This book was nowhere as dark, gritty or compelling as This Savage Song, so that comparison is totally redundant.

The premise is quite cool and I liked the idea of Time travel but the plot execution and the writing feels clumsy. The incessant repetition of words such as monsters and hero felt childish to me. Whatever happened to creativity?

The problem though were the characters. The main character, Joan is an annoying pretentious little shit. She is literally clueless about everything until she isn't. She is reckless and stubborn and it's not cute. Like I mentioned, she doesn't know anything about the monster world or how it works but as soon as she becomes a part of it she has all the solutions. She upstaged every other character and did not let them shine.

The romance is not convincing. The enemies to lovers/ star crossed lovers whatever the author wanted to convey did not land for me. Firstly, Nick is very bland, secondly, Nick and Joan hardly have any conversations so just because I am told they are star-crossed lovers doesn't me I am going to believe it. Then there's another guy, Aaron thrown in the mix, his whole arc is being a moody little bitch with a tragic past (which we never get to know). If the author was going for a possible love triangle, that didn't land either.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

--Rated 4.5/5 and rounded up--

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

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

On her way to her first date with the guy she had a major crush on, Joan makes a terrible discovery. Joan steals time from a stranger and travels to the future. When she realises what she has done, she also comes to terms with her family’s hidden truth, which until that day they sounded just like fairytales her grandma used to tell. Joan is half-human and half-monster. Her family on her mother’s side are monsters who have the power to steal time from humans. And if the tales about monsters are true, Joan will soon discover that the myth about a hero born to kill all the monsters is true as well.

I went in completely blind to this story – truth be told, I didn’t read the synopsis and I was drawn to the story just from the title. This book was absolutely incredible and went beyond all my expectations, I am trying to put down all my feelings here, but this story made me so excited it will be hard to make sense of this review. There are so many aspects of this story that made this book worth reading and a unique urban YA fantasy title.

Let’s start with the world-building, the story is set in London, and I loved the historical details added to the background. Then you add the time travel component, so you move in between different times and hidden areas of London opened only for monsters. That was enough to blow up my mind, as I am a massive sucker for time travel. What is great about Only a Monster is that time travel is not used as a plot device like in your usual science fiction/fantasy story, but it’s so well incorporated in the magic system that it’s organically part of the plot and the world of this story.

I need to stop here a little bit. As I said, I love time travel stories, and I had to force myself to not overthink certain things, as I am afraid not every time travel bits make sense (I’m not saying scientifically but plot wise). However, the fast-paced and gasp-moments filled story made it easy to just move on certain parts and focus on the developing events.

I was so wrapped around in this whirlwind of plot twists and characters, I happily forgot about the small flaws. The characters definitely compensate for it. The characters made me think about All of Us Villains, as that book promised morally grey characters but I thought they were not villainous enough. Only a Monster is the perfect example of how blurring the lines between good and evil should be done. Joan is from a monster family and she recognises that what her family does is not right, it’s evil. Vanessa Len makes you question if the hero, the supposed villain of this story, who is after Joan and Joan’s family, is actually the bad guy here.

I can’t leave out the enemies-to-lovers trope, which is another fantastic element of this story, or, maybe should I say tormenting part of the story? Haha, I am just going to say, I was rooting for someone else and the ending destroyed me. I am not a massive reader of urban fantasy, but I devoured this book. It’s really difficult to put down this story and it got me so excited to read a sequel. While the story has its own (evil) conclusion (Vaness Len is evil, she will break your heart), there are still so many things left unsaid and parts of this world to explore and unravel. It’s an incredibly exciting debut, which has a perfect setup for what seems to be an even more incredible trilogy and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Lately, I haven’t been enjoying YA fantasy as much as I used to, but I was really intrigued by the premise of this book, and I’m very glad it delivered. I expected a nice in-between read and was kinda surprised at how much I got pulled into the story.

I’m always intrigued by the inclusion of time travel in a book and curious to see how it’s executed. I definitely liked how it was done here. The cost of time travel and the moral aspect of it is what made it feel different and very interesting to me. When you blur the lines of “good” and “bad”, you definitely have my attention, haha.

Making the main character Joan a “monster”—and therefore not exactly “the good one”—adds an interesting twist to this story (especially because she think’s of herself as a good person), and you can see early on where both sides are coming from. As the plot unfolds more backstories are revealed, and they add a palpable depth to the characters. Especially Nick’s tragic past was interesting to uncover, getting to his motivation behind the why of everything he does. Also, I didn’t think Tom would play the role he did. His backstory & connection to it all was definitely unexpected. I loved the interactions between Aaron & Joan, but his character was a bit hard to grasp at times. I understand that their families are apparently arch enemies, but it doesn’t get explained much why. I would’ve liked to learn more about the reasoning behind it.

