This sequel did not disappoint. Fast-paced, intricately plotted, with romantic tension and lots of twists and turns. I'm itching to read the third book!

The second book in the Only a Monster Trilogy.
The true consequences of changing the timeline create havoc for Joan as she is forced on the run again, this time with Nick.

This story jumps all over the place and gives different vibes on the romance plot line of Joan and Nick, which left me a bit disappointed, even though they are fated lovers, as Aaron isn't the good guy anymore, as he alluded in Only a Monster.

Lots of time travel, Nick and Joan as soulmates storyline and Aaron as the bad guy.

Just like when I finished the first book in the series, after reading the second book ‘Never A Hero’ I am absolutely DESPERATE for the third and final instalment. Aaron is my everything and I hope he gets a LOT of page time in book 3. Bravo to Vanessa who has me desperate for the final book in the series.

Joan is half human, half monster, keeping her stuck between both worlds.. In Never A Hero we see the impact of Joan's decisions on both of her worlds, and her desire to always do what is right. After finishing book one, I never expected book two to be even better. It was wonderful to see more of the monster world and everything it holds. Everything is slowly being pieced together and I love the slow burn of that! I'm holding out for book three now!

Thank you to NetGalley, Allen & Unwin and Vanessa Len for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This one releases 29th August 2023.

I read book one a long time ago, I no longer remember any of the plot. 😂😭 Still, I read the sequel and found it quite enjoyable, even if I was confused half the time regarding what’s going on. Never a Hero was engaging and interesting, with a lot of action and mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

Omg this book! I was shook the entire time and didn’t know what to think. I really enjoyed this read and I need book three ASAP!! I swear this series gets better and better.
If you love the idea of monsters, timelines and a hunter; you need to pick this up!

4.5 stars rounded up!

Never A Hero picks up where Only A Monster left off, following Joan as she lives with the consequences of using her power to unmake the hero.

This is the second book in a trilogy, and typically the second books are a bit of a let down. This is 100% not the case for Never A Hero! I really enjoyed the direction this book took, and I felt like the change of pace was exactly what this trilogy needed. The second book picks up the pieces from the first, and sets up an epic conclusion for the third.

I love Vanessa Len's writing, I find it engaging and exciting. Her rich descriptions of different time periods are fantastic, and I often feel like I can vividly picture the era the characters are in.

We finally found out the true purpose of the hero, how he was made, and the reasons for his making. In Never A Hero, Nick is a completely different person, but the flashes of hero Nick are still there. Aaron is back, but again in a different manner, and the second half of the book helped to keep my Aaron-obsession alive and well.

I felt as though the character development wasn't as strong as I would've liked, but that's because this book was very plot and story driven. Joan irritated me a bit in this book, I kept finding her decisions and her thought patterns to be poorly considered.

Overall, Never A Hero is absolutely fantastic, and I am beyond keen to read the third book in this trilogy.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book!

I enjoyed Only a monster, although there were a few elements which were lacking I was still invested enough in the characters to keep reading. Unfortunately, the characters fell flat for me in this second instalment which kept me from genuine reading enjoyment.

Nick was not at all endearing enough to be the main focus of Joan’s attention… way too much of the plot was focused around them trying to be together. Perhaps if there was some spark between them or if we were able to see a more layered and flawed character in him I could enjoy their connection, but instead Joan felt lost in their relationship and Nick felt one dimensional.

It would have been more interesting to witness the pull between Aaron and Joan which could have been a nice mirror of her difficulty choosing between humans and monsters.

I was excited to see more of Jamie and Tom but there was not enough! They are so gorgeous, such interesting characters with a beautiful connection.

I craved more detailed world building as this was such an interesting setting. I finished the book still left with so many questions.

Overall, this felt like quite a young YA read despite the potential for Joan to develop as a character with strength and now, after the first book, gain knowledge about the world of monsters to inform her decisions and lead her journey.

