I did enjoy it yes but this book had all the textbook symptoms of a second book in a trilogy. The pacing felt forced and the characters were pretty uninteresting and I guess that's because Vanessa can't exactly reveal much since she has to save some tea for the next book but that didn't stop me from being a bit annoyed. I was already familiar with the workings of the world and all the time travel jazz so reading this almost felt like revision and I refuse to go back to my A Level years (they stank).

By the way, not to be political or anything but but but I am so team Nick :)

Following on from her breakout debut, Only a Monster, Vanessa Len continues the stories of Joan striving to survive in a world filled with monsters - families of time travellers who steal time off humans to enable their wanderings through the past - after discovering that she is, in fact, one of them.

Without giving too much away about Only a Monster, the plot of Never a Hero picks up in a world that is very similar and yet very different to the world Joan grew to know in the first book. But while she may have survived what she thought was the whole battle, new dangers threaten her and her friends.

I have one issue with this book and it's that I wish there had been a bit more explanation and exposition about what happened in Only a Monster. I know that as a reader, I don't appreciate a full recap of the plot, but I did find it hard to remember some key details that were being mentioned briefly but overall were skirted around. This found the first part of the book hard to follow and difficult to immerse myself in.

However, once I got to grasping what had happened and what was going on, I was engrossed. It was fast paced and thrilling and I loved how Joan perfectly demonstrated how complex the situation was. I ended up having such fun reading this and I'm so excited for where the series is going to end.

Unbelievably angsty, devastating and beautifully written.

'Never A Hero' is the second book in a trilogy, following 'Only A Monster', which was undoubtedly one of my top five reads for 2022. I expected this book to more filler than story but I was pleasantly surprised. The first half of the book is slow paced, it helped that I refreshed my mind by rereading 'Only AQ Monster' beforehand so that I could remember where the book left off.

Without giving too much away, this book really sucked me in and even though it took me longer than usual to read I found myself enjoying the world of Joan and glad to be back there.

I didn't feel as though there was as much Aaron as I would have liked compared to the first, but nonetheless seeing the characters grow was nice to see. This book was well worth the wait and I feel very lucky to have been chosen to read an ARC, so thank you NetGalley! It didn't quite top 'Only A Monster' for me, but it was still a very enjoyable read.

I can't wait until the next book comes out already!

At the beginning of this book, my first impression was that Vanessa was trying to do some kind of retcon, that she was trying to make things right after giving Joan such a journey on Only A Monster, given how I and many others fell in love with Aaron more than we fell in love with Nick. It might be some kind of paradox, since in YA and NA one is supposed to find a tall, dark and handsome male main character rather than a blond one. But, I mean, have you met Aaron? There’s legit no competition here, he winds hands down.
So I wasn’t entirely sold on Never A Hero - at least, in the beginning. I admit, it took a while before things picked up, and it was mostly the need to see more of Aaron as well as wanting to see where things were headed.
And I was not disappointed at all!
If the first book gave you some veiled hints, Never A Hero gives you a few answers that lead to even more questions. I love this kind of game in books, when you make theories and hoard even the smallest of details, but Only A Monster doesn’t really prepare you for it, it doesn’t “tell you the rules”, and when you get into Never A Hero, you’re just thrown into it, sort of like Jumanji. And it’s a wild ride to the very end - which, of course, leaves you needing the next book the same as you need air to breathe.
So while the plot was a bit too slow only to end with a bang, the main characters had me roll my eyes, especially Joan. Heaven bless her, she was really annoying this time; perhaps it’s due to the fact that I love morally-grey characters and not everything has to be good or evil, but yeah, her whole demeanour was annoying, which is quite sad since I loved her in the first book. I hope it’ll get better in book three. Then again, she did spend more time with Nick rather than Aaron - although I did love some of her thoughts hehe - so maybe it’s just his “good” influence lol.
Weirdly, I’m sort of intrigued by Nick, even if I don’t believe I’ll ever love him, definitely not the same way I love Aaron. He has potential, though.
And Aaron, my love, I still want to wrap you in a blanket and protect you from the world!
So yeah, despite a few hiccups along the way, this book was good, and I’m in desperate need to know how it all ends.

