can be just fillers until the big conclusion in the final book but this was very much not the case here. There were a couple of moments where I felt the story slowed down but it quickly bounced back to all angst and action.

The ending of book 1 left me totally devastated (in the good way, mind you) and with so many possible scenarios for book 2. I went in expecting lots of action coupled with lots of feel and the book didn’t disappoint.

The angst, the loneliness at the beginning were so palpable, really heart-breaking. And just when I thought I couldn’t take it any more and boom, the action starts and never lets go till the end.
I found this book to be just as intense and the plot as twisty as book one.

Joan is amazing here as well, more vulnerable but also sad. In opposition to book 1 where she was new and didn’t know anything about the monster world, here she is the one with knowledge/memories of the other timeline. At least it seemed so at the start but trust Vanessa Len to turn things on their head. By the end of the book, neither Joan nor the reader was sure of anything.

I am intentionally vague on the plot because I think this is the kind of story that one should read without any previous knowledge of the plot. Not knowing what to expect next is thrilling but also scary at times. I trust Vanessa Len to treat her characters with care and compassion but she did keep me on the edge of my seat most of the book.

We see most the characters from the previous book getting together here again – Ruth, Jamie and Tom, Nick and Aaron. None of them is the same as they were in book 1 and just because they are in a different timeline.

Now, Nick and Aaron and Joan, all the feels – from fear through compassion and love to resentment and anger. It’s complicated fully encompasses their relationship. A bit of fated mates element which I am not really a fan but I want to wait and see how this plays out in book 3. We get more focus on Nick than on Aaron but every tiny glimpse into Aaron’s soul just confirms it for me I am #teamAaron all the way.

And that ending, wow, that ending. It’s complete in itself but also making me excited and impatient for the next book.

Gorgeous writing, great character development, amazing world building (I can’t comment on the historical accuracy but the feelings and sense of place jump straight from the page).

CW: violence, extortion, murder, imprisonment, blood, loss of one's family

~5 ⭐️
~thank you netgalley and hodder and stoughton
~I loved only a monster and was so excited to read this sequel!! I loved how the plot progressed into this book and it reminded you about what happened without being to repetitive. I love these characters so much and I was so happy to be reading about them again. I never knew what was coming next or how the book would end which made it even more exiting. This book is form the villains perspective and is n amazing if you like books from that pov. Even though it carries on from the first book I love the world building, and the “magic” system. I loved this book but I do think I preferred the first one a bit more(probably because it had more aaron) but overall I loved this one and I need the next book!!

5 stars

I was so happy when Hodderscape gave me access to that e-ARC on Netgalley because Only a Monster has been one of my favorite books from 2022! That was a formidable debut and I wanted to know what would happen to Joan, Nick, Aaron and the others “after”.

Warning: if you haven’t read “Only a Monster” but plan to read it, don’t read further as this review will certainly contain spoilers for the first book!
What’s “Never a Hero” about?

Never a Hero is the sequel of “Only a Monster” and begins soon after we left Joan when she had “unmade” Nick.
She is now somewhere on another timeline, a new timeline, where Nick is simply human and does not know Joan.
Her family does not remember the past events either and I couldn’t help thinking that it must be excruciating for Joan to remember all these things while no one else did. She went through a lot and couldn’t even talk about it. Joan was sad and lonely yet happy to know that her family was alive.

I had no idea how Vanessa Len would twist the story, what trope she would choose but I must say that I was impressed once again! She succeeded in having us follow our favorite characters again, in a mad dash to escape people, again and save the world…again without any of it feeling like a wash out copy of the first book!
We will discover more about that world, about Monsters power and history, delving deeper into concepts of timeline while also getting some short history lessons as we’ll be time traveling through London more than once!

Joan didn’t expect her actions to have consequences yet it did.
She did her best to avoid Nick but the timeline does not intend to let them live apart. And in one dramatic turn of events they’ll be allied, running for their lives.
Only Nick doesn’t remember anything, has no notion of what makes a monster travel in time. What will happen if he discovers the truth again?

And when Joan will be faced with Aaron, working for the “enemy”, that will hurt a lot too as he doesn’t remember their friendship either!

There is a lot of torn feelings and conflicted emotions in this sequel. From Joan but also Nick and Aaron. Joan is still “half”. Half Chinese and half British, half monster and half human. Whatever her choices, she’ll always be “with” one side and against the other side. That made her decisions very hard and more than once did I want to shout and urge her to make a different choice. That was equally frustrating and understandable.

Nick might now be a “simple” human, he still has all the qualities of a king of old. Noble, loyal, courageous and charismatic. Someone you’d follow in a heartbeat. And even if he does not remember Joan, both are still very drawn together, trying to protect the other at all cost.

And as for Aaaron, he still is the golden boy, beautiful beyond understanding and yet an outcast among monsters. We’ll learn more about his past and his family and honestly, I just wanted to hug him. The way he has been treated…broke my heart.
We don’t have a “real” love triangle per se but even so, I’d be hard pressed to choose a favorite.

Between kidnapping, evasion, mad dash through London of the past, gathering friends and amassing enemies, we follow Joan and her allies at a brisk pace, heart beating, conflicted emotions overflowing while they try to prevent a very bleak future to happen for humanity.
I read that sequel in record time and … I need the next book as it ends on a huge cliffhanger!

I never saw the twists coming either so, bravo Mrs Len, you surprised and enthralled me once more!

Trilogies and longer that have one overarching story are tough because of the dreaded 'Slacking Middle' syndrome but I think Len did a bang-up job! I never got bored and was addicted to keep finding out what happened! It's fantastic that the protagonist, Joan, got her perspective challenged, helping to highlight her flaws and spin the plot in a different direction. A few of the most guarded characters from the previous novel were spotlighted more in this novel, allowing us to get a different glimpse of who they are or dig deeper into their histories. While I wasn't trying too hard to predict how the novel would end, I guess in some ways I knew how it'd echo the end of the first before we were teased about it in the story. With certain loose ends that weren't answered in this novel and a main plotline that stranded the characters in perilous states, the final installment is shaping up to be an exciting conclusion!

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with the e-ARC/DRC in exchange for an honest review.

OMG! This is just so good! Totally hooked and I couldn't put it down.

Having loved Only a Monster I eagerly awaited the release of the sequel and WOW!

At every page I needed to see what happened next. Twists and turns, excitement and not knowing whether to be team Aaaron or team Nick through out. Swayeing between back and forth and I've finally settled on Aaron. Maybe.

This is honestly up there as one of the best books I've read in forever.

As Joan struggles to come to terms after unmaking Nick, they are thrown together along with Aaron, Ruth and the returning crew and families to battle against an even bigger catastrophe than before.

No spoilers, but the secrets revealed, the future foretold and the relationships in this story literally broke me. Again and again!

This is one of those books that you love and recomend, knowing that the ending will destroy you. And all your friends. How can I cope till book three!!