Unfortunately, I didn’t care much for the romance between Nick & Joan—it felt a bit forced. I know they like each other in the beginning and have spent some time together before, but they are pitted against one another early on and are basically enemies after that. They spend most of the time apart, and you see Joan & Aaron grow closer in the meantime. After a while I was convinced it would actually go that way and I was totally rooting for them, but … oh well, seems like there’s a love triangle coming after all. Not a fan of those. We’ll see, I guess ^^

Regarding the term “monster”: I think a different name may have worked better here. I guess it alludes to the “monstrous” thing they’re doing to humans, and establishes from the beginning that they aren’t “good” because of that, but other than that I don’t really understand where that term comes from and why it's being used. Other things are also still unclear to me, especially about Joan's past. How could she know about the family power (even remember having it as a little kid) but not know she was a monster/not “just” human? The whole family dynamic is a bit of a question mark for me, but I’m sure the sequel will shed more light on that.

Only a Monster is a great debut novel, with interesting twists and characters, that drew me in quickly. I’ll definitely be picking up the sequel to hopefully get more answers, and in the hopes that certain things turn out the way I want them to, haha!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing an eARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Oh wow, I think this might be my favourite fantasy YA of all time maybe?
Vanessa Len has done such a fantastic job at fleshing out the characters and the worldbuilding was truly phenomenal, I couldn't put the book down!!

Only A Monster throws you right into the action within the first few chapters and only gets more twisty and emotional from there.
If you like;
Urban Fantasy
Morally Grey Characters
Time Travel
star-crossed lovers

then you will love Only a Monster!!
5/5 for this masterpiece!

Thank you netgalley for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked on the premise of this book so as soon as I got my hands on an arc I delved right in and was captivated by the world Vanessa len created; weaving in the twist on monster tales we've seen in many other stories with time travel aspects along with emotional growth of the characters.

I loved the way the world of monsters was woven into the normal world and how we continue learning about the rules and how they can be broken and bent as the story progresses, making the book a startlingly addictive read.

While I loved the time travel aspects, and the conflict Jean faces due to the cost of it, I found some aspects hard to understand, especially when considering the heroes role.  I would have also liked a set up to the second book, though I understand an overarching story, I am confused as to how we will meet Jean again and whether Aaron will come into the story again.

Overall only a monster is a captivating debut novel that many YA fans will enjoy and I am very excited for the sequel.

Rooting for the Monster and NOT the Hero? Yes, Please!
However, this book, like the monsters & hero themselves, isn't all it appears to be.

Joan is your average nerdy teen, into history and boys, well one boy, her gorgeous co-worker, Nick. And when she finally gets to go on a date with him, everything seems perfect. Whilst waiting for Nick at a cafe, Joan has a bizarre encounter and, in the blink of an eye, day turns to night. Confused, Joan makes her way home. Upon returning home, her Gran is waiting up and begins to tell Joan the truth. She is a Monster.
The next day, still trying to understand, she heads for the one place she loves the most, Holland House. Knowing Nick will be there, she wants to make amends for yesterday, but when Monsters appear out of thin air in front of them, things take a devastating turn and suddenly Joan is left scared, injured and face to face with The Monster Slayer!
Now, to save her family, Joan is forced to rely on and trust Aaron Oliver, a fellow monster, but from a family that hates Joans. Can they work together to save their families or will the Hero win?

What a spectacular story. On several occasions throughout this book, the chapters leave you on mini cliff-hangers meaning you couldn't put it down. You HAD to read on. You HAD to know what was going to happen. It completely captivated me.
Traveling with Joan and her companions through time, picking up pieces of the puzzle, trying desperately along with them, to put them all together and solve the mystery that would save not only Joan's family, but all monster families. It is brilliant.

I love that each monster family have their own power and how we get to see some of them being used. The surprising revelations and twists that happen. I didn't even begin trying to predict how this story would unfold, I just loved having the same lightbulb moments that the beautiful array of characters had. The characters? Oh! Amazing! I loved them all. And I know everyone is going to love Joan & Aaron, but I do have a special place in my heart for Tom. I just can't resist the sulky drunk.

