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Genre: Fantasy, YA, Time Travel, Romance
Number of pages: 416
ISBN: 9780063024748
ASIN: 0063024748
Format: Hardcover, eBook (Kindle, Kobo, Nook), Audiobook (Audible, Kobo, B&N)
Publication date: August 19, 2025
Publisher: HarperTeen
Type: Novel, Series
Series: Trilogy
Previous books: Once a Villain (#1), Never a Hero (#2)
Thank you to HarperCollins and Edelweiss+ for giving me an e-ARC of Once a Villain by Vanessa Len. I receive no compensation whatsoever, and I write this review willingly.
This adventure all started when I read the first book of the Monsters trilogy: Only a Monster. I must say, it had the best world-building and time travel and angst I had seen in a long while. I became hooked. So much so I’d pre-ordered the second one, Never a Hero, with ALL the goodies (this included a gorgeous bookmark and a few postcards of a few scenes in the book), which I still cherish. Of course, I HAD to pre-order the last one, Once a Villain. But, little did I know that my enthusiastic request for an ARC on Edelweiss+ would be kindly granted by HarperCollins.
Here I am, reviewing the last volume of a trilogy that means so much to me, thanks to HarperCollins giving me the e-ARC of Once a Villain. I can’t thank them enough!
Once a Villain was the book I was most anticipating this whole year!!
Spoiler? It did NOT disappoint. At all. It succeeded my expectations (and trust me, they were high due to my love for this series expertly crafted by Vanessa Len).
How about jumping through book traveling with me to learn about all the ways this book (and trilogy) is really worth your time?
Here we go!
(I swear, you’ll wonder how you didn’t pick it up sooner!)
Blurb
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.
Joan has failed to stop Eleanor.
Now, Eleanor rules ruthlessly over a new London in which monsters live openly among humans, preying on them and subjugating them.
Only Joan, Aaron and Nick remember that there was once a better timeline. And now, wrenched between love and rivalry, they must negotiate their fractured pasts as they fight to survive the new world and fix the broken timeline.
But how will they defeat a whole world of monsters with power over time itself?
The sweeping love and high stakes of Divine Rivals meets the intricate worldbuilding and propulsive thrills of This Savage Song in this high-octane, cross-genre finale to the Only a Monster trilogy—where a breathless race against time is the only chance for Joan, Aaron, and Nick to restore the world they love.
The Positive Points
For starters, I really love that all this series is about a mismatched team pulled together due to circumstances. Plus, they all become friends, some warier than others, but the banter is fun and their friendship shows despite their intentions. They clearly care about one another and their team’s survival, although a few of them won’t admit this. It’s cute and much like a found family. It pleases me greatly and reminds me of the lovely Six of Crows gang by Leigh Bardugo (a high compliment on my part). Also, it’s worth noting how each character brings their own skills and thoughts, ideas, and opinions to the gang. Like, they’re ALL useful and interesting in so many different ways. They’re not just… filling up the space, which is usually the case in most stories.
Plus, Tom and Jamie?! DAWWWWW, they’re so freakin’ cute, I love and ship them so much. They remind me of Malec in Shadowhunters by Cassandra Clare, and there’s no gay couple I love more than Malec, so it’s a compliment right here. But wow, the heartache poor Jamie goes through (I love this character so much, he’s sweet, intelligent, caring, and poised)… and what about their marriage?! Ugh, anyways, I loved going on a roller-coaster ride with Tom and Jamie, they’re so sweet and loving.
On a another romantic note, the intensity of Nick and Joan’s love is something I love and crave, while the softness, kindness and loyalty of Aaron’s love is so beautiful I could cry.
I have to agree with Joan on a point: Nick is an excellent hero. (But so is Aaron; I always believed he was and could.) I hurt when something happened to Nick… because I might side with Aaron on their love triangle, I still really love Nick’s character. And Nick’s love, devotion, passion and intensity for Joan is unmistakable.
The fact the new horrible timeline and all the other timelines function as characters and worlds of their own. It’s amazing, impressive, and so immersive. It makes me giddy.