I love love loved Vanessa Len's Only a Monster, and so was equally excited and hesitant about the sequel - could it live up to the first in the series? The answer I am super relieved to say is a resounding yes. Never a Hero is just as original, just as tightly plotted, just as filled with adventure and emotion and creative world building as its predeccessor, marking Len as one of the most exciting writers in YA fantasy today.

The book starts a few months after Only a Monster ends. Joan is back at school, back at her weekend job, back in her normal life - only it's not normal. The timeline she changed to turn Nick back into a normal boy and not a hero created by torture and fear, to save her family, is ever so slightly different to the original. It's not just that Joan is the only person to remember the summer, but there are people missing, teachers her friends don't remember for instance. And most disturbingly Nick is here, the new boy at school, just a normal boy, not a hero, and he doesn't remember Joan at all. But things don't stay settled for long and before she knows it Joan is back on the run, this time with a Nick who has no idea who is chasing them or why, or who he used to be. Joan is caught between her feelings for Nick and realisation that it won't take much to turn him back into a monsterkiller putting her family and friends at risk once more.

Twisty, clever, unpredicatable and exciting, this series is shaping up to be a classic. Highly recommended.

Joan Hunt is a monster with a special ability to undo what has been made. After she has Unmade the Hero, many monsters lives are saved and her family lives once again. However, in this new timeline, not everything is as it once was. Joan now finds herself at odds with a new enemy, one who knows about her forbidden power. Now old enemies become allies and old friends become new enemies. Can Joan find a way to bring her previous friends back together to save the new timeline before it’s too late?

What a read this was!

And can I just say, I loved the improvement. Only a Monster was a fun read, but a lot of it felt really underdeveloped and I’d been surprised it had gotten past the editorial stage. Never a Hero really takes the time to lay out the characters and problems take their time to be resolved.

Often with novels that include time travels and timelines, it can be hard to keep up. Len writes in a way that makes the time travel aspect simple to understand so that readers can focus on the flow of the story.

I was sucked in from the very beginning. I adore these characters and I love getting to see the subtle ways in which the new timeline has changed them. Every twist was so unpredictable, I truly felt as though I was there with Joan unravelling the mystery one thread at a time.

I am losing my mind at that ending and I will be eagerly awaiting the next instalment in this series!

The twists and turns this one served had me gasping every now and then. I loved how fast paced it was, and the word building was chefs kiss good, made it easy to grasp. But that ending was respectfully, very brutal; as I have had to mend my heart. Can’t wait enough for the next one already

I had so much fun reading it and found myself reading it instead of sleeping. Without spoilers, I can say that it was interesting to see the characters from the first book in another environment, and I think that the author understands perfectly the world and rules she has created.

Never A Hero, a much-anticipated sequel that did not disappoint. Like its predecessor, you're immediately thrown into the action with little time to acclimate. I found myself a little lost at first, trying to recall the many characters but once I had found my footing I remembered why I loved Only A Monster so much.

The book itself is long enough to keep you entertained while short enough to not feel repetitive. I loved the ending and how it built up to book three. The reveal was enough to throw me off balance and I could barely see it coming.

Needless to say, I am so excited for book three and will always be available if Harper Collins or Vanessa Len need someone to sample it!

Thanks for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

“You know what most delights me?” he murmured. “You don’t even know what you are. None of you do. You all die without knowing.”

After the cliffhanger of the first book, I couldn't wait to read the second one. I’m happy to say that it hasn’t disappointed me at all.

In this book the plot becomes more complicated as more information is revealed. There are so many mysteries to be unravelled. It was impossible to put the book down; I needed to keep reading to know how the story would evolve.

I felt as curious as Joan, who also couldn't catch her breath because she had to uncover the mysteries surrounding monsters and humans. In this book she truly becomes a hero and that's why she feels morality obliged to fix the chaos she has caused. She refuses to accept defeat and she will do her best to achieve a happy ending. I loved her unwavering personality because, despite everyone telling her there is no possible solution, she won’t give up.

I enjoyed learning more about the monster families and the timeline, there were sooo many unexpected revelations that I would had never imagined. Some of them were related to my favourite character Aaron and now I love him even more. He’s just a baby to me.

I won’t say much more about Aaron and Nick because I don’t want to spoil anything but I will say we will see different sides of them, both good and bad, and there will be a little bit more romance as well.

Finally, I want to say I loved reading this book. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, and I thoroughly enjoyed Joan's adventure. I don’t know if I can wait to read the conclusion of the trilogy after these many revelations and plot twists. Now, my expectations are high for the final book. We'll have to wait and see.

This book was such a thrilling adventure!

In book two, Vanessa Len showed us a different side to all of the characters we fell in love with in book one. Never A Hero has given me so many mixed emotions!

This was excellently plotted out and perfectly executed. I was on the very edge of my seat the entire time with tension and just the pure weight of what’s hanging over this group of found family’s shoulders!

I am so nervous and excited for the finale!

Awesome book! Very fast paced and well written for fast pace. A lot more about the world is explained and it adds a lot to the world.

MAJOR SPOILERS IN NEXT PARAGRAPH..
Characters are very much the same as before, Nick of course returns, and he is only one who is a little bit different as now his family has not been killed. What I disliked a bit is ''fake'' conflict due to Joan not telling Nick full information. I really dislike when conflict is made this way, as there was no reason for her not to tell him everything, especially after he learns she unmade him, why didn't she tell him as soon as possible why she did it. I do understand Joan's fear, but she made it only worse by not telling him. It is very obvious it will change his mind once he learned the truth from Elenor.

Ending wraps up nicely, and leaves you wanting more right away! There is no cliffhanger, but it is very obvious there will be more. I can't wait for the next book!

I really enjoyed this book! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read early with ARC.

Vanessa Len never disappoints! The second book in the Monsters trilogy, Never a Hero, is a story filled with action, adventure, friendship and found family. Similar to Only a Monster, the writing was just magical. It’s incredible how everything tied together and how entangled all the plots were, the timeline was layered and complex and I was CAPTIVATED!!! I adored Joan and Aaron even more than before and I cannot wait to explore the next book.

Only a Monster was a favourite book last year and I couldn't wait to start this one. It didn't dissapoint and read it in 2 days. Vanessa Len writes exactly what I want to read. The only downside is the now long wait for book 3.

I get a little nervous reading the follow-up to a book I've loved and given five stars. Why? How could it possibly compete, right? Luckily it was like Vanessa Len had heard my fears and wrote Never A Hero to allay them. From the very first page I was hooked, dragged back straight back into the action, and falling back in love with all of the characters from book one. I absolutely love Vanessa's writing style, it's engaging and gripping, and every description is so unbelievably rich and vivid - I can picture every place she describes like I've been there myself. But most of all I can't get over the creativity and imagination that pour from the story. Time travel is something that I think is often a bit of a let-down, but this wasn't the case at all with Never A Hero. There were so many details thrown in and it all felt so well-researched and realistic. It was so fantastic that I can't help wanting more time travel (although morally I can see why we're not getting more!).