Starting the year off with this has me buzzing for the reading year ahead. An instant hit and definitely going to be one of the best books this year. Yeah, I said it! I know it's only January, but it's so different (for me) and amazing. I am so blessed to have read it and can't wait until I can have a physical copy.

I originally preferred the US cover over the UK one, but after reading the book I now LOVE the UK.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the gift of an ARC eBook.
This is my honest review I am leaving it voluntarily

There’s so many things I want to say about this book and writing a coherent review that doesn’t just scream about how much I love this book - and how I want to re-read it already - is difficult. There’s just so much I want to say.

Read this book.

You won’t regret it.

This book was incredible and has easily become one of my favourite books of all time.

Something which is so refreshing, for me, is just how easy it is to read. In recent times, fantasy novels have become so complex and it takes 300 pages just to understand the world it’s set in. This book is the complete opposite of that. It only takes a couple of chapters for the plot to take off and with a bang. The plot continuously builds the drama up and includes twists I didn’t see coming.

The characters are diverse and individually amazing, even though the two characters I’m rooting for to get together haven’t, yet, I’m holding out hope for the next book(s).

This book has everything. Enemies-to-lovers, slow burn. Time travel. Amazing character dynamics. Incredible writing and a magical system that I’ve fallen in love with.

I can’t wait for this book to come out for everyone to read and more importantly, to see you fall in love with it too!

“Real monsters look like me and you.”

OK, so this wasn't what I expected & I absolutely loved it. What a book to start 2022 off with & a great 1st part of a trilogy.
The characters, the world, the magic it has everything you need from a YA book.
Joan is 16 years old, she volunteers at a museum & is about to go on her 1st date with her crush, but she doesn't make it. The story follows Joan discovering who she really is & the consequences that come with that.

This urban fantasy novel, set in London, subverts tropes regarding monsters and heroes through the perspective of a protagonist who is technically on the villain’s side. Yet I was always rooting for Joan throughout as she questions her allies' morally ambiguous actions, and the way she is driven by understandable desires to help her family.
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Firstly, from a representation standpoint -- I was really excited to discover another upcoming speculative fiction book by an Asian Australian author. It really makes a difference to see the possibilities as a writer through real authors, as well as within their stories. Joan Chang-Hunt's biracial Malaysian Chinese/English background was an added dimension to the story that linked in with how she was also half monster and half human. And I enjoyed the presence of British Chinese characters later on in the story, like the Liu family with their status and important role in the plot.
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Another highlight was the time travel premise and how that created so much tension in the adventure that unfolds, and all the characters' attempts to fix things. The worldbuilding really captivated me, and is also great at setting things up for future books (this is going to be a trilogy).
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The other key aspect of the story involves star-crossed lovers and the gradual revelation of Joan and Nick's backstories. Their unique powers and relationship lead to a particularly emotional climax, filled with tensions and longing.
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Highly recommended!

Joan is a monster. Her gran has always been honest with her about that, although she has never quite explained what exactly that meant. When Joan accidentally uses her powers she is thrust into a world of monsters more dangerous and more complicated than she could have imagined. And where there are monsters, there are also those that slay them. Nothing is quite as it seems and Joan learns that she has more secrets than she knew. Secrets she doesn’t fully understand and can’t trust anybody with.

A simple plot of grief, love, and heroes versus monsters is given depth with a colourful cast of characters. Dividing the monsters into clan-type families allows for a multitude of characters without weighing the plot down with excess names, and faces. Those who are important enough to be given names and faces are made into well-rounded characters with often surprising personalities and backstories. Nick has perhaps one of the most complex backstories, whilst Tom’s is the most surprising, and Aaron’s is the most mysterious with only hints of it given throughout. The mostly unexplained animosity between the Oliver and Hunt families adds an extra depth to the characters that is constantly visible in their interactions.

The idea of time travel is always a complicated one, but Vanessa Len manages to keep it unexpectedly simple and easy to follow. She enforces a simple set rules and, although it seems they can be broken, this keeps the plot from becoming tangled with questions and inconsistencies. It also helps that the setting stays within two main time periods, opening a window of possibility without creating a thread of confusion. The method of time travel is also simple, as well as being unique; I enjoyed seeing a typical science-fiction trope re-rooted firmly in the fantasy genre.

