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zoeelora's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Murder, Alcohol, Death, Stalking, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Physical abuse
thaliareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved the concept and the premise of the book. The entire lore and development of monsters was very well done and I found it incredibly interesting.
I enjoyed the majority of the plot with the exception of the ending. While I understand why it had to end the way it did, the whole ending just felt off.
I enjoyed the majority of the plot with the exception of the ending. While I understand why it had to end the way it did, the whole ending just felt off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Torture
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Confinement, Blood, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
The book does start with the death of everyone Joan cares about, and leaving her injured. We also find out that Nick does have a tragic origin story involving the death of his parents and the corresponding torture he endured. Finally, on their mission the group does encounter the location where a friend of theirs had been held after essentially being kidnapped.maryannc's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Xenophobia, Murder, Violence, and Racism
Minor: Torture, Death of parent, Blood, Alcohol, Confinement, Cursing, and Abortion
kirstenf's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement
marareading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The premise is great, but the ending is flat. I loved the hidden magic. One of my favorite tropes is generational magic as well. Fueding families definitely gave that Romeo and Juliet vibe. There was a lot that was left lacking with Nick and Joan in the end. I wanted more explained about the royals, the court, her magic, the magic world. The ending felt too abrupt and convenient. Even now knowing there will be a sequel it still felt too quick and unexplained.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Confinement, Death of parent, Grief, Violence, Death, and Forced institutionalization
booksthatburn's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ONLY A MONSTER engages with difference, family, belonging, and monstrosity as Joan, a half-human, half-monster girl witness the massacre of her family by a hero.
The narration focuses on Joan's reactions to various events, often returning to pieces of already-known information as her feelings change in light of new circumstances. It has the cumulative effect that very few things actually happen during the story, and long stretches of time are about processing those events and deciding how to proceed. Aaron's initial disdain transforming into patient support is one of my favorite parts of the book (and is why the ending particularly devastates me). I also like how Tom is a more complicated character than he first appears to be.
This dwells in long stretches of worldbuilding, specifically on snapshots of monster society within human society. Joan marvels at their various waystations, safe places they control for long stretches of time and can get food or supplies for the time where they've arrived. I enjoyed the descriptions as they didn't get bogged down in picky details, but included Joan's thoughts about what she was witnessing. The way the monster powers work is pretty cool, and I enjoyed the various facets of that world. One of my favorite simple details is that they call themselves monsters and that's the end of it. There's no complicated other label for themselves, as they're unashamed of how they live their lives. It's a detail that makes them truly feel like a group whose lives don't revolve around what humans think of them (since humans are little more than fuel to monsters).
I have very mixed feelings about the ending. It uses a trope I've loved at the conclusion of long series, but it leaves me unsure of the direction for the next book. It generates a feeling of immense work that's extremely important but completely invisible to everyone around Joan by the end. The most important thing at the end of the book is how the experience changed Joan, and the specific goal she was able to achieve. The relationships that are built up the most (between Joan and her fellow monsters) are not the ones with the weight of destiny behind them, and I'm nervous for what a sequel could bring.
The narration focuses on Joan's reactions to various events, often returning to pieces of already-known information as her feelings change in light of new circumstances. It has the cumulative effect that very few things actually happen during the story, and long stretches of time are about processing those events and deciding how to proceed. Aaron's initial disdain transforming into patient support is one of my favorite parts of the book (and is why the ending particularly devastates me). I also like how Tom is a more complicated character than he first appears to be.
This dwells in long stretches of worldbuilding, specifically on snapshots of monster society within human society. Joan marvels at their various waystations, safe places they control for long stretches of time and can get food or supplies for the time where they've arrived. I enjoyed the descriptions as they didn't get bogged down in picky details, but included Joan's thoughts about what she was witnessing. The way the monster powers work is pretty cool, and I enjoyed the various facets of that world. One of my favorite simple details is that they call themselves monsters and that's the end of it. There's no complicated other label for themselves, as they're unashamed of how they live their lives. It's a detail that makes them truly feel like a group whose lives don't revolve around what humans think of them (since humans are little more than fuel to monsters).