Also, this story took a dark turn and kept turning. It’s very good though, but yewwwww, it was nauseating at some point, yep, poor them.
Ah why not kill me again?! THAT’s when Aaron gets his chance?! Aaron is so achingly good and pained and sensible in this desperate situation. Why now, why why why?! Aaron deserves better. But now Aaron’s pain hurts me, so just kill me again yeah?! And wow, finally, for fuck’s sake she admits she’s got feelings for him. I’ve been waiting for three books. She’s not quick on that when it’s not Nick, is she? I know she tried to never think about difficult feelings, pushing it all down, but wow… Aaron really does get the shit end of her thoughts and feelings, right? Also, is she a player?! Because minutes ago she swore her life to Nick and kissed him, and then something really bad happens and she seeks solace with Aaron. And then, ONLY then, does she realize she loves him too and wants him right after that?! She sounds like a cheat to me or just a fucking player. I hated her for most of the book because of this. She does seem to play with Aaron… and I hate it. Gurl, give him to me! I’ll treat him well, like he deserves.
However, Aaron is the first to get a go at something important for her? Sounds about right. That’s redeemable for her. And iiiiiih, I bit my nail and squealed. Yes! Maybe my ship will sail! I spent most of the book being angry at Joan though, while hoping she wouldn’t just go back to Nick like “yeah, it was nice Aaron, but Nick’s back now, so ok bye?” It would have broken Aaron. And NO ONE hurts my baby!
I could ship Nick and Aaron in this new dark timeline, and I kept thinking that (and developing fanfic ideas of them together) while reading a specific chapter. I mean, they were close somehow, and Joan died as an infant there. And also the first word of the cipher is one of their names? Please, babe, we all know you’re in love. And OMG, my SURPRISE. I almost cried with tears of joy and iiiiiih cute feels. It’s beautiful and heart-wrenching. Heeeeeeeeeeeelp! This is glorious! My feels. I ship it. I can smell the fanfics!!! I already have two ideas for fanfics with that Nick and that Aaron, so, yep, I’m ready! All of this is pure gold, thank you very much, Miss Len!
A fun thing is I love that somehow, the dead Nick and Aaron in this dark timeline will help save our beloved gang via what’s left of them. Their messages, plan, etc. It’s awesome, like two timelines helping each other out. It’s brilliant. Plus, I love how neatly the author ties the first volume and timeline to this dark one in ways we hadn’t thought of and which seem so subtle or useless until they matter a lot. Like a certain accessory… What is fun about this series is that the information from the other books is well interwoven into the story. It’s not overwhelming, nor delivered through info dumps. And it’s so lovely to see how actions or details from past events and characters really come through and back in ingenious ways and uses in each sequel, and mostly the last one. There’s an impressive progression for the characters (all of them) as well as the events and possibilities.
Honestly, it’s really fun and satisfying to see Joan get more and more comfortable and at ease with her Grave power. A lovely arc progression. The need to feel the emotions to better control one’s power reminds me so much of a writer who needs to feel in order to write. It’s a crucial part. Power in the monster world and art are so similar. And feeling one’s emotions is at their center.
I love that there was some kind of arc with the Curia Monstrorum (the Monster Court) where we learned of them in the first book, got a glimpse of them. Then, the second volume was more involved with them, but still we couldn’t really see them. And in Once a Villain, THEN we see them. It felt satisfying, like a natural progression and curiosity of “when will we really get to see them and all their powers?” The title, Once a villain, is very fitting to a certain someone. Poor her, though. I understand her suffering and her deep love for her family and how she wanted to bring them back and protect them at all costs. I believe she is the child from the myths of the end of all times who tears into the void looking for their parents, dooming all of the timelines and people… She worked so hard to save her family that she is destroying the timeline, everything.
As for the villain herself, Eleanor is so powerful and so brilliant. She’s a genius strategist; a scary and intimidating villain. One who makes you believe Joan’s gang won’t win against her… It’s perfect. She’s an excellent villain. One of the best I’ve seen. Motivated by love, family, and ego, yet exceedingly cruel and ruthless and brilliant. Plus, I love Eleanor’s plan with Nick’s unpredictability. It adds even more substance to the timelines, and an element of surprise, like and that anything can happen at any moment with and around him.