I was SO excited to be back in this world, I genuinely think about Only A Monster at least once a month.

I absolutely loved the intrigue and drama, the tension between Joan and Nick was impeccable!

I adore this universe and Vanessa’s writing is just brilliantly absorbing which means you just fall into it and look forward to picking up the book again.

I did find the plot a little predictable and not as shocking and twisty as the previous novel but I really didn’t mind as I got to spend another 400 pages with these characters in this world.

I am so excited for book 3 already! Will definitely be rereading this series again and again.

4 stars

Thank you so much to Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for my gifted e-ARC! Xx

I think I need to re-read book one and maybe re-evaluate what my rating was for it. I rated the first book 3.5 because at the time it felt like that feeling that you get when you really need to sneeze, but then don't... And I really stand by that. HOWEVER. I think about that book far too much for it to just stay at a mid rating... Like, a LOT a lot.

Never A Hero was probably one of my MOST anticipated books of 2023, And I screeched like a velociraptor when I saw that I had been approved for a copy. I dropped every single other book I had been reading in order to dive into this one. And I was up until almost 2 am because I needed answers more than I needed a proper amount of sleep. My watch even told me that my quality of sleep was "poor" but it's

F I N E

Don't ask me to have a conversation about time travel, because it still confuses the heck out of me and it also makes my head hurt.

I very much enjoyed this volume, and I will be rambling, and since I'm also using this as a recapof sorts for my future reference, there WILL be spoilers, so please do not read any further if you don't want anything spoiled.

In similar fashion to book one, this book started with something rather traumatic happening not very far into the story, and then it progressed at a steady slowish pace until about the 50% point. Except this time, we have Joan paired with Nick instead of Aaron.

SIGH. I was really hoping to get more page time for Aaron. Whatever though.

We get to learn more about Nick, which is what I wanted in the first book, and I actually quite liked that. It was interesting to see Nick when he wasn't a bad guy trying to kill Joan.

There's a lot of trauma between Nick and Joan. The Nick Now is so so so sweet and kind and amazing, and even though he's different and doesn't remember his time as The Hero, there are still moments where he'll move or do something that shows just how ingrained all that "training" was. It's still there buried deep inside even if he doesn't remember. And Joan is rightly terrified. She's always on edge and about ready to jump out of her skin. He also starts gaining back some of his "powers" as the story goes on, and is able to break through the "mind control" (which is why I don't think that they should be the endgame couple, regardless of them being together in the "true timeline". Even though they were, at one point, soulmates, there is so much trauma and distrust there now, that I don't know if they'll ever be able to work through it all) But that's just my delulu brain hoping that Joan will end up with Aaron, and there probably WILL be some kind of way for them to work through everything.

SPEAKING OF AARON! He's my favorite character. (which should NOT be news to anyone.) Of course he was a bad guy in this book, just like he told Joan he would be. For a while. But things happen, and then he's not a bad guy, and then things happen and they end up forming a tentative alliance. And all the curious glances and looks he gives her, and the way she keeps forgetting that she's the only one who remembers the bond that they have, and the way she keeps turning to him when things happen... MY HEART. I sobbed SEVERAL times, and I stayed up WAY TOO LATE in order to consume as many words as possible, even though I worked an early morning shift the next day.

TL;DR

This was an amazing book with some pretty interesting twists that kept tugging on my heartstrings AND sitting on the edge of my seat (or maybe that was just waiting for Aaron to show back up?). The characters and the growth they go through is SO good, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

Thank you to Netgalley UK and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me a chance to read an ARC of one of my most anticipated 2023 books.