I have very mixed feelings about the ending. It uses a trope I've loved at the conclusion of long series, but it leaves me unsure of the direction for the next book. It generates a feeling of immense work that's extremely important but completely invisible to everyone around Joan by the end. The most important thing at the end of the book is how the experience changed Joan, and the specific goal she was able to achieve. The relationships that are built up the most (between Joan and her fellow monsters) are not the ones with the weight of destiny behind them, and I'm nervous for what a sequel could bring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Confinement, Medical trauma, Racism, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Minor: Vomit
tina_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
At first I wasn’t too into this story, but I am so glad I gave it a chance because it was honestly really good! I loved the characters and plot and can’t wait for the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Grief
thehushedearth's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
In this book Joan is a half human half monster girl who volunteers with a boy named Nick who she really likes. After a series of events that occur when she is supposed to go on a date with him, she learns that she time traveled. When she goes to explain it to him, they run into more monsters from a rival family and end up in a life or death situation. Joan learns that Nick is the “human hero” from all of the monster children stories and there is a massacre killing Joan’s entire family leaving only Joan and the son of her rival family, Aaron, alive. Joan and Aaron are then forced to time travel again while they run for their lives so that they can try to save their families and end up on a wild adventure full of more monsters and monster slayers and royal courts and monster balls. It’s a wonderful world that Len built full of culturally diverse characters. I understand Joan’s need to have her family back, but I feel like it was a stab in the back toward Aaron and Nick didn’t deserve her love with all that happened. I feel like this story isn’t close to complete and can’t wait for the next book to see how the gang gets back together and what happens in the monster world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Classism, Gore, Grief, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Minor: Body horror, Confinement, Kidnapping, Torture, Child abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and War
grace_yin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Torture, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement
plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Len’s idea to write the traditional hero vs monster story from a monster’s perspective, thus framing the hero as the villain, was a clever one, as was her idea to give the monsters the ability to time travel by stealing time from humans. The combination of those two ideas could’ve resulted in a phenomenal, intriguing story, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Most of the world-building was explained too briefly or not at all, leaving me almost constantly confused. There were a few instances where the opposite was true as well, where we learn a lot of information at once, and if we can’t remember it all, too bad, because it’s not getting explained again.
At times, reading this felt like arguing with a child, like when you ask them “Why?”, and all they say is “Because,” and refuse to actually elaborate. It was a bit frustrating, honestly. A fantasy story, regardless of sub-genre, cannot only be ~vibes~. There needs to be structure, there needs to be logic, and this book didn’t have enough of either one. We know there’s a king no one has seen and a royal court suspended in time, but not how the king came to power or what power system exists for the monsters beyond said king. We know there are twelve monster families each with a unique ability, but not if they’re noble, if there are any monsters outside of those families, or if they’re special in some other way. Sure, one could argue that we’ll learn these things in the next book, but to that I say, why should we have to wait for a sequel to (potentially) get basic world-building? Furthermore, how am I supposed to become invested in the story when my confusion over these missing details makes it difficult to focus on anything else? And don’t even get me started on the dual timelines mess.
Moving on, the protagonist Joan discovers early on that she’s a human-monster hybrid, and thus an anomaly, not truly belonging in either world but forced into the monster world after a rather traumatic night. We’re told repeatedly that she’s different, she’s special, she’s not like other monsters, but we don’t know why. And honestly, she didn’t feel special. She was likable enough, I suppose, but didn’t really have any defining characteristics; Len didn’t give me any reason to root for her. I felt more attachment to Joan’s companions than I did to her.
Speaking of, I quite liked the side characters. We’ve got Ruth, Joan’s cousin with a comeback for every situation and occasional kleptomaniac tendencies; Aaron, a member of a rival monster family that seems to hide vulnerability beneath cynicism; and Tom, a suspicious guy with a bigger role than I anticipated that, without spoiling anything, ended up being the complete opposite of what I expected. I found all three of them more compelling than Joan, and especially—to my surprise—loved Aaron.
From the beginning, I was reading between the lines of every interaction Joan and Aaron had, convinced that every snide comment, lingering touch or uncertain feeling meant something more. They reminded me heavily of Roma and Juliette from These Violent Delights, of Ismae and Duval from Grave Mercy—two of my absolute favorite enemies to lovers ships—forced to work together under less-than-ideal circumstances, only to find that, when they can finally split up… they might not want to. I go feral over this dynamic every time, and they’re no exception.
At least, they would be no exception, if Len hadn’t RUINED EVERYTHING with that ending. I’m so annoyed, even a few hours after finishing. She tried to force a ship that had no chemistry, presumably for the sake of plot. I hope she doesn’t actually want these characters together, partially because it wouldn’t make sense after the way the book ended, but mostly because I HATE IT.
Feelings aside, the end of the book… didn’t make much sense? Joan supposedly figured out what was so special about her, and used her power in a way that I think was supposed to be shocking, but really, it only managed to confuse me further. How can she have a power greater than any monster when she’s only half-monster? Add it to the list of things about this book that don’t make sense, I guess.
