Vanessa Len’s “Only A Monster” is a fast-paced YA fantasy novel that blends time travel with a unique take on monsters and rival families. The story follows Joan, a teenager who learns that her family are not just peculiar but actual monsters with the power to time travel. This revelation throws her into a conflict with Nick, a hero destined to eliminate monsters, and Aaron, from a rival monster family.

The book shines with its intriguing premise and dynamic world-building. The concept of time travel intertwined with monstrous powers adds a fresh twist to the genre. Len’s handling of time travel is particularly well-executed, avoiding common pitfalls and maintaining clarity throughout the narrative.

However, despite its engaging start and swift pace, the novel falls short in certain areas. The romance, which was heavily promoted in the marketing, feels underdeveloped and lacks the emotional depth needed to make a significant impact. The love triangle involving Joan, Nick, and Aaron doesn’t fully resonate, with the relationships not feeling as compelling as they could.

Moreover, while the story’s action and pacing keep readers hooked, the monsters themselves don’t fully live up to their potential. The creatures could have been portrayed as more formidable to enhance the stakes and tension. The ending, while dramatic, may leave some readers wanting more resolution.

Overall, “Only A Monster” is an entertaining read with a lot of potential. It offers a unique spin on familiar tropes and is worth a read for fans of YA fantasy, though it may not satisfy those seeking a deeper exploration of its romantic and monstrous elements.

This left me with the feeling of just wanted more. The romance was a big part of the marketing pitch, but it felt underdeveloped. I wanted the monsters to be even more monsterous. I will give that it handled time travel well which a lot of books do not. It was very fast passed which kept me reading but I wouldn’t read the sequel

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

I was swept away I to the world the author created and I really enjoyed the storyline and the vivid characters.

I look forward to reading future works by this author.

This sounded really interesting to me - I love a good modern-day fantasy and this was exactly that, with a. nice London setting.

I absolutely loved this book! The perfect YA to get me out of a genre slump. I couldn’t put it down and ended up finishing the whole thing in two sittings. I really connected with the main character —even though her mixed heritage isn’t exactly like mine, it was that very aspect which resonated with me. And I couldn’t choose between the love interests! Though I have a soft spot for enemies/rivals to lovers and blonds. Can’t wait to read book two!

This was a very interesting read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The premise was unique and engaging and not something I had come across before, which I liked. The uniqueness was the main selling point for me.

Honestly I adored everything about this. It has mystery, and a morally grey main character, and time travel, and enemies to allies and just so much to love! I honestly can’t wait to find out more 😂

Joan is such a great lead - her faith in what she needs to do is great, as is her inherent good-ness despite stealing time. Her love for her family shines through, and I love that it spurred her on at every turn. Her relationship with Nick is great too - I normally hated insta love but this isn’t that, it’s alternate universe star crossed lovers and somehow that really WORKS for me lol.

And that ending. Perfection. Anything else and I wouldn’t be at 5 stars, but the ending was what the book deserves. 💙

2.5 stars

Joan is staying in London for the summer with her mother's family while her father is away.
Her summer is going very well - Joan has a job at a local historic house, and Nick, the colleague she has a crush on, has asked her on a date.
But then everything changes when Joan learns that her family can travel through time and aren't human - Joan's family are monsters.
Things go from bad to worse when Joan learns that Nick is the hero that the monsters tell stories about, the hero that kills monsters.
While fighting Nick, Joan finds herself allying with Aaron Oliver, who is from a rival monster family.
Can Joan stop Nick from killing monsters?
Can Joan and Aaron work together?

The concept for this book intrigued me, especially the main character not being a 'hero'.
Joan was a likeable and relatable protagonist, but I didn't feel that I especially connected with her. I also felt that I didn't get to know her very well.
None of the characters really shone for me, but I liked Joan's relationships with her family, who I would have liked to see more of.
The settings were interesting, as was the concept of how the monsters time-travelled. However, I'm left with a lot of questions about the monsters and would have liked more world-building as some of it was a bit vague.
The plot was enjoyable to begin with, but as the book went on I did find myself losing interest. I wasn't invested in what happened and was a little bit glad when I reached the end.
The writing style was easy to follow.
I am disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more.