2.5 stars

3.5 stars

to be quite honest, i'm furious. but this is to be a spoiler-free review, so that's all i'll say.

anyway, let's rewind. this book was super entertaining, it completely sucked me in and i finished it in a matter of days, and never did i find the story boring or basic. the time travel aspect, my little precious biracial baby, the return of some of our favourite characters - i loved all these things, and i'm very glad i read this book.

the plotline for this book continued on well from book #1 while simultaneously bringing something new to the table, which i appreciated. but i'm just not sure that i see all that much character development occurring, and damn the love triangle started to get to me in this one.

i do adore our main character - i have an unnatural attachment to most biracial (especially asian/white) characters that i read about, and the same is true for Joan here. i think she has such potential as a main character, her powers are interesting and unique - but not too special snowflakey - and she's sweet and loveable. but i really didn't feel an attachment (or her attachment) to Nick in this book, and even the Aaron pages didn't lend the flutters of book #1. i hope the romance aspect will continue to develop along with Joan's character, and i hope we get more Ruth content! and Frankie!!

i'm definitely intrigued to see where the story goes and what happens in the concluding book, so i'll definitely keep an eye out as this series continues! thank you to the author, publisher & netgalley for the arc copy.

I had fun!

Never a Hero was just as fun and energetic as Only a Monster. From the very start, the plot surges forward at a clip; the kind of book that'll keep you turning the pages because you want to know what happens next.

I am going to be incredibly honest when it comes to reviewing this book. I LOVE Vanessa Len. She is one of the loveliest humans, an author who engages with her readers as if each and every one of them is a friend. Many other authors engage with their readers, but not many do so with the same amount of warmth.

Which makes it incredibly hard for me to point out anything negative. I do love the characters, and the ever fluctuating relationship between Joan, Nick, and Aaron has its hooks in me and won't let go. I will devour the third book as soon as it's in my hands if only to find out what happens between the three of them. The side characters are also well developed and fleshed out, Jamie and Tom specifically. I am attached, and I want them all to have a happy ending. And if anyone knows me as a reader, if I love those characters I'm going to love the book, end of story. There's not much that'll persuade me to hate a book if I love the characters.

The did find Joan's internal monologue to be a little repetitive sometimes. She'd repeat things a lot that did not need to be repeated. And though the tension between Joan and Nick was perfect -- a believable, realistic constant -- the ease with which Aaron acted seemed far too simple in comparison. Reasons are given for that ease, however, and given all that I have mentioned above, these minor negatives are easily forgiven.

Bring on the next book!

Never a Hero starts where we left off with that big ending in Only a Monster. We finally get some light shed on events in the first book, and some big reveals had me reeling! Again, there is time travel involved, and I absolutely enjoyed that aspect of it as well as another “on the run” story. We learn more about Nick in this book, which I thought was appropriate but obviously my main boy is Aaron and I wanted more of him (we do get more so don’t worry, but I’ll always be saying I want more 😆).

I’m trying to be vague to avoid spoilers, but let’s just say I was so immersed in the monster world once again and there’s a lot of morality and difficult decision-making on Joan’s part, with the monster vs human sides of her. This ends on a huge cliffhanger and I am screaming in my pillow for the next book now PLEASE!! Thank you Vanessa Len for writing this beautiful book, and NetGalley for giving me an ARC.

What I enjoyed:
💖 The fast pace
💖 Time-travelling aspect, which never gets boring
💖 Morality and good vs evil. Joan struggles with how she's half-half both as British/Chinese and monster/human
💖 Big reveals
💖 Heart-wrenching moments, found-family as well as real family bonds. All our favourites are back—Ruth, Aaron, Jamie and Tom
💖 AARON. We need more of him, seriously. If he gets his own spin-off book, I would buy it, no questions asked 🤭

Book Review 📚 Never A Hero (Only a Monster #2) by Vanessa Len
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Thank you to Allen & Unwin Publishers and Vanessa Len for providing an eARC copy of this book for my review.

