Just One More Chapter

This (audio)book was cute... nothing ground breaking or mind altering but it was a briskly paced, cute take on (not so monstrous) Monsters. This book should've been downgraded to a Middle Grade read. There was no grit... no heat... no wrecking of my soul or even the slightest of tugs on my heartstrings. In fact I didn't really attach myself, my hopes, my devotion to ANY of the characters... this is usually the kiss of death in my world... the whole cast come off as a bit thin BUT I'm a true believer that IF it was originally classified and pitched to me as a MG read then I think my whole approach (and thus my rating) would have been different. 

It most certainly could've been classified as an anxiously awaited book failing to live up to the mega-hype surrounding it. That, again, sounds like the kiss of death for a read for this frustrated bibliophile BUT the unique premise, some twisty twists and the audiobook's narrator went a long way.

Anyway... less about my expectations and more about what the book actually delivered...

There was a hint of a love triangle that was pretty tame and I'm thankful it wasn't developed enough to be nauseating... YET. 

Then there were some tried and true tropes like watching our FMC come of age and into her powers, a variety of differing familial powers, Good vs Evil and the like. There were some typical moral dilemmas and philosophical quandary like what makes a Monster a Monster? Is a Monster predestined to do monstrous deeds? Are monstrous deeds only done by Monsters... when is a monstrous deed deemed acceptable? Is there a Monstrosity gradient? Etc... etc...

Overall:

I was anxiously awaiting the drop of this book, so much so I preordered it on Audible (not a paid for endorsement) waaaay in advance. It unfortunately did not (completely) live up to its hype but few books seldomly do. I gave Only A Monster some leeway because of its unique premise, brisk pace and overall cuteness BUT be aware... if you are looking for MONSTEROUS MONSTROSITIES you will need to look elsewhere. If you're looking to attach your whole being onto a (villainous?) deeply robust character... you'll need to look elsewhere. There is a touch of Time Travel, something I usually eat up but here it was a decent/convenient plot device so if you're looking for a nicely developed Time Travel yarn... this is probably not it. I will most likely part ways with this series but I will fondly renember how I got lost in its depths for a few peaceful hours. 

My last 2 cents: if your looking for a Middle(ish) Grade read about (tame) Monsters with a unique premise (always a plus) then look no further!

It was cute... end of story!

~ Enjoy