Well this was a wonderful way to finish this trilogy. I love the author’s writing and her character development. I absolutely loved the first two books and am glad the third gave the series its due. There was a twist in this one that I did not predict and yes it took me a min to process but honestly highly recommend this for fans of ya fantasy. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

First of all, a huge thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!

You have no idea how hyped I was for the finale of the Monsters trilogy. After the ending of book two, I had to know how the story around Joan and co. would end – and of course, whether she'd ultimately choose Aaron or Nick. I’m so grateful I had the chance to read this early, and I can assure you: this book delivers a thrilling finale full of unexpected twists!

The story picks up right after the dramatic ending of Never a Hero, so I definitely recommend rereading the last few chapters of book two to refresh your memory. Just like the previous books, I really enjoyed this one (and that’s coming from someone who normally isn’t a fan of time travel – or am I now? 🤭)

The worldbuilding, especially the “monsters” concept, was absolutely fantastic. I also loved how the relationships were written: romance, friendship, family bonds and even the tensions between the different monster families. Everything felt so well developed. I was emotionally all in and I truly couldn't put the series down.

Once a Villain once again brings high-stakes action, suspenseful twists you’ll want to unravel, and a whole lot of romance and emotional chaos. I started to guess the outcome of the love story at some point – and honestly, I was rooting for it to go that way 🤭

But I also do have a few critiques: Some decisions didn't fully make sense to me, and there were a few plot holes or missing explanations that genuinely bothered me. The ending also felt a bit too easy and rushed. As a reader, I got the impression that certain plot threads weren’t fully thought through, because some things felt like they were quickly wrapped up or even completely “forgotten” 🥲

Still, since I truly enjoyed this book – and the entire trilogy – I won’t go into more detail (also to avoid spoilers ahead of release). Despite a few minor flaws that kept me from giving it a full five stars, I wholeheartedly recommend this series to anyone who loves time travel stories and romantasy! ❤️

P.S: Vanessa Len is now officially on my immediately-to-buy list 😍 I’d love to see a spin-off set in this world – maybe it could even address some of the unresolved questions? 👀

in this conclusion to the monsters trilogy, joan is trapped in a timeline where eleanor rules, allowing and even encouraging monsters to prey on humans. nick is tortured by the fact he chose to save joan over the timeline, and aaron grapples with the knowledge of his family’s cruelties now being accepted and his feelings for joan growing. as the only people who remember the better timeline, the three of them work through the pieces of their broken pasts to survive the new timeline and restore what was lost.

this is a conclusion i’ve been waiting for a long time, so i was both nervous and excited to finally get my hands on this! as always, the time traveling aspect was done so well. i think this book had the highest stakes compared to the previous two books, what with having to actively work against so many monsters to fight eleanor and get to a better timeline. of course, there was also the romance aspect, and i must say, while love triangles can so often be frustrating, i loved the drama between these three and was pleased with the results.

this was a wonderful conclusion to the trilogy and a must-read for anyone who has enjoyed the previous books. i can’t wait for whatever’s next from vanessa len!

In a word -
Urban fantasy
Time travel / timelines
Monster vs humans
Monster families
Family power / magic
Love triangle??

Absolutely satisfying ending to a great trilogy 👏 Each book feels so different, but they all flow together so nicely as if to model the "timelines" in the book. That won't make sense until you read it, but it's so worth it! I've not read many time traveling fantasies, so idk if I would be a fan, but it definitely works here. I think my favorite part about this trilogy is that each monster family has a certain gift / power and we get to see different facets of those powers (some could use some more fleshing out). It's been a while since I read books #1 and #2, but this one was a little darker I think, so maybe read trigger warnings! There are a few things that I *personally* wasn't a fan of, but not enough to knock off a star (maybe - I'll think some more on it). Overall, I'm a fan of the trilogy and especially a fan of a certain relationship arc (even thoughit could have used more development). I really liked it and I do recommend if you liked the first two! Huge thanks to the publisher, author, and netgalley for the ARC 💜

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!!

Guys. I have many thoughts. First of all is that this was like a 3.5? More than fine but not solid enough?

The first like 35-40% was fantastic. I adored this interesting new timeline that was created and I liked their process of figuring out what to do.

Then… things went crazy. And like… hmmm. I need to spoil-tag all of this because I have major issues with how Len decided to end the series and the love triangle.

