Joan Chang-Hunt has always been told she is a monster, but not in the dangerous, antagonistic way monsters are depicted in fairy tales. Her mother’s side of the family, the Hunts, can make objects appear and disappear at will and Joan believes this to be the extent of her power. That is, until she bumps into a man on the street and finds herself 12 hours ahead in the future.

Joan is then thrust into a world she had no idea existed and finds herself in the middle of a battle to erase all monsters from existence. With the help of Aaron Oliver, a monster from the rival Oliver family, Joan must find a way to save all monster-kind from being slaughtered by the Hero, a figure from monster legend whose sole purpose is to rid the world of monsters forever.

As someone who has difficulty reading stories with terribly complicated plots, this book was incredibly engaging. Whenever new information is presented about the world, we are always allowed time for it to sink in and be explained and are never thrown into the deep end. As Joan discovers this new world, so do we.

What I most loved about this book was how incredibly entertaining it was. I found myself writing down my favourite quotes from every page because every character had such a great sense of humour or was so incredibly raw that I needed to immortalise their words. And the plot! Don’t get me started on how much I loved the storyline. The pacing was perfect and the predicaments the protagonists were placed in were particularly poignant. I cannot wait to discover what is in store for Joan Chang-Hunt in book two.

Vanessa Len is a Melbourne-based author and Only a Monster is her first book of what I hope to be many. With a rich and entertaining story complete with enough twists and turns to make any reader gasp out loud, I have no doubt that readers everywhere will release a collective squeal of excitement when the sequel is announced.

Reviewed by Maddy, Year 12, Santa Maria College
Northcote VIC
Age Guide 13+