I adored book one and was hyped to learn about this sequel. This universe is just so fantastic and I loved getting to spend more time in it.

The first half of this is much slower than book one though, and follows very similar themes and in some places feels almost repetitive. I think it’s purposeful given how it all plays out, but it’s frustrating and I can see many people not getting on with it because of that.

However, it’s worth it as in the second half / last third it definitely picks up and we see the story split more from the original themes. I adored all the twists and that ending!! I have QUESTIONS though. Will be needing book 3 asap lol!!

Eleanor is a great villain and was fun seeing Joan struggle against knowing things others don’t. I’d have liked her to have more chance to tell Nick the full story and to see him get a little more agency in this. And always want more Tom and Jamie 💙

Four stars, not quite as good as book one but very promising for book three!

This was a really strong second book in the series. I enjoyed book 1 and was curious about what could happen next, but I wasn't really ready for it.

It was a jam-packed pact with mystery and more time travel (of course). The world building again was so well done, and luckily, I was slightly less confused than I was in book 1.

I really liked learning more about Joan and Nick's story from the previous timelines. It was enjoyable to see all the characters from book 1 come back for another round (especially frankie <3)! The characters are getting more complex, and I honestly can't tell which side I am on!

And the plot twist at the end?? I did not expect that.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I think the narrator did a brilliant job bringing the story to life. I will 100% be listening to book three. (book 3 better have more Aaron in it please)

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with the audiobook!

I really loved Once A Monster but this one unfortunately fell a bit short for me.
It seemed like the whole plot was just them running from one place to another and then the ending was totally unexpected which I enjoyed.
An okay sequel I would say and this could've been a duology instead.
And there was far too much of 'Nick is so beautiful', 'Nick is so pretty' for me unfortunately.
Still looking forward to the next book because I love the world and the author's writing.
Recommended to fantasy lovers!

Sadly this wasn't as good as Only A Monster. For me the beginning dragged a little bit, and then it really picked up in the second half.. Also, I'm 100% team Aaron so maybe that's why because there was a lot less Aaron in the first half of this book O:)

Will I read the third book? Yeah, I excited to see how this will wrap up

Also, the audiobook narrator did a really good job on this one!

4.7⭐️

Firstly, thanks go to Hodder & Stoughton Audio and Netgalley for being kind enough to approve me for an advanced audio copy of this book!

As a recap, this YA series is about the secret world of monsters, who live amongst humans and appear to be human. The FMC Joan is half-monster, half-human, and she was horrified to learn the truth of what monsters do in the first book - they have the exciting ability to time travel (and almost do instinctively), but only by stealing life from humans by touching them on the neck. It’s a fascinating idea and I thought it was really well executed in Only A Monster when I read it for the first time last year (and again as a refresher before diving into this, which is the second book in the series).

This book picks up the story a few months after the events of the first book. The action doesn’t take long to start, and aside from a few “breather” kind of scenes, doesn’t really stop! More lore is introduced, including about the fascinating monster families, but in such a way that it’s not overwhelming for the characters (or, by extension, the readers).

The story is well paced and very engaging. I partially guessed at one of the plot twists partway through, but that didn’t make the reveal any less impactful, and I still really enjoyed seeing the characters reactions. Joan can be frustrating to read at times, but I reminded myself that’s only natural, as she is a teenager after all 😂

I also have grown to love the side characters. I really hope that one particular relationship works out in the end, but we will have to see what other twists Vanessa can come up with!

In terms of the audiobook, I listened to the audiobook for Only A Monster as well, and Vera did such a great job on both books. She has a very pleasing voice to listen to, and captures emotions and action so well.

Overall, this was a fantastic read (or listen), and I’m really looking forward to the third book coming out in 2024!

The narrator did a great job with this book.8 It’s such a well written, fast-paced sequel, full of action and plot twists. I really love this interesting world and how we get to expand on what we learned in Only a Monster! I really like Joan as a main character who is willing to do what it takes to save her family, while struggling stick to her morals! I also really like Nick, Aaron, Ruth and Tom who are all well written characters too! After that, Angie, I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book!

A big thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this title!

Never a Hero is the follow up to one of my favourite debuts of last year, Only a Monster by Vanessa Len.

It follows the main character Joan as she is left with the consequences of her actions from the previous novel. I will try not to spoil anything as I discuss my thoughts on Never a Hero.

