man, I just really enjoyed this; it ends the trilogy in a satisfying way that left me feeling pleased and happy. The plot starts directly where book 2 ends (so may be worth refreshing your memory on that ending), and like the previous books, it's fast paced with various revelations and bits of humor, though the setting is a bit darker than the first two books. Aaron remains my favorite character, with his fussiness over fashion. This book does lean a lot more into the romance and romantic relationships, and while I like the way it wraps up, readers who aren't there for the romance may not be as into this book. I also appreciate the parallels drawn between being mixed race and being half monster. Overall, this was a fun refreshing trilogy that I'm glad to have read.

Once A Villain by Vanessa Len
5 🌟

This book solidified the series’s place as one of my all time favorite YA series. It was incredible. Without spoiling anything, book two left off on a huge cliffhanger! Joan, Aaron, Nick and friends have entered into a whole new timeline and things are not looking good. They don’t know who to turn to for help and are running out of time to save their world.

Vanessa Len is incredible at writing found family. The connection and friendship within this group is so strong. The romantic tension is absolutely incredible you can clearly see Joan’s feelings for both guys and her struggle to reconcile what that means in the middle of being hunted. The time travel is so well thought out and the magic is so well written.

I utterly adored this book. I was staying up late forcing my eyes to stay open because I needed to know what happened next. I could not have picked a more perfect ending. If you haven’t started this series you need to!!

Once a Villain is out August 19. Thank you NetGalley and HarperTeen for this digital arc.

5⭐️

Since I absolutely loved the first two volumes, I could hardly wait to finally read the third and final installment. I was so eager to find out how things would turn out for Joan, Nick, Aaron, and all the other characters. And once again, I was not disappointed in the slightest.

For me, the book was gripping right from the very beginning, instantly pulling me back into the story so completely that I devoured it in no time. Because it picks up seamlessly where the second book left off, it definitely helps not to let too much time pass between volumes. It’s useful to still remember as many details as possible, even though the most important points from the previous books are briefly recapped throughout the story.

What I especially loved were the many surprising plot twists and the heart-wrenching moments that made the story so emotional. I was amazed at how cleverly everything was woven together, and how in the end even the smallest details somehow made sense. I didn’t see the ending coming at all, but I really enjoyed it, even though opinions might differ here.

I can wholeheartedly recommend the entire series—it has definitely become one of my all-time favorites!

Thank you to HarperCollins for the review copy provided via NetGalley. My opinion was not influenced by this in any way.

Writing a review of this is a little difficult when I don’t want to spoil anything. This is the last book in the Monsters series by Vanessa Len. So if you haven’t already, go do that before this one releases in August.

I’ve always enjoyed this series, but this book was just something else. Let’s just say I absolutely loved this book. Even though I was very close to giving it two stars at one point and threw my Kobo away (read it and you will know why). I cried, I laughed, I kicked my legs. All of the emotions. I’ve always been on a specific team in this series, and I don’t think this could have been done better. Now I want to reread this entire series. I can’t believe this world is over. I’m crying for that too, because I’m going to miss them all.

Once a villain is the third and final book in the Monsters trilogy. It has twists you’d never expect and a unique perspective on young love. It offers just enough answers to leave you wanting more, and insights to the intriguing magic system developed over the series. This is a good read for fans of the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi or the Prison Healer trilogy by Lynette Noni. With heists, jokes, and characters that grow with the readers, Vanessa Len ends this series with a bang.