It was such a treat to be back with the characters I love *cough*​ Aaron *cough*, and the dynamics between everyone are always fantastic. The story ended on a cliff-hanger, so I'm already counting down the days until I can get my hands on book three (the wait is already killing me). I absolutely cannot wait to see how Joan's story wraps up, I know which characters I'm rooting for, and I just know Vanessa Len won't let me down and will produce an absolute stunner of a book yet again.
My only teeny tiny nit-pick is that Joan refers to the police as 'cops' at a couple of points, which a Brit wouldn't say, but as that's my only gripe, I think that's a reflection on how much I enjoyed the rest of the book. I raced through it at record speed and promptly stayed up until 2am to finish it (worth it!). So excited for everyone to get their hands on this, I know everyone's going to love it as much as I did.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I was so excited to dive back into this world after absolutely adoring Only A Monster last year. This sequel did not disappoint! You're thrown immediately into the action, with some wild time travelling antics from the very first chapter. I loved being back with Joan and the gang, even if they were all a little different from the last book (but no spoilers here!) The plot was just as high stakes as book one, with plenty of little twists and shocking reveals along the way. The only thing I wanted more of? Aaron Oliver, of course.

This series is such an original and fun take on morally grey, at times villainous characters, time travel and swoony boys. The perfect YA fantasy!

Thank you Netgalley and Hodderscape for an ARC of this book!

Never the hero is an action-packed sequel to Only a Monster and did not disappoint. It lived up to all of my expectations after finishing the first book and I find myself highly anticipating more of this series!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially re-entering the world, magic, and characters! The new relationships and dynamics of the characters was also interesting and refreshing for a sequel.

The ending was so thrilling I was absolutely hooked and find myself wanting more I cannot wait for the next book. I am excited to see how the series will end in the next instalment, Joan’s story is wonderful and everyone should pick up this book and immerse themselves into the world of monsters.

I am in love with Vanessa Len and her writing and I look forward to reading more from her!

<i> I would like to thank Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!</i>

I’m left with no words for this book except that I loved it even more than the first. This was the perfect follow up book: The stakes are higher, the angst intense, the moral questions remain and we learn just enough secrets to keep us wondering and craving the third book.

Vanessa’s writing is beautiful and engaging, bringing up to life all these versions of London as if we were there experiencing them.
The story is fast paced and I was gripped from the beginning. The last 20% left me on the edge of my seat, and I hope I won’t need to wait more than a year for the sequel. My heart seriously cannot take it.

This book reminds me a bit of the Netflix series Dark. If you enjoyed the show, give this series a try.

Spoiler free review... I have been waiting for this since I finished the first one and OH MY it did not disappoint!! But why oh why do I have to wait for the last instalment? I don't know how I will cope. The plot was even better in this one (if that is even possible). It is page turning, thrilling and everything I wanted and more.

Thanks Netgalley for the review copy.

This was such a rip roaring read, and an absolutely worthy sequel to Only a monster. It’s a testament to my work ethic that I didn’t ring in sick in order to stay home and read this all day.
Joan has saved her family from the hero, and undone the harm inflicted on them. But has she undone more than that? I love the way Joan wrestles so hard with what is good and right, and that there aren’t easy answers. She’s painfully reunited with both of her love interests from Only a Monster, neither of whom remembers her, or trusts her, yet she has to work with them to save the timeline.
The writing is tight, the world-building utterly believable (London in 1891 in particular) and I love the way the story unfolds from Joan’s point of view, events gradually becoming clearer to the reader as they make sense to Joan, building to acquite shocking revelation at the end. Joan’s a truly wonderful creation.
This book ends on a massive cliff hanger, so we’re going to be super patient and look forward to Joan, Nick, Aaron, Ruth, Tom, and Jamie putting everything to rights in Book Three.

Vanessa Len never misses! This book was everything I wanted and more! A masquerade ball? Witty banter? Found family? the TENSION OMG AND THE PLOT TWISTS I NEVER SAW COMING. I’m in love with nick but MR AARON OLIVERS CHARM 😩😭

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.

Miraculously, I have managed to keep this almost entirely spoiler free.

Look … I … I just cannot be coherent about this.

Put it this way, okay. I’ve read a fair second-books-of-trilogies recently, stories I have enjoyed and allowed myself to be swept up in, and which have left me eager for the finale. But I’ve always begun my reviews with kind of a … second book in a trilogy disclaimer? You know, happy to be with these characters again, some development of the overall plot but lacking the impetus/stakes/tension of the first book, felt a little bit like treading water/setting up for the bit climax.

WELL, ABSOLUTELY NONE OF THAT APPLIES HERE.

Never A Hero is some kind of fucking masterclass in how to write the second book of a trilogy—

(wait, I am allowed to say this thing that is blatantly a trilogy is a trilogy, right? Sorry I’m apparently still a bit sore over being told a completely different YA author had declared such non-revelations verboten).

Anyway.

Assuming it is okay to say trilogies that are blatantly trilogies are, in fact, trilogies: Never A Hero is some kind of fucking masterclass in how to write the second book of a trilogy. Tension is maintained throughout. Stakes are established (and sky high) almost immediately. We get to visit old friends in new contexts. We get to see more of the setting than we saw in the first book. And—mostly importantly of all—information comes to light that completely re-shapes your understanding the world so the book never feels like filler or loses its forward momentum. I mean, honestly. How is this Vanessa Len’s debut series? HOW? It’s just so expertly put together in every conceivable way. The rest of us might as well just pack up and go home.

In any case, before I go on there are two things I need to get out of the way.

1. The book ends on the mother of all cliff-hangers.
Except I think you should read it anyway. I mean, no, you should do what works for you. On this occasion, however, I think there’s a pretty strong case to be made that it’s worth reading the book when it comes out rather than waiting for 3. I can definitely understand wanting to see a story through to its ultimate conclusion in one fell swoop but—having thought about why I was okay with Never A Hero when I’ve been less okay with other on-going book series—my sense is that cliff-hangers are only emotionally unsatisfying if they feel like they’re the *only* point of the book. Like if you all you got from reading it was big “what next.” With Never A Hero there is plenty to keep you going in terms of character development and new revelations. I finished the book in a welter of excitement for the next final instalment, but also completely satisfied. Yes, this book is, to some unavoidable degree, set it up for the next one but it also feels fully integrated into the broader arc of the series.