She made them polyamorous. Aaron, Joan, Nick. I do not have an issue with poly relationships in general! My issue is with these three, specifically NICK. Nick does not deserve the love of Joan nor Aaron. He is so selfish and immature as we know him. Case in point, when he found out Joan and Aaron had slept together, he shut down. He felt “betrayed”. Meanwhile, Aaron was ready to step back immediately when Nick was back in the picture. Aaron always ALWAYS thinks of Joan first. He is the better match. I just do not think that Len crafted this world well enough to have me believe that Nick and Aaron will fall in love in this particular timeline that they created. There needed to be more!! I can completely believe the gladiator timeline - where they fell in love. But this timeline, they didn’t even respect one another much, Nick in particular never really acknowledges nor appreciates Aaron. Aaron, I think, could easily work in a poly relationship. Joan too, perhaps, just because now she doesn’t have to choose. Awww how convenient for you. 🙄 But Nick is a jealous person. He has always been jealous of Aaron. He can’t break that.

My point is that I don’t think Len set this polyamorous relationship up well enough for me to believe it will work out. We needed more time and more content with them together - we needed more ties in books one and two! It honestly felt like her original plan was to have Nick be end game but then when the readers (rightly) liked Aaron more, she decided to make Aaron a partner for them both. She couldn’t give the readers what they truly wanted: Aaron and Joan solely together so she did the “next best thing” but I don’t believe it. I just can’t see it working for these specific circumstances with the Joan and Nick and Aaron that we have NOW.

And are you KIDDING me with the “Aaron sacrificing himself to the void and the timeline miraculously bringing him back?” Are you for real, here???????? That’s so LAME. 😒 Do better.

(And I hated that Joan “realized” she loved Aaron only after Nick died. Seriously girl??? And having sex with him immediately after Nick died????? Ummmm wtf. I decided to knock off another star just for this.)

Ultimately I enjoyed read this book more than book two but it PALES in comparison to book one. I almost wish this series had been a standalone book instead. I adored book one, and thought the ending was impactful enough that it could have been turned into a full ending. But we will never know. Instead we got… this.

3.5 Rating. I really enjoyed this trilogy, although this was my least favorite book of the three. The concept of the series is really original and I really like the main character Joan. I really liked a lot of the supporting characters too, Jamie, Tom, and Ruth.

What I liked about the third book:
I like the details of of the world in Eleanor's new timeline.
I liked that we were able to see a continuation of Jamie and Tom's relationship.
I like that we finally got to meet Joan's mom.

What I didn't like about the third book:
There was not enough focus on side characters besides Aaron and Nick.
There was too much flipping back and forth between the two love interests, and not enough lead up the three characters becoming a throuple at the end of the story.
I think there should have been a bit more delving into the mechanics of Joan's power, not just all of a sudden. She becomes ultra powerful when she's very upset.

My main issue with this book was the resolution of Joan's love triangle. I really liked the scenes with Joan and Aaron after Joan believes that Nick has died. And it seems very final, when Joan tells Aaron that she will choose him even if Nick isn't dead, or in any timeline. It seems like we just overwrite that scene when it's revealed that Nick is still alive and Joan is torn between the two of them again. I didn't mind the fact that Aaron and Nick's counterparts in this timeline were a couple, I liked that part of the plot, but I feel like it's only purpose supposed to serve as justification for them becoming a throuple. Nick and Aaron really didn't like each other all throughout the series right until that reveal and it just didn't seem natural for them to move past that because their counterparts were in a relationship.

I also wish we could have seen more of Ruth and Joan together in this book, I really enjoyed their cousin relationship. It also would have not been nice to see a scene at the end where Joan is with her dad and grandmother again. There is a lot of focus on how much she misses her family and it feels like we didn't get a true resolution on that because we didn't get a scene with all of them together again.

Thank you to HarperCollins YA for the eARC of Once a Villain! I was so excited to continue Joan’s story after loving the first two books—and while this installment had some great moments, it didn’t hit quite as hard as books 1 & 2 for me.

The writing is still strong, the timeline jumps are well done, and the emotional weight is there—but when it came to the relationships, I felt like the book took a bit of the easy way out. I was hoping for more conflict or emotional depth in those choices.