I was so pleasantly surprised with this and I can honestly say I haven't been this engaged while reading YA Fantasy in a long time. Only A Monster is a truly impressive debut that gives us

- time travel
- monster girls and boys
- a biracial, brave and smart MC
- grey morality
- star-crossed lovers (twice if you squint) and
- monster court heists

Joan Hunt is staying with her grandmother and cousins over the summer and has what you would assume is a typical teenager's life: she has a summer job, she gets teased by her cousins and worries over her first date with her cute co-worker. This all goes awry when she learns she grew up in a family that is anything but typical: the Hunts are monsters who steal people's lifetime to travel back in time. When Joan accidentally does just that she gets propelled into the dangerous world of London's great time-traveling families. Moreover, Joan quickly finds out that where there are monsters, there are monster slayers, too, and her cute co-worker Nick turns out to be a lethal one. As she tries to find a way to best Nick and save her family, her only help is Aaron Oliver, from a rival monster family. With him, Joan travels in time to change the fate of all their families.

Now when I started this, I had very low expectations. Throughout the last year or so, I've found myself being increasingly bored by YA Fantasy. However, I decided to request this because the title and cover intrigued me (kudos to the cover artist!). What I thought would be a typical "girl discovers powers and a dangerous world beside our own" type story went so much bigger and better than that. This honestly made me feel like the books I read when I was a teenager, in the best sense possible. I got so swept up in the adventure and this magical new world that I couldn't put the book down until 2 AM.

The concept of time travel here was very different from what you normally see. While the author could have gone very Sci-Fantasy here, she firmly stayed in the magical and mysterious lane which I liked. Joan and her family take time off the lifespan of other people to fuel their time travel. To take several years of a person's life obviously takes somewhat lax morals which I found very intriguing.

We are told very early on that Joan is somewhat of a goody two shoes, so to see her wrestle with her monstrous nature was an interesting struggle. What I also appreciated was the focus on Joan's relationship with her family. As the only biracial member on her mother's side and as half-monster-half-human, she always felt more like an outsider. Despite that, she still does everything she can to save her family, even though they largely kept her in the dark about her power. Throughout the story, I marveled at how resilient, smart and brave Joan was while still showing vulnerability. She matured so much in this book and truly grew into her power.

What I stood out to me as truly exemplary was the worldbuilding. I was so intrigued by this parallel world of mighty time-traveling families that I couldn't put the book down. Especially considering this is a debut, I'm impressed with how well-developed the world was and I can't wait to find out more about it. One thing that irritated me though was that the time-travelers were called monsters. The only reason for it seemed to be that the author wanted to use the monster-hero dichotomy. "Monster" is a very vague descriptor. Why use that when a time-related term would have been less misleading?

Talking about the hero, Nick is the main reason I gave this four stars instead of five. A lot of your enjoyment depends on a romance that doesn't even take up a quarter of the book. Joan and Nick met maybe three or four times in total. They also didn't know each other well pre-book. So I found the romance here to be very under-developed and "the enemies to lovers, fated to be together" spiel couldn't make up for it. Fated lovers is a trope I personally despise. I mentally clocked out when they said "I love you". The themes of prophecy and fate only became prevalent in the latter half which is why they ultimately fell short for me. I did like the inversion of the hero and monster archetypes, however and I hope this will get pushed more in the sequel.

Nick as a character is obviously very tragic and his backstory gave me major Captain America: Winter Soldier vibes. Despite this, to me, Joan's connection to Aaron made a lot more sense since she spents she majority of the novel with him. Personally, I'm game when the boy falls first and Aaron was just so snarky that I couldn't help but love him. So if we get a love triangle, that is the side I will be rooting for.

The ending physically hurt me. That is all I have to say about that. It is very bittersweet on all counts but has just enough of an undercurrent of hope that I want to pick up the sequel. All in all, Vanessa Len crafted a truly imaginative debut and I gave Only A Monster 4/5 stars.

You know that feeling when you're a child and you get completely transported into a book? That feeling is so hard to recreate as an adult, but I felt the same way reading this. I was going to read a little bit before bed, because I'd found myself immediately intrigued when I started it, and I ended up staying up late to finish it, because I was just so absorbed in it, I couldn't bring myself to put it down.

I loved LOVED this book being told from the point of view of a monster, and how it explored whether heroes are actually that good, or if it's just a matter of perspective. I also ADORED the monsters' ability, and how it was used in the book - it felt so well thought-out.

I have to say I didn't like the romance as much - I was rooting for a romance with someone else. But I'm not even docking points for that, because I genuinely can't remember the last time a book pulled me in so much.

I’m just totally bummed by this. I’d seen some glowing, and I mean totally glowing, reviews of this book from readers I trust and have similar taste to and expected a fantastic start to 2022. For me though, this is one hell of an overdone narrative and I am just over bringing that into the New Year.

