Only a Monster Review
Hi friends! I hope this week has been good for you so far. Welcome to my Only a Monster Review. This amazing book really surprised me and I’m so glad I got to it in January. Let’s jump in!
Title: Only a Monster
Author: Vanessa Len
Rating: 4 Stars
CAWPILE: 8/10
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Content Warnings: Familial death, voilence, blood, microaggressions, torture.
Format: eARC
Publisher: HarperTeen
Date Published: February 22nd 2022
Goodreads Description: It should have been the perfect summer. Sent to stay with her late mother’s eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old Joan is determined to enjoy herself. She loves her nerdy job at the historic Holland House, and when her super cute co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like everything is falling into place.
But she soon learns the truth. Her family aren’t just eccentric: they’re monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers. And Nick isn’t just a cute boy: he’s a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to bring them down.
As she battles Nick, Joan is forced to work with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates her own. She’ll have to embrace her own monstrousness if she is to save herself, and her family. Because in this story . . .
. . . she is not the hero.
I received a review copy from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
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Only a Monster Review
Characters – 7/10
This book really surprised me, and I enjoyed it so much. Unfortunately, I thought the characters were written a little young. Joan annoyed me in the beginning, she acted more like a 9-year-old than a 16-year-old. I don’t know why middle grade can write young characters that resonate with all ages, but YA struggles with it. I’ll dive into that another time. However, I liked Joan’s character growth throughout this book and she really grew on me towards the end.
Her relationship with Nick was a little insta-lovey. I did like him as a character and I wanted some more screen-time for him. Aaron Oliver though… can get it. I loved the relationship between him and Joan, as well as his friendship with Ruth. Hopefully, both will develop more in the upcoming books.
Atmosphere – 9/10
Only a Monster has a fantastic premise and I loved every minute of it. The worldbuilding was amazing, London was the perfect setting. I wish we did some more time travelling. Len did amazing research and every location and time felt so realistic. Honestly, I cannot wait for another book.
Writing – 8/10
Len’s writing is easy to read and completely sucked me in. I was hooked from about 30% when the plot really picked up. However, some of the language in the book did annoy me. In some places, it was more telling than showing, but I can definitely see Len’s writing improving toward the end.
Plot – 8/10
This book is really fast-paced, which I loved. For a debut book, this is really great. I would have loved it if it was like 100 pages longer. Joan just charges into this new world without knowing (or learning) anything about it. It annoyed me at first, and I hope we get some more lore in the next one.
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Intrigue – 8/10
I like a morally grey character and story. Humans are not one thing, they have layers. I felt like some of the characters and moments in this book didn’t have enough layers. The “villains” are almost cartoonish in the first part of the book, and Joan has a very narrow view of what’s “right” and “wrong”. I need more layers.
Logic – 8/10
The magic system, in this case, the monster powers and time travel, is amazing. It’s such a good system, I just wish we knew more of the rules. Joan doesn’t really have any interest in learning how it works, so we don’t learn how it works. I also think the ending needed more build-up, especially considering how big of a moment it is.
Enjoyment – 8/10
As you can tell, I have high hopes for the next book in this series. I really enjoyed Only a Monster and I can’t wait to read more from Vanessa Len.
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I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on YA being unable to write younger characters as well as MG. I’ve noticed the same and it’s one reason I stopped much reading YA lately. Glad to hear you enjoyed the book overall!
I wouldn’t know where to start on that kind of blog post lol. If you’d like to collaborate I’d be open to it. I think it’ll be an interesting topic.