After a bittersweet ending in Only A Monster, Joan has returned to her normal life, in quiet agony at the memories of what happened when she Unmade Nick. But things are not quite as she remembers in this new timeline; Holland House has been destroyed, there are teachers missing from her school and Joan’s world is rocked when Nick arrives as a new student at her school, blissfully unaware that they have met before.
When Monster Court Guards attack Joan and Nick, they are forced to go on the run and Joan discovers that, not only is Nick no longer the villain, but her previous ally, Aaron Oliver, has turned hunter.
With the help of Joan’s cousin, Ruth, Jamie Liu and Tom Hathaway, Joan and Nick desperately try to discover what is wrong with the timeline, and who the greater enemy really is…

I absolutely loved this book, which hardly EVER happens with a second book in a trilogy. It was fast paced, action packed, and just the right amount of twisty-turny.
Vanessa Len has done such a great job of spanning multiple genres with this series; action with a hint of romance, science-fiction time travel in a magical way, and the addition of historical fiction. The ‘enemies to lovers with a twist’ trope is done so well, and as a reader of fantasy books, it’s refreshing to find a fresh take.
I am not usually a fan of science fiction (especially time travel, which just bends my brain), but it is done seamlessly in this book, which in addition to its morally gray characters, and its ability to flip the script at any moment, had me on the edge of my seat.
I cannot wait for book 3!
(This review will also appear on Goodreads and Instagram @tinydragonbooks)

Book 2 of the Monsters series by @vanessa.len_writes
Thank you to @allenandunwin and @netgalley for my E-ARC 🥰

Well, I may have made a mistake requesting this early, because now the wait for book 3 is going to be even longer 😭
I LOVE this series! The tension in this book is HIGH, and this book is action packed from the get go.
Going from knowing nothing of the Monster world, to being one of the only characters who recalls the other timeline, I loved Joan's character development in this sequel. The changes in the relationships between characters is also really interesting, balancing the nature/nurture of what makes characters the way they are.
The ending just about killed me 😭 and my fingers are crossed for more Aaron content in book 3. 🤞🤞🤞 excited to share this with people from August 29th, and ill just sit here eagerly awaiting book 3 in the meantime

As posted on instagram @trulymadlymeggy

Joan might have won the fight against the monster slayers but she feels more lost and confused than ever. The best scenario would have her far from Nick and their past, but they are thrown together in the same school and he is too close to ignore.

But try to ignore him she does, until he arrives at her work one day. He’s the most popular boy in school, adored by all and with no memories of who he used to be. But he has sought her out.
The timeline that Joan and Nick shared may be gone but the other monster families are alive and well, along with everyone Nick ever slayed – including Joan’s family. But that goes both ways. Nick saved many humans as a monster slayer too.

Joan and Nick are suddenly being pursued by Monster Court Guards and authorities and Aaron Oliver is with them. Nick, now a normal boy with no knowledge of the monster world, is confused. Joan escapes the guards, taking Nick with her. How much should she tell him about the other Nick? The legend, the slayer, the guy she was desperately in love with. And why does Aaron hate her now?

Knowing her Gran is the only one who might be able to tell her what’s going on, Joan looks for her. She finds other friends instead, who do a double take with Nick at her side. Together they fall deeper and deeper into this new timeline with its flow-on effects of what she did to monster-slayer Nick. It seems the authorities know something about Joan that she doesn’t. Something about her unmaking power?

But it’s so much worse than that, and as she tries to keep her friends alive and they her, secrets are revealed about a long forgotten past and timeline, and someone incredibly powerful wants to bring that timeline back.
All the while, Nick is learning more and more about his other self, and Aaron too. Can Joan keep them all together? Can she fight the highest Monster Court Authority – right to the top?


