Well, this was unexpected!

Did the love triangle resolve the way I wanted? No - and I’ll leave it at that before I give away any spoilers. Aaron still has my heart, and I remain lukewarm about Nick.

There were a lot of intense emotional moments and big action set pieces to close out the series. I’d strongly recommend rereading the previous books in the series before starting this because I was out of my element picking this up after reading the last book so long ago.

I did think it was rushed - a certain decision by Joan at the midpoint really hammered this home - but the trilogy is soundly concluded.

I've been patiently waiting for the last installment of the Monsters trilogy and Once a Villain has not disappointed. After the events of Never a Hero, Joan, Aaron, and Nick are racing against time to revert the timeline to what it once was. Overall, while not as strong as the first two books, this was a solid read that kept the action moving. It was a good closeout to the story, but I will say the ending was a little daring and parts of it were unexpected (**avoiding all spoilers**).

The only thing that was a bit grating was the constant use at the beginning of the concept of being "clocked" by someone else. To me it was overused and too indicative of current slang use that won't age well.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The final book in the Monsters trilogy picks up with the new timeline created by Eleanor. Joan had protected Nick, Aaron, Ruth, and Jamie at the end of Never a Hero and now they must work together to stop Eleanor from making her mess of a world into the only timeline. There are more twists and turns to the story than the two previous books combined. There was also more attention to the romantic relationships, though it still isn't the central focus of the story. After a number of setbacks, a few reunions, and some fortuitous achievements, the ending that they finally reach seems to fit just right. I'm a big fan of being able to binge a completed book series, and with Only a Villain, this series is now a completely fun read for anyone who is ready to start the time travel monster adventure.
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, HarperCollins Children's Books) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Joan’s struggle to reclaim what’s been lost is a heartbreaking, and the high-stakes adventure that will leave you gasping for breath. A perfect conclusion to a trilogy that’s been nothing short of unforgettable.

I really love this series and can’t believe it’s over. This was a great book. Also, was NOT expecting that ending. Wow!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Once a Villain is a great conclusion to the Only a Monster series by Vanessa Len.

Joan, Nick and Aaron failed to stop Eleanor from creating a new timeline. Now they are trapped in a world where monsters live openly amongst humans and also prey on, enslave, and torture humans.

Nick and Joan are tormented by the choices they made in the previous timeline and are not struggling to find a way to put their relationship back together. Aaron, the heir to a monster family, now finds himself in a precarious position in the new timeline and falling more and more in love with Joan. The three of them, along with their companions, must find a way to stop Eleanor and restore the timeline to its true self.

This book is just as much a thrill ride as the first two books in the series. The new timeline Len creates is dark and mysterious with danger lurking around every corner. With monsters in charge, it is a more dangerous world for humans. There are a multitude of plot twists and turns to keep you guessing at every turn of the page. The love triangle between Joan, Nick, and Aaron is a complicated web of feelings and the reader doesn't know until the end who will end up together.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a great conclusion to the series. It tied up all of the loose ends and answered a lot of questions from the first two books. The only thing I didn't like was that the ending was a bit too neat and tidy for me. With all the characters go through in the book, it felt like there should have been a little more heartbreak instead of a completely happy ending. But, great book overall!

The following isn't exactly a spoiler but it's enough that a smart cookie could infer what I might mean so STOP HERE IF YOU DON"T WANT TO POSSIBLY FIGURE OUT WHAT I"M SAYING.

Onto the swooning...

I wish Vanessa could have seen me the moment I realized that my dream trope, the exact resolution I wanted for Joan and her boys but didn't at all think would be the way the story would go, was what was actually happening, that the author of this wonderfully plotted series was going to make my dreams come true. She might have gotten a kick out of my full-on, out-loud conversation to myself about it (NO WAY THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING IS THIS HAPPENING?) as I threw my kindle down and got up to walk off the miracle of things going this way when in so few books (especially a mainstream trad-pubbed YA trilogy), things ever go this way. Joan, you're living my dreams. Sorry about all the trauma but girl... I'm speechless, besides the speech I just gave. Trying to be as spoiler-free as possible since pub day is a ways out, there's really nothing more I can say but that this is a top-tier YA fantasy series and I recommend the holy heck out of it and for everyone waiting in anticipation, YOU WILL BE SO REWARDED.