This was a thrilling ride: fast-paced, full of action, plot twists, and with an ending I didn’t see coming. The premise of Never A Hero made for a fresh venture into the world of monsters: Joan had unmade the hero and created a new time-line, with her and Jamie as the only ones who remember the events from the previous novel. This gave an interesting perspective to her encounters with characters we met before.
If you loved Only A Monster, you’ll be happy to see the return of many favourite characters. I absolutely loved Aaron Oliver and the added depth his character gains through all we learn in this sequel. And then, there are what felt more like cameos from Tom and Jamie and their bulldog, who were among my favourites in the first book. I was delighted to see them, and look forward to finding out what part they’ll play in the final book of the trilogy.
Second books in trilogies sometimes feel like fillers – happy to say that this wasn’t the case for Never A Hero, which was original and kept me on the edge of my seat. Definitely looking forward to the conclusion, and I’ll definitely be keeping Vanessa Len on my list of authors I’ll watch out for!

This is definitely one of the most anticipated reads for this year, for me, especially after that ending in the first book. It didn't disappoint and it was impossible to put down.

Never a Hero takes place a few months after the ending of Only a Monster, with Joan struggling to adjust to the new timeline, while being the only one that remembers the old one. But sometimes the past doesn't stay buried, and it comes back to haunt you.

This world is still as wonderful as in the first book. Vanessa Len is just great at world-building and at adding details that make it unforgettable.

The style of writing just kept me glued to the pages, and some of the plot twits had me racing through the pages. It's incredible how everything comes together in the end, and how the different plots are connected.

When it come to the characters, I really felt for Joan, who has to live with the consequences of her previous adventure. The longing and the angst just comes off the page, making me more invested and really rooting for Joan. I loved following her through time, visit the secret markets and just learn more about the history of monsters. She keeps developing throughout the story, and I can't wait to see what she'll do in the next book.

It was great to have Nick back and seeing that, even without his previous memories, he still finds a way to do what's right. I really like to see him with Vesper and how, despite everything, they still find their way to each other again.

Never a Hero has action, adventure, anguish, friendship and a bit of romance. What more do you need? Go read it!

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton for the e-ARC!

(Spoilers for only a monster)

This series only gets better with each book!

I had the best time following Joan, Nick and Aaron on their journey to repair the timeline after the disaster they caused at the end of book 1 🫣. Although we got a little less Aaron (he’s one of my fav book characters oat!), I feel like we were properly set up for an epic in book 3, like I’m thinking hunger games ‘trying to overthrow snow’ stakes. I was constantly kept on my toes throughout this book, I loved the way we followed Joan as she spiralled into moral disequilibrium following her actions in book 1 and the inner battles she faced trying to right these feelings.

Now that the stakes have increased for Joan and her team, I can’t wait to see how the story is wrapped up in the final book!

Thank you to @netgally, @hodderandstoughton and @hodderscape for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton, and Vanessa Len for this ARC of "Never the Hero", the 2nd book in the Monsters Series in exchange for an honest review!

I read Only a Monster in 2022 after I received it through Fairyloot and loved the book, and the ending left me with impatiently waiting for the sequel. And when I were granted the ARC through Netgalley I consumed the book over 2 days.

The book picks up a bit after the ending of Only a Monster and Joan is trying to live a normal life while avoiding her monster family. However it's not that easy to escape her past. The timeline is still pushing Nick and Joan togheter, though this time around Nick is normal boy.

Never A Hero turns Only a Monster upside down and this time around its Joan and Nick on the run, with Aaron hunting them.

While I'm still team Aaron, and did miss his presence in the first half of the book (though when he arrived the wait was worth it) I did gain more sympathy for Nick. Still prefer Aaron and hoping for him to be the endgame. That said, this series is really challenging my shipping. I'm weak for Enemies to Lovers, and here I got two options.

And the ending, well, be prepared for an cliffhanger worse then the last...

Would definitely recommend the book, and am excitingly waiting on my Fairyloot edition.

I'll start this review by saying that Only a Monster was my favourite book of 2022, it was such an unexpected hit for me that the second this arrived on Netgalley I requested it. However, this was in April, and I only just finished it this week.