2. You will feel Aaron Oliver is not in this book “enough”.
And I think this is going to be complicated? I mean, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it’s not going to be complicated at all. But I’ve seen a few comments there and there and it kind of got of me thinking about … not shipping wars exactly, but the expectations we bring to authors when we fall in love with a particular character or characters. Let me just say first, though, it’s totally okay to have faves and it’s totally okay to want to, um, consume as much of them as possible. It’s also okay to have deep emotions about the quantity of Aaron Oliver in this book (although, let me make very clear, I challenge anyone to feel anything other than ecstatic over the *quality* of Aaron Oliver in this book). But I do lowkey get concerned when “I personally wanted more of [x] or less of [y]” doesn’t just become “so I didn’t like the book as much as I thought I was going to” but instead morphs into “so the book is bad” with a strong implication of or indeed explicitly stated, “ergo the author made an incorrect creative choice.”

I think where I’m going with this is that relationships between authors and readers are complex. Obviously it’s a breach of trust for author to deliberately (or ignorantly) make choices aimed at hurting or disappointing readers e.g. I will market this (or allow this to be marketed) as a genre romance but one of them dies in the end. But, at the same time, I don’t feel readers are baby birds into whose open mouths authors are required to disgorge their story in the most digestible format. Like, I don’t want to be fucked around by an author, but at the same time, it’s not an author’s job to give me exactly what I want exactly when and how I want it. To put it another way, I’m cool with how Never A Hero handled Aaron Oliver. Would I, in pure goblin mode, have wanted more of him? Yes, he’s my fucking favourite. I would take as much of him as I can reasonably (or unreasonably) get.

BUT: I also respect the author’s creative choices here. And I don’t even mean in that in a mindless acceptance way. I mean, the emotional journey of “oh no, it’s exactly like he said it would be, he’s a villain now, help my feelings” was more satisfying than any faster burn “get him on page as quick as possible” type outcome. More to the point, these are books about time travel: context is always significant. The “when” and the “how” of when you revisit something. The ways it may be different and the ways it isn’t. We spent Only A Monster mostly with Aaron and then got some revelations about Nick at the end. Never A Hero we spend initially with Nick and then we learn more about Aaron. Structurally, this really *really* works. And, finally, something I really appreciate about Vanessa Len as an author, and about how she’s put this series together, is there are always consequences to what happens. I personally find it kind of frustration when books or TV shows or other media set up twists or climaxes for the sake of being twists or climaxes, and then basically undo in the next book/episode etc. When Aaron warns Joan that he’ll be different in another timeline—that she can’t trust him—he’s partially speaking of, y’know, sexy self-loathing but also he’s correct. And treating that seriously—for Aaron to be a credible threat—is important and, frankly, a huge source of tension and anxious feels across the book as a whole.

Basically: it’s always okay to want what we want or for what we want to run contrary to the author’s own vison for the work or even for the author to fail to deliver on their own vision. But, at the same time, I think it’s important not to treat deviation from our personal preferences as authorial failure. Vanessa Len earned my trust as reader in Only A Monster and continues to maintain that trust in Never A Hero. I couldn’t particularly tell you what I *expected* from this book. But it’s a breathtakingly ambitious and satisfying sequel, and I wouldn’t want it to be anything other than what it is.

It's also kind of impossible to talk about without spoiling shit and I don’t want to do that. So I’m going to navigate that as best as I can with vagueness and enthusiasm. The book opens with Joan stranded in her new timeline, the only person who can remember that once things were different. Except this also isn’t wholly the same timeline as it was before: yes, her family are still, but there are subtle and persistent differences. People who have disappeared. Nick—who is, of course, no longer the hero, no longer the Nick she knew—joining her school. Then Joan (and coincidentally Nick) are attacked at the bakery where she works, putting them both on the run again, and drawing them back into the very conspiracy Joan originally un-made Nick to destroy.

What’s remarkable about Never A Hero’s build to its absolutely explosive climax is the way it circles the events of the first book, re-contextualising them, but never quite repeating them. There’s a getting the gang back together vibe for at least the middle third and ye Gods does it feel good to see those people again, especially after the intense loneliness of the opening where Joan is essentially stranded in a timeline only she understands is different. There is a lot of ground to cover here, especially in terms of just how much new information we get about the world and what was actually going on last book. This is, occasionally, to the detriment of character. Ruth, in particular, is less vivid than she was in Only A Monster, and I missed her. Plus, while I was happy to see Tom and Jamie together on page, they are often reduced to sharing looks in which magic couple communication takes place—I can understand not wanting to slow the pace with too much dialogue, but I personally could have taken more of the queer couple directly interacting with each other. Mostly, though, I was awed by the number of plates Vanessa Len has kept spinning here.

Joan remains an absolute hero to me, determined, yet vulnerable, and far from perfect. Also can I please just take a moment to celebrate a book that recognises that fucking with someone’s brain is an absolute violation, even if it’s happening to a person with relative privilege compared to those around them. I seem to have brushed up against too many things recently that have sort of cheerfully elided how messed up and consent-erasing it is to alter someone’s perceptions or behaviour (or allow them to act on the basis of incomplete information) if the someone in question happens to be a straight white man. Like, I’m not the biggest fan of straight white men myself but that doesn’t mean I think it’s okay to treat their brains like silly putty.

ANYWAY. I loved all the new insights Never A Hero provides, as well as all its superbly handled twists, turns, and revelations. I really love how Len handles her world-building. Magicians, time travellers, families, a sinister court: these are not, on their own terms, especially original elements but Len brings both a freshness and a darkness to them, as well as a stark awareness of privilege that is quite transformative. While this book is as much as a breathless adventure story as its predecessor, its explicit themes of memory, knowledge, perspective—and how those things might be controlled, changed or erased—foreground its on-going preoccupation with identity. Specifically what shapes identity and how power can be used to re-shape it, much as Nick was re-shaped into the hero in Only A Monster. I’m also beyond fascinated by glimpses of time itself we get throughout the book. The heroine’s sense of its curtailed will, the way it is essentially presented as a colonised being. I genuinely can’t wait to see how this is further explored in the third book.

I will, however, say that, despite my heartfelt defence of Nick’s presence and Aaron’s absence, Nick is a little bit the weakest link here. I admire what Len is trying to achieve with him—writing a genuinely good/heroic person is fucking difficult—but he’s just not as interesting as literally anyone else around him. Like, I’m sorry to say this but maybe being horribly tortured was what made him interesting? Because without that edge, he’s just a nice guy who is nice and whose flaws are all job interview flaws, along the lines of “well, maybe I’m just a little bit too loyal, understanding and amazing.” Obviously I want Joan to have all the good things—and there is no escaping the fact that Nick is a good thing—but I do find Nick hard to like (and/or fancy) on in any terms beyond any abstract recognition of his role in the book and what he represents. I don’t think that necessarily means I want Joan to end up with Aaron either. But I like Joan’s relationship with Nick only because Joan herself seems to like it, not because I myself like it, if that distinction makes sense. This setup of this book offers the reader (and indeed Joan) an opportunity to get to know Nick as something beyond the hero he was forced to be.