Overall, this was a mixed read.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

My review:⭐⭐⭐⭐

Only A Monster is a YA fantasy novel, with our main character, Joan, learning about herself, her family and a world she knew nothing about, which is a great way for the reader to be introduced to the world.

I liked the story arc, and how the characters develope over time. 

I didn't see the end coming, and I was fully invested in the story!  It was a really enjoyable read.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Hodder & Stoughton.

Well that was a ride, I'm so glad people suggested I read this from my netgalley backlog. I wasn't sure if I'd like this from the blurb, but it gets you into the action right away and drops plot points slowly as you go along to keep you guessing. I had absolutely no idea where this was going to go, which makes a change as usually you end up being able to sense what would happen, and I quite liked that about this book.

I particularly liked that although the MCs could jump between times it wasn't confusing at all, sometimes with books that have time travel you can get a bit muddled as to what is happening, but this was written so well!

I can't wait to see what happens in the next books now, even though you could probably happily just read this on its own and leave it if you want, but I love being able to wonder what's going to happen in the series so it will be interesting to see if it happens like I think.

I love a good enemies to lovers story and this was a pretty fun one. I enjoyed the social machinations and complex relationships between the families - this was one of my favourite parts of the story - even though I found Joan a little lacking in personality/mannerisms that made her stand out from any other YA hero. The ending was enjoyably dramatic, but I didn't find the overall story as compelling as I'd hoped.

𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Only A Monster
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Vanessa Len
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Young Adult Fantasy,
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

𝐆𝐔𝐒𝐇:
• This was a fast paced read and I gobbled this book up in pretty much one sitting. I love it when that happens. If you're looking for an easy and quick read, this may be for you.
• A monster society with rival families? Sign me up! This book had such an intriguing premise with lots of promise and I'm excited to see where this will go.
• I enjoyed the dynamics between different families and how that comes into play in the novel.
• This book hooked me in and I'm curious to see where it will go.

𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐄:
• Whilst the protagonist, Joan, is commendable for wanting to save her family, save other monsters, yada yada... she is also naive and reckless at times and that is frustrating. Joan insists she knows best when in reality, she knows nothing. Like, NOTHING. A plan? What's that! Even another character commented how exasperated he was at her and I felt that in my soul! Joan gets berated because her family did not educate her on the simplest of concepts! And, yeah, I agree! Ignorance kills!
• I wished the author built up the relationship between the characters up more so we can empathise what happens. As readers, we are led to believe that the Joan is really attached to certain characters, however, aside from a short scene at the beginning we never witness any other moments thereby resulting in the tension and romance feeling... lacklustre.

𝐈𝐧 𝐚 𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞:
✔ Star-crossed lovers who are also enemies
✔ time travelling
✔ heist
✔ rival families working together

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬: mortality, familial love

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫: fans of urban fantasy

𝐂𝐖: violence, death of a loved one, imprisonment, torture, brainwashing, micro-aggression


Thank you to @NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this! It’s a long time since a YA Urban Fantasy novel made me sit up and pay attention and I found the time travel element intriguing (when I don’t often like time travel stories). I lost myself in this novel- I’ve enjoyed several different takes on the London tribes (Rivers of London, Crow Investigations amongst others) and I can’t wait to read the rest of the trilogy. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

Not a new favourite but definitely a fun read. The writing was decent, the plot and characters were not the most memorable but still enjoyable. I think I had a good time.

I can see why people enjoy it.