I cannot believe that this series has come to an end! I remember reading the first book and being absolutely mesmerized by the plot, characters, originality. I even went out a bought a signed version!

No surprise, Once a Villain was absolutely fantastic! The author wrote a story that was so well written I found myself flying through the pages, unable to put the book down, pondering what would happen next. My favorite piece of this entire story was how believable the characters were.

The writing is clear and clean, and very immersive. The book hums along at a good clip, but the pacing makes sure we're given time to breathe between plot-intensifying moments. The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb. I felt absolutely transported and I'm so incredibly glad I was able to read an arc of this story.

5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: fantasy, time travel, fated romance, rewriting fate, magic

Big thanks to HarperCollins, Netgalley, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 4/23 and will be posted to Instagram 6/6 and to my review blog 6/10.

This book opens immediately following the end of book 2 and Joan + the others have to quickly scramble to make sense of the new timeline they've fallen into. While some aspects of London are the same, there's a lot that differs too: from the fact monsters now walk around openly, to the London skyline looking different, to the allies and enemies of the monster families having been shaken up by this new world.

Joan being half-human and Nick being fully human really drives home the danger immediately. Monsters may have been hidden in the previous timelines, but here they rule and the humans are the prey. Since the group has to find a home base to work from (and then has to carry out their schemes), we get to see a good deal of this new London. It's a brutal world, and I can't imagine the iron fist Eleanor must be ruling with in order to make it all work out. Despite the brutality, I did enjoy the historical touches that were sprinkled throughout, it really did feel like a world built by time travelers.

In this new world, Joan really confronts and begins to reconcile the fact that she's half-human and half-monster. While it's come up a few times before, and really isn't something she struggles with too much, we do see her think more deeply about and ultimately come to terms with this. Joan also has a chance in this book to learn more about the Graves and what her life might have been like had the original timeline not been altered (or, really, if Eleanor hadn't been a massive bitch in the OG timeline resulting in the Graves being erased).

We get to see a lot more of Aaron in this one and really get a better feel for him and the Oliver family. I particularly enjoyed the fact that we got to see different people's perspectives on this other-timeline version of him. It's quite different from his usual facade, but at the same time it's still perfectly him. We also got a peak at the original timeline version of him, and it was super interesting to see the threads that remained the same throughout the variations. Poor Aaron does not think highly of himself, but the timeline variants consistently prove him wrong, so it was good to see that reinforced.

We also get to see more of Nick in this timeline than before. I wasn't really a fan of him, but he took steps to remedy his past behaviors and actions, so by the end I had softened toward him. In nearly every timeline, Nick seems to have a terrible time growing up. In this London, he was made to be a gladiator for the Oliver family and his family is left in poverty, with both his brother and sister owing the rest of their time to the Olivers. Like when we initially meet him, however, the variant in this new timeline also seems to be a hero (but for real this time, lol), and so just like Aaron, we get a chance to see those threads that remain the same across variants.

Ruth and Jamie (and Frankie) also came through to the new timeline with them, though we don't really get to spend that much time with them. The bulk of the plot really does focus on the Joan-Aaron-Nick trio, though Ruth and Jamie are there to help things along. I did wish we got to see more of them. Obviously we also eventually get a confrontation with Eleanor, but I don't like her so. Some new characters come into play too, and I enjoyed getting to know them. Since monster alliances are all scrambled, we see some help from unexpected places as well.

I will say, the romantic conclusion was not what I expected and honestly, I'm not mad about it. It was a surprise, but it works out well and there's just enough buildup that the epilogue feels natural. Though I will say that I would've preferred at least a ~little~ more buildup, but that's just me.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this advanced reader's copy!

If you know me, you know I can be particular about my YA picks, but I am SO glad I picked up this series! I got into this series when the first book (Only A Monster) was a pick in one of my book boxes so I took a chance on it. Little did I know then that I would be on such a fun ride today.

This book was filled with so many twists and "a-ha!" moments. This book was a ball of yarn and as we pulled the thread, you see all the foreshadowing from previous books unravel. An easy to follow sci-fi/fantasy read that didn't leave my head spinning trying to connect the dots. Also has humorous moments and silly banter I appreciated.

