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Joan’s mom’s family has always been a little eccentric. For one, the Hunts seem to have an affinity for taking things that don’t belong to them. For another, her grandmother has told her a number of times over the years that Joan is “a monster,” and so are they. Okay… sure.
Then one summer she is staying with the Hunt side of the family in London while her dad spends time with his family in Malaysia. She’s really enjoying her volunteering work at an old house that’s been made into a museum. History fascinates her. And she’s excited about her date with her cute co-worker, Nick. But on her way to meet up with him, Joan runs into a neighbor. Suddenly, it’s no longer morning: it’s the middle of the night.
Her grandmother then reveals the truth: being a monster means you can steal time from humans (taking hours, days or even years off their lives) and use it to travel in time. She just inadvertently traveled hours into the future. She’s horrified. But even worse is when she finds out that Nick isn’t an ordinary guy: he’s a legendary monster slayer, determined to kill her, her family, and all monsters.
Soon she is on the run in the past, paired up with a snooty young man from another monster family. The Olivers are wealthy and haughty and particularly look down on the Hunts. Aaron, while exuding disdain for Joan and her family, still helps her. They have to track down the truth about Nick and what’s happening, and they face dangerous people who would do anything to keep them ignorant of it.
Only a Monster is a young adult paranormal fantasy book with a cool premise. It is a debut, and sometimes I could sense the inexperience of the author, and just occasionally, I wasn’t quite sure how some of the pieces of the plot fit together. But overall, it’s compelling, and I couldn’t put it down.
The second book is Never a Hero, and the third (the conclusion) Once a Villain.
Rated: High. Profanity includes 14 uses of strong language, fewer than 10 instances of moderate profanity, around 5 uses of mild language, and 25 instances of the name of Deity in vain. There are around 5 uses of British profanity. Sexual content includes kissing. Violence includes several fighting scenes that involve death and injury.
