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JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

March 7, 2022

Only A Monster by Vanessa Len

March 7, 2022

Only a monster would kill a hero. Right?

Every family has its secrets, but the summer Joan Chang-Hunt goes to stay with her Gran in London, she learns hers is bigger than most. The Hunts are one of twelve families in London with terrifying, hidden powers.

Joan is half-monster. And what’s more, her summer crush Nick isn’t just a cute boy – he’s hiding a secret as well; a secret that places Joan in terrible danger.

When the monsters of London are attacked, Joan is forced on the run with the ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family who are sworn enemies of her own. Joan is drawn deeper into a world that simmers with hostilities, alliances and secrets. And her rare and dangerous power means she’s being hunted. 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.

Vanessa Len’s debut urban fantasy Only a Monster is an exciting release for fantasy readers, particularly fans of young adult fiction. Set in the real world, we meet a cast of characters labelled ‘monsters’. They’re able to travel through time by stealing time from other humans. Amongst the monster population, there’s a myth of a human hero who is destined to destroy their entire existence.

Despite a slow start, Only A Monster is fantastic. The premise of the novel fits comfortably in the urban fantasy genre but features enough originality to surprise even the most avid of genre fans. I genuinely felt unsure of where the story was going, surprised by the twists, engrossed by the characters, absorbed into the world building, and I finished the book feeling like Vanessa was bringing something unique to the readership.

“Joan lay there for a moment, trying to breathe through the pain. On the ground beside her, the dead woman lay, eyes wide open, looking up at nothing. Joan felt a sob rise in her throat like bile. She squeezed her eyes shut for a second and then forced herself to her feet.”

Set in London, Only A Monster incorporates the known trope of the anti-hero. Sixteen-year-old Joan Chang-Hunt discovers that she’s inherited her family’s ability to steal time from another’s life span and after finding herself alone, hunted and incredibly naive about this new ability she has, she teams up with an unlikely enemy. He is able to aid her escape, and then her plight as she attempts to right the wrongs inflicted at the beginning of the novel. Only A Monster explores the blurred boundary between good and evil and what it means to be a hero.

What transpires is a race through time, largely set in the 1990s, as Joan tries to flee those who hunt her. What starts as an urban fantasy soon turns into a fast-paced thriller with heightened stakes and well-crafted, multi-layered characters. There is an even balance of character driven and plot driven stylistic devices.

“Joan tried to remember, and panic bubbled up inside her again. The whole day was missing from her memory. There was just nothing there.”

Vanessa sets up the ending of the novel for a sequel, with enough questions left unanswered to keep you gripped. The mechanics of the time travel do remain a bit unanswered, and I think some readers will find the logistics a little blurry. But accepting the storyline and the characters and allowing yourself to fall into the story and let yourself be swept up into it will result in an engaging and enjoyable reading experience. When done well, time travel novels are a guilty pleasure of mine.

“She imagined Nick waiting for her at that cafe. She hadn’t responded to any of his messages. But she knew him. He’d have waited and waited, just in case. How long had he been there before he’d realised that she wasn’t coming?”

An exciting new story from an Australian writer. Engrossing and original, Vanessa Len’s Only a Monster can be devoured in quick succession. Recommended for YA readers and urban fantasy fans. Readership skews 13+

Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Only A Monster
Vanessa Len
February 2022
Allen & Unwin Book Publishers

1 Comment · Labels: 10/10, Book Reviews, Fantasy, Young Adult Tagged: adult fiction, book review, fantasy, fiction, review, urban fantasy, ya fiction, young adult

December 15, 2019

The Wailing Woman by Maria Lewis

December 15, 2019

Good girls don’t talk back. Good girls don’t cry. Good girls don’t scream.

Sadie Burke has been forced to be a good girl her entire life. As a banshee, she’s the bottom of the ladder when it comes to the supernatural hierarchy. Weak. Condemned. Powerless.

Silent. That’s what she and her six sisters have been told their entire lives, since their species was first banished from Ireland. Yet when a figure from her childhood unexpectedly arrives on the scene, Sadie finds it harder than ever to toe the line.

Texas Contos is the son of their greatest oppressor. He’s also someone she’s inexplicably drawn to, and as they grow closer, Sadie begins to question what banshees have been told for centuries about their gifts.

But the truth comes at a cost. With Sadie and Tex forced to run for their lives, their journey leads them to new friends, old enemies, and finally to her true voice – one that could shatter the supernatural world forever.

The Wailing Woman is another urban fantasy novel from Australian author Maria Lewis, this time turning our attention to the legend of Banshees — a supernatural creature not very common in fantasy novels.

Maria Lewis’ fifth novel, The Wailing Woman is about Sadie Burke and her voice, literally. When she is a young girl, it is discovered that Sadie Burke’s banshee scream has the ability to hurt — maybe even kill — others and so her voice is taken from her. She lives her life as a mute. The Wailing Woman is about Sadie reclaiming her voice and her identity, and punishing those who took it away from her as a child.

The Wailing Woman expands on the supernatural and urban fantasy worlds of Maria Lewis’ previous novels, but you don’t need to have read any of them to be able to follow this — The Wailing Woman is enough of a standalone novel that any reader can pick it up and be swept up in its storyline.

“Tasmanian devil shifters had been running a trafficking operation out of Australia for nearly a century now and no matter how many the Praetorian Guard were able to find and stamp out, another always popped up.”

The book is set in Sydney, but moves across a few different international locations, heightening the tension and the pacing and propelling the story forward.

The Wailing Woman switches POV between Sadie and love interest Tex, whose father was responsible for taking away Sadie’s voice. They team up after being separated for 10 years to uncover the truth about Sadie’s capabilities. Tex had been sent away by his father to train as an Askari — like a policeman/guard for the supernatural world — but now that he’s returned he realises the Askari are not as honourable as they make out to be.

Maria Lewis weaves between the supernatural world and the real world with ease and clarity. As a Sydney resident, it was rather fun to read these exciting plot points that were set in and around where I live. The setting is realistic, believable and incredibly engaging.

“Sadie held up her fingers in an okay symbol, not offended in the slightest. In truth, it was just nice to meet someone who didn’t know who she was or anything about her ‘condition’. It made her feel…regular, almost.”

A strong theme in the book is the oppression of women by men, and more specifically, how men use their power and their dominance to silence women and make them feel like they can’t use their voice to speak out against those who are evil.

The writing is incredibly strong throughout the novel. Maria Lewis is skilled at building intrigue and writing humour; she’s fantastic at writing romance and sexual tension, and all of the characters in The Wailing Woman are three-dimensional and interesting to read.

Side note: there was a pesky little thing that bothered me in the book — the pop culture references within the dialogue were quite corny.

“We gotta protect this pregnancy like a Jenner sister.”

“Take that, Ariana Grande’s whistle register.”

Despite this, which only happens a few times in the novel, I enjoyed The Wailing Woman. Fast-paced, enthralling, exciting and just a great time. I sincerely hope there’s a sequel, because there were a few things left unsaid and I’d love to keep exploring the world of the banshees. I’d recommend this to readers of fantasy, horror, thriller and young adult novels.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Wailing Woman
Maria Lewis
November 2019
Hachette Book Publishers

1 Comment · Labels: 8/10, Adult Fiction, Book Reviews, Fantasy Tagged: book review, fantasy, horror, review, thriller, urban fantasy

Welcome to Jess Just Reads, a book review blog showcasing the latest fiction, non-fiction, children's and young adult books.

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