Reading deep into the night, I was suddenly left dangling at the end of the book…. With so many story threads shredded and Joan and her friends facing a nightmare, it was torture not having the next book in Joan’s saga at my fingertips! But wait I will, because the end reveal was stratospheric!

This episode didn’t move quite as fast for me as the first, but the world of monsters vs humans and the perils of time travel solidified more as I learnt more about this world’s hierarchy and the 12 monster families. This all sets up the gobsmacking reveal at the end of the book and the background for the next book in the series.

The conundrums of Joan’s actions in one timeline are flowing through to her current one, and her feelings for both Nick and Aaron are making everything so much more difficult for her to choose the way forward. We also get to know the characters more in this episode and meet new ones.

Am hanging out for the next book already.

Author – Vanessa Len
Age – 13+

Vanessa Len has done it again!

I loved Only A Monster when I read it last year, so I was really excited to dive back into the world that Len created. This book started shortly after the last book left off, with a crackling, propulsive pace that never slowed. I relished the additional character development in this book - being a sequel it felt like the author had more space to explore the characters' interactions more deeply, which I absolutely loved. The author's careful exploration into morality and the tough decisions Joan had to make really upped the stakes. And as much as I love Aaron Oliver, I really enjoyed seeing Joan and Nick's second (third?) chance relationship unfold.

Added to this is just how whip-smart this book is. There is a complex interweaving of different timelines and time periods that absolutely blew my mind. It was obvious a lot of research went into the crafting of this book!

Never a Hero had such incredible atmosphere and some scenes were downright creepy! I raced through this book and cannot wait for the finale.

Thank you to Allen & Unwin for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Only A Monster when I read it last year and was very excited to be granted an eARC of the sequel Never A Hero. I was nervous that it wouldn't be as good or suffer middle book syndrome but I found it just as enjoyable and mesmerising as book 1.

Joan finds herseld navagating a new timeline after the events of Only A Monster. All our main characters are back in this one (although you'll have to wait awhile for Aaron to properly turn up) and I love them all even in this new timeline. The main plot doesn't take long to get going and once again Joan is on the run and trying to figure things out as she goes. The pace never let's up but that doesn't mean there isn't a lot of emotion and depth going on at the same time.

I love that the author is very sutbly playing with a lot of YA tropes and expectations. The 'special girl' with powers like no other, well perhaps she isn't the one that's special. The 'not another love triangle' has hints of it going in a different, much more interesting, direction.

There isn't anything ground breaking or genre changing with this series but what Vanessa Len has done is put everything together in a very cohesive way and made it seem effortless. Everything she does is done perfectly. The world feels real, the characters feel real and the plot is always moving and engaging but never at the expense of our characters and their personal journeys. Events and trauma that happen to the characters stay with them even after things have been 'fixed'. The writing is accessible but can also evoke a lot of emotion at key moments.

The time travel/alternate dimensions lore is done really well and one of the best I've seen in terms of keeping things consistent and clear. It is always a danger to get muddle up in the complexity of time travel but I love the idea of the timeline always trying to correct itself.

If you liked Only A Monster then fear not Never A Hero is a fantastic follow up.

Thankyou Netgalley and Allen and Unwin for this review copy.

Great follow up to Only a Monster. Just as engaging & full of action, mystery and compelling characters. Bring on book 3!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

I was so excited to read this book after finishing only a monster. Wanted more Aaron Oliver of course!!!!
This book was a fantastic YA fantasy and I highly recommend.

This sequel did not disappoint.

I feel a little bit like this story suffered a bit from 'middle book syndrome' but was still a solid 3.5 stars. Part of the charm of the first book was that it was a fresh and exciting story with a cast of characters that were entertaining, fleshed out and complex. While this book had its fun moments and the story was engaging I didn't feel the same pull into this one that I did the first and there was little character development (what little there felt there was seems to have been left as bread crumbs for book 3).

