Once a Villain: Only a Monster 3
By Vanessa Len
Reviewed by Alison McCaffrey
What if monsters are real – but they’re nothing like you expect?
In Once A Villain, Joan faces the truth of everything monsters are willing to do, and desperately hopes they are capable of change. Especially those closest to her.
Joan shielded Nick, Aaron, Ruth and Jamie through the shift into Eleanor’s ultimate timeline, where the Grave family has been restored and monsters will never have to hide. Humans are nothing more than slaves and time-banks, putting Joan and Nick in constant danger of instant death. Now their misfit crew is on a mission to create a good and equitable timeline, for humans and monsters, once and for all.
But in this timeline, Aaron rules his family with an iron fist, no one except Jamie remembers any pasts, and Joan has the unenviable task of plotting her sister’s death. As they discover just how hostile this new world really is, Joan navigates Nick pulling further away, while Aaron is coming around to the friendship he doesn’t remember. As the timeline fights to right itself, and bonds that seemed impossible only days ago are both forged and tested, can they set aside old ways long enough to defeat Eleanor? Or will the timeline tear itself to pieces and cast everyone, monsters and humans alike, into the void forever?
In this captivating crescendo to the Only a Monster trilogy, international bestselling Australian author Vanessa Len pushes our discomfort to a new level while we hold on, white-knuckled, to find out what happens at the end. Masking themes of racism, classism, sexism and human industrialisation within the battles of humans vs monsters and good vs evil, they become accessible, recognisable and clearly definable. Readers from early teens through to adults will be able to discuss real-life implications through the lens of this story while pulling at heartstrings while encouraging us to take a closer look at just what is happening in the world around us today.
Once A Villain is the YA book we didn’t know we needed.
Although this can be read as a standalone, prereading Only A Monster and Never A Hero is highly recommended for better character development and plot comprehension. And also, because they are really good books.
A & U Children 2025
Vanessa Len