We pick up where the first book left off and it's not long before Joan is caught up in a whirlwind of monsters and time travel all over again. However, for me, it wasn't as captivating as Only a Monster, I felt like the story was really drawn out, and whilst I did enjoy where this book ends, I feel like it could have gotten there a lot faster.

I'm still looking forward to the next installment and hope that Joan, Nick and Aaron have more adventures ahead as really do love their story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to read Never a Hero.

I can't understate just how badly I need book 3 right now. I just read the last 45% of this book in one sitting and its now midnight and I honestly don't know what to do with myself.

I loved Only a Monster so much, and I'm always a little wary of how sequels will live up to their first books, so I wasn't sure exactly what to expect with Never a Hero. But honestly, I might like this one even more.

We pick up right where book 1 left off and start on our fast paced adventure straight away. Timelines and memories can be such complicated concepts to master and explain to readers but I feel like this series does it with ease, even with multiple timelines in play! We get so much new information, see old characters with new context, and have to rethink everything we learnt in the past, but it never felt like an info dump. The balance was perfect with explaining enough to understand how and what was happening, and not too much that I felt like a 5 year old in class. Too often books tend to swing one way or the other these days imo.

It's so interesting to me that we have basically the same cast of characters as book 1, but we got to see them in so many different lights. Never did I imagine I'd begin to like Nick of all people, or at least, dislike him less. (Yes, I still very much prefer Aaron, though I fear this love triangle won't end in my favour) and I'm interested to see what future developments we get with everyone!

There's so much I want to say that would make this not spoiler free, but just know this is one of those books I'll be thinking of often as I wait for book 3.

And once again, I NEED BOOK 3 IMMEDIATELY PLEASE I AM BEGGING

My review:⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the sequel to Only a Monster, and wow, what a sequel!

The story carries on from Only a Monster, but it's been a couple of months. There is enough information if you hadn't just read the first book, to remind you without having to re-read it!

The story is unveiled so well, and you go from 'i don't understand what X means' to fully understanding the implications, and to seeing things from the first book that you didn't know were being set up having more meaning.

This is an action fantasy with time travel. I really enjoyed the story, and I'm looking forward to the next one!

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

This was amazing!!! No second book syndrome to be seen here. I honestly think Never an Hero is even better than Only a Monster and that one was a 5 star read for me. There was nonstop action from the first page to the last. So much happened and it really propelled the full story forward. Lots of questions were answered and new revelations were added. I seriously cannot wait for book 3.

Never a Hero picks up right after the events of the first book’s big finale. We see Joan trying to come to terms with what happened to her family and friends and how to live her life in this new timeline. I think the star crossed lovers / enemies to lovers romance was still there but definitely not the sole focus of the story. I personally always would prefer more romance in books but that’s just me. I’m hoping we readers see some more romance in book 3 but honestly with the danger and uncertainty the characters are facing I can see why the author didn’t put as much emphasis on the romance.

I love the reoccurring themes of what it means to be a monster and being half monster half human and being a mixed race young woman. Vanessa blends these themes perfectly without ever feeling preachy but actually representing what it feels like to have one foot in one world and one in another and never feeling quite part of either. As a AAPI reader I really appreciate the Asian rep and the cultural elements included in the story. I love Joan the main character and how real she is. She is relatable and has struggles and isn’t perfect. She’s grown a lot as a character and I can’t wait to see her come into her full powers.

Overall I highly recommend this book. It’s an amazing sequel and it’s rare for me to enjoy a sequel more than the first book. I think this is perfect for fans of dystopian stories and fast paced YA fantasy books. A definite must read if you enjoyed Only a Monster and if you haven’t read that one I highly recommend it too.

Hugest thank you to Vanessa and Hodder & Stoughton/ Hodderscape for providing me with an eARC.

So this ends on a major cliffhanger that's going to eat away at me until I get to the third installment so just a heads up.

We are getting mote of the characters and the world building as it is fleshed out but I feel like we needed more Aaron rather than Nick. There wasn't much happening in the first half but the second half was just bam. Filled with action and drama.
Wished I'd waited until the 3rd book was out so I could binge it all in one go.