Unfortunately, all I really got from him was football, muscles, and a generalised sense of decency. And I’m afraid that just doesn’t feel like … enough. Especially because Aaron Oliver is a haughty, vulnerable, self-loathing charisma bomb and we all want to do him and/or heal him (although he’s a teenager, so not really, and also fictional, so not really). On top of which Nick and Joan are brushing perilously close to my least favourite romance trope which I won’t dig into because it’s a spoiler and also because I am reserving judgement until the third book. I just can’t believe that a series so embedded in ideas about agency and self-determination could, you know, be going down that route romantically speaking.

Back to Aaron, though. I need to take a moment to reiterate just how much I appreciate him as a character, and not just for inappropriate (he’s a fictional teenager) thirst-based reasons. We first meet him in book 1, non-heroically and humiliatingly begging for his life, and his personal horror of violence continues to this book. I mean, I honestly think all sensible people have a horror of violence, but it still feels rare to me for characters (especially male characters) who we are otherwise supposed to like/admire to be presented as physically cowardly. For that to be … okay? I think the only other piece of media I’ve seen that does this is, err, the Deep Space Nine episode ‘Nor To Battle The Strong’ where Jake Sisko singularly fails to discover his inner machismo/heroism when cast into a dangerous situation (this is extra fascinating in the context of Star Trek where particular kinds of strength are just taken for granted). Anyway, I think all Vanessa Len’s choices around Aaron—his fearfulness, his brittleness, his own core of goodness—are bold, and kind of unique. Which might be why Nick suffers quite so much in comparison, at least in this book.

Of course, having written that and thinking again about the way this series approaches identity, I think it we do have to recognise that Nick is someone who has had his identity stripped from him—or otherwise altered—multiple times. In that context, his slight blankness, and his lack of depth, are probably reasonable. But it still doesn’t necessarily make him super fun to read about.

In any case, I hope it’s coming across that pontificating is very much my love language. And my love for these books is through the fucking roof. I tried to keep my expectations in check, but Never A Hero is a more than worthy successor to Only A Monster. At this point, I honestly feel the third book is basically a victory lap for the author. I can’t wait to see her bring this phenomenal series home.

I put off writing this review for weeks for one simple reason: I don’t really know what to say. It’s always easier to write reviews for books I didn’t like but when I truly loved a book? It’s somehow so much harder. I cannot find the words except for “it was so good, I loved it, please read it”. Even though that is exactly what I want to say over and over again.

But I shall try and put into words my feelings. So, what did I love?

1) The pace of the story. We get thrown right into it, and it feels like not much time has passed since the end of Only A Monster. Right from the very beginning there is tension and action and fighting, running, fear. And it doesn’t really change throughout the whole book, there is always so much happening, the characters never really getting a break. While the characters would definitely deserve a break, it was exciting for me that they didn’t get one. I could not stop reading.

2) Joan and her family. I love Joan. She’s smart and resourceful, trying to do what’s right but allowing herself to be selfish. After everything that happened in the first book, after Joan destroyed the boy she loved to save her family, changing the timeline, she is the only one really remembering it (except for some of the Lius, who remember bits and pieces). She basically has the burden of all that knowledge and all that pain on her shoulders, she is traumatized and feels guilty, but also relieved and because of that more guilty. She is a jumble of emotions coming together in a body that has to function despite everything. And I truly loved how that was written. Her trauma really comes through, but also the way she pushes it aside, not ready to deal with it, instead hurrying from danger to danger.
I also loved seeing more of Joan’s family’s past and present. I like Ruth and liked seeing her back and out and about. But I really liked finally seeing more of Joan’s history and how her family works and discovering more about her powers.

3) Aaron. Listen, I love him. He is precious, desperate for someone to actually see him and his potential, and I love him.

4) I still love the time travel and how it works and why it makes the time travellers monstrous. It’s such an interesting concept and time as a currency makes so much sense.

5) London as a setting. It felt both incredibly real and unreal at the same time. Real because of all the descriptions and the atmosphere created. Unreal because of all the magical changes that felt like running through a video game world. But it fit perfectly together.

There was just one thing I was annoyed with and that was Nick. While I do like him with Joan, he’s just so good. He’s the embodiment of good. And that this was mentioned at every turn was repetitive and annoying. I just couldn’t get warm with his character.

But Never a Hero was such an amazing book with a devastating ending that makes me want to read book 3 immediately, even though Never a Hero is not even out yet. This whole series is such a wild ride of action, grief, mysteries and monstrosities and I am here for every single thing of it. Never a Hero is an exciting, great sequel and to everyone who liked Only a Monster a definitive must-read.

This is the sequel to one of my favorite books from last year, and I’m always a little hesitant going in to sequels because I often find them disappointing compared to the first book. Vanessa Len, however, have managed to get the sequel very intriguing with just the right amount of recaps from book one for this to be really good.

In this book we follow Joan after the events of Only a Monster where she successfully changed the timeline to save her family, but her success has come with a great cost. Her friend doesn’t remember her anymore, and no one but her remembers the old timeline.

It was quite a long time since I read the first book in the series and I realized when I started reading that I didn’t quite remember what had happened. But I think that also worked out for the better since no one but Joan remembers the events of the last book either. That means that we get to remember at the same rate as everyone else. And I feel like this would have been a less satisfying read had I re-read the previous book. Mostly because there were times when Joans memory wasn’t all that clear either and she spend a lot of time trying to figure out why certain places felt familiar. And had I know from the start why, I know I’d been annoyed by having to wait for someone else to catch up. So, for me, this sequel came at the right time where the previous book was just hazy enough in my mind that everything clicked together like a satisfying puzzle in my mind as I was reading.

I think the plot was really interesting and allowed for more exploration of this very interesting world. Joan’s unique powers get a lot more attention here and we follow Joan on the journey to figure out what her powers are and why she can undo things and most of all why her powers are deemed forbidden. It’s full of action and always new twists and turns that keep the reader’s attention from beginning to end.

The writing is easy and fast and fit the genre well and I find that it has the right balance between explanatory details and fast paced action. I love this world and I always feel like I know enough to follow along, but it never gets boring and too much.

I think there’s really just one thing that annoyed me while reading, and it’s the fact that we’re having a bit of “conflict due to lack of talking” in this book. The two main characters here, Nick and Joan, used to know one another. One’s the hero, the other’s the Monster, but Nick doesn’t remember any of what happened before. He doesn’t know who he was and what he did or what Joan did. Joan does, and when the details of the past timeline starts to unravel before them, Joan fails to tell Nick the truth. There’s reason for it in the book, but I don’t buy it. She allows for a bigger conflict because she doesn’t tell him everything. And that annoys me so much. I hate when things would probably just be better if people had a normal conversation. And I suppose I’m not a huge fan of the almost love triangle of this series either, but that’ll slide for now.

A clear 5/5 stars and a series I highly recommend.