My initial feelings about the first book still stands- for a time travel story this is still a clear and straightforward narrative, although it certainly has evolved into a more complex story (for the better). But my feelings about the love triangle has skewed further to my normal feelings of eye rolling. The relationship with Nick continues to feel forced to me and I have little emotional attachment to it and kept waiting for more Aaron crumbs. It almost feels like the story just keeps telling us all the reasons why we should care about him and how beautiful he is and I just- don't care that much- the righteously good characters just never do it for me and I don't love it when a story tells me how i should feel rather than bringing me there naturally.

I will 100% be continuing with the story in the third installment with cautious optimism the story comes together satisfactorily. Thank you to Allen & Unwin and NetGalley for the ARC.

3/5 stars

read if you like:
♡ fated enemies/lovers
♡ love triangle
♡ diverse character cast
♡ close proximity - they’re on the run!!!
♡ “amnesia”
♡ touch her and i'll break more than your hand mmc
♡ morally grey characters
♡ rich world building
♡ unique magic system revolving around time travel

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i want to give this a better rating just out of sheer enjoyment as i did binge this but i can't in good conscience do so. it’s incredibly rare for me to consider a sequel stronger than the first book and yet i found never a hero to be both conceptually more polished and more diligent in execution than its predecessor. i’m sure some of this is owed to the fact that this book is lengthier and therefore given more time to really germinate but a great deal of this improvement can be ascribed to its start towards filling in plot holes. don’t get me wrong, this labour in exposition is not perfect, there are still so many unexplained wounds in the storyline’s integrity - both critical and less pernicious ones - which are currently relying on a really thrilling plot as a stopgap. it’s a prodigious concern that at this point in the series there are so many inexplicable happenings both in the first and second books; flashy world building and faithfully morally grey characters will only get you so far. for instance, nick’s being the hero with this army and how all these myths surround his person exist has never been coherently explained. this is a seriously critical oversight and really needs to be amended by now (honestly should have been in the first book). the whole ‘monster’ nomenclature still strikes me as being pretty silly considering their powers have nothing to do with what we’d normally associate with monsters which is to say we’d be expecting some seriously toothy and hirsute people but i digress.

the power system in this series is insanely creative and i uninhibitedly love how it’s also a very inherently malevolent power and there’s no two ways about it. it makes for some seriously unscrupulous characters and moral dilemmas joan constantly finds herself facing in an otherwise middle grade rather than ya novel. the writing is very simple and at times juvenile so if not for the periodic f-bomb and moral grayness i would have marketed this as a middle grade work. even the romance reads this way which is a bit of a sorry situation as i think there’s a lot of angsty potential in that department which should be capitalized upon. the fact that nick and joan are forced into close proximity by being on the run works really well as i finally had some kind of emotional investment in them instead of merely viewing them as one of those insta-love fated soulmates cop-out which i still stand by wasn’t done properly as in something like daughter of smoke and bone. we barely touched on who nick actually was as a character in the first book which was a shame seeing how he is a complex iteration of the fabled hero role in stories. i also think if you’re going to continue protracting this love triangle you really need aaron to be present for more than 20% of the book as many people have pointed out in their reviews. thankfully, jamie and tom continue to mega-slay with their cuteness, picking up a lot of slack. the metaphoric significance behind joan being both half-human half-monster and also biracial adds a layer of sophistication to an otherwise fairly straightforward piece of fantasy craftsmanship. her struggle between identifying as one or the other speaks to the racial identity struggle many mixed race people have to contend with throughout their lives. all too often they feel as if they exist in this liminal space between where no one wants to claim them as their own for not being “enough” of either. this is tragically illumined when our band of morally questionable “good guys” travel back in the past and joan realizes how much undue attention she’s attracting simply for her appearance.

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conclusion:
so much potential, crazy exciting magic system, less confusion and more coherency than book one but we really need to be given more clear-cut telling at this juncture. there’s just too much convolution

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