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abby_ace_of_books 's review for:
Only a Monster
by Vanessa Len
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I think this might be the first book I read this year where the "Nick" character wasn't blonde...
I read Only a Monster a few years ago and was completely shocked by the ending, but for some reason, I never went back to it. I saw book three on Netgalley and requested it a while ago, so now I have an excuse to finish the series and reread book one. I think I initially read it in the peak of my enemies-to-lovers phase, but I also remember not being super impressed by the romance, and that's why I didn't come back to it. I remembered very little of it for my reread, which was both a good and a bad thing. I also want to briefly mention the worldbuilding because it's a bit confusing. Monsters are basically just people who can time travel by stealing time from humans. They look human and basically are human except for the time travel, so readers looking for monstrous monsters should look elsewhere. Each monster family has a different power, but it's never really explained who does what, and I think just a list of each family (and possibly their relevant characters) and their powers would've been extremely helpful, especially because the Hunt family power isn't really mentioned until about 75% into the book.
Joan's family has told her stories of monsters since she was a child, but she doesn't quite realize the truth of those stories until she accidentally time-travels...and steals time from a human in the process. As it turns out, her crush, Nick, is actually a monster-hunter, and when her family is brutally murdered in front of her, she must ally with monster heir Aaron Oliver to go back in time to save them. The pacing is quite quick; the actual timespan of this book is only a handful of days. There's a pretty consistent level of tension throughout the story, and for the most part, it kept me hooked. The ending is relatively twisty and has interesting implications for the next book. I enjoyed the plot (it was definitely what kept me engrossed in the story), but it wasn't anything that I found particularly unique. The label "monster" feels underdeveloped, as the only difference between monsters and humans appears to be the ability to time travel, and so the theming can feel a bit shallow at times. Overall, I didn't mind the mild predictability of the plot because it was fast-paced and had interesting implications, but I'm hoping book two explores more exciting aspects of the world.
As much as I was hooked on the plot, I wasn't incredibly fond of the characters. Joan is fine as a protagonist; she has an interest in history, which is helpful for a time traveler, and acts as a relatively unique character trait for YA urban fantasy. She does feel a bit bland at times, but I think her reactions were realistic, and I'm excited to see her embrace her role as half-monster, half-human. Aaron is the broody, rich love interest with a probably tragic backstory. Despite the large amount of page-time he occupied, he felt a bit underdeveloped (as did his relationship with Joan). I might be the only person in the world who isn't team Aaron. I didn't really care much for Nick either until the end. He falls into very strict archetypes, but I think that's the point of his character, and I'm hoping book two plays with that. If you want comps for the love interests, Aaron Oliver is pretty much Aaron Warner from Shatter Me, and Nick reminds me a bit of Fitz Vacker from Keeper of the Lost Cities. I liked Ruth but didn't really feel attached to her, and Tom gave me icky vibes at first, but eventually I grew to appreciate him. There weren't a ton of other characters, but the focus was more on the plot than the love triangle, so I didn't mind.
Only a Monster is a YA urban fantasy that follows the monsters instead of the heroes and would be a fitting read for fans of The Temptation of Magic and The City of Dusk.
3.5/5
I read Only a Monster a few years ago and was completely shocked by the ending, but for some reason, I never went back to it. I saw book three on Netgalley and requested it a while ago, so now I have an excuse to finish the series and reread book one. I think I initially read it in the peak of my enemies-to-lovers phase, but I also remember not being super impressed by the romance, and that's why I didn't come back to it. I remembered very little of it for my reread, which was both a good and a bad thing. I also want to briefly mention the worldbuilding because it's a bit confusing. Monsters are basically just people who can time travel by stealing time from humans. They look human and basically are human except for the time travel, so readers looking for monstrous monsters should look elsewhere. Each monster family has a different power, but it's never really explained who does what, and I think just a list of each family (and possibly their relevant characters) and their powers would've been extremely helpful, especially because the Hunt family power isn't really mentioned until about 75% into the book.
Joan's family has told her stories of monsters since she was a child, but she doesn't quite realize the truth of those stories until she accidentally time-travels...and steals time from a human in the process. As it turns out, her crush, Nick, is actually a monster-hunter, and when her family is brutally murdered in front of her, she must ally with monster heir Aaron Oliver to go back in time to save them. The pacing is quite quick; the actual timespan of this book is only a handful of days. There's a pretty consistent level of tension throughout the story, and for the most part, it kept me hooked. The ending is relatively twisty and has interesting implications for the next book. I enjoyed the plot (it was definitely what kept me engrossed in the story), but it wasn't anything that I found particularly unique. The label "monster" feels underdeveloped, as the only difference between monsters and humans appears to be the ability to time travel, and so the theming can feel a bit shallow at times. Overall, I didn't mind the mild predictability of the plot because it was fast-paced and had interesting implications, but I'm hoping book two explores more exciting aspects of the world.
As much as I was hooked on the plot, I wasn't incredibly fond of the characters. Joan is fine as a protagonist; she has an interest in history, which is helpful for a time traveler, and acts as a relatively unique character trait for YA urban fantasy. She does feel a bit bland at times, but I think her reactions were realistic, and I'm excited to see her embrace her role as half-monster, half-human. Aaron is the broody, rich love interest with a probably tragic backstory. Despite the large amount of page-time he occupied, he felt a bit underdeveloped (as did his relationship with Joan). I might be the only person in the world who isn't team Aaron. I didn't really care much for Nick either until the end. He falls into very strict archetypes, but I think that's the point of his character, and I'm hoping book two plays with that. If you want comps for the love interests, Aaron Oliver is pretty much Aaron Warner from Shatter Me, and Nick reminds me a bit of Fitz Vacker from Keeper of the Lost Cities. I liked Ruth but didn't really feel attached to her, and Tom gave me icky vibes at first, but eventually I grew to appreciate him. There weren't a ton of other characters, but the focus was more on the plot than the love triangle, so I didn't mind.
Only a Monster is a YA urban fantasy that follows the monsters instead of the heroes and would be a fitting read for fans of The Temptation of Magic and The City of Dusk.
3.5/5