After the ending of the first book and Joan's first adventure in the monsters' world everything seems to be normal again. The timeline is fixed, Joan's family is alive and she's the only one who remember what happened. Not only she unmade the hero, but now Nick is back in her life and school as another typical student.
When Joan and Nick are attacked and thrown in the future, they have to fend themselves and fight against a more terrible enemy, bent into rewriting the whole timeline. Again.
Struggling with her guilt and memories of her Nick, with her being part of both monsters'and humans' families and their contradictions, Joan has to find allies soon and stop another power hungry Monster.

Never the Hero comes back to the monsters' world with even more adventures, secrets, rollercoaster moments and hidden truths, while Joan and the reader with her, goes deeper and deeper in this reality, between past, present and future and lost timelines, new families and their Powers.

Brilliant, engaging and with a cliffhanger that will leave you breathless. I can't wait to hug my copy!

What a book! I loved it so so much!
You could really feel Joans hurt with both Aaron and Nick not remembering her.
I found a mistake in the book though, there was written NIC once instead of NICK.
I was hoping for a bit more Aaron Oliver, or at least more of the love triangle between the three of them.

I love how the groups does everything together, how they blindly follow Joan from time to time.
The plottwist though, I did not saw that comming.

I need the 3rd book now!

Thank you so much, NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton, Hodderscape for the chance to read the amazing sequel of Only a monster by Vanessa Len!

Joan was able to achieve the impossible: restart the timeline and save her family by unmaking the hero, Nick. Now, though, she's the only one who remembers everything that happened and Nick is only the new boy at her school, while Aaron is the enemy. When Joan and Nick got caught by monsters and they are wrenched into the future, they have to deal with impossible choices and difficult explanations. How to trust someone who wanted to kill you in the past timeline, but also was your greatest love? How to trust Aaron again? And how to understand what's really happening to them all and why Joan has an impossible and dangerous power? Between secrets and truths, Nick, Joan and Aaron are forced to deal with dangerous powers, kidnappings, hidden truths and lost families, while trying to save themselves and everyone they love.

I absolutely loved coming back to the monsters world created by Vanessa Len. This book is unputdownable, brilliant and so filled with actions, plot twists that will leave you breathless until the very end. And after that. With Never a Hero, Joan and Nick are gripped again by dangers, monsters and horrible truths, while Joan tries to hide what she did to Nick to save her family and she's conflicted between her two halves, the monster and the human one. The reader will find again wonderful characters like Jamie and Tom, Ruth, while encountering others and changed one. In this book the stakes are even higher than the previous one, because Joan and her allies have to face a more deadly enemy, who threatens to remake the whole timeline for their own gains and it was so incredible being able to witness new powers and families, with their tattoos and necklaces or braceles, their symbols, new allies and new enemies, while Joan tries to understand her power and what it means for her and everyone else.
It's romantic and brilliant, funny and dangerous and this adventure left me breathless. I can't wait to read the next book!

Only A Monster ended so conclusively, I was surprised to find it was a trilogy at first, but also, thank goodness it was not because I had some serious questions. I needed more and Len answered. Not only has Never A Hero explained many questions and created many more (I need the final book right now please) but it felt like a prime example of how to write a stunning sequel.

🗡️Some Only A Monster spoilers ahead. 🗡️

We start Never A Hero with Joan, plodding through the next school year. Her family, Aaron (her enemy turned close friend) and Nick (it's complicated), have all forgotten the battles they faced together, the lives lost and saved. My heart ached for her. Yet, we soon discover that messing with the timeline had an impact that continues to ripple and whoever made the hero, hasn’t finished puppeteering their story yet.

Like, Only A Monster the writing is fast-paced and easy to consume, we immediately jump into the action. Joan finds herself in a strange parallel reality when she must escape danger with Nick from none other than Aaron and other unknown forces closing in. Jumping around time, I continued to be impressed with all the little contextual details that inferred the setting and added depth to the characters and histories. The barges and markets for example! Also, the way they play detective to understand the new time they’ve landed in and how they react to a new area of history (or the future). It all builds on the idea of the ‘monsters’.

In Only A Monster the book was brought down slightly but it lacked an exploration into the use of the term ‘monster’ but Never A Hero took it everywhere I hoped it would go. Helped by an already established background on the characters set up in book one, we see a Nick that’s new to this hidden world once again and challenges Joan’s (whose still relatively new herself) initial assumptions while they both discover what it means to be a ‘monster’ and a ‘hero’ together. Cue lots and lots of grey areas.

If you loved the first, you’ll love the sequel. Plus, there were tons of little details that weaved the two books together and I can’t wait to see how it all ties in with the third. Please make 2024 come faster, it's uncomfortable having to sit at the edge of my seat for so long!

ARC sent by the publisher -Hodder & Stoughton- for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity.

Well. That certainly was something.

I'll start with the good parts: I love that we got more Aaron and Nick character development in Never A Hero. The backstory and the world building and all the twists and turns, while some not surprising, were brilliantly set up and pulled off and in general that ending left me reeling. Also, Miss Len's writing has remarkably improved and keeps you engrossed until that very last page.

The more eh parts: little to no further development of Tom, Jamie, and Ruth, which is really sad because I loved them in the first book and desperately would have liked more. It's understandable- there's only so much you can squeeze into one book- but it's still disappointing. Also, Joan "did" a lot less and "found out" a lot more in Never A Hero, which I mostly just object to because it's filling in exposition in one of the laziest ways possible, but I mean clearly Vanessa Len pulled it off because I still felt that the book was actually moving along.

All in all, easy five stars at the moment. I'm waiting on preorders to be available in my country so I can snag those extremely cool incentives. Anddd Vanessa Len has officially joined my list of best YA fantasy writers.

A brilliant follow-up to one of my favourite YA novels from last year. The premise behind this series is so cool. Once again, I loved all of the time travel and period details. The dynamics between the characters were even better than before, and I can't wait to find out what happens next! Joan is such a strong protagonist, and I loved seeing how she dealt with the repercussions of her decision at the end of Only a Monster. This series is a must-read for YA fantasy readers.

First of all I would like to thank hodder and sloughton (hodderscape) for a fantastic read.
.I'm going to try keep this spoiler free

I read only a monster maybe just over a year ago and thought it was totally enchanting and I can say I felt the same if not more sucked back in to this Vanessa amazing world , the book definitely took my breath away at times it definitely will pull on your heart out of you chest and make you beg for more .

We go on another pretty dangerous adventure with Joan and Aaron to save everyone from being destroyed .

This book will definitely have you mind spinning out of control at times but in the best way .

I really love Joan as a character she not only brave but also enpowering .every character to me has such incredible grit to them .

I thought over all the book was pretty fast paced , kept me on my toes for sure ,Vanessa writing is a piece of art , she clever with how she keeps you captivated in the story .I can not wait for this book to come out for all to enjoy .

