Series: Monsters #2
Author: Vanessa Len
Published August 29th 2023 by Hodder & Stoughton
Goodreads Synopsis
This sequel to the contemporary fantasy Only a Monster will take Joan deeper into the monster world, where treacherous secrets and even more danger await.
Despite all of the odds, Joan achieved the impossible. She reset the timeline, saved her family – and destroyed the hero, Nick.
But her success has come at a terrible cost.
She alone remembers what happened. Now, Aaron, her hard-won friend – and maybe more – is an enemy, trying to kill her. And Nick, the boy she loved, is a stranger who doesn’t even know her name. Only Joan remembers that there is a ruthless and dangerous enemy still out there.
When a deadly attack forces Joan back into the monster world as a fugitive, she finds herself on the run with Nick – as Aaron closes in.
As the danger rises – and Nick gets perilously closer to discovering the truth of what Joan did to him – Joan discovers a secret of her own. One that threatens everyone she loves.
Torn between love and family and monstrous choices, Joan must find a way to re-gather her old allies to face down the deadliest of enemies, and to save the timeline itself.
Vanessa Len’s stunning Only a Monster trilogy continues with this second instalment, a thrilling journey where a secret past threatens to unravel everyone's future.
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
After stopping Nick from killing all of the monsters, and destroying the world, Joan managed to reset the timeline, and she alone can remember just what happened. But, it seems that her actions had bigger consequences than anyone could ever expect. Re-meeting Nick, who doesn't remember who she is, and who has his family again, is bittersweet, but when they are attacked by monsters who want to kill them, all in the name of the mysterious villain, Joan needs to trust that he won't betray her. And Joan also needs to learn just who she can trust, and why she is so pivotal in the rips in the timeline.
I loved the first book, and as soon as I saw that Never a Hero was available on NetGalley, I jumped to download it. Because of how Joan had changed the timeline at the end of Only a Monster, I knew that there would have to be consequences, but the amount of things that occurred because of her actions were unreal. I loved seeing her growth across the book, and she was no longer the naive teen we met in book 1. Whenever it seemed as if all was lost, she and the gang managed to escape. I will say that one thing I disliked was how little Aaron was in this book. I'm definitely on Team Aaron (if that's even a thing), and it was disappointing that he didn't have as big a part as he had in book 1. I still have apprehensions about Joan and Nick's relationship, though they are 'soulmates'. I did think that learning more about the true timeline, and why these two were seen to be soulmates did explain part of it, but I still have questions. The final chapters of this book were phenomenal, and I'm dying for book 3! I don't know how Vanessa has managed to weave such a magical story, but I'm in awe of her work.
Dates Read:
July 24-26, 2023
Rating
4 Stars
