Only a Monster

The conceptualization of this novel is beautiful. The magic system is thoroughly thought out and executed impressively, and the characters and their relationships are done well. For a fast-paced book, it did not feel too unrealistic or rushed, and Len masters the time-traveling. Absolutely ADORED this read, and I know Monsters #2 already has a nice place on my tbr.

Books, Coffee & Passion

Only a Monster was so enjoyable and entertaining. I had a lot of fun reading it. The monster families' secrets and powers were very compelling.

The world-building was captivating, and the dynamics between humans and monsters as well as the time-traveling kept me engrossed in the story. The characters were solid too. Joan was ok, I did like her more towards the ending. Aaron and Nick were the most complex characters in my opinion. Aaron was an intriguing character and probably the most promising. His hideous family also seems to be the most thrilling of the twelfth monster families, I bet there are a lot of secrets regarding them.

I'm curious to see how it will play out in the next book. Nick was a layered character but I didn't like him much. Certain revelations in the final third of the book did make him more interesting though.

We follow the story through Joan's POV. It might have been more beneficial if we had more than one POV. The writing was ok, I loved the London setting (especially the Whitehall Palace) and the timeline details.

Overall, it was a fascinating and unique perspective of heroes vs monsters stories.

Interesting idea but it didn't work much for me. The monster heritage part first of all because obviously Joan has seen her cousins display power and yet no one explained to her anything in detail. Especially considering how she could try to travel without borrowing time and kill herself. Not to mention if the Olivers are so hostile that they're ready to kill Joan for fun then there's no way her family would've allowed for her to be that oblivious with that family grudge between them.There's little details that don't make sense at all like Joan is covered in blood after the massacre but when she and Aaron get to the hotel the lady at the counter doesn't even look at them twice over.

The the way the MC still had feelings for one of the characters didn't sit well with me because the relationship hadn't even begun, she just crushed on him. There's no proper exploration of a relationship and yet she hurts so much for a guy who killed her family. Didn't like that at all.

This was compulsively readable.

I've been reading a lot of YA fantasy lately and they somehow blurred together at some point. But this book takes a refreshing, unique approach. It's not everyday we get morally grey characters and a dashing time travel adventure, so this was utterly delightful.

I liked the structure of the story, the monster families and their powers, the secrets that are yet to unravel, i simply can't wait where things will go from here.

I found myself invested in the characters. Joan is a very likeable heroine, she's mentally strong and proactive with so much room to grow. Also we don't have many biracial protagonists so this was a treat. Ruth was such a fun character and her support for Joan was heartwarming. My most favorite character is Aaron. I was enjoying the chemistry between him and Joan a lot throughout the book. I simply need more of him in the next book.

There's something about the writing that can swoop you in. Many parts were thrilling and fast-paced, it was hard to put the book down without knowing what will happen next. It's amazing that this is the author's debut novel. I enjoyed it thoroughly and i'm very excited for the sequel.

I enjoyed this book, and I thought it was fascinating how Vanessa Len was able to describe the complexities of time travel. The coolest part of the book was being able to see pockets of time inside a completely different time period. I do wish there was a bit more explanation about Joan's power and how it worked at the end but I assume that will be covered in more depth in the second book.

Only a Monster is a very original, fast paced and surprising YA. Although it has some hints of traditional themes and tropes, the concept feels fresh and I was hooked from the beginning.

I don't want to enter into too much detail to not spoil anything, but it is a high stakes story, full of morally grey characters and decisions, that makes us wonder in which side should we be.

I hope the second book expands on the world, powers and relationship of the different families. And Aaron!

3.5 starts rounded up