This may be a little spoilery so proceed with caution!
I saw some negative feedback about the "romance" (I'm trying to be vague here!!) in this book, but I didn't really mind it? The romance honestly falls on the back burner to the main story because it's just SO engaging. And the trope that people are taking issue with felt well done, albeit a little repetitive. There was a little too much of people overhearing private conversations and it creating conflict for my liking.

Overall, I really enjoyed this entire series.

Once a villain arc review.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me arc of once a villain by Vanessa Len. I have been a big fan of the only a monster series since I pick up the first book a couple a years I ago. I been obsessed ever since. I was so beyond excited to read this finale to this amazing trilogy. I’m going to miss it so much. This book was an epic conclusion to a great series. The plot picks up right where we leave off with our favorite characters and does miss a beat. I love supernatural elements and the magic and romance to. I love joan and nick Aaron character journey and where we find them end is a beautiful ending. But Aaron is definitely my favorite he he. I could put down this book it was beautiful I’m gonna miss reading in this world so much. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do. What a great ending to an amazing story full of twist and turns you won’t see coming your just have to read to see. This book comes out August 19,2025 go pre Order it now, make sure you read only a monster and Never a hero frist though!

Current rating: 4.5 stars

slightly biased review because i am very fond of this series due to only a monster being one of the first ya books i picked up (and enjoyed) back in 2022 when i was getting into the ya genre!

Actual review (no spoilers):
We first pick up right where book 2 left off, with our crew stranded in the new timeline where monsters rule and humans are preyed upon. Immediately, the stakes feel much higher than in the previous books, and things get quite dark. I was going through an emotional rollercoaster with the characters, as Vanessa Len really makes them go through ups and downs. There are some brighter moments, though: classic bickering between Aaron and Ruth, some fun quips, and the characters get to meet certain people whom they've missed. Overall, I enjoyed the ride and was able to guess some twists while also being relatively surprised at some revelations. Reading this also made me think back to the previous books, especially with some events paralleling each other. One thought I had when reading book 2 was how it mirrored book 1 with certain plot points but with a different LI as Joan's main companion. Glad to see how it became relevant here and did make me feel more immersed! The final standoff was mostly satisfying to me and I liked how things ended.

Some might get annoyed by Joan, but she's young and has been thrust into this horrible situation so let's give her a break!! I love her, idc (also love the Chinese-Malaysian rep [which is more mentioned in previous books] because same 🫂) I enjoyed getting to see the other characters again, as well as reading their dynamics. Speaking of, the romance...

I've been Team Aaron since day 1 because I didn't really like Nick, <spoiler>but let's just say that I learned to accept some things in this book and I'm not too mad about it</spoiler>. I did not anticipate that the romance would get this messy, omg, but this is one of those rare books where the love triangle actually makes sense. Obviously, I had a preference, but I still did find one scene's timing kinda crazy... but I just tried to move past it because of the characters' emotions at the time. The endgame does make the most sense when you think about it and what has happened in the past.

I'll conclude my review by saying that I will always have a soft spot for this series! I do plan on rereading the entire series when I get my hands on a physical copy in August, so I can't wait to see any foreshadowing that I previously missed. I still can't believe this series is over but I rlly enjoyed getting to meet my favs Joan and Aaron and to experience this monstrous but fun time travel story! :)

Wow, what a roller coaster of emotions! This book had me sat and glued (in a good way). I truly had no idea where the story was going after the end of the second book, but Vanessa Len did an excellent job of wrapping up this series! I'm happy that Joan, Aaron, and Nick have their own version of a happy ending but I was so scared and worried for them throughout the entire book. I have more thoughts to come (will post an updated review closer to the release date) but this was an easy five stars!

This is a tough review to leave - because I've loved the series so much overall, the author is an amazing writer who pulls you into the series and keeps you guessing with twists and turns and the romance, but the romance...

I've been so excited to read this book and it felt a long wait since Never a Hero, and I was hoping that one particular character would be featured more heavily in this book after not having much focus in the second book. When this happened pretty early on, I had the best feeling about where the book was going and there was a twist around 30% that I was so thrilled about, because it seemed to be confirming my guess.