I've given this heart stopping book 5 stars

Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The sequel is finally here! Never a Hero by Vanessa Len is an absolutely amazing YA fantasy that you should add to your TBR list immediately! The story revolves around Joan, who discovered in the first book that she is actually a monster. Descended from a family of monsters who time-travel by stealing time from humans, Joan is still dealing with the effects of this discovery from the first book and the horrifying decision that she made. Can Joan save her family from those who want to harm them? Who is the real enemy here?

Here is an exciting excerpt from Chapter 1:

"Joan had had a strange encounter with Gran's neighbor. He'd pushed her into a wall one morning, and then night had abruptly fallen.
Joan had run back to Gran's place, terrified. He did something to me, she'd told Gran.
Gran's green eyes had been luminous in the low kitchen light. He didn't do something to you, she'd told Joan. You did something to him. She'd leaned close. You're a monster, Joan."

Overall, Never a Hero is a thrilling sequel that is everything I was expecting and more! This series will appeal to fans of St. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children or Harry Potter. The first time I read Only a Monster, I was shocked by the climax and ending. I couldn't believe that a YA book was going so far. In preparation for reading the sequel, I read the first book a second time, and it was even better than I remembered!

One highlight of this book is how action-packed it was. I could not put this book down! Another highlight of this book is how much fun it was. There is a lot of lore and world-building, similar to the first book, and since I felt situated in the universe already, I was here for it. I actually appreciated how complicated the plot was. I can tell the author put a lot of thought into it. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA fantasy in general, you won't regret checking out this book when it comes out in August!

Where do I even begin with my review? Like I said above, I am quite obsessed with Only A Monster to the point where I have multiple copies, including the stunning Fairyloot edition. When I got the ARC of Never A Hero, I was a little nervous to start reading it. My expectations for it were pretty high, considering that book 1 is one of my favourite fantasy books of all time. But Never A Hero, in a word, is incredible. This book is not suffering from the so-called ‘second book syndrome’. It picks up perfectly from where we left off, showing us how Joan is dealing with the repercussions of the events that took place in book 1.

Vanessa Len’s writing in this book is absolutely stunning and takes you right back to the world of the Monsters and time travel. Joan is still reeling from the timeline reset and suffers from nightmares of a timeline that no longer exists. Reading from her perspective is honestly the best part of this book. I love seeing her thought process and how she plans things out. Honestly, she might be one of the cleverest protagonists that I have read about. Her growth in book 2 was incredible and I can’t wait to see what the final book brings for her.

Nick in this timeline is not the boy we know. He is kinder, much softer but there are hints of his previous self showing through. Aaron starts off as an opponent, but eventually becomes an ally. He is his same self though, except without the memories of book 1 Aaron. The love triangle between these three is done perfectly and though this book made me root for Nick just a little, I am always going to be an Aaron girlie through and through.

I wish I could talk about the plot and all the crazy things that happen. But I won’t spoil you. That is something you need to experience for yourself. You will literally be flipping the pages with bated breath, wanting to know what happens. The pacing is perfection and the action literally does not stop and goes on and on. I literally finished this book in a single sitting, without even moving.

Never A Hero is the perfect sequel and an action packed fantasy that will keep you on your toes as you read through, trying to see what happens to all the characters. I loved the twist ending and I cannot wait to see what the final book will bring us!

One of my favourite reads from last year was Only A Monster, it was essentially my fantasy book catnip, it had everything:
Enemies-to-Lovers, Monster POV, Magical Underworld, Rival Monster Families with Powers, Time Travel, Heists, Enemy Soulmates & a Hot, Ruthless Monster Boy.
I was hooked and have been eagerly awaiting the sequel as it left me wanting more.
And boy did this deliver!
The story picks up with Joan in a now new timeline living her life with the knowledge of what she undid and takes off fast, throwing you into this sequel and making you hold on tight because it does not let up.
Vanessa Len has created a fantasy world that I'd love to be apart of, the set up of these Monster families and their powers continues to fascinate me and we get to explore more of this in the sequel. With this new timeline comes a host of new troubles that Joan needs to navigate whilst on the run with a new Nick who is no longer the Hero in the Monster world from a *swoon* new Aaron who doesn't remember her and is actively hunting her for the enemy.
This kept me on the edge of my seat, I loved how the story unfolded and these characters are perfection. I am in need for the next book... you can't just leave me hanging like this. What is going to happen next?!?!?!
Honestly it is a phenomenal Fantasy read, go read it and start your obsession of Monster Families, Timelines and the irresistible Aaron Oliver!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

I loved the first book in this series and was so blown away by the fact it was a debut. It was such a joy to read the sequel which was just as action packed, heart stopping and joyous as the first one. Highly recommended!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Only a Monster is one of my favorite reads of 2022 and one of my favorite YA fantasies. It's just so authentic and soo original. I've been longing to read the sequel, and now that I read it, I'm longing for its sequel😅because this series is SO DELIGHTFULLY GOOD😍

Never a Hero takes us on a wild ride through time and a hurricane of emotions. Only Joan remembers everything that happened, and only Joan feels the same way *for both Aaron and Nick*. I felt so sorry for her; imagine living every day remembering the worst thing that had happened to you while no one else even knows that it had happened. But Joan doesn't back down. She's resourceful and just keeps going. I admire her so much for that.

This book saw more of Nick than the first one, and it was fascinating to meet his character more closely. He's moral and dependable and just a nice guy, you know? But sorry to say that he doesn't hold a candle to my Aaron. We didn't see Aaron much in the first half of the book. It makes sense but it also hurt😭😭😭 It was fascinating to see him in his Oliver-setting in his Oliver-role, and not on the run. Aaron fans, prepare to be sad and angry for our boy when the cast go to his house; that's all I'm going to say. An Aaron fan needs to be mentally prepared for that.

And the plot twists....OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!! So many plot twists!!!! Unpredictable! Original! Enthralling!!! I LOOOOOOOVED them all and I LOOOOOOVED this book so much. Second books in trilogies often disappoint but this one was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! Utter perfection in character dynamics, character development, worldbuilding, and plot! This is one of the best YA fantasy books I've ever read. The prose is immersive and captivating without ever being too dense. Joan is a heroine that makes mistakes in the most relatable way. And the author has created a Joan-Aaron-Nick dynamic that doesn't feel rushed but feels inevitable.

I really LOVE this series, and Never a Hero is a beautiful perfection that is sooo addicting! Vanessa Len is an auto-buy for me. I cannot wait for more stories from her. What a compelling writing voice and magnificently intricate storytelling mind!

Only a Monster was my favorite read of 2022. The debut YA fantasy novel was so unique, engaging and magical. The author’s world of monsters vs heroes and humans continues in book 2, Never a Hero. The below may contain spoilers for OAM (not Never a Hero) so beware if you haven’t read the first. And, if you haven’t, remedy that now so you can pick this one up on August 29th when it releases into the world but stop reading now.