Still, I enjoyed it overall and I’m very much Team Aaron! 🖤

⚠️ Mild Spoiler Below
One relationship choice felt too convenient: in another timeline where Joan doesn’t exist, Nick falls for Aaron—and then back in the main timeline, we’re kind of left with this pseudo-throuple situation? It just felt like it could’ve been explored more or earned better.

I’d still recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Only a Monster and Never a Hero—it’s a satisfying conclusion, even if it didn’t completely stick the landing.

I binged all 3 books im 3 days and this was the best one in my opinion. It wrapped everything up and doesnt leave you yearning for more

Only a Villain is the third and final book in the Monsters trilogy, and it is a perfect conclusion to the series. It had been a while since I read the second book, so I decided to binge read all three books, and it was such a fun experience. I love the character development throughout the series, and this book is more romance heavy than the previous ones, though the action doesn't stop. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this series and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a solid young adult read. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I'll post my review closer to the publication date.

3,5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Please take in mind it’s my opinion, and everyone is allowed to have one.

In my opinion this wasn’t the best book out of the three.. In fact, it felt flat to me. It felt as nothing was really happening, I missed some actual action. Yes there were a few things happening but honestly that was just okay. The ending felt a bit rushed as well, I was hoping for more of everything, but we didn’t get more. As for the romance, that was also out of blue. Overall was this such a great serie, such an easy read.

Review: Once a Villain by Vanessa Len

An epic, emotional finale to one of my favorite trilogies. Once a Villain is intense, romantic, and full of impossible choices. The stakes are massive—time is shattered, monsters rule, and the characters I’ve come to love are more torn and complex than ever.

Joan, Nick, and Aaron each bring so much heart and pain to this story. Their tangled loyalties and love felt so real, and the ending left me breathless. The worldbuilding is clever, the pacing never lets up, and the emotional payoff is worth every page.

If you loved Only a Monster, this final book absolutely delivers.

**3.5 STARS**

Content Warning: violence

+ This is the conclusion to the Monsters series and we jump right into the story after all the events that happened in book two. Like the previous books, this story moves quickly, which I like! There are now in the timeline that Joan’s sister, Eleanor, has created and it’s a messed up timeline. Eleanor is Queen but there is electric cars and technology in a time that seems like it’s the 1600’s – so Joan and her friends have a goal to take down Eleanor and fix the timeline.

+ The found family of their friend group is back minus Tom but he reappears later in the story.

+ I always wanted more of Aaron Oliver in this series and it happens in this third book. He takes more of a roll since he’s the head of the family in this timeline.

+ There are some twists I was not expecting in this story and actually made my jaw drop because they kept happening one after the other in the last half of the book. But overall, I think most questions were answered and this was a solid conclusion!

~ It turned into a love triangle and one that was frustrating! Some things happen and immediately Joan is turning from one boy to another and I wasn’t happy with that. But things are resolved by the end of the story, not sure how I feel about it but all parties were happy so that’s what matters.

~ The ending is wild! There was one thing happening after the other at the end, and some of it felt rushed.

Final Thoughts:

This was a great conclusion to the series and I think most people who love the series should be happy with it. I like the fast moving pace, and having more of Aaron in this book. I think there were some parts in the end that moved too fast and it felt rushed but the twists did surprise me. Overall, I think this series was entertaining!

I absolutely adored this book - it was everything I wanted for the end of this trilogy! I loved the dynamic between Joan, Nick, and Aaron, and how the romance in this series was resolved. The stakes felt incredibly high, especially given the timeline they were stranded in at the end of the second book, and I wasn’t sure up until the very end how it was all going to go. I thought the worldbuilding with time travel and monsters continued to be fascinating, and I wished there had been more time to explore that aspect of the story. This was a fast-paced, addictive read that I couldn’t put down until I finished it. I would have loved more time spent on Nick and Aaron interacting as well, but overall, I had such a great time with this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.

review ♥
once a villain- vanessa len
★ ★ ★

This has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and I was super ecstatic to receive an e-arc to review. However, this review will contain MAJOR SPOILERS, so be aware before proceeding.