The plot in this was fast paced and it constantly had you thinking, as we're keeping up with multiple timelines. It was emotional with the ups and downs and if I was just rating on plot alone, this would be a much higher rating from me.

But the romance has left me so so disappointed. And I hate to say that because I really love the author, but I also want to be completely honest in the review.

I won't say who I was hoping for Joan to end up with, as it it would be extremely unfair to spoil it for others, but I guess that some people will be happy with the outcome as the author has obviously been thinking of the readers when writing. I always thought that one person seemed a little too perfect, boring and forced and the other person could read and understand Joan better, and that they would have been the perfect choice. This ending just didn't make sense to me at all, but again this is all just personal opinion and I can see it making other people happy.

In my heart, I'm very frustrated and upset, but I have still loved the series overall and so I'm not letting this ending cloud my judgement of that and affect my rating too much.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperCollins and the author for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

I'd like to thank HarperCollins Children's Books and Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy.

I can already see that the public will be divided by the ending of this trilogy. For me personally, you've hit the nail on the head, because historically I like this kind of story. This is completely my kind of story, playing with time travel, alternative realities, social criticism.

Trying not to spoil anything. Given the revelations and events of the previous book, we are once again in a new timeline. And our protagonists are forced to work together to stop the new monarch and correct that new timeline. This new timeline is completely diatopic and oppressive.

In terms of narrative, it was very fluid and immersive. With moments that made you laugh, warmed your heart and others that ripped it right out of your chest. In terms of major plot twists, I didn't come across any, but I managed to predict a few things.

As for the characters, in this last volume we get to know Nick and Aaron a little better. In terms of relationships between characters, what I can say is that some things never change and others do.

I think the big question on everyone's mind is who Joan will end up with, but of course I won't tell you. But I have to say that the romance went down a path that I didn't consider, I didn't oppose, on the contrary I was super excited when I realized what was going to happen.

I'm sad that the story in this world has come to an end, but at the same time I was happy with the outcome. I genuinely recommend this trilogy and would love to see it translated in my country.

If Only a Monster hooked me with its time-bending twists and morally complex world, Once a Villain completely reeled me in with its emotional depth and higher stakes.This sequel hits harder. Joan is no longer the unsure girl caught between her monstrous legacy and human heart—she's now a girl who remembers everything that was taken from her. Vanessa Len deepens the world-building, especially with how the different Monster families function.The pacing is sharp—almost every chapter ends with something that pulls you into the next. But what I appreciated most was how Once a Villain explores grief, responsibility, and the cost of power.There’s a darker tone here, and I loved it. It feels earned. The stakes are bigger, but the emotional moments are quieter and more devastating. There were scenes where I actually had to pause and take a breath—not because of action, but because of how real the feelings felt.

Len’s writing is so cinematic, and I could see every jump through time, every memory fragment, every betrayal.The book is darker, more mature, and filled with moral grey areas, but still balanced with fast-paced twists and moments of tenderness. Relationships (romantic and otherwise) evolve in surprising ways, and the tension never lets up.
If you liked the first book, you’ll love this one.

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Absolutely gorgeous. What a beautiful ending to one of the best fantasy trilogies I've read. This series has been high upon high from the first book and none of the books have disappointed. Such an engaging narrative that did not let me get bored even once and I read all three books in a single sitting, staying up late to finish them because I couldn't stomach not knowing what happened next. A definite must read!!

Personal score: 1 star
Recommendation score: 3 star ONLY TO PEOPLE WHO LIKE THIS TROPE.


So this series has turned out not to be for me. I really wish it had been known from the beginning of a super long trilogy that this would end in polyamory. That's a romantic trope that definitely doesn't work for everyone and it definitely doesn't work for me. It doesn't help either that Nick was extremely unlikable and felt as if he was being shoved at the reader compared to Aaron who seemed like a natural romantic interest.

I will definitely recommend this series to people who enjoy polyamory stories, but I know a lot of people are going to be disappointed that Aaron wasn't Joan's only endgame.

an unexpected dystopian conclusion to a series about different stuff. the execution left a lot to be desired in my opinion, and the character work felt weak for a finale of trilogy.

thank you so much harpercollins and netgalley for the arc