Only a Monster

By Vanessa Len,

Book cover of Only a Monster

Book description

In every story there is a hero and a monster.

'Mind-bending, heart wrenching, and unputdownable!' Stephanie Garber, Sunday Times bestselling author of the Caraval series and Once Upon a Broken Heart

It should have been the perfect summer. Sent to stay with her late mother's eccentric family in London, sixteen-year-old…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Only a Monster as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

The protagonist of Only a Monster, Joan Hunt-Chang, also feels like someone caught between two worlds. Joan isn’t just half Chinese-Malaysian and half-British, she’s also half-monster and half-human, something that she learns at the beginning of the book. The rest of the book follows Joan as she tries to save her monster family, striking a balance between doing the right thing and embracing her monstrous heritage. Joan grapples with questions of identity, heritage and morality in this gripping fantasy novel, which also features time travel and a twist I honestly did not see coming. 

If you love Only a Monster...

Ad

Book cover of The Ballad of Falling Rock

The Ballad of Falling Rock by Jordan Dotson,

Truth told, folks still ask if Saul Crabtree sold his soul for the perfect voice. If he sold it to angels or devils. A Bristol newspaper once asked: “Are his love songs closer to heaven than dying?” Others wonder how he wrote a song so sad, everyone who heard it…

Want books like Only a Monster?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Only a Monster.

Browse books like Only a Monster

Book cover of The Keeper of Night
Book cover of Daughter of the Moon Goddess
Book cover of A Dark and Hollow Star

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,973

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like Only a Monster, you might also like...

Book cover of This Animal Body

This Animal Body by Meredith Walters,

Neuroscience PhD student Frankie Conner has finally gotten her life together—she’s determined to discover the cause of her depression and find a cure for herself and everyone like her. But the first day of her program, she meets a group of talking animals who have an urgent message they refuse…

Book cover of TimeBlink

TimeBlink by MJ Mumford,

When Syd Brixton was eleven years old, her identical twin vanished from a park and was never found. 

Now twenty years later, Syd’s favorite customer, Morley, is killed in a horrific accident outside the pub where Syd works. Moments before Morley dies, he gives Syd an extraordinary gift: the power…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in family secrets, monsters, and family?

Family Secrets 212 books
Monsters 173 books
Family 4,205 books