I really dont know where the story went with this book. There was so much potential but non of it was used. I did not like this book, I will not recommend this series to most people. Time travel is tricky and I feel like so much was not explained and just left in the void, feels really half hearted which I think is sad cause the premise of this series was so good and there was so much I was hoping to see. Left me sad and a bit angry


Spoilers ahead
Lets start with the worldbuilding and time travel in general, after the second book I had so many questions and was hoping for answers, I felt like some hints were given and I was really exited to find out who the king was, where the power to be tied to the timeline came from etc. But non of that was really answered. King who? Why did he seem familiar then in the second part? Where is he in this timeline?
Then why is still Nick the only one not tethered to the timeline? They literally are all in parallel to the "new" timeline and yet he is the only one? That makes not sense. Then dont get me started on the whole true timeline and feeling like you know somebody and Nick an Joan "falling in love" in each timeline after they spoke 3 sentences. Why dont you recognize family?
And the endgame...Its a throuple....I really dont know what to say. First I dont feel like the writing in the last two books aluded to this AT ALL. Nick and Aaron never even shared a nice word nor even smiled at each other. But all of a sudden after THREE books of Joan and Nick feeling this super duper mega pull, now it was the three of them all along? Where is the logic? Where is the consitency? This felt like a last minute change to go with some kind of trend. This is not even proper poly representation cause there is no realtionship to represent, just people we are told like each other. Just no sense.
Also why does the timeline have a mind of its own and give out gifts? Does it have a conscience? Make it make sense. Also if it is so focused on returning to the original timeline, why does it not?

I loved how this conclusion wrapped up! and I loved how unconventional the ending was... as opposed to typical love triangle's. loved the story! It was the perfect wrap-up to Joan’s story.

I've been with the Monsteres series from the beginning, and this conclusion was very satisfying. I'm glad that Aaron, Joan, and Nick ended up in a theouple! I think a lot of authors are afraid to take that leap with their love triangles, but this trio seemed destined from the start to always be entwined. The pacing of this book was extremely quick, the only thing I would change would be for it to slow down a tad and add more info/details to make some of the world’s mechanisms a little clearer. Overall though, wonderful book and great ending!

4.25
By the time “Once a Villain” will be released, it will be around 2 years since the release of book two, “Never a Hero”, and I highly, highly, highly recommend reading book two and three back to back or to freshen up your knowledge in general, but especially how book two ended, before you start book three.

If you know what happened at the end of “Never a Hero”, then you can probably guess that there’s a bit of world building needed at the beginning of this book.
I actually really like the world, which does reflect Eleanor and her personality, at least the Eleanor we met in “Never a Hero”, in my opinion really well.

Compared to book one and two, book three is more romance heavy and this might be controversial, but I do like the direction the author went with the characters and their relationship with each other. I can see people being confused and maybe not liking this, but let’s be real: if you paid a bit of attention, at least some of that shouldn’t be a surprise.

There were also some nice and unexpected, as well as emotional plot twists throughout the book, which I thought were well placed. We were introduced to some new-ish characters and I would have loved to have them be more present in the book, but I understand how and why this wasn’t exactly possible.
Overall, I did find myself enjoying the second half of the book more than the first.

Now, this book is by any means not without its flaws.
As I mentioned before, I think people will have certain feelings over the direction of the characters.
There were a fair amount of repetitive thoughts, especially in the second half, from Joan over things that happened not only in this book but also connected to the events of this whole series.
The side characters (Ruth & co) were, noticeably often enough, conveniently left somewhere behind (ex. waiting in a hotel) while the main characters went on their adventure.
To be very honest, I would lean towards describing the ending also as kinda easy and convenient.


Final thoughts on the series as a whole: I really liked this series and that’s maybe because I just really like the whole time travel aspect. The characters were great, as was the general plot.
I will say, this is a YA series and the characters (main characters are between 16 and 18 years old) are 100% going to act like their age.
I personally would have loved more insight on the Monster Court, though I also recognize that this wasn’t the main focus of the series.
During book two & three I had this “something is not really adding up here”-feeling and I don’t know why. Might also just be a me-thing.
I can see myself rereading these books in a couple of years.

I’m finishing this series on a mostly satisfying note and will definitely read more from this author!

