Only a Monster by Vanessa Len | ARC REVIEW
I FOUND IT. I think I found my favorite YA Fantasy of the whole year (slightly ironic since this is releasing Feb 2022 and I'm writing this Oct 2021).
Hi! It's been a while so what better way to start off my blog comeback with one of new favorites that I have to wait 2 years for a sequel for? Anyhow, it was worth every second that I have to wait in the future because this was just as satisfying as if it were a standalone.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: Only a Monster
Author: Vanessa Len
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publishing Date: February 22 2022 ( yes, 2/22/22! )
Tags: Young Adult Urban Fantasy
FIND IT ON: Goodreads, Book Depository, B&N, IndieBound, Thrift Books, Indigo
Synopsis:
With the sweeping romance of Passenger and the dark fantasy edge of This Savage Song, this standout YA contemporary fantasy debut from Vanessa Len, is the first in a planned trilogy.
It should have been the perfect summer. Sent to stay with her late mother’s eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old Joan is determined to enjoy herself. She loves her nerdy job at the historic Holland House, and when her super cute co-worker Nick asks her on a date, it feels like everything is falling into place.
But she soon learns the truth. Her family aren’t just eccentric: they’re monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers. And Nick isn’t just a cute boy: he’s a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to bring them down.
As she battles Nick, Joan is forced to work with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family that hates her own. She’ll have to embrace her own monstrousness if she is to save herself, and her family. Because in this story . . .
. . . she is not the hero.
I was sent an ARC of Only a Monster by the publisher -Harper Teen- for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
THE REVIEW— 4.5 —
My favorite aspect might be how open to interpretation so many different parts of the story was. If you pull out of context the mechanism of their powers, they don't really seem that bad and worthy to be called "monsters". However, if you actually think about the nature of it and how its meant to work… they definitely are monsters and Vanessa Len does nothing to make it sound right. Which I loved. Because she was still able to humanize the characters without compensating for the fact that what they do is harmful to people who aren't them.
To be honest, other books might have given it some redemption arc but VL said: "nope! but I'm gonna make you love them anyway."
“Real monsters look like me and you.”
This has all of my weaknesses bundled up in one book:
Unique magic system? CHECK.
Character dynamics that sweep you up? CHECK.
Themes about humanity and monsters? CHECK.
Magical underworld? CHECK.
Time travel and forgotten memories? CHECK.
(Enemy) Soulmate trope? CHECK.
and This cover? *chef’s kiss*
(whoever made this cover captured the essence of the story really well)
Also, did I forget to say that this is set in London…
Despite the enemy soulmates trope being the main reason I read this, Vanessa Lee was able to perfectly balance both the romance and plot, so of you’re a reader who enjoys that (like me), I think you’ll love this.
I'm going to be honest that I still don't know who exactly Vanessa Len is referring to with the "enemy-soulmates" bit. By that I mean I don't which one of the two male leads is actually her soulmate because the "enemy" part can be interpreted in two different ways depending on how you look at it. In my case, I think one of the main reasons the story affected me as much as it did was because I think I assumed the wrong person in the “enemy-soulmate” trope. I only realized it more than half-way through the story and it destroyed me because I think my ship might drown. If you fall in the same hole that I did, you'll probably be destroyed too.
Before reading, I was actually really curious to know if they really are monsters or if it meant something else. There is just something so intriguing reading about monsters that might not really be monsters. The fact that it was not explicitly said in the synopsis why they are considered monsters was a very smart and effective move. It made things that more surprising to me, especially given how effectively executed it was for my preferences. (I am a very big fan of fantasy that is borderline dark, is dark, or has dark themes).
There are some tropes that we have arguably seen a fair share of in YA but the way VL wrote it made it feel so fresh. There are some things left to be desired in the writing style and I'm not saying it was perfect but, oh, Vanessa Len’s skills in creative writing shows. I can’t pinpoint what exactly it is about her writing style but I was affected more than I thought I would be?? There’s something about this book, I swear, it gets you a certain way. When I know that the same scenes would not have hit as hard if VL’s writing was not what it was. There were just so many parts where I thought to myself that “this could have been a boring” but my intrigued never dwindled.
I don’t know what I thought the magic system would be like but it wasn’t what I thought it was gonna be with the title and premise. It was slightly more magical but still had that tinge of dark if you give it more than a second's thought. Given that I’ve read a great deal of fantasy with their fair share of magic systems, I get extra excited whenever one still manages to surprise me, especially in urban fantasy.
I do admit that there were times Joan frustrated me and made me want to shake her with her decisions but we're not going to get into that because I was still in love with the character dynamics at play. I also just want Aaron, my cinnamon bun, to be happy.
“We believe that if people belonged together...then our timeline tries to repair itself by bringing them together. Over and over and over....” "Like soulmates?" "Yes. If you believe in fairy tales,"
If you’re losing faith in YA Fantasy, I hope this helps give that hope back to you. This was definitely more The Last Magician (another favorite) than Passenger to me though, but it was definitely This Savage Song. I am so destroyed right now. I actually teared up when I finished this T_T
I was so affected by this story and it ended on a very destroying, heart-throbbing, and fulfilling note but also, I need the second book, like, yesterday. I have not hyped a YA Fantasy like this in so long but Vanessa Lee honestly deserves all the praise and excitement I can muster.
↣ Highly recommended if you want some fun fast-paced YA Time Travel Fantasy with ~maybe morally grey characters~ that is easy to get into but still holds the serotonin rushes that you are craving for. Especially one that holds aspects that are open to interpretation as of this first book. ↢
⇢ content warnings// On and offscreen deaths of parents and guardians, On and offscreen deaths of family members, Threats of violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, Weapon use, Brainwashing, Interrogation, Involuntary drug use, Real-world racist microaggressions, Fantasy xenophobia
⇢ representation: diaspora Chinese-English main character, Chinese side characters
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vanessa Len is an Australian author of Chinese-Malaysian and Maltese heritage. An educational editor, she has worked on everything from language learning programs to STEM resources, to professional learning for teachers. Vanessa is a graduate of the Clarion Workshop in San Diego, and she lives in Melbourne.
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