As a librarian who champions YA fantasy daily, it pains me to say this trilogy didn’t stick the landing.

“Once a Villain” had the ingredients that would get anyone to pick this book up. Especially since it’s the third and final installment to the trilogy. Filled with emotional stakes, morally gray love interests, and timeline chaos galore. But the execution? Rushed, muddled, and emotionally distant. The earlier books had the shimmer of character tension, and a story with an immersive world to he told- but this final book felt more like a checklist of plot points than a satisfying conclusion. Joan’s arc lacked payoff, the love triangle fizzled, and the world-altering stakes somehow felt… small?

Honestly, I’m speaking in the perspective of a librarian and critical reviewer, but also has someone who knows the types of books readers go out to pick. In my humble opinion this series advertised the romance so much that it ended up giving absolutely nothing. A love triangle that didn’t triangle. How can one girl be madly in love with 2 men? Logically doesn’t make sense. And it seemed to have led in the end to what I understood as a poly relationship. It was very ambiguous, but it’s what I assumed happened. Very unsatisfactory. Frankly ruined the story, in which I imagine many who were shippers- which I mean practically the entire fandom will be disappointed in the outcome. Especially Aaron lovers.

There’s still value here for readers invested in the series—especially those who care more for vibes than narrative cohesion. But for fans expecting a finale worthy of the earlier books' promise? This one may leave them wishing for a better timeline, too.

A disappointing end to a strong concept. I’m sad to say that I didn’t love this. I’m not sure if the author thought she was doing service to the fandom. But it certainly wasn’t the case for me. I would reccomend with caution to die-hard series fans only. Although I expect that their thoughts will be quite the same.

I’ve been a huge fan of this series: there’s something so deceptively simple about the world Vanessa Len creates here. It easily pulls you in, only to stun you later with layers of meaning.

Only a Monster and Never a Hero were easy 5 star reads for me. I loved the group dynamics, the various twists, and the moral dilemmas. This book just fell a little short of those two GREAT books. The first 25% and final 25% were fairly strong, but the pacing in the middle lagged. I think I would have shortened this a bit.

I still love Joan Nick and Aaron, and I appreciated the different dilemmas their characters have in this book, and how no one is presented as simple good or evil. But I would have liked more of an arc for Nick I think, and more development for one of the final twists.

That said, I will definitely be recommending this series and Vanessa Len in the future!

2.5 stars.

This was not the conclusion I was hoping.

On a positive note, Len is consistent in her writing style, the character work, and the urgent tone of the story. I am willing to read more by her.

My biggest issue is just the rushed ending of this story. It didn't read as well thought out to me. Many plot points were simply dropped in favor of the romantic subplot. There are no real consequences for anything that happened throughout all three books. I found it to be anticlimactic and unfulfilling of it's potential.

I think I maybe in the minority here, but I hated the love triangle. I actually think this story could have been equally as gripping without any romantic love story. Joan's could have been familial, an exploration of sisters. As stated above, the book's focus on it really lowered my enjoyment.

Let's see what Len comes our with next.

This series overall was such a unique concept and it was executed wonderfully. This book itself was full of high stakes and a great romance. I really like how in the end they did not go back to the "true" timeline and made a different and better one. I also loved that there was a happy ending. I would recommend this series.

WHAT AN AMAZING CONCLUSION TO THIS TRILOGY! I’m so sad it’s ending. Aaron is still the best cupcake ever, but Nick really grew on me.

I loved this book so much I'm pretty sure I just lost my mind. You are going to lose your mind when you read it in August. I'm literally in shock with how satisfying the ending of this series is 🔥 Vanessa really nailed it IMO. It's perfectly paced, really creative, with lots of fun time travel heists and action. And all the storylines wrap up nicely.

But I can’t say a damn thing about what happens because part of the fun is finding out for yourself. There are unbelievable twists, turns and surprises. There may have been squealing at reveals. It picks up right where book 2 leaves off so if you reread the previous books (which I recommend you do) it’s like bingeing a show. Honestly these books would make a phenomenal HBO series because it’s so cinematic with some really cool effects.

Of course this book has a love triangle to end all love triangles. You go back and forth and back and forth and.... I am NOT going to tell you what happens but it is SO GOOD. It really worked for me. I'll just say that having the team all together is a DELIGHT. I tried to slow down half way through because I didn't want it to end, it's such a fun ride and I loved being back in this world.

I think I realized that maybe the title of each book refers to a different character: Only a Monster is Joan's book, Never a Hero is Nick's book and Once a Villain is Aaron's book. Although all of the characters feature prominently in the story, there's a lot of Aaron in this one and I adore him. When he acts as fashion stylist shopping for clothes of the era they've jumped to remains my favorite side detail. I can't get enough!