Well. I have so many thoughts. First of all, I have guzzled up every page of this series so far and have been deliriously thirsty for more. Imagine my joy at getting an ARC of Once a Villain! We start right where we left off with Joan, Aaron, Nick and the gang. I really don't want to give any of it away but this concussion was so master fully done. There are plenty of Joan+Aaron and Joan+Nick scenes to satisfy BOTH Team Aaron and Team Nick fans and I was kept on the edge of my seat, trying to guess who Joan would end up with. We got to meet and greet so many old and new characters and I absolutely loved it. I will say that the ending was a bit rushed and the conclusion made me say, “hmmm ok.” That's not a bad “hmmm ok” but I was a little surprised yet oddly satisfied. You won't regret picking up the conclusion to this epic series! It was oh so satisfying.

5/5

I am so happy and so sad to see the end of this series. I started this series at the same time I started my journey back to loving books and this book series is so special to me. It has everything. Everything that I love and everything that I want. But I am so happy to be at the end of Joan's journey and her battle to fix the timeline. The ending of this book made me cry (in a good way!). Have you ever encountered a book and just gone, "Yes, this is it! This is everything I want and more," this is that book for me and I can't say more without spoiling and going through each and everything that I love.

All I can say is, "I love it, I love it, I love it."

Finally the conclusion to what has become one of my favorite trilogies!

The story starts up right where "Never A Hero" ends, and the race to vanquish Eleanor begins. The new timeline is nothing like the world everyone remembers. Humans are slaves to monster families, and no one is allowed to talk about the true timeline. Joan, Nick, Aaron and the rest of the crew must stay under the radar and avoid the guards while trying to gather information about Eleanor. Will they find allies to help them on their quest? Will they finally set the timeline back on course? Surprises are around every corner and this book doesn't disappoint.

I can't wait for more books by Vanessa Len in the future!

The way I DEVOURED this final book was pretty insane. I could not put it down (even when I tried). I had to know how this all ended. Len did not disappoint, and she brought a nuanced perspective to the typical "love triangle" we have come to expect. This book made me remember why I love YA.

Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.

This will be a fairly brief review by my standards because I don’t want to spill spoilers on NetGalley and it’s very difficult to discuss this book in detail without spoilers. Then again, all that needs to be said is that this is a spectacular end to an equally spectacular series. Yes, it’s arguably the darkest of the books, but that darkness is hardly surprising considering the premise involves a world where a subset of the populace are literally siphoning time from the rest. It is not, however, and I felt this since the beginning, not a gratuitously dark world. This is a series with a lot to say—about identity, about memory, about history, about grief, about privilege—but it’s also a series that is just as committed to the light as the dark. It’s also not afraid to really let its heroine dig into the quandary of which boy she fancies as the universe is ending around her.

All of which is to say, this book, like the two books preceding it, strikes a delightful balance: serious themes alongside a propulsive, time-travelling adventure story, charismatic characters it’s impossible not to adore, root for and worry about, a tantalising drip-feed of revelations that have come together perfectly across three books, a certain tropey glee when it comes to particular plot twists and character dynamics, and, above all else, a sincere but clear-sighted idealism. Because, when you get right down to it, very few of us are truly monsters, and you do not need to be a villain to make the world a worse place, nor a hero to make it a better one.

Once A Villain is everything I hoping for and more besides. It has an unabashedly happy ending, but it’s also an ending that we have seen characters we love fighting for and suffering for. And, as such, feels completely earned. A bold choice, not a soft one, because hope is often the boldest choice of all.

A book that takes you on a roller coaster of emotions and then gives a plot twist out of nowhere and you are left reeling yet again! An excellent book - this entire series is just one to read.

I don't want to spoil anything for any of those waiting to finish this series - but just get ready!! Tears, heart ache, surprise and happy emotions too. Character development is great. And the plot - well, lets just say its worth the journey.

