This book was absolutely fantastic. I feel like I haven't read an original fantasy YA in a hot minute, and this book was so incredible. This also is such a good book in terms of how it deals with time travel, and time is basically a character in this book.

I didn't hate this book, but I did DNF it. I enjoyed the first half, but I felt bored by the the time I got to the 50% and never picked it up again.

I honestly couldn’t get into this book, but I tried the audio version and it was better. The forbidden romance was what kept me intrigued and motivated me to finish the story. Only a monster is a different type of monster story that I feel most fantasy lovers would enjoy; has a lot of emotions packed in. Being a thriller head, the world building was a bit complicated for me and the characters felt flat, but it’d be good for a YA reader.

Thank you Harper Teen via Netgalley for the e-arc.

While I found the book unique in both writing and story, it dragged for me. I will be recommending the book, however, to my teens that like similar books.

I did not finish this book. I just could not get into it. It was not my normal type of book I read. Maybe I will give it another shot at a later date.

This book was incredibly interesting right from the start - the magical system was interesting, the world-building was excellent, and the character development was equally interesting. The only item that was distracting were the inconsistencies between the main character's powers, not what they were/are but her use of them and yet her not believing that her family are "different" or "monsters". the family says they have kept this for her but she know she can do magic, it does not exactly make sense. She is not a child.

This was a three star for most of the book but the ending was so satisfying for me and did everything I didn't expect it to do that it got bumped up to a four.

Only a Monster is a fairly standard YA contemporary fantasy, but it inverts common tropes in some really satisfying ways. The world is interesting, and while I've seen lots of complaints about plot holes that's just not something I really care about as a reader.

This could have easily been a standalone with the ending - and honestly I would have been just fine with that - but I do plan on continuing the series at this time.

Joan is a monster. By taking hours of life from regular people, she has the power to travel through time. Nick is a monster hunter. Joan gets involved with him unknowingly which leads to the death of her family. She must partner with another monster to try and change the past and save her family. It was both very boring and confusing with the time travel elements.

Joan lives two lives, her regular mundane life with her father during the school year and then the loud, lively life with her mom's mom and extended family every summer. This summer is a little different though. She has a date with a cute boy from her work, but when she goes on the date, something strange ends up happening and Joan realizes that she does not know anything about the secrets her mother's family are keeping. Somehow, it is up to Joan to save her family- if they even deserve saving...

What I initially thought this story was about- Forbidden romance between a girl who just found out she was a monster and the boy she likes who was raised to kill monsters.

I did really like the little twists of the story, expecting one forbidden romance to motivate the plot's forward momentum and instead a totally different yet basically still forbidden relationship snuck up on me and I am fully here for that (but it was no way the main focus of the plot so that was also a nice surprise). The book is full of all kinds of adventures, be it time travel, murderous assassins, monsters who steal time/lives from humans, a whole underground society that felt a little like a supernatural world found in the John Wick movies, a magical court that only exists a short time with an epic ball, animal familiars... pretty much all kinds cool and dark stuff that I am so here for. This series (yep, I discovered this is the first book in what looks like a trilogy) is a perfect choice for anyone who likes the Market of Monsters series or is a fan of typically evil/monstress characters who have more humanity than expected.

Only a Monster is a good book. I do like the author's writing and I did like the story.

I do recommend this one.

This book is a master class in world building, character development and fast paced story telling. Forbidden love, time travel, monsters that aren’t what we think? What more could anyone want from a story?! I absolutely loved this tale. Joan isn’t quite like the rest of her mother’s family (and I’m hoping in the sequel we get her mother's back story!) and she thinks it’s because she’s half human. But there’s so much more than that. The scenes are descriptive without being tedious and incredibly immersive. The characters are lovable (shout out to Tom, the true hero of the book!!), and I love the ragtag found family aspect. This book is adventure heavy with a side of romance, and I’m here for every second of it!

Wonderfully well written and characters are well done. This is such an interesting take on time-travel. I love high stakes Fantasy books. I think the story is fast-paced enough to keep readers of varying ages interested. I would suggest this for fans of Stephanie Garber or Astrid Scholte.

“You’re not a hero Joan. You’re a Monster”
What happens when the hero of the story is the villain in someone else’s? Only a Monster by Vanessa Len is a fast-paced YA fantasy that allows us to revel in the moral quandary of what truly makes a villain.

Our leading lady Joan was told at a young age that she was a “Monster,” but until now, she has seen no hint of otherworldliness that would lead her to believe that she is different from anyone around her. While spending the summer with her mother’s family in London, she unexpectedly comes face to face with her family’s powers, and now the “Monster” moniker starts to make sense. Oh, and that cute boy she’s been flirting with? He just so happens to be a Monster Slayer foretold in legends. Once identities are revealed and Joan is faced with unspeakable tragedy, she is forced to flee with the heir of a rival Monster family Aaron Oliver, who is less than thrilled to be teaching Joan the ins and outs of Monster living. While on the run, Joan gets a crash course in generations of history that may just help her become the hero of her family’s story.

“Once Upon a time” Gran murmured. “There was a boy who was born to kill monsters. A hero.”
Because Joan is the main character of the story, has lost everything important to her, and is doing everything she can to save her family this must mean that she is the “good” guy right? But what if countless people get hurt when she uses her powers? I spent the entire story going back and forth on what it means to be good and evil. For every character we meet the argument could be made for them to be a hero or a villain. The Monster Slayer may be against Joan’s family, but he’s just trying to save humanity… so who is wrong? I have a feeling that this is going to affect how I look at many characters in the future, and that is the mark of a truly great book, to feel those affects long after you’ve read the last page.