If you haven't read this series yet, and you like unique time travel fantasy with magical elements, moralistic decisions, lots of feeling, and a dash of romance, I honestly can't recommend it enough.

Thank you to NetGalley & HarperCollins Children's Books for the ARC

The last book in a trilogy - will everything end in a satisfying way?
Time-travel stories - will there be too much timey-wimey just because they can?
Love triangle - how much will it be cringe (and in this case, how much would readers riot if it's not gonna be Aaron?)

I can tell you - all these questions will be answered in a very satisfying way. At least to my taste.

After the timeline and the world have changed for the very worst, Joan and her team must fight - and then fight some more. Evil Eleanor is now in control, and so are the monsters.

Heroes had become villains, and monsters and humans might just be two sides of the same coin.

I can't write about the plot without giving anything away, but let me assure you: there are plot twists, struggles, heartbreak, deaths, endings and new beginnings.

In my eyes it's a perfect conclusion to this series - but let me know what you thought about it.

4,5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollins for the eARC!

#OnceAVillain #Netgalley #Bookstagram

5⭐

The finale in the contemporary fantasy Only a Monster trilogy from Vanessa Len—which New York Times bestselling authors Holly Black, Chloe Gong, and Stephanie Garber called “delightful,” “captivating,” and “unputdownable”—will take Joan into the darkest timeline in the monster world, as she fights to restore the world she remembers.

The final book in the Monsters trilogy picks up with the new timeline created by Eleanor. Joan had protected Nick, Aaron, Ruth, and Jamie at the end of Never a Hero and now they must work together to stop Eleanor from making her mess of a world into the only timeline.

The narrative was very immersive. With moments that made you laugh, warmed your heart and others that ripped it right out of your chest.

I will say, the romantic conclusion was not what I expected and honestly, I'm not mad about it. It was a surprise, but it works out well and there's just enough buildup that the epilogue feels natural!

Well, this was unexpected!

Did the love triangle resolve the way I wanted? No - and I’ll leave it at that before I give away any spoilers. Aaron still has my heart, and I remain lukewarm about Nick.

There were a lot of intense emotional moments and big action set pieces to close out the series. I’d strongly recommend rereading the previous books in the series before starting this because I was out of my element picking this up after reading the last book so long ago.

I did think it was rushed - a certain decision by Joan at the midpoint really hammered this home - but the trilogy is soundly concluded.

I've been patiently waiting for the last installment of the Monsters trilogy and Once a Villain has not disappointed. After the events of Never a Hero, Joan, Aaron, and Nick are racing against time to revert the timeline to what it once was. Overall, while not as strong as the first two books, this was a solid read that kept the action moving. It was a good closeout to the story, but I will say the ending was a little daring and parts of it were unexpected (**avoiding all spoilers**).

The only thing that was a bit grating was the constant use at the beginning of the concept of being "clocked" by someone else. To me it was overused and too indicative of current slang use that won't age well.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The final book in the Monsters trilogy picks up with the new timeline created by Eleanor. Joan had protected Nick, Aaron, Ruth, and Jamie at the end of Never a Hero and now they must work together to stop Eleanor from making her mess of a world into the only timeline. There are more twists and turns to the story than the two previous books combined. There was also more attention to the romantic relationships, though it still isn't the central focus of the story. After a number of setbacks, a few reunions, and some fortuitous achievements, the ending that they finally reach seems to fit just right. I'm a big fan of being able to binge a completed book series, and with Only a Villain, this series is now a completely fun read for anyone who is ready to start the time travel monster adventure.
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, HarperCollins Children's Books) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Joan’s struggle to reclaim what’s been lost is a heartbreaking, and the high-stakes adventure that will leave you gasping for breath. A perfect conclusion to a trilogy that’s been nothing short of unforgettable.

I really love this series and can’t believe it’s over. This was a great book. Also, was NOT expecting that ending. Wow!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Once a Villain is a great conclusion to the Only a Monster series by Vanessa Len.

Joan, Nick and Aaron failed to stop Eleanor from creating a new timeline. Now they are trapped in a world where monsters live openly amongst humans and also prey on, enslave, and torture humans.

Nick and Joan are tormented by the choices they made in the previous timeline and are not struggling to find a way to put their relationship back together. Aaron, the heir to a monster family, now finds himself in a precarious position in the new timeline and falling more and more in love with Joan. The three of them, along with their companions, must find a way to stop Eleanor and restore the timeline to its true self.

