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Today, "Only a monster" by Vanessa Len, published on September 8, 2022 by Éditions Lumen.
Anne-So "Echos de Mots", youth literary blogger and contributor to the
20 Minutes
Books reading group, recommends
Only a Monster
by Vanessa Len, published on September 8, 2022 by Éditions Lumen.
His favorite quote:
Once again she realized that she knew nothing, so to speak, of this world.
Familiar feeling, for a young girl who had grown up between the homes of her father and her maternal grandmother.
Half human, half monster, half Chinese, half English.
Sometimes it seemed more of the same.
Joan was both more than a stranger and less than a close friend.
Blocked on the threshold, neither inside nor outside.
Why this book?
Because
Only a Monster
is a fantasy novel
with explosive ingredients led by a heroine like no other.
Joan is a 16-year-old girl who spends the summer in England at her grandmother's house with her cousins.
As she prepares to go on a date with her fellow volunteer at the Holland House museum, a tragedy occurs and the young woman discovers her true nature.
If her grandmother had already told her, during her childhood, that Joan and all her family were monsters, she had never taken her seriously until now...
Because the heroine is a monster, therefore, and her family
is part of one of the twelve great families of London, each reputed to have a particular gift.
As in any monster story, we need a hero, and the latter is none other than Nick, the one who makes Joan's heart beat.
Despite their respective feelings, the young man was very clear: he will decimate the heroine's family as well as the other families of monsters and will not hesitate to kill her as well if she attacks a human.
Because a hunt is then set up and Joan
will give up nothing to save her family, even if it means playing with the laws of nature and changing the course of time.
She will team up with Aaron, a member of the enemy clan of the Olivers, in the common hope of repairing the events of a tragic night and preventing Nick from doing evil again.
Throughout the novel, the author brilliantly unfolds her plot, offering us here and there the pieces of a captivating puzzle full of surprises.
The finale is excruciatingly exhilarating and brilliant and promises us a supercharged and exciting trilogy!
Because the central themes of this young adult novel
offer real depth to the story.
The notion of morality and the limit between good and evil have a very important place in this story.
This is also the case for the notion of the quest for identity thanks to this half-Asian, half-British, half-human, half-monster heroine.
A questioning of the laws of nature via time travel and its complex ramifications is added to this.
Finally, the timeless but still effective theme of impossible love sublimates the picture.
Because
Only a Monster
is not going to revolutionize
the young adult literary scene, but it stands out in my eyes;
I warmly recommend that you get started to have a great time surrounded by characters who still have a lot to reveal at the end of this first volume.
A magnificent object book, an exciting plot, well-crafted characters, powerful themes and a promising sequel... It would be a shame not to be tempted.
The essentials in 2 minutes
The plot.
Joan discovers that she comes from a family of monsters and that she is in love with a hero whose goal is to decimate his species.
The young woman will then do everything possible to save her loved ones from certain death and will embark on a breathtaking chase coupled with a quest for identity.
Characters.
Joan is a brave young woman who will stop at nothing to do the right thing while questioning her undermined morality.
Aaron, is a member of an enemy clan with which she will have to cooperate.
Nick is a straight and good hero with plenty of blood on his hands.
Places.
The novel is set in England.
The time.
The story begins in the present day, as Joan is about to go on her first date with sweet Nick.
The author.
Vanessa Len is an Australian author with Maltese, Chinese and Malaysian origins.
Educational writer, she now lives in Melbourne and signs, with
Only a monster
, a first novel led by a master's hand!
This book was read with
pleasure by Anne-So Echos de Mots, blogger specializing in children's and teenage literature.
“For me, reading can be as much a personal pleasure in which one runs to take refuge as an excuse to discuss and meet other readers.
I am a lover of words always interested in new discoveries.
»
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Book sheet 20 Minutes
Books
Literary back to school
fantasy
Youth
Novel