The book picks up after the events where Joan tried to save her family. And even though she did succeed in that aspect, her actions set in motion a series of events that might endanger the world as a whole. All of the characters in the previous book end up working together to try and figure out what is causing all the problems and how to stop it.

What I loved about the first novel was the love triangle that was a little bit different than other books in this genre, but in book two that triangle isn't as high stakes, which was a little regrettable.

This was still a really interesting read about the affect that something can have on the timeline, but some of the elements just felt a little bit far fetched to me. It wasn't as engrossing as the intimate plot of the first book.

I really do still look forward to the third book in this series, though! I want to see how the characters manage to tie up all the loose ends!

Unlike Only a Monster, I unfortunately didn’t feel as pulled to Never a Hero while reading.

Some of the things that frustrated me about Joan in the first book continued in this book and sometimes it even felt as if she has lost herself in what others thought, especially Nick. There was too much telling about Nick’s character for my personal liking, but I just couldn’t understand the appeal for Joan because he never felt expanded on as a character from the first book. Unfortunately, as the book felt primarily focused on him, I felt there needed to be more depth to his character to make him more engaging.

However, I still enjoyed the world created and certain elements of the time travelling, the monster families and getting to know more about the antagonist and the motivations. The pacing was good and the plot still had its merits and compelling moments. The ending and learning more about the star-crossed lovers and the additional conflict it created in the greater scheme of the story also added intrigue to this sequel.

The audiobook narrator was great and made it easy to follow the story.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review an audiobook ARC of Never a Hero. I recently read Only a Monster and really enjoyed the unique concept, so I was really happy to read the sequel. I thought the audiobook narration was great, and I will definitely continue with listening to the audiobooks for this series.

My favourite thing about this series is the world-building! The concept is fascinating and the more I learn about the world, the more interested I get. No spoilers, but the ending of this book made me even more intrigued about what will happen next and how it will affect Joan specifically. I liked learning more about the different families and seeing different versions of the characters in this timeline. Given how the last book ended, I was expecting more plot twists from this book, and Vanessa Len did not disappoint!

I'm not sure where the love triangle is going, though. There is a lot of focus in the first book and this one about how Joan and Nick are meant for one another, and I get it as part of the world building, but I just don't buy that their relationship would work out without all that history. I don't feel as much connection between them, and personally I think Joan and Aaron have a more interesting dynamic. There weren't as many scenes with them compared to the previous book, which was a bit disappointing, but I'll reserve full judgement until I see how the series ends.

I will say that I'm not fully obsessed with the characters, and Joan definitely irritates me at times when she makes stupid decisions. But still, I was captivated by the story and I was still interested to find out what happened, even though I wasn't quite connected to the characters all the way through. Thanks again to NetGalley for the audio ARC!

I absolutely love the narrator. She does an amazing job at creating distinctive personalities for each of the characters, (and in this book, there’s a lot more!).
At times, when I felt the story was either repetitive, long or a little boring, Vera’s narration kept me engaged and made it an easier read.
I will definitely be keeping an eye out for books she narrates as it will be a key factor as to why I get the audiobook.

My review of the story itself is as follows:

I had high hopes for Never A Hero and, for the most part, I enjoyed it.

The start had so much promise and had me hooked. I loved that we get to see the ramifications of Joan’s decision & the new timeline that was created. I love that we had so much more Nick in this book. (definitely Team Nick, sorry Aaron lol). And I loved that it was a lot more complicated and intricate than OAM.

However, I did feel a little bored at times. It felt longer than it needed to be and repetitive.

The end though was absolutely amazing with twists and reveals that I didn’t expect. It left me gobsmacked and desperate for more.

Maybe a reason I was let down was because I thought this was a duology, but clearly there’s at least one more in the series. I don’t know, but it was a great sequel & I eagerly await book 3.

Thank you so much, NetGalley & Hodder Books, for the eArc of this fabulous book.

Not every fight is won by heroes.
Sometimes, you need a monster.

.
The sequel to the contemporary fantasy Only a Monster will take Joan deeper into the monster world, where treacherous family secrets and even more danger await.

The book starts off a few months after Joan changed time and ‘unmade’ the boy she loved to save her family. Life should be perfect now but something has gone terribly wrong! Joan finds herself pursued by agents of the Monster Court, as desperately tries to find out what went wrong.

