Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Only a Monster by Vanessa Len

40 reviews

sadetanssija's review against another edition

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Not interesting in the slightest, the constant bickering between the characters was grating. I loathe stories where something very very important to the main character has been kept secret, and when the secret's out, no one explains or the character doesn't listen. Enemies-to-lovers is not my joy, and some reviews mention a love triangle too? Yeah, no, I'm stopping reading before it gets to that point, ugh.
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tiredgarlicbread's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious 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

4.0

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woolgathering_jane's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious relaxing fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“Monsters look like giant spiders," Joan said. "Or like robots." She'd seen enough cartoons to know. Gran sometimes told jokes without smiling. Maybe this was one of those times.
But Gran's eyes weren't shiny with a held-in joke. They were serious. "That's pretend monsters," she said. "Real monsters look like me and you.”
This book was so. much. fun. It was a fast, easy read that I was looking forward to every day. I fell in love with the characters, the plot was easy enough to follow that I could relax while reading. I loved the moral dilemmas sprinkled throughout the book and I even had a nice, good cry at the end. I can't recommend it enough!  
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lilyhorsee's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

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haliahli's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This was a page turner, a well written young adult read! 

Cons for me were poor editing ( many typos and inconsistent jargon ) and I got annoyed with Aaron's character constantly wanting to give up (but that may just be the intent of the character's personality, he lacked in growth in that area for me). The back and forth between Nick and Aaron with the quick ending was a little awkward for me, it didn't feel like it flowed well and like there were gaps.


Otherwise wonderfully immersive settings, quite fun jumping times, and absolutely lovable characters. I would love to read the next book in this series. 
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ctara2123's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was fucking /great/!
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brooketreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The beginning came out of the gate hot. After that first main event and the dust settled, it was giving slight
Romeo and Juliet with that Uno reverse card.
I felt parts were getting too slow during the middle portion of the book. Although, I loved the last like 10% I was on a roller coaster of emotions, and was just left like 🫠 our MC Joan was definitely the most fleshed out of all the characters as a MC should be, but I didn’t feel anyone else was developed enough to feel connected. Joan’s relationships with the other characters weren’t very developed either, including with her family. There wasn’t enough development to actually feel sad or invested on changing the timeline. I wish the cultural elements had been more pronounced, and more. With Joan’s call to her dad, the cultural aspect just felt thrown in to say oh yeah Joan is Asian and they are Asian. Just as with the others, we didn’t get enough build up to the love interests. This story is very romance light. Also, I was pro Nick this entire book, not that I didn’t like Aaron, just for me Nick was superior. The term monster didn’t feel like it fit, unless you think of it in the context of someone who has done something evil is often referred to as “you’re a monster.” But, I think typically when I hear monster, I’m thinking something that looks scary. The magic system was pretty unique, but we didn’t really get why it works that way. I will say I didn’t always understand it. At the monster court, I had no idea what was even going on.  Anyways, I did enjoy this in-spite of the criticisms I have. I finished wishing I could immediately jump into book two. And even after this review I feel like rereading.
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fionamatilda's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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rae42's review against another edition

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  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

Just not my thing, I like the concept though
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elluvsbooks's review against another edition

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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) 
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