Only a Monster and Never a Hero are some of my all-time favorite books. I adored reading about a character who comes from a similar background to mine, as well as the internal struggles she faces with her identity. There aren’t many books about half asian, half caucasian characters, and I felt that Joan’s character truly understood what it was like to be stuck between two different worlds, regarding her ethnicity and being half human, half monster. I had only seen raving reviews saying the ending was a perfect conclusion to the trilogy, but I am sad to say I was left extremely disappointed by this finale. In general, the plot takes place immediately after the events of Never a Hero, but a lot of the magical system is confusing. The explanations were not detailed enough about the magical properties of time travel, especially since this addition veers from the worldbuilding of the previous two. There is less time-traveling, so the magical constructs of the world are delved into further, but require a little more explanation than what was given. I felt lost at times, wishing Vanessa spent more time developing the rules of her world rather than repeating the same phrases or emotions that Joan was experiencing. Halfway through the book and onwards, I read different variations of the same feelings of Joan loving Aaron and Nick, and the dilemma of choosing which boy to love. This leads to my final devastation. The character building for our main three felt forced. Joan loves Aaron and Nick, but struggles to choose whom she loves most. At the same time, Nick and Joan are destined soulmates in every variation of the timeline, so I assumed that would be the endgame. Aaron develops deep and raw emotions for Joan in this book, which I loved seeing from his character. I was so happy with his arc, from being a monster comfortable taking time from humans to travel, bickering with Joan, to protecting her with his life. Joan and Aaron’s relationship felt perfect to me. I wanted to see them end up together and break the cycle of destined soulmates. Especially since this book repetitively explains how Aaron is always ranked in second place to Joan and his father. I wanted to see him come out on top. Additionally, Nick and Aaron have had a rivalry the entire series, and this third book shows how much they envy one another for loving Joan, which makes the ending of the love triangle questionable.

SPOILER WARNING:
I feel like Vanessa could not choose which character she wanted Joan to end up with and decided to give us a polyamorous relationship to please all readers. In actuality, it was off-putting because it doesn’t make sense with the character dynamics, especially seeing the jealousy from both boys. Even if the boys fell in love with one another, eventually, I feel this uneven relationship between the three would never work out due to both of them loving Joan first and fighting to be number one in her heart. Specifically because Nick "dies" and Joan takes out her grief by sleeping with Aaron. I think if this situation had not occurred, the polyamorous relationship could have worked out better. However, Joan gave up her virginity to Aaron, and Nick's reaction to their intimacy after they realized he was alive was one of burning jealousy and devastation. I liked the message of Joan choosing both men, which equates to her choosing both sides of herself: monster and human, Chinese and British. However, the execution was off. I feel this ending would have sat better if Nick and Aaron’s relationship had been explored further, without any hints of jealousy. Out of nowhere, we learn that Nick is bisexual, which also didn't seem to match his character description. The addition of Nick and Aaron ending up together in an alternate timeline was cute, because Joan wasn't present in that one, but it still didn't feel like the right direction for the love triangle. Out of nowhere, Aaron decides to kiss Nick and give the three-way relationship a shot, which again, feels like it came out of left field. If the animosity between the two had not risen throughout the series, I would have felt happier about the relationship dynamic; however, their passion for Joan and their rivalry made the ending far-fetched.

Overall, the ending was predictable (not including the romance, which threw me off), and I hoped for more in the worldbuilding and character arcs. I adored the idea of time traveling and monsters versus humans, but this book left me quite devastated. I will be picturing a different ending in my head where Joan and Aaron end up together and peacefully make a friendship with Nick. Additionally, we get an epilogue seen a year later that still does not show how the relationship dynamics have progressed or evened out between the three main characters. We also do not get to see a conclusion of Joan's family and where they end up in the series. Joan's father is completely written out of this book, and it is never mentioned whether he is alive or present in her life at the end. Her grandmother, who was a huge part of the first book, is mentioned a few times, but we also do not receive a conclusion about her story. We only had tied ends for the main three, even Jamie, Tom, and Ruth are just mentioned in the end, without a fleshed-out finale.

It pains me to say this with all the love I had for this series. It was one of my most anticipated reads and I was hyping it up ever since finishing Only a Monster!
While the plot was still good and fast pace, the romance dragged down the story.