Now that Joan has successfully reset the timeline and saved her family, she must face the lonely consequences of her actions. Her confidants and friends do not know her or remember their time together and what they meant to one another. When even darker threats emerge she has to figure out how to save the world from a desolate timeline and her family and loved ones. Once again thrust into the politics and ethics of monsters vs humans she must hope in the goodness in others and in herself to succeed. I won’t go more into the plot because the journey is better left to Vanessa Len’s magical writing, character development and world building.

I cannot express the joy I felt when this author sent me an arc of Never a Hero. Forever grateful to authors who are so generous and kind to their readers.

This is a 5 star read and definitely again one of my favorites of the year so far!

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

Despite all of the odds, Joan achieved the impossible. She reset the timeline, saved her family – and destroyed the hero, Nick. But her success has come at a terrible cost. She alone remembers what happened. Now, Aaron, her hard-won friend – and maybe more – is an enemy, trying to kill her. And Nick, the boy she loved, is a stranger who doesn’t even know her name. Only Joan remembers that there is a ruthless and dangerous enemy still out there. When a deadly attack forces Joan back into the monster world as a fugitive, she finds herself on the run with Nick – as Aaron closes in. As the danger rises – and Nick gets perilously closer to discovering the truth of what Joan did to him – Joan discovers a secret of her own. One that threatens everyone she loves. Torn between love and family and monstrous choices, Joan must find a way to re-gather her old allies to face down the deadliest of enemies, and to save the timeline itself.

Joan is significantly more paranoid about everything now. She is also, however, more confident about the monster world - even if she is still relatively clueless about its ways and rules. I really admired Joan in this sequel. She has gone through a lot of change - and, frankly, trauma! - and yet she still remains kind and considerate. She does her very best to keep Nick safe, making him a priority over her own life on multiple occasions. Like before, I appreciated her desire to the best she could for herself and others, wanting everyone to be happy and for things to be as normal as they could be. There were many moments I just wanted to give Joan a hug and tell her it would all be okay… one day at least. Poor Joan goes through a hell of a lot in this book for sure!
Nick is significantly different to the Nick we knew in the first book. For a start, he is much softer in temperament throughout the majority of this sequel. I really liked getting to see this more bashful side of him for sure - I’d love to have a Nick like that in my life. I think he was very well written because he would seemingly get these flashes of the Nick we knew before and that would linger in his character for a time, changing him and his interactions with others slightly. Seeing him immersed in the monster world was very interesting and I am intrigued to see how his character will be approached in the next book!
Aaron is also different in this book, but then we see him become more familiar. I would have liked more of Aaron and his character in this book but the focus was more on Joan and Nick’s journey in this new timeline.

I did not know what to expect from this sequel but oh boy was it a rollercoaster! From the very beginning, I was utterly hooked and if I had more reading time, I totally would have bashed this out extremely quickly. Though, it’s a blessing in disguise that I didn’t so I could really soak in this story and appreciate it more. The plot is utterly fantastic and rather addictive! It flowed brilliantly and called on little details that I hadn’t necessarily picked up from the first book - something I adore! I love it when little easter eggs pop up and then become part of the bigger plot. The characters were great and I loved that they remained similar to before, in the first book and other timeline, yet they all had individual changes based on what shaped them in this timeline. Len has a masterful way of writing that just seems to suck me in and have me in a chokehold - not that I’m complaining! That ending had my jaw dropping in shock, in awe. So many revelations! So much tension! Aaaaa! I am so stoked for the next book - gimme gimme!

Overall, Never a Hero is stunning sequel that absolutely blows your mind!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/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.

**ARC received from NetGalley with thanks**

Oh wow. Oh my gosh. What a strong debut trilogy this is turning out to be for Vanessa Len! I really enjoyed Only a monster but it feels like she’s REALLY getting into her stride in the second book here. The world building has been done, the core characters introduced, so she can just let rip. This truly is Joan’s story of identity, heritage, belonging, the impact of choice/turning points in life, being in between (cultures, homes, developmental stages, needs of the individual vs community, relationships too I guess), who we are at different points in our lives, how experiences even between generations resonate within us. In a way these are kind of YA staples, but explored in such a rich, nuanced and I feel fresh way it just about blew my mind. I adored the use of time travel as a concept to study these issues and bring them to life. We continue to follow Joan getting to grips with her identity as a monster and how she reconciles that with her beliefs and values. The bond and love she feels for both Nick Ward, the hunky football captain and at times a little less gripping to me human hero she unmade at the end of the first book, and Aaron Oliver, the beguilingly damaged and imperfect heir of a monster empire. How would it be to interact and walk alongside people with whom you have very rich and intense history when they no longer remember and know you? I mean, heartbreaking stuff. This is a very plot heavy book on the vibes—plot spectrum but don’t let that stop you. I tend to vibes as a reader in the main, and this scratched that itch well enough too. The narrative tension in building the plot was pretty consistently excellent. There was maybe one point post middleish book when my attention was at risk of wavering (I wish I could remember where exactly), might have been a me issue. But the pacing just yanked me right back in and continued to grip me to the end. I adored being transported in time and getting to see the different iterations of locations and people and style of dress, cars, buildings, the lot across ages. I mean yes, the cost of travelling is.. considerable 😱 but it had to be done. We end on a mighty cliffhanger scene with a lot of momentous revelations. I was both relieved to get to pause for breath but also riveted waiting for the next instalment. Whenever that may come. I won’t forget this one in a hurry. Unless I get remade in the meanwhile, of course.

I was late to the Only a Monster fan club, but I am so glad I joined! Never a Hero blew me away, and I was so excited to dive into the monstrous timeline once again with Joan. This book picks up a few months after the first one, and we find Joan reeling from the events from Only a Monster!


Vanessa Len is such a great storyteller, weaving an intricate and mind-boggling world crafted from layers of time. It's mind-blowing how we get to experience the same characters, but in completely different roles, with slightly altered personalities, and at various points in their lives.


The twists and turns keep coming, introducing us to new enemies, reconnecting with old acquaintances, losing dear friends, and gaining new ones. I rode every emotional wave Joan feels, and it's a wild adventure. Seriously, I wish I could sneak a peek into Vanessa Len's brain to understand how they keep it all together!


This book hooked me in emotionally, especially with all the angst and pining. The struggle of forgetting someone and the romantic tension are so well done, leaving me wondering where it'll all lead. Nick, Joan, and Aaron are fantastic characters, and although Nick is great, I can't help but root for Aaron! The love triangle-esque trope is done so well and while a small part of the plot it really adds to the story, it’s got purpose.



Joan's growth throughout the story is remarkable. They face immense struggles and trauma, they really find their strength and step in to their power in this book! 


There's not even a hint of second book syndrome here. I was glued to the pages, so much so that I consumed both the audiobook and the text in just one week! The audio book was fantastic- I really enjoyed the narration and as someone who listens at 2x speed and above it was so clear to follow. 



The ending was so good, but what was that cliffhanger! I'm eagerly anticipating the final book in this trilogy, but saying goodbye to this world may break my heart!