The story is the same “special girl recognises special powers” trope, although there is an attempt to play around with the standard approach. In this one we are dealing with monsters, the traditional villain but instead in a compelling heroic role, of sorts. These monsters, an entire family of them, are able to travel in time but can only do so by leaching a little life from the people around them. Sounds pretty horrendous, but it’s only half a day here and there so they could be far more monstrous!

The catch? The love interest, naturally. As soon as the plot began to unravel I found myself taking a big breath in for the inevitable star crossed lovers with expected love triangle. This delivered just that. I desperately tried not to roll my eyes.

I think this comes down to personal preference, obviously, but more so for me is just an example of outgrowing the genre and it’s tropes. The things which used to really compel me to keep reading are expertly woven throughout this novel, and past “me” would have lapped that up. But present day “me” wants a different vibe I guess.

ARC provided from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars rounded up.

Sixteen-year-old Joan Chang-Hunt is nervous-excited. She is spending the summer with her family in London and volunteering at historic building, Holland House. She is preparing for a date with Nick, her co-volunteer at Holland House, who she has been drawn to since they first met. But on the day of the date, an accident with a neighbour leads her to discover that she and her family are monsters with powers that can harm humans and more. Soon after, she finds out that Nick isn't all he seemed either.

Only A Monster is an explosive start to what is going to be a fantastic YA fantasy series. It had so many elements I loved: the hidden monster world-building, the system of powers, the hierarchies of the monster families and the Court, the historical elements and the time travel.

The time travel element deserves special attention. [author:Vanessa Len|20212262] wove it into this story with what feels like such ease but must have taken a heap of work. Time travel is notoriously derided in many narratives as being nonsensical or lazy. But it's described so effectively in Only A Monster, with clarifying details on its mechanics showing up as a natural part of the story. I thought this was so masterful.

If I have small bugbears: I would have preferred the monsters to be called something other than monsters...I'm not really sure why.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of Only A Monster.

I found it quite hard to originally get into the book but once I did it was really enjoyable!
3.5/5 rounded to 4

Only a Monster is a difficult book to summarise without wading too deeply into the realm of spoilers. Suffice it to say this is a tale of monsters who look like people and heroes determined to kill them. The twist? It’s told from the point of view of Joan, one of those very monsters.

I’m not entirely sure that the logic behind some of the ‘wibbly wobbly timey wimey’ elements of the plot entirely stands up to close scrutiny, but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment of this book. Only a Monster really drew me in and I immensely look forward to the sequel.

Recommended to anyone on the lookout for their new favourite YA urban fantasy series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton Publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Joan is a Monster. Not the kind you read about in books, with fur and huge teeth and claws. She is the worst kind, a monster that wears human skin, a monster that you wouldn't know, if you saw her walking down the street. Joan is a monster because all of her family are, it is the legacy she has inherited, whether she likes it or not.

She's also a complete nerd, with a huge crush on Nick, a boy who volunteers at the same museum as her and who seems to like her back, that is until she discovers that quite inconveniently he is a monster hunter, and by rights he should kill her. All of this comes to light the very day after Joan travels in time for the first time. That is her power, as a monster. She is able to steal time from other people, using it to travel into the future or the past.

Joan and Nick experience very real consequences because of who they are. Joan has to contend with the powers she was born with, and Nick knows that his duty is to kill all monsters, including Joan and her family. Things get dark, very, very quickly. And I appreciated that, because there can be no easy resolution to a situation like this. Except that normally there is. Vanessa Len has created a book where the stakes are high and there's no convenient way for our characters to escape the situation they are in. I cannot understate how dark this book is in places. There is lots of murder on page, as well as torture and general violence.

Unfortunately I didn't find the last third as strong as the first two thirds, and some of the tropes I really don't enjoy started to appear. Where minimal explanations had helped move the story quickly in the beginning, the last third felt a little messy because of it. I also didn't know this book was about time travel when I started reading, and I wish I had. I don't love time travel books because they're so difficult to get right and I end up picking them apart or getting completely lost.

This was a quick read that I'm sure will be popular when it is released. I personally found it lacking in character development, and I still have so many questions, which I think could and should have been addressed. Who are the monsters for one? Why are they monsters? How did this happen? Where did their powers, or gifts, or whatever come from? Who even is the king, now we come to that? Who are Nick's "people" seeing as much is made about him being the one true hero?

I liked this book, so gave it 3 stars which is still a good rating by my standards. I'd recommend it to younger people who enjoy time travel books especially.