This book is just as much a thrill ride as the first two books in the series. The new timeline Len creates is dark and mysterious with danger lurking around every corner. With monsters in charge, it is a more dangerous world for humans. There are a multitude of plot twists and turns to keep you guessing at every turn of the page. The love triangle between Joan, Nick, and Aaron is a complicated web of feelings and the reader doesn't know until the end who will end up together.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was a great conclusion to the series. It tied up all of the loose ends and answered a lot of questions from the first two books. The only thing I didn't like was that the ending was a bit too neat and tidy for me. With all the characters go through in the book, it felt like there should have been a little more heartbreak instead of a completely happy ending. But, great book overall!

The following isn't exactly a spoiler but it's enough that a smart cookie could infer what I might mean so STOP HERE IF YOU DON"T WANT TO POSSIBLY FIGURE OUT WHAT I"M SAYING.

Onto the swooning...

I wish Vanessa could have seen me the moment I realized that my dream trope, the exact resolution I wanted for Joan and her boys but didn't at all think would be the way the story would go, was what was actually happening, that the author of this wonderfully plotted series was going to make my dreams come true. She might have gotten a kick out of my full-on, out-loud conversation to myself about it (NO WAY THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING IS THIS HAPPENING?) as I threw my kindle down and got up to walk off the miracle of things going this way when in so few books (especially a mainstream trad-pubbed YA trilogy), things ever go this way. Joan, you're living my dreams. Sorry about all the trauma but girl... I'm speechless, besides the speech I just gave. Trying to be as spoiler-free as possible since pub day is a ways out, there's really nothing more I can say but that this is a top-tier YA fantasy series and I recommend the holy heck out of it and for everyone waiting in anticipation, YOU WILL BE SO REWARDED.

I cannot believe that this series has come to an end! I remember reading the first book and being absolutely mesmerized by the plot, characters, originality. I even went out a bought a signed version!

No surprise, Once a Villain was absolutely fantastic! The author wrote a story that was so well written I found myself flying through the pages, unable to put the book down, pondering what would happen next. My favorite piece of this entire story was how believable the characters were.

The writing is clear and clean, and very immersive. The book hums along at a good clip, but the pacing makes sure we're given time to breathe between plot-intensifying moments. The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb. I felt absolutely transported and I'm so incredibly glad I was able to read an arc of this story.

5/5 stars
Recommended if you like: fantasy, time travel, fated romance, rewriting fate, magic

Big thanks to HarperCollins, Netgalley, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This review has been posted to Goodreads as of 4/23 and will be posted to Instagram 6/6 and to my review blog 6/10.

This book opens immediately following the end of book 2 and Joan + the others have to quickly scramble to make sense of the new timeline they've fallen into. While some aspects of London are the same, there's a lot that differs too: from the fact monsters now walk around openly, to the London skyline looking different, to the allies and enemies of the monster families having been shaken up by this new world.

Joan being half-human and Nick being fully human really drives home the danger immediately. Monsters may have been hidden in the previous timelines, but here they rule and the humans are the prey. Since the group has to find a home base to work from (and then has to carry out their schemes), we get to see a good deal of this new London. It's a brutal world, and I can't imagine the iron fist Eleanor must be ruling with in order to make it all work out. Despite the brutality, I did enjoy the historical touches that were sprinkled throughout, it really did feel like a world built by time travelers.

In this new world, Joan really confronts and begins to reconcile the fact that she's half-human and half-monster. While it's come up a few times before, and really isn't something she struggles with too much, we do see her think more deeply about and ultimately come to terms with this. Joan also has a chance in this book to learn more about the Graves and what her life might have been like had the original timeline not been altered (or, really, if Eleanor hadn't been a massive bitch in the OG timeline resulting in the Graves being erased).

We get to see a lot more of Aaron in this one and really get a better feel for him and the Oliver family. I particularly enjoyed the fact that we got to see different people's perspectives on this other-timeline version of him. It's quite different from his usual facade, but at the same time it's still perfectly him. We also got a peak at the original timeline version of him, and it was super interesting to see the threads that remained the same throughout the variations. Poor Aaron does not think highly of himself, but the timeline variants consistently prove him wrong, so it was good to see that reinforced.

We also get to see more of Nick in this timeline than before. I wasn't really a fan of him, but he took steps to remedy his past behaviors and actions, so by the end I had softened toward him. In nearly every timeline, Nick seems to have a terrible time growing up. In this London, he was made to be a gladiator for the Oliver family and his family is left in poverty, with both his brother and sister owing the rest of their time to the Olivers. Like when we initially meet him, however, the variant in this new timeline also seems to be a hero (but for real this time, lol), and so just like Aaron, we get a chance to see those threads that remain the same across variants.