Wow! That is all that is going through my mind right now! I cannot believe just how incredible this book was. I absolutely loved Only A Monster when I read it last year, and I was so excited to see how Vanessa was going to continue this amazing series. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was not this! I could never have imagined the story would go in this direction. I loved every moment of it.

Never A Hero picks up where Only A Monster left off, with Joan remaking the timeline to remove Nick as the hero and to bring back her families. But what were the consequences of such an action? This book follows Joan as she learns how to traverse this new timeline, where there is no hero available to protect humans from the monsters. I absolutely loved this new direction that the author was able to take this story by changing the whole timeline. We have our favourite characters meeting and learning about each other all over again as most of them don’t remember each other. I loved that!

During the first 50% I was really enjoying Never A Hero. It was fast paced and action packed but there was just something missing. I wasn’t loving it quite as much as the first book. Maybe it was because my favourite character, Aaron had reverted back to his cold and hard original self, rather than the sweet and gorgeous man we saw at the end of the first book. But honestly the last 40% of so of this book is mind blowing. It’s honestly quite rare for me to be surprised by books… but this book had me SHOOK!!! There were moments where I was sat mouth agape, shocked, going ‘WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING‘. I could not believe what was happening which just made me absolutely obsessed with this book.

The ending of this book blew my mind. It was epic and amazing and yes… a cliffhanger. And coming from me you know that means something! I have been left absolutely obsessed and reeling. I need book 3 NOW! This is one of the best middle books of a trilogy I have ever read. Usually I feel like middle books are just the building blocks to an epic book 3, but this one is epic in and of itself. If you love books with romance, action, danger and a sprinkle of time travel then this is not a series you want to miss. It is absolutely a must-read.

I loved it!
The characters, the setting it just felt like coming home.
I cannot wait for Part 3 of this amazing story

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to review this book.

I enjoyed the first book of the series, so I thought I’d enjoy this one. And I did. But it just felt so drawn out. I feel like the story could have been fit into about half the pages without unnecessary fluff added in.

Joan and Nick were a drag for me in this book. Their relationship is mediocre. There is not romance there. I loved seeing Aaron but he didn’t really have any purpose in this book, not like in the first. I would have much preferred to see more Aaron and less Nick in this one.

I loved the twist at the end of the book and I’m excited to see what happens in the next instalment, because I will 100% be reading it. I want to know what the gang get up to next. Let’s just hope it’s done in a more succinct way.

4.5 🌟

Oh my gosh I loved this book! I requested it not realising it was a sequel and rushed to read the first book (a 4 star read) before diving into this one immediately after. Never a Hero picks up where Only a Monster left off. Joan has reset the timeline and is trying to get back to normalcy. No one knows the truth of what happened in the first book except for Joan and that has come at a huge cost for her. The boy she loves, Nick, is a stranger again and Aaron, who had become a fast friend in Only a Monster is back to being her enemy.

This book suffers from none of the things that second books in trilogies (I'm guessing this is a trilogy) often struggle with. In fact, Never a Hero is, in my opinion, even better than the first book! The plot is darker than that of Only a Monster, which I think is fitting considering how much character growth Joan went through in book one. It was really interesting seeing all the rippling effects that came about because of Joan's desire to save her family and the relationships between Joan and the other characters are written in such a nuanced way. I especially loved the way that Nick and Joan's relationship developed in this book as they both came to realise things about each other that they hadn't before. I can't say much more without spoiling things but I can say that I will be running not walking to the bookstore when book number three comes out!

There's nothing worse than an anticipated read disappointing you and this not only disappointed me, it made me mad.

In Never A Hero, Joan is grappling with her actions in the first book. She saved her family but she is the only one to remember the other timelines and had to destroy the hero. Worse, Aaron and the Court are hunting her down and Joan has to go on the run - with Nick of all people.

