As part of a family who selfishly and impulsively wield their powers on a whim, she’s the monster of the story by birthright – even if she doesn’t know it at the beginning. If it sounds like Joan might be the hero in this story, think again. He gave her his familiar solemn smile, the one that he’d given her all the time at the house. Stealing time and travelling back so that she can warn her family and prevent a massacre, Joan must learn to embrace her own unique monstrousness in order to save herself and everyone she loves. Having thought she was the only one in her family without hidden powers, Joan is suddenly thrown into another existence – one where she’s jumping through time and on the run with the beautiful and ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a rival monster family, whose own kin are being hunted and slaughtered too. Not only are her family being hunted, but it turns out Nick is actually a legendary monster slayer determined to kill every monster he can find – including Joan. Soon her life is unravelling before her eyes. Everything is going perfectly until a seemingly harmless Good Samaritan attempt goes wrong and Joan’s sent spinning through time.

She’s fallen in love with her job at the historic Holland House and she’s also fallen a little in love with her co-worker Nick, who’s made the first move and asked Joan on a date. Vanessa Len’s debut, Only A Monster, centres on sixteen-year-old Joan who, having been sent to stay with her late mother’s eccentric family in London for the summer, is determined to enjoy herself. Add to that an intricately crafted time travel adventure, a biracial Asian protagonist and a captivating star-crossed romance, and you’ve got yourself one of this year’s most exciting YA urban fantasy books.

When an author promises ‘enemies to lovers, hot, ruthless monsters, a hero antagonist, a magical underworld, a monster court heist, and a big guy with a cute dog’, you know you’re in for a real treat.

Vanesa len