Only a Monster

by Vanessa Len

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Only a Monster (1)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
870	19	25,033	(3.73)	4
Fantasy. Romance. Science Fiction & Fantasy. Young Adult Fiction. HTML: The sweeping romance of Passenger meets the dark fantasy edge of This Savage Song in this stunning contemporary fantasy debut from Vanessa Len, where the line between monster and hero is razor thin. Don't forget the rule. No one can know what you are. What we are. You must never tell anyone about monsters. Joan has just learned the truth: her family are monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers. And the cute boy at work isn't just a boy: he's a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to destroy her family. To save herself and her family, Joan will have to do what she fears most: embrace her own monstrousness. Because in this story...she is not the hero. Dive deep into the world of Only a Monster: hidden worlds dwell in the shadows, beautiful monsters with untold powers walk among humans, and secrets are the most powerful weapon of all. .… (more)

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2023 Lodestar Award -- Eligible Works -- Young Adult Books (not a Hugo) (3)

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RoXXieSiXX | May 20, 2024 |

Gr 9 Up—Joan discovers her monstrous heritage and is determined to use her ability to steal time to save her
family. This time-travel paranormal is a fun, adrenaline-infused adventure, entwined with deeper questions about
morality and justice as readers follow Joan on her ascent into villainy.

BackstoryBooks | Apr 1, 2024 |

This one is all over the place with nonsensical conclusions off of unrelated information and a lot of very unbelievable reactions and surreal dialogue.
Reading this felt a bit like experiencing a fever dream.

The third-person perspective seemed weirdly distant and removed because of the odd way the MC and her surrounding are described and the time flow seems choppy even without the whole time-jump mess that also makes no sense whatsoever.

I didn't read enough of the book to feel justified in giving this a rating but I am pretty confident it would be 2 stars at most if I kept on reading.

omission | Oct 19, 2023 |

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Teen for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars, rounded up. It was a quick read for me but kept me entertained and drawn in from the beginning. After struggling recently with books not capturing my full attention until later in the book and/or not connecting with the writing style this was a welcome change. After this and "All of Us Villains" I am thinking that maybe really dark YA fantasy books are my thing. I'm excited to see where this keeps going! (

)

Fatula | Sep 25, 2023 |

3 ⭐️
Not a horrible book but not mind blowing either. I'm unsure if I'll continue the series. I also don't get why the author felt the need to capitalize the word black when describing some character's skin color.....it’s not an ethnicity. Other than that it's a decently written book. (

)

thecozyshelf | Aug 6, 2023 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Vanessa Len	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Tan, Eevien	Cover artist	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

Only a Monster (1)

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Aurealis Award (Winner – YA Novel – 2022)

British Science Fiction Association Award (Shortlist – Book For Younger Readers – 2022)

Goodreads Choice Awards (Nominee – Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction – 2022)

Notable Lists

Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Teen – 2022)

The Best Children's Books of the Year (2023)

Red Dirt Reads (Nominee – High School – 2024)

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2022)

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Canonical title

Only a Monster

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Original publication date

2022-02-17

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London, England, UK

Holland House, Kensington, London, England, UK

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▾Book descriptions

Fantasy. Romance. Science Fiction & Fantasy. Young Adult Fiction. HTML:

The sweeping romance of Passenger meets the dark fantasy edge of This Savage Song in this stunning contemporary fantasy debut from Vanessa Len, where the line between monster and hero is razor thin.

Don't forget the rule. No one can know what you are. What we are. You must never tell anyone about monsters.

Joan has just learned the truth: her family are monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers.

And the cute boy at work isn't just a boy: he's a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to destroy her family.

To save herself and her family, Joan will have to do what she fears most: embrace her own monstrousness. Because in this story...she is not the hero.

Dive deep into the world of Only a Monster: hidden worlds dwell in the shadows, beautiful monsters with untold powers walk among humans, and secrets are the most powerful weapon of all.

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