Joan was so wishy washy and I honestly never felt any chemistry outside of friendship between her and Aaron. She kept saying he was good looking but nothing more.
Meanwhile, she and Nick shared this INCREDIBLE love story that defied time and the most horrifying of experiences and was lasting even after she basically tried to kill him once. I wanted so bad for them to be together and.....they are but idk if I'm happy with how.
I mean.....he wasn't even dead all of 5 min before Joan decided to throw herself at Aaron and have sex! I was SO upset!
They'd JUST declared their love and she couldn't even grieve him for more than 1 scream and tear before saying Aaron was "not a second choice". Felt so out of the blue and a total rebound but i was supposed to he convinced they were inevitable? 🙁
And then, plot twist! Aaron and Nick are suddenly a thing too?! haha
There was ZERO chemistry there outside of the timeline stories we hear about their counterparts in this timeline. Their story seemed kinda cool tbh lol

Wish we'd gotten more Jamie too, but again, the whole taking down Elinore and Nick's ring, and all of that was really well thought out and I can't fault that part of the plot. The monster world was brought to life again in a terrifying new way and I was rooting for our heroes/anti heroes to stop their world from unraveling 👏👏

Overall, when it comes to fixing timelines and our MCs coming into their powers.....this was a good conclusion! I just wish the romance had gone a different way. I'm not sure if this was always planned because it didn't seem so? Or if we all made it harder on Vanessa to pick one since Nick was endgame but everyone wanted Aaron for some reason lol
I guess this way we all win and don't 😂

Once a Villain is the third and final installment in the Monsters series, and it absolutely delivers on its promise of chaos, heartache, and resolution. We’re dropped right back into the story where book two ends—into the timeline Eleanor created, one where monsters reign and humans are openly hunted.

Nick is weighed down by the consequences of his choice to save Joan over the timeline, while Aaron wrestles with his growing feelings for her despite knowing where her heart lies. The dynamic between the three makes for a compelling love triangle full of tension and emotional nuance.

Joan and her ragtag group of time travelers are now forced to survive in this new world without raising suspicion, all while plotting to stop Eleanor and fix the damage done.

As a series finale, this book offers a satisfying conclusion. It ties together themes and character arcs introduced in the previous books while raising the stakes in meaningful ways. That said, I did find the pacing a bit uneven—some scenes rushed through big moments, and I occasionally wished for quieter moments of reflection. A few character decisions felt impulsive, and I would’ve appreciated more internal dialogue or hesitation to ground their actions.

Still, the emotional beats land, and the story does a great job of pulling in threads from earlier books, giving fans of the series a true sense of closure. Watching these characters face the end of the world (again) was thrilling, bittersweet, and ultimately rewarding.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Do you every so often stumble upon a piece of media that seems perfectly tailor-made just for you? Vanessa Len's Monsters trilogy is that for me, and the pinnacle of it all is Once A Villain. Everything I wanted to see in the new timeline was shown, every question I had was answered. The "love triangle" especially I will be obsessed with forever; I had an inkling since the second book (IYKYK), but I wasn't sure if the author would go for it and I was scared more than once while reading this book, so I am happy to say I am immensely satisfied with how it resolved. The foreshadowing was immaculate and I think the romance encapsulates the series' themes of mixed heritage and destiny/choice perfectly. I do wish that Nick and Aaron had spent even more time interacting together but I appreciate that their relationship was realistically portrayed in the time they did have and not rushed like other books might have done. While the romance was prominent and popped up often, I didn't mind the frequent conversations about it as I felt it was so deeply intertwined with the events of the plot and the futures of the characters that it was necessary for love to constantly be on their mind. I did appreciate that the characters always realized when and where the topic was appropriate and when they needed to focus on more important things, though. The story itself moves at a breakneck speed with jaw-dropping developments at every turn and feels impressively tightly plotted, just like the first two books. I devoured this in basically a day and a half and was taken on one hell of an emotional rollercoaster. If I had any nitpicks, it's that I wish we had a little bit more of Ruth, as I felt she faded slightly in the background compared to the rest of the main cast. Some more scenes of her one-on-one with Joan would've been nice to further emphasize the themes of family.

Other than that, this book--this series--is pretty much perfect to me. The epilogue has my heart and soul. I was so afraid that the finale might not live up to all it had been set up to be, but I'm so proud to say that the author stuck the landing and more. I'm eagerly awaiting anything and everything she cooks up next, and if Vanessa Len has no fans in the world, know that I'm dead!

