Only a Monster

December 1, 2021
Joan is enjoying her summer in London with her eccentric family and dream job at the historic Holland House. After unexpectedly losing several hours out of her day after a fall, she discovers that her family are not just eccentric, they are monsters—monsters that are capable of time travel, but at the expense of human lives. Not only that, but the cute boy Joan was hoping to date turns out to be a legendary monster slayer who has vowed to kill all of her kind. Now on a quest to save her family, Joan must go into battle with the beautiful Aaron, the heir to a rival monster family, and embrace her own terrifying powers in order to survive. Vanessa Len’s debut YA novel is an intriguing urban fantasy that is sure to appeal to fans of Sarah J Maas and Cassandra Clare. While there are several well-worn tropes at play, the world-building is impressive and will immerse the reader in the world of monsters. Len uses Joan’s monster identity (half monster, half human) to explore the wider prejudices she faces as a biracial young woman, and it is refreshing to see an Anglo-Asian character who is not simply a token addition. It is the secondary characters, however, who are the most interesting. From Joan’s ruthless grandmother and snooty Aaron and his monster family, to Nick the monster slayer and Joan’s beautiful but feisty older cousin Ruth, all have secrets that intrigue the reader and provide many twists and turns in the plot. No doubt readers will be eagerly awaiting further additions to this proposed trilogy.  Erin Wamala has previously worked in publishing and is currently both a practising teacher librarian and the owner of The Kids’ Bookshop.