Ruth and Jamie (and Frankie) also came through to the new timeline with them, though we don't really get to spend that much time with them. The bulk of the plot really does focus on the Joan-Aaron-Nick trio, though Ruth and Jamie are there to help things along. I did wish we got to see more of them. Obviously we also eventually get a confrontation with Eleanor, but I don't like her so. Some new characters come into play too, and I enjoyed getting to know them. Since monster alliances are all scrambled, we see some help from unexpected places as well.

I will say, the romantic conclusion was not what I expected and honestly, I'm not mad about it. It was a surprise, but it works out well and there's just enough buildup that the epilogue feels natural. Though I will say that I would've preferred at least a ~little~ more buildup, but that's just me.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this advanced reader's copy!

If you know me, you know I can be particular about my YA picks, but I am SO glad I picked up this series! I got into this series when the first book (Only A Monster) was a pick in one of my book boxes so I took a chance on it. Little did I know then that I would be on such a fun ride today.

This book was filled with so many twists and "a-ha!" moments. This book was a ball of yarn and as we pulled the thread, you see all the foreshadowing from previous books unravel. An easy to follow sci-fi/fantasy read that didn't leave my head spinning trying to connect the dots. Also has humorous moments and silly banter I appreciated.

This may be a little spoilery so proceed with caution!
I saw some negative feedback about the "romance" (I'm trying to be vague here!!) in this book, but I didn't really mind it? The romance honestly falls on the back burner to the main story because it's just SO engaging. And the trope that people are taking issue with felt well done, albeit a little repetitive. There was a little too much of people overhearing private conversations and it creating conflict for my liking.

Overall, I really enjoyed this entire series.

Once a villain arc review.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me arc of once a villain by Vanessa Len. I have been a big fan of the only a monster series since I pick up the first book a couple a years I ago. I been obsessed ever since. I was so beyond excited to read this finale to this amazing trilogy. I’m going to miss it so much. This book was an epic conclusion to a great series. The plot picks up right where we leave off with our favorite characters and does miss a beat. I love supernatural elements and the magic and romance to. I love joan and nick Aaron character journey and where we find them end is a beautiful ending. But Aaron is definitely my favorite he he. I could put down this book it was beautiful I’m gonna miss reading in this world so much. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do. What a great ending to an amazing story full of twist and turns you won’t see coming your just have to read to see. This book comes out August 19,2025 go pre Order it now, make sure you read only a monster and Never a hero frist though!

Current rating: 4.5 stars

slightly biased review because i am very fond of this series due to only a monster being one of the first ya books i picked up (and enjoyed) back in 2022 when i was getting into the ya genre!

Actual review (no spoilers):
We first pick up right where book 2 left off, with our crew stranded in the new timeline where monsters rule and humans are preyed upon. Immediately, the stakes feel much higher than in the previous books, and things get quite dark. I was going through an emotional rollercoaster with the characters, as Vanessa Len really makes them go through ups and downs. There are some brighter moments, though: classic bickering between Aaron and Ruth, some fun quips, and the characters get to meet certain people whom they've missed. Overall, I enjoyed the ride and was able to guess some twists while also being relatively surprised at some revelations. Reading this also made me think back to the previous books, especially with some events paralleling each other. One thought I had when reading book 2 was how it mirrored book 1 with certain plot points but with a different LI as Joan's main companion. Glad to see how it became relevant here and did make me feel more immersed! The final standoff was mostly satisfying to me and I liked how things ended.

Some might get annoyed by Joan, but she's young and has been thrust into this horrible situation so let's give her a break!! I love her, idc (also love the Chinese-Malaysian rep [which is more mentioned in previous books] because same 🫂) I enjoyed getting to see the other characters again, as well as reading their dynamics. Speaking of, the romance...

I've been Team Aaron since day 1 because I didn't really like Nick, <spoiler>but let's just say that I learned to accept some things in this book and I'm not too mad about it</spoiler>. I did not anticipate that the romance would get this messy, omg, but this is one of those rare books where the love triangle actually makes sense. Obviously, I had a preference, but I still did find one scene's timing kinda crazy... but I just tried to move past it because of the characters' emotions at the time. The endgame does make the most sense when you think about it and what has happened in the past.

I'll conclude my review by saying that I will always have a soft spot for this series! I do plan on rereading the entire series when I get my hands on a physical copy in August, so I can't wait to see any foreshadowing that I previously missed. I still can't believe this series is over but I rlly enjoyed getting to meet my favs Joan and Aaron and to experience this monstrous but fun time travel story! :)