This book was anything but what I expected, and still I was able to enjoy every page of it!

When I first came across Only a Monster, I immediately added it to my TBR, knowing I will pick it up sooner than any other book. How could I have not? A book about monsters where the hero is the antagonist? Add to that some time travel that always intrigues me (which shouldn‘t be a suprise considering I grew up with constant rewatchs of Back to the Future), and a potential love triangle that is promising some good enemies-to-lovers trope on both sides, this book was one I quickly was excited for. And I‘m happy to inform you that I enjoyed every page of it!

Only a Monster is a fun, fast-paced and engaging story featuring a cool cast of characters coming from various backgrounds and with different opinions on what it means to be a monster, introducing us to a world within the one we know that is filled with time travelling monsters that can jump from time to time only for the tiny cost of … a human life. Oops! Doesn‘t sound as nice anymore, but hey, we are speaking of monsters, so why should we be surprised, right?

What did suprise me was how light-hearted it was, which makes it a perfect quick YA read for everyone to enjoy! I had expected a much darker tone, and a worse kind of monsters if I‘m being honest. And yet, I didn‘t mind that those expectations weren‘t met because the world itself and the elements of time travelling were so refreshing and unique. The mystery revolving around the timeline, as well as the twists and turns kept me flipping those pages, and made it hard to put the book aside. It‘s one of those reads you can easily binge in a sitting or two, and leaves you making all sort of theories, desperate for more answers!

The reason why I do end up rating it just four out of five stars is that the story moved forward too quickly at some parts, which didn‘t leave enough room to develop some relationships between the characters. As it was heavily marketed on the enemies-to-lovers love triangle I was hoping for more agony, tension, and investment on my side. Unfortunately, one love interest didn‘t deliver enough for me to care particularly about him, which made me feel pretty underwhelmed at the ending of the story. Generally, the ending felt a bit too convenient, and I would have wished for more build-up.

However, I still had a lot of fun reading this book, and it did leave me with lots of questions and possible theories that I can‘t wait to see whether they‘ll turn out to be true in the sequel! If you‘re looking for a fun, quick and engaging YA story that offers some unique elements, leaves room for lots of theories, and that you can devour in a day - Only a Monster might be the book for you!