This book is a slow starter, with less action than book 1 ( feeling a lot like a filler). Nevertheless, it was really enjoyable- with its immersive writing, the unique magic system, the time travelling and compelling high stakes story. And I’m truly looking forward to the next book!

4.47 stars

Never a Hero is an amazing and explosive sequel to Only a Monster and it had everything needed for a great sequel - universe that expanded, that made a book with an already intricate world-building even more intriguing and unputdownable, introduction of more characters for a more complex story, and relationship dynamics flourishing.
In Never a Hero we follow Joan as she is faced with the consequences of undoing a timeline where her whole family was slaughtered. As her family is saved, she erases the life of a human hero, Nick, and loses her new ally, Aaron. But their lives are irrevocably intertwined and Nick and Aaron find their way back to Jaon again. Now they are faced with another mystery - who is trying to bring forth the end of the world as we know it and make a new one where monsters rule with an iron hand? Joan is joined by her family and allies (Ruth, Jamie, Tom) and potential lovers as they try to find the culprit and make it out alive.

The story: A plus! This was such an intricate time-traveling fantasy adventure full of twists and chilling surprises and I am both excited and scared of what the third and final book will bring! Utter mayhem, I am sure! Protect my faves!!

The characters: While the plot in this series always keeps you on the edge of your seat, the characters aren't far behind. From the main trio, to the side characters, you truly can't help but love them all (minus the villains, I could do without them hehe) - Aaron is my favourite, of course, cause he is just an amazing sassy fashion icon and I stan. Plus don't even get me started on Tom and Jamie, these two side characters shine so brightly! And Joan is not lagging behind either, a firecracker of a MC with a very strict moral compass but also someone who would do anything for the people she loves, her family - again, so, so great!

SPOILERS:
And okay, loves, if this series doesn't end with an epic poly relationship, I will scream a bit! I think the dynamics between Joan, Aaron and Nick are amazing! Aaron is the chosen one of my heart in this trio, but even Nick who wasn't my favourite in book one, grew on me. Also I would dare say my theory does hold water, so (my proof are that one gentle neck touch, one person who Nick and Joan were looking at in that other timeline we couldn't see (it was Aaron, duh), and just the fact that Aaron and Nick keep looking at each other. I rest my case).
END OF SPOILERS

All in all, Never a Hero was a fantastic sequel and I will be waiting for the third book to drop to see if all my theories (I only scratched the surface of them in this review) do come true! And reread the first two in the meantime, of course.

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.

Also really liked the narrator, and need to look up what other books she's done.

If you enjoyed the first book, definitely pick this one up!

I wasn’t sure what to expect after the ending of Only a Monster, but Never a Hero definitely delivered. It has all the great characterisation and interesting magic of the first book combined with more drama, more magic, and more time travel.

I love the narrator of these books and don’t think I could read them now because she’s so much a part of the experience for me.
The ending felt a little abrupt, but I think that was just because there was a lot of information all at once.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Never a Hero and am excited to see where the third book takes us!

Writing my review at 20% in because I'm not sure about this one, so don't know if I'll get to finish it.

I gave 'Only a Monster' 4 stars, and reviewed it really highly because it had exceeded my expectations, avoided some of the more obvious tropes, and moved along at a swift pace and was a super easy read... I'm not finding any of that with this one.

Never a Hero, so far anyway, is being super repetitive. There has been the one inciting incident which forces Joan and Nick to go on the run, but that's it, they're wandering around with Nick being concerned about Joan, and Joan watching Nick's every facial expression - and we do get to hear about every facial expression - and remembering over and over again about how he used to be a monster hunter and maybe it'll come back to him, while over and over again she remembers the Nick he used to be and how now, he can't like her anymore because he's not the Nick he used to be. But apart from Nick looking sideways at her, biting his lip, creasing his brow, raising a brow, asking something softly, showing concern (could it be he was concerned about me? but no, this was a different Nick, he barely knew her), there's not much else. 20% of a book of facial expressions and angst.

I will try to continue reading this, maybe it's the narrator placing too much weight on the angsty tone, and if I read the ebook instead, I might read it differently. If I do, and as I hope, the plot picks up a bit, I will update this review.