From the very first chapter, we see Joan lowkey stalking Nick, which should have made me realize how weird girlie's behaviour was going to get. I honestly don't understand her obsession with Nick. My main gripe with them is that everything about their relationship was TOLD to the reader instead of shown, it never developed organically. We were told in book one that they were soulmates and together in a different timeline and that was enough for them to want to be together. They were friends before knowing that, but we never see that happen. This book tries to rectify that but it honestly didn't work. Ever single chapter (I'm not exagerrating!) we were told how PERFECT and GOOD and what A TRUE HERO Nick was and I was so over it. Nick is honestly a cardboard cutout of a man, he had zero personality and was just plain boring. He had absolutely nothing going for him, yet we were told that people are drawn to him like he's the SUN because of his PRESENCE and I was just sitting there like "what presence??"

I already didn't like Nick in book one, but at least being a brainwashed killer gave him something to do. In this book, he was absolutely useless and contributed nothing to the plot. In fact, he made it worse for everyone else. Him and Joan were just blundering along for the first half like absolute idiots. Nick honestly brought out the worse parts of Joan like her recklessness and moral superiority complex.

Joan herself had, in my opinion, a huge character regression. At the end of Only A Monster, I had felt like she embraced her powers, but in Never A Hero she did a complete 180 and cut herself off from her family (who she did everything to save before??). Even worse, she was so judgy about her family being monsters, to the point where she felt ashamed of them which was so out of character. Her conflict was exactly the same as in book one with her feeling like an outsider to both human and monster communities and not being able to reconcile the two parts of herself. This conflict went absolutely nowhere. From the beginning of the book, I had hoped we would see more of Joan's home life and her father and friends, but alas, it was Nick Central. Everything she did was informed by how Nick would react to it and it was tiring, as was their romance. Joan kept referring to her and Nick as soulmates but they're honestly more like starcrossed lovers because when they're together, everything goes to shit. By the end, I started empathising with the villain, because if I had to deal with those dumb teenagers effing up the timeline over and over, I'd turn evil too.

All of Joan's guilt over unmaking Nick also made no sense to me because that is the man that slaughtered your entire family?? In fact, the other characters make this exact point but who cares because they're ~soulmates~ and he's ~hollywood handsome~. Oh my god, shut up already. If the author was just going for writing a teenage girl idolizing her first crush, it was very realistic, because she was annoying as hell. Had Joan been a little bit more morally grey and had she actually traveled, we could have had some tension with Nick, which could have made their relationship interesting. Instead, they were both acting so morally superior to everyone else.

Apart from the messy characterizations, the plot was engaging and built well upon book one. We were still going at the break-neck pace of book one, but I did love the world Vanessa Len created and learning about the other monster families and their powers. We also finally found out more about the timeline and the King, which was the highlight of the book for me. As in the first book, we travel in time, in this instance both forwards and backwards. However, there was still no real interaction with the time period or its people. It was more like set dressing for the plot, which was a shame. The main antagonist was intriguing and mysterious and I wanted to see more of her. Had there been more scenes with her, the final reveal would have been so much more satisfying. I still liked it, but it could have used more foreshadowing. Which there would have been space for, had all the passages describing Nick's good looks been cut. They do make up about 20% of the book.

Look, the ONLY redeeming qualities this book had beside the worldbuilding were my beloved Ruth and the one and only Aaron Oliver. So the book gets two stars instead of one for the existence of those characters, although they were on the sidelines in this book. Aaron arriving in the last quarter of the book honestly gave me whiplash because the book was so much more engaging all of a sudden. There were the tiniest crumbs of Joan/Aaron and she at least admitted there might be feelings involved but that was about it. I don't think authors should necessarily cater to fans or deliver 'fanservice' but, Vanessa, please, give us SOMETHING.

My summary of the book would be, I just wanted more. I wanted more of the time travel, more of the monsters. More Hunts, more Aaron, more Tom. Literally anything other than Joan pining over Nick, someone knock some sense into that girl, I swear to god. There were moments that gave me hope that Vanessa Len will bring it all together in book three, but I'm not optimistic. 2.75/5 stars.