Only a Monster, book1 of the Only a Monster series by Vanessa Len | Book Review

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Betrayed by her supposedly ordinary boyfriend, Joan is forced to attempt desperate measures to save her family.

Joan Chang-Hunt, a 16-year-old girl, will have the best day of her life with Nick, her cute and nerdy boyfriend. However, things don’t go as planned when Joan gains unconsciousness; she tries to help Mr.Solt, an older man, and finds that she woke up later in the night! It turns out she accidentally stole time from the man, revealing her true nature as a half-monster. The next day, when she tried to apologize to Nick, they got ambushed by the Olivers, a rival monster family. So Nick shows his true colors and reveals that he is the human hero destined to slay the monsters. With Joan, Aaron Oliver (a reluctant ally), Ruth (her cousin), and Nick on different sides, what will the outcome of this war result in?

“In every story, there is a hero and a monster. She is not the hero.”-Only a Monster. This quote is what spurred me to buy and read it. In every story, the main character is usually the hero, and there are very few stories (like Death Note, where Light Yagami) where the main character is the villain. I’m very intrigued by those stories, and this book did a stunning job on this theme.
This book is a stunning dark, romantic, and time travel fantasy with fascinating historical details of England.
Nothing is black and white here; it’s a lot of shades of grey.

Joan is a very relatable and determined character. She would do anything to save her family and has a strong sense of justice. Aaron is snarky and posh. Ruth is mischievous and a child at heart, even though she’s older than Joan. Nick is two-faced but a tragic character.

Give this book to anyone who loves unique time-travel stories where the main character is the anti-hero or the villain.

Now I can’t wait for book 2!!!

My rating