The ebook version was better for me, I was able to delve much more into the plot, so maybe I just didn't gel with the creator, or else the book picked up a bit after a slow start. For me, this second instalment didn't meet the high expectations I had from the first, but it was still intriguing enough that I look forward to seeing where the story goes in the third book. I wouldn't listen to the audiobook again, so I'll leave it at 2 stars, but the third got a solid 3-3.5 stars.

I just finished reading Never A Hero, and I have to say, it was quite the ride! I can honestly say that no matter what you expect from this book before you read it, what you'll get is way more than what you ever imagined.

The story picks up a few months after the events of the first book, and Joan is trying to avoid her monster family and Nick, who is now just a popular boy at her school. However, the timeline brings them together again as the monsters attack Joan, and Nick ends up being dragged into a different timeline with her. As they navigate the monster world as fugitives, Joan learns more about her power and its origin, while Nick is closer to discovering the truth about what happened between him and Joan. And Aaron, who's in charge of capturing Joan, is forced to choose which side he stands on again. Once the gang from the first book is reunited, they must work together to stop the evil that threatens the monsters and the humans.

The book is full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. Vanessa Len does an excellent job of introducing a complex, multi-layered timeline of London that includes both the past and future. We also get to dive deeper into the monster world and learn more about their families and powers.

If you enjoyed and liked the first book, you will love this one. The story and world-building are even more complex, and the last few chapters completely blew my mind. While I originally had a love-hate relationship with Nick in the first book, he grew on me in this one. The only downside for me was that I wished we had more moments with Aaron, who has been my most favourite character since Only A Monster. Hopefully, he'll get more space in the next book. Overall, "Never A Hero" is a rollercoaster of emotions, secrets, and twists that exceed expectations.

I want to thank Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for granting me access to the ARC and audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and I have to admit I was ever so slightly disappointed. Not because of the book but because it was all about Nick and I am firmly in team Aaron!! The story itself is great a little slow and repetitive at parts, I think it is written to remind you of the previous book as you do need to remember the characters are different due to the rewriting of the timeline and effects that had on the characters from the end of book one. There were some big reveals but they weren’t shocking. Overall a great read and I’m interested to see where book 3 goes.

Thank you @netgalley for an early copy

Rating: 5⭐️

Summary:
Joan defied the odds, altered time, saved her family, and defeated hero Nick, but at a dire price. She's the only person who remembers, Aaron and Nick don’t remember meeting her, Ruth doesn’t remember their adventures together. After an attack on her new life she finds herself fleeing with Nick and pursued by Aaron, Joan faces escalating danger and a world still full of secret. Struggling with love, family, and daunting decisions, she must rally allies to safeguard the timeline.

What stood out to me:
The writing style, the fast-paced plot, the characters, the monster families, the world and the twist and turns in the story.

My thoughts:
OMG I loved this book! Although I liked the first book, this one blew me out of the water, it was sooooo good. As the main world building was done in the first book, this book can jump off right where the other left us which I love. I especially love the world and monster families in this book, I think they are well thought through and I personally am generally not a lover of love triangles but I think the one in this one is really well writing, as it kind of feels like a past vs future dilemma more than a deciding between the two. Nick also redeemed himself in my eyes in this book, by the end of it I felt bad for him for all he has lost rather than angry for all he had taken and I think that shows how great an author Vanessa Len is. Also, this book ends on a cliffhanger but I still recommend that everyone read this masterpiece!

Audiobook review:
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Vera Chok, who did an amazing job at bringing the story to life and portraying the characters different voices. I think without the audiobook I may have found the first few chapters difficult to get into as they are setting up the new timeline and I haven’t read Only a Monster in over a year.

Source of audiobook: NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton Audio

This is the sequel to Only a Monster, this second installment begins with Joan discovering the fact that she has reset the timeline and also successfully erased all the memories of Nick, the hero.

She fell for Nick but it was the old one, this new one with no memories of hers is very unsettling for her yet she is drawn towards him and so is he. She is currently back in time and is the only one remembers all the incidents that happened in the real timeline. This new Nick is an alley oh Joan. Aaron, her hard-won alley, is an enemy now, who is trying to kill her.
Nick is almost comes close to discover the truth while Joan discovers a secret of her own. The story unfolds more and more in this instalment and we get to meet many characters from previous part.

Great book, storyline flowed well, great characters and the concept of the story felt unique and was engaging. I could jump straight into this one, gave a brief summary of the previous book but I think I'd of definitely been better to have read book 1 first.