Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

Only a Monster by Vanessa Len

2 reviews

vicktorea's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-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

liked the concept!

I really enjoyed the concept of time travel and how the main character was the "monster" / "villain" in this story. I loved the author's incorporation of their Asian Heritage; this added to the enrichment of the story and the lush writing and storytelling.

I did find that this dragged in certain areas towards the middle and I couldn't get myself back into it past a certain point and skimmed a little to get to the end. The ending was shattering and I'm intrigued to see how things will pick up in other books since this is set to be a series (and this ending felt kind of definite) but I'm not sure if I'm intrigued enough to pick up book two (yet...).

Also, this was YA and felt very YA at times (especially the romance and Joan read as very YA [but not juvenile]), but there was also swearing (like f-bombs, which didn't bother me) but felt jarring considering how YA this felt.

Overall, a decent debut! 3.5 Stars.

Thank you to HarperCollins / HCC Frenzy for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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nicamooch's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious 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

5.0

My jaw was not ready for the amount of twists in this book. I loved the fast pace and the way every emotion still packed a punch—this was an instantly unputdownable kind of book. The ending of chapter ONE had me reeling. 
The third act had me audibly gasping multiple times. I just absolutely adore the ride this book took me on. I love the twist on the good vs evil trope. The perspective of a monster vs a hero antagonist was so well done and felt so refreshing? 
Despite this story having time travel the stakes always felt serious—I was hooked until the very last page because I really didn’t know which way it would go. 

This is such a phenomenal debut book (I am absolutely looking forward to the rest of the trilogy) but this was such an adventure with an epic ending I honestly felt satisfied and content with it upon finishing 😂. But alas, I am team Aaron and must know what happens 😤. I also hope we get to see more of Joan’s family in the next books—Gran was such a delight 😂. 

I also love the humour in this. The banter between Joan and Aaron was golden! I loved every interaction between these two! I love love loved their dynamic 💛💛💛

Also, the absolute mastery involved to have me bawling over the relationship of two side characters within two pages 😭😭😭. I want those two to keep their HEA please 😭🙏. 
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