Wowza! If I could give this book 10 stars I 10000% would! What a wonderful wrap up to this AMAZING (and underrated) trilogy! This book has a piece of my heart for sure! The dynamic between Joan, Nick, and Aaron is one of my favorite character dynamics I’ve ever read/experienced. I also REALLY loved the time and time travel elements in this series - there’s truly nothing like it!

This is a series that I promote with my CHEST and with this epic finale, I’ll be talking about this nonstop.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC of this amazing book!

I just don't know how to describe these books. This is one of my absolute favorite YA series. After each volume I had a book hangover, and now the whole series is behind me and I don't know what to do with myself. 😢 Each book captivated me from the very first page and I couldn't tear myself away from it. The world created by Vanessa Len is divided between humans and monsters. At first glance, the monsters seem to be normal people... except they can time travel. Sounds great, right? And here's the catch, because in order to be able to travel through time, the monsters have to steal time from humans on Earth. So basically, if you want to go back to 1950, you have to steal 75 years of life from several people to gather the necessary amount of time for the journey. The plot in this book is amazing. We have London in different eras, we have hidden powers, a mission to save the family, enemies to lovers (X2), time travel and a love triangle that completely absorbed me, and as you know, I am absolutely not a fan of this theme. My heart weeps that it is over and I envy everyone who still has this series ahead of them.

Forget black cat x golden retriever, we've got black cat x French bulldog now and I'm kind of obsessing over the symbolism...

Once a Villain is the third and final book in the Only a Monster trilogy, and I think I can already predict the reactions that readers will have when it releases. I think it falls somewhere between the previous two books in terms of my enjoyment (better than book one, but I didn't devour it as quickly as I did book two), and I'd consider it a solid conclusion to the series. I'm glad I requested this from Netgalley, even though I hadn't read book two yet. This series is severely underrated, given its popular tropes.

Once again, Joan, Nick, and Aaron have found themselves stranded in an unfamiliar timeline, only this time, they remember how they got there. Eleanor has created a dystopian future in which humans are little more than slaves, and if Joan wants to save herself, her friends, and family, and the whole human race, she'll need to find a way to return the timeline to its true form. The pacing was a bit slower than the first two books, but it was still quite quick. There were a few twists throughout, all of which were fairly enjoyable. Just like the first two books, the plot is action-packed (with some developments feeling more like convenient pushes from the plot rather than a realistic series of events), and the tension remains fairly high. For the most part, it was suspenseful, but I did feel like later in the story, most of the characters developed a bit of plot armor. I still have some questions about the worldbuilding, and there are some characters I would've liked more closure on, but overall, I was satisfied with the resolution of the plot. I know a lot of readers are solely invested in this series for the love triangle, and I think there will be mixed reactions to its solution. Personally, I agreed with Joan's choice (and had been secretly rooting for it since very early on in this book) and liked the closure. The ending itself felt a bit too easy and rushed in some aspects; I also don't necessarily like the developments of certain characters, but because we got the closure I was looking for, I didn't mind too much.

This book definitely goes a lot more in-depth into the characters, which I greatly appreciated. Ruth is super underrated, and I wish she didn't get sidelined so much, but I enjoyed seeing her in the scenes she was in. I'm way more invested in Jamie and Tom's relationship than I have any right to be (the whole pet situation was adorable, and I love the symbolism). Jamie is super interesting to me as a character, and I also liked the role Tom played in this book. Eleanor didn't feel super complex to me as an antagonist, and I think her motives were still a bit fuzzy, but she's the only character I really thought needed more work. As for the main trio, I really liked the way the love triangle turned out. Joan finally got over her morality issues regarding time travel (aka they weren't super relevant), so I enjoyed seeing her outside of that lens. Overall, I think she grew a lot from book one and I liked seeing her finally embrace her power. I actually started to like Aaron in this book; the angst finally broke through and I appreciate him now. My opinion on Nick is pretty much the same as the first two books (I think he's more nuanced than some of the rest of the cast and so I really like him). The dynamics between the three of them did feel a bit weird/underdeveloped at some points, but I think it worked out in the end. I also liked the ending take on soulmates/the true timeline.

Once a Villain is the perfect conclusion to a YA contemporary fantasy series that mixes time travel and monsters into a fast-paced, action-packed journey full of love, adventure, and fate.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

3.75/5