Only A Monster Review

Only A Monster by Vanessa Len

Synopsis:

Joan has never thought too much about her family’s eccentricities. Their knack for disappearing tricks and the way they’ve always told her that she’s a monster. That is until the boy she’s fallen for turns out to be a monster hunter. Now, Joan has been thrown together with Aaron, another monster from a rival family and survivor of the massacre that killed both their families. Together they travel through time desperately seeking a way to undo what has happened whilst running from the hunters.

Nikki says: 

I can’t stop thinking about this book. I don’t think I expected to like it as much as I did. We’re thrown into the story pretty quickly and it remained fairly action packed throughout with the characters always moving about or setting plans in motion.

I thought the setting in the book was really well done, London almost feels like another character, especially with all the history we see and I can’t imagine the story taking place anywhere else. I loved that it was recognisable as a British reader. It almost has that same ‘hidden London’ quality that you get from the Harry Potter world - a totally hidden, magical community hidden right under everyone’s noses.

I’m not sure about the romance storyline here, and (keeping it spoiler free) I found the ending a little forced and too convenient. I did, however, love the journey that Joan and Aaron take and the way their characters developed throughout the book. I really hope we get more of this in the next book. Beautiful, broken Aaron has definitely taken up root in my heart - probably because he gives me major Draco Malloy vibes.

The only other thing I feel like I need a little more of in the next book (hence that half star) is a clearer understanding of how the ‘magic system’ works. Each of the Monster families in the book has their own ‘power’ beyond travelling through time and I’m still a bit vague on this and how it works. Maybe that’s intentional as this whole world is new to Joan as well, but there were a couple of moments where I felt like I’d missed something and had to catch up.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I can’t think of anything else I’ve read that was quite like it and I’m really excited for the next one. I hope the wait isn’t too painfully long!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Book 1 of 3 (incomplete)

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers | Love Triangle | Broken Boys | I’ve Come to Kill You | Morally Grey Characters | Time Travel