Book Review: Only a Monster by Vanessa Len

  • Source: I received an advance copy of this book on NetGalley

  • My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (see my review on Goodreads)

Let me start by saying that I really enjoyed this story... BUT. Okay, that's a BUT in all-caps, but it's really not that huge. Let me continue by saying that this book was a surprise! The description leaves a lot of mystery, which I appreciate, so I will do my best to preserve that and avoid spoilers in this review.

Here are the things that threw me off. 1) Unfortunately, the beginning of this book felt so much like it started its life as a Harry Potter fanfiction story that it killed my immersion for a moment. I had to push through and allow myself to keep going for a while before I got over it -- and thankfully this moment passed and the rest of the book felt like its own tale. 2) The "monsters" in this book did not feel monstrous to me, at least not in the way that I expected. You could call it a good thing, that it wasn't so typical, but it led to me feeling a bit let down because it wasn't nearly as dark or monster-filled as I was expecting. 3) Speaking on these monsters, their powers were... confusing to me. I mean, I think the powers were interesting and I can see how that would make them seem/feel like monsters, but... I really didn't get the POINT of the powers. It never felt clear to me why they would ever use this power in the first place. Hmph. 4) This is marketed as a romance, and quite honestly I'm not sure which boy is the romantic interest I'm supposed to be rooting for. I would have liked a lot more exploration on both sides.

Okay, but aside from my confusion and frustration, I found myself really enjoying the ride! The twists and turns, ups and downs, questions and mysteries... All of it was a lot of fun to explore along with Joan. I would definitely watch a show or movie adaptation of this book!

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