It's been a long time since I received this book on netgallley so I will not be reviewing this, I am a mood reader and I have really struggled to pick this book up- when I do eventually read I will make sure to leave an honest and thorough review

This book was a great balance between familiar and new, giving me all the vibes and fast pacing I want from a YA fantasy with some really fresh and intriguing concepts and twists on old favourite tropes. I loved the way the story flipped the monster/hero dynamic - it's what sold the book to me from its description and it lived up to its promise. The characters, generally, were well rounded and engaging, and I especially enjoyed how vivid many of the side characters were, they added a lot of depth to the story. I could wish Joan's family didn't fall into the YA trap of keeping secrets and information from the MC 'for her own good' when as far as I could see as a reader, it did not help her one little bit, but that's a minor quibble. Plot will be plotting, after all. Joan was a good protagonist, her stubbornness and impulsiveness helping to drive the plot without making her unlikeable, and if her refusal to accept the advice of people with more knowledge and experience than her got a little frustrating at times, well, she *is* a teenager and going through some very rough stuff right now - it was entirely in character for her.

We do have a fledging love triangle here and maybe I'm in the minority but I actually enjoy love triangles when they're well done - this one was almost there, but sadly I felt the two love interests were the one place where the great characterisation fell a little flat. I wanted to like them, but the 'hero' in particular just didn't feel like he had a lot of depth and it was hard to see why Joan continued to be so drawn to him. It also, unfortunately, hit on one of my least-liked tropes without warning at the end there, but the ending of the book avoided turning it into a full-on cliche and we'll see what happens in the sequels.

Overall, it's the sort of book where you could probably find things to criticise if you wanted to, but it's so much more fun to read and just be carried along with it, and for sheer enjoyment it's hard to fault.

Only a Monster is an action-packed YA fantasy featuring star-crossed lovers, time travel and some great twists and turns.

I was immediately hooked by the premise and the fast-paced beginning of the story. I really liked Joan as a character and the way she way developed. Another highlight was definitely the Monster Court and the time traveling even though I wish the magic system had been explained a bit more. The romance unfortunately felt a bit rushed and the big climax wasn't as dramatic because I hadn't really connected with Nick yet.

All in all, I had a great time reading it and it was a fun start to a promising fantasy series. I can't wait to read on!

Joan knows her family is odd, but her grandmother can't be right when she insists they are monsters, can she? Joan is going to have to accept the darkest parts of herself to save everyone.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Joan has grown up feeling like she is always part of two worlds, but never truly belonging. She thought the biggest cultural differences were between her Chinese and English heritages. But it turns out one half of her family is human, and the other are monsters. Something no one is allowed to know.
The power that all monsters share, is the ability to steal life from humans, to fuel traveling through time.
And Joan will have to travel through time to try and stop the monster families from getting attacked by a "hero".

I really enjoyed this. I thought that the history of the monster families was fascinating. The various magics. The connections and loyalties between clans.

Despite being a "monster", Joan is a good person, and she sees goodness in others. I really enjoyed following her interactions with other people.
I liked how the characters kept you guessing as to their loyalties and ambitions. As the story goes on, they gain depth and you understand their motives.

I thought the love triangle between Joan, Nick, and Aaron was well done. It develops gradually and doesn't overwhelm the central plot.

The not-so-good...
I was... surprised by the outcome of the story.
I mean, it was fine and good; but it felt like it came out of nowhere. Joan suddenly decided that she could do something, and went and did it.
I mourned for some of the friendships and connections that vanished because of her action. I'm hoping that they resurface in the rest of the series.

Time travel stories + magic = an amazing time for Jen. Except this time it just wasn't my jam.

Joan's family has mysterious and somewhat nasty powers - they have the ability to time travel but it's at the cost of normies. Every time they do it, a member of the public has some time taken from their life to facilitate their scoot around the past and present.
When her entire family is murdered, she needs to user her monstrous powers to figure out what's going on.

On this occasion, I just really didn't gel well with this story and nearly DNF'd multiple times. I know a lot of people will LOVE this, but this one just isn't my pal.