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battysbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Racism
sandwiiche's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
i like the concept of this but was bored and confused for most of the book, plus the characters felt a little flat for me. the last part of the book was where the plot got interesting, but i still felt like something was missing.
i also wasn't a huge fan of the writing style as well. i think this book read more like middle grade rather than young adult, and it was missing that extra little finesse. however, i'll cut the author some slack since this is a debut novel - so props to her!!
i also wasn't a huge fan of the writing style as well. i think this book read more like middle grade rather than young adult, and it was missing that extra little finesse. however, i'll cut the author some slack since this is a debut novel - so props to her!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Death
Minor: Racism
elluvsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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? No
5.0
Bro, this book was INSANE, I LOVE the world and characters, especially Joan, Ruth and Aaron. They were all amazing, I loved every single word that I read and every single second I spent reading this masterpiece. 100% WOULD RECOMMEND, GO READ IT ASAP!!!
(btw I read this book in like 2 days!? by now you should know that it’s awesome)
(btw I read this book in like 2 days!? by now you should know that it’s awesome)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Racism
katiemcgregor's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
3.5
To be honest, I've always had a difficult time wrapping my head around time travel stories so I'm, by no means, an expert. But I do think that Only a Monster is well done and clever. It delivers more than I've come to expect from YA and I'm a big fan of the morally grey dilemmas Len incorporates into the story.
Maybe it's my lack of time travel understanding or the fact that this is only the first in the series, but I do wish a few things had a little more explanation behind them. I'm going to assume that my questions will be answered in the next books.
For the most part this was fun. It didn't completely command my attention, but I did enjoy picking it up and immersing myself into the interesting world Len created.
Maybe it's my lack of time travel understanding or the fact that this is only the first in the series, but I do wish a few things had a little more explanation behind them. I'm going to assume that my questions will be answered in the next books.
For the most part this was fun. It didn't completely command my attention, but I did enjoy picking it up and immersing myself into the interesting world Len created.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Racism, Death of parent, and Classism
catorureads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I just want to give Aaron a big hug #TeamAaron
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Grief, Murder, Blood, and Genocide
Moderate: Violence and Torture
Minor: Racism
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
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Minor: Racism and Violence
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
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There is so much to like about this book! Not only does it have great characters and an interesting, refreshing premise, but it also moves along at a good pace. It's easy to jump into the story and you're immediately hooked, right from the beginning. While it does use some typical YA fantasy tropes, the world and the characters make up for it, 100%.
The only reason this isn't getting a full five stars is because time travel and "the one true timeline" thing always throws me a for a loop. Time travel is confusing! But other than that, this was definitely an enjoyable read. And I'd recommend the audio because the narrator does a great job!
The only reason this isn't getting a full five stars is because time travel and "the one true timeline" thing always throws me a for a loop. Time travel is confusing! But other than that, this was definitely an enjoyable read. And I'd recommend the audio because the narrator does a great job!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Drug use, Xenophobia, and Death
Minor: Racism
lady_moon's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent, Genocide, and Drug abuse
Minor: Cursing, Kidnapping, and Racism