All in all, despite my heavy criticism of it, I wouldn’t say I hated Only a Monster. I think it’s a textbook case of good premise, poor execution. The side characters pulled their weight and then some, which is a significant part of why I’m not giving the book a lower rating. As for whether or not I’d recommend it, I’m hesitant to say outright that I wouldn’t—I usually reserve that for books I truly hated—but I will say that there are other books I’d recommend first. If you want a YA historical fantasy with time travel, try The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell. If you want a YA historical fantasy with an enemies to lovers romance, try Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers and/or These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong. And if you want a YA urban fantasy with Asian representation, try Wicked Fox by Kat Cho and/or Wicked as You Wish by Rin Chupeco.
Currently unsure if I’ll read the sequel when it releases. Reading books out of sheer curiosity against my better judgment is my toxic trait, so we’ll see. If Aaron’s in it, I might push through whatever else is there just to see him again.
Representation
Most of the world-building was explained too briefly or not at all, leaving me almost constantly confused. There were a few instances where the opposite was true as well, where we learn a lot of information at once, and if we can’t remember it all, too bad, because it’s not getting explained again.
At times, reading this felt like arguing with a child, like when you ask them “Why?”, and all they say is “Because,” and refuse to actually elaborate. It was a bit frustrating, honestly. A fantasy story, regardless of sub-genre, cannot only be ~vibes~. There needs to be structure, there needs to be logic, and this book didn’t have enough of either one. We know there’s a king no one has seen and a royal court suspended in time, but not how the king came to power or what power system exists for the monsters beyond said king. We know there are twelve monster families each with a unique ability, but not if they’re noble, if there are any monsters outside of those families, or if they’re special in some other way. Sure, one could argue that we’ll learn these things in the next book, but to that I say, why should we have to wait for a sequel to (potentially) get basic world-building? Furthermore, how am I supposed to become invested in the story when my confusion over these missing details makes it difficult to focus on anything else? And don’t even get me started on the dual timelines mess.
Moving on, the protagonist Joan discovers early on that she’s a human-monster hybrid, and thus an anomaly, not truly belonging in either world but forced into the monster world after a rather traumatic night. We’re told repeatedly that she’s different, she’s special, she’s not like other monsters, but we don’t know why. And honestly, she didn’t feel special. She was likable enough, I suppose, but didn’t really have any defining characteristics; Len didn’t give me any reason to root for her. I felt more attachment to Joan’s companions than I did to her.
Speaking of, I quite liked the side characters. We’ve got Ruth, Joan’s cousin with a comeback for every situation and occasional kleptomaniac tendencies; Aaron, a member of a rival monster family that seems to hide vulnerability beneath cynicism; and Tom, a suspicious guy with a bigger role than I anticipated that, without spoiling anything, ended up being the complete opposite of what I expected. I found all three of them more compelling than Joan, and especially—to my surprise—loved Aaron.
From the beginning, I was reading between the lines of every interaction Joan and Aaron had, convinced that every snide comment, lingering touch or uncertain feeling meant something more. They reminded me heavily of Roma and Juliette from These Violent Delights, of Ismae and Duval from Grave Mercy—two of my absolute favorite enemies to lovers ships—forced to work together under less-than-ideal circumstances, only to find that, when they can finally split up… they might not want to. I go feral over this dynamic every time, and they’re no exception.
At least, they would be no exception, if Len hadn’t RUINED EVERYTHING with that ending. I’m so annoyed, even a few hours after finishing. She tried to force a ship that had no chemistry, presumably for the sake of plot. I hope she doesn’t actually want these characters together, partially because it wouldn’t make sense after the way the book ended, but mostly because I HATE IT.
Feelings aside, the end of the book… didn’t make much sense? Joan supposedly figured out what was so special about her, and used her power in a way that I think was supposed to be shocking, but really, it only managed to confuse me further. How can she have a power greater than any monster when she’s only half-monster? Add it to the list of things about this book that don’t make sense, I guess.
All in all, despite my heavy criticism of it, I wouldn’t say I hated Only a Monster. I think it’s a textbook case of good premise, poor execution. The side characters pulled their weight and then some, which is a significant part of why I’m not giving the book a lower rating. As for whether or not I’d recommend it, I’m hesitant to say outright that I wouldn’t—I usually reserve that for books I truly hated—but I will say that there are other books I’d recommend first. If you want a YA historical fantasy with time travel, try The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell. If you want a YA historical fantasy with an enemies to lovers romance, try Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers and/or These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong. And if you want a YA urban fantasy with Asian representation, try Wicked Fox by Kat Cho and/or Wicked as You Wish by Rin Chupeco.
Currently unsure if I’ll read the sequel when it releases. Reading books out of sheer curiosity against my better judgment is my toxic trait, so we’ll see. If Aaron’s in it, I might push through whatever else is there just to see him again.
Representation
- Chinese-English protagonist
- Chinese side characters
- gay side character (and an implied achillean relationship)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Death of parent, Grief, Blood, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Torture