My romance reading heart was happy with the smidge of love story we were given, the Monster and the Monster Slayer destined for each other but torn apart by the circumstances of their birth. It was a minor plot point in this book, but I have hopes it will be more of a focus in the sequels. And it might be the fanfic reader in me, but the relationship between Joan, our half-blood Monster, and Aaron, our heir to one of the most esteemed Monster families gave me major Dramione vibes. Either way, there is an epic love-story just waiting to be told and I will be anxiously waiting!

“The first time I saw you, I knew what your voice would sound like before you said a word.”
I have seen some argue that this was their favorite YA fantasy of the year, and honestly, that case could easily be made. This was a take on the morally gray hero/heroine that I haven’t seen before, Joan has to make difficult decisions that lead her further from the innocence of her pre-Monster life, but all in the name of saving her family and always with regret in her heart. The ending brought me to tears and makes the long wait for the sequel pure torture. I cannot wait to see where Vanessa Len takes this series and will be waiting for any hints as to what is waiting for us. Congratulations on an amazing release!

Only a Monster is an enjoyable young adult book in the sci-fi/ fantasy genre. It does have some familiar YA tropes but nothing that would turn off a fan of the genre.

Overall, it is a unique concept - "monsters" that can leech time from humans, shortening their lifespan. And, the writing was fresh, engaging, and kept up a fantastic pace. (You will root for the monsters) This is one book you will be glad is a part of a trilogy because you will need more at the end! It's a good debut with room to grow.

This is perfection! The writing is beautiful. The setting is fabulous and the romance is swoon worthy! I am obsessed! High rec for all libraries serving teens!

This was a compelling mystery and fantasy. I really did not see that end coming and I am so excited to read the sequel. My only thing that I did not like about this book was the romance that the author was setting up. I was much more invested in the relationship between Aaron and Joan than I was between Nick and Joan and I hope the author pivots in the sequel. Joan and Nick felt very forced, which Aaron and Joan felt as if they could have a great enemies/reluctant allies to lovers arc.

Joan thinks she is just a boring human sixteen year old with an eccentric family but this summer everything changes. Joan is a monster and is in a family of monsters through her mother's side. These monsters steal life and can use that stolen life to travel through time. When her summer crush turns out to be a monster hunter set out to kill all monsters, to survive she has to team up with Aaron Oliver from another monster family that loathes each other. The magic system is interesting and a bit tricky to understand with all the rules of time travel. This is the first book in a new trilogy so there is much to learn and see what happens.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book for an honest review.

Where is the sequel? I don't even know if I can wait that long.

This story had so many twists and turns. This book did a wonderful job in that "monsters" can be many things and take different forms. This was a great first to a new series.

Rating: 4 Stars

A super unique, fast-paced, urban fantasy with an intense enemies to lovers? Um, okay!

Only a Monster follows Joan, a seemingly normal girl as she prepared to spend her summer working at a historic home with the boy she has a massive crush on Nick. Little does she know that her family has a massive secret – they're monsters with hidden powers! And her crush Nick is a trained monster hunter. In order to survive Joan must team up with Aaron Oliver, the heir to the monster family who hates hers.

There are so many good things to talk about with this book. Starting off it’s a very fast-paced YA fantasy. I'd entirely forgotten how quickly YA books move when I picked this up. Boy oh boy, I thought I had whiplash! It's a pleasant change to some of the much longer exposition you get in adult fiction, you are quite literally immediately thrust into the action and it never stops.

Only a Monster is also incredibly unique with its plot and setting. It was my very first urban fantasy which was quite fun! It makes for much easier worldbuilding because rather than having to delve into a completely new world you get to experience a secret one that exists and operates within your own. Also, the reversal of the main character being the villain and the love interest stepping into the role of the hero is something I haven't read yet either.

That being said about the plot, there were elements of Vanessa Len's fantasy that did confuse me and were unclear. Time travel is a very tricky element of magic because there are so many rules that need to come into play. It was slightly more difficult to wrap my hand around how this intricate system was able to operate.

Now, onto the romance! I'm a sucker for a good love triangle, ever since my OG Twilight days. Vanessa Len certainly delivers on that front because not only does she give us two love interests, she gives us TWO enemies to lovers! I have already picked sides and I certainly hope Joan sides with me in her decision making – especially after that explosive ending!

Only a Monster left me with far more questions than answers in the end. Questions about the characters and their families, questions about the magic system, as well as general questions like "what the heck was that?" I was unaware, while reading, that this was the beginning of a new series. Which helps to explain why some of my questions weren't answered.

I'm super excited to see where this series goes and hopefully get some answers to my questions! It's a fun, interesting, and magical read, that I would definitely recommend.

Thank you to Harper Collins and HCCFrenzy for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review (I'm way behind on my ARC review, super sorry!)

Okay so… I’m very intrigued by this plot, as it’s something that’s pretty original and hasn’t really been done before (time travel has, but not to this degree). Joan is a very sweet character, and for the most part I definitely understand her character choices. But there were so many times that something happened that just… didn’t make sense to me. Timelines were wacky, even at points when they weren’t time traveling. I think when the rest of the series comes out, it will tie together a bit better. But as for now, it’s just a solid 3.5-4 star book that was very interesting and I hope has a solid ending to the series.