This book was hard for me to read. I didn’t realize that it was part of a series, and this is one of those books you truly need to read all the books in the series to understand what is going on. I will not be posting this review on any type of website as I feel that my review would not be fair since I hadn’t read any of the other books. I was able to get through the book, but so much didn’t make sense. I found the love triangle to be hard to read, but I am sure if I had the investment from the other books I would have felt differently.
Thank you to Harper Collins Children’s Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Rating: 5 Stars ✨

So grateful to the publisher for sending me an eARC of this book. Once A Villain takes place almost immediately after the events of Never A Hero. Thrust into a brand new world ruled by monsters, the descriptions were haunting, and there was always danger surrounding the characters. Joan, Aaron and Nick worked together as a team in this book. In this new timeline, it is possibly the darkest of all the books, where humans are subjugated and placed at the whims of monsters. The storyline was fast-paced and as a reader, it makes you feel as if you can’t catch a break — much like the characters. 💫

As for the other characters, Ruth and Jamie it was great to read about them again. I really enjoyed some quips and banter between these characters. Aaron, especially had some of the best quotes. I learned so much about London and its history while reading this trilogy. Especially about the Original London Bridge and Holland House. I actually visited Holland House in real life and it was a pity to see it reduced to ruins. I can only imagine what it was like during its heyday. 💙
In this alternate London, so many things had changed and it was fascinating, and terrifying to read about the many changes in this new timeline.

After waiting longingly for Book 3 for the two years. In the end, the reveals, plot twists and sacrifices were heart-pounding and worth the wait.

As for the love triangle, there is a proper ending. It may not be as conventional for some readers, it’s still interesting anyway. The fight between monsters, humans and Eleanor concludes with a fitting ending. I only wish there was a prequel, so we could read about the original timeline.

Huge thanks again to HarperCollins for the eARC! And Vanessa Len for gifting us with her words and trilogy. 💕 I will miss this series!! Looking forward to reading the author’s future work.

As much as I wish this series would continue forever, Once a Villain was a good ending to the story. Joan, Aaron, and Nick land in a broken and horrible timeline where humans are slaves to monsters and forced to give up years of their life in service. They know that this is not the way the world is supposed to be, and the timeline knows it too. Eleanor has warped it beyond recognition out of vengeance, but even she knows that she's broken something she shouldn't have touched. The trio works to find a way to undo the damage without harming the people they love, with many false leads and tragedies along the way. I loved seeing more of Jamie, one of my favorites from the first two books. I wasn't expecting there to be a triad romance, and I have mixed feelings about it because I didn't see the foundations being built in the first two books so when it was introduced it felt abrupt. However, I love all three characters and I love the idea of multiple fated soulmates, so I like the direction Len took with the romance. I also felt that Aaron's sacrifice lost its meaning when it was undone so quickly. It was tragic when he gave himself up, and it felt shallow to just easily undo that loss. Otherwise, an excellent book. I think it could have been extended into a longer series if Len had chosen to keep writing in the world, and I would keep reading if she added on to the story.

4.5 rounded up. I really really liked this one. This series has been an unexpected delight since I picked up the first one and I really enjoyed how it all concluded. Love the characters, love the magic system, bigggg fan of how some certain plot points played out. Would def recommend this series and excited to read whatever Vanessa Len does next!

Once a Villain is the final book in the trilogy Once a Monster. Vanessa Len's third book continues the story of Joan, half monster half human and Nick, former Hero and monster hunter. After failing to stop her sister, Eleanor, Joan and Nick must continue their battle to restore the timeline. The world Eleanor has created is a dark and tragic place where humans are expendable. Life is owned and can be taken from humans at will by the monsters at their pleasure. Joan, Nick and their friends must find a way to stop Eleanor before her new timeline destroys them all and throws them into the void. This third novel is best read as part of the series. The many twists and turns of Len's series will cause you to pause and reflect on the past events and wonder at the complexities of the relationships that develop through this amazing worlds she has created for her readers. More than any books I have read, this series cries out for a movie adaptation!