It’s great that we get to see the Graves’ house. When we first saw it in this new, dark timeline, I hoooooped we’d get to go inside, or at least meet other Graves. Plus, I’m so glad Gran was in this volume too. She’s always been so awesome and kickass. I love her so much. I feared we wouldn’t see her again, but oh yes, we do, thank you! Annnnnd there’s a sweet Grave surprise, which is quite touching. Speaking of which, the “windows” part (you’ll see) just got me going awwwwwww so many times, my mom looked up at me quizzically from her phone. This scene is so touching and sweet. And omg, we do learn why Joan has always had the worst fadeouts ever out of the whole gang. So many explanations now, it feels rewarding as a reader. There are so many surprises, I love it!
A detail I’m so happy about is that this series has parents and grandparents and cousins… Like they matter, like they’re active parts of the story. So beautiful and so rare. Somehow, it’s always teenagers and, at rare moments or in rare series like Shadowhunters, it’s the parents too. But grandparents and other relatives? Fucking rare and I love to see it here. It’s utterly lacking in YA. Just like in movies and TV shows…
And awwwww yes, Aaron is me and I am Aaron. We’re always everyone’s second choice; I’ve been proved it, too. So, I feel him, deeply. His doubts, his jealousy, his low self-esteem of how much he matters to Joan… It’s so sad, yet relatable. And yet again Aaron is me and I am Aaron. I, too, believe I am a piece of shit. Sad truth. I felt for him so much throughout the whole series, but this book almost killed me with feels and emotions for him. I almost couldn’t stand it.
Honestly, the romantic development of this trio is really interesting. I won’t spoil it for you because it’s so worth it, and it satisfies me. It’s unusual, but great to see. And there’s no tearing apart between the two of them… I sided with my favorite (Aaron) all along, but you know what? I’m glad of this ending, of this resolution of their love triangle. I was ready to be mad, hurt, or whatever… (I honestly didn’t believe she would choose Aaron, because he DOES seem like a second choice to her, always beneath Nick…, but in a way, a big one, I was pleasantly surprised!) In the previous books, I had wondered sometimes whether this could happen, and I am so glad the author took that road for her main trio. I support! This endgame is the best Miss Len could ever have written for these beloved characters.
The paaaaaaain near the end, though. I screamed in silence with a hand over my mouth and tears in my eyes (I read the ending in bed at night). I knew he could save the whole world, but no please, no, not him! Not there in the void. No no no, there won’t be another version of him ever. Awwwwwwww, it’s making me nauseous, my feelings. No, why my favorite? Why why why? + Honestly, the emotional pain of what happens to my favorite is so paaaaainful, it’s similar to what I feel in real life when this happens to people I love. This fucking hurts. On a later side note (let’s call it this), the fucking RELIEF I felt. My heart just swelled and I squeezed my eyes shut, tears rolled down my cheeks, and I grimaced a smile. Thank you! The timeline reacted exactly as I thought it would, which is super duper appreciated on my part. And it was rather cute.
Speaking of the timeline itself, Joan did the right thing at the end with it. I hoped she would do exactly that. The good heart of my baby Joan didn’t fail—it never does, and I love her for it. 🙂
Also, the fact that Joan’s power awakened in its worst and most powerful iteration when a specific tragedy happened towards the end makes me really happy. She reacted most violently and heartbreakingly with him than in all the previous times where she used her powers involuntarily whenever she lost someone dear to her. Yes, I took a side, and that makes me pretty happy to see her react this way for him.
Look, this was the culmination of a FANTASTIC story. I devoured all of it. I had so many emotions and feelings (I still do, and always will). I loved the Monsters series SO MUCH so that it now stands beside my favorite series, which is Shadowhunters by Cassandra Clare (all of them). I mean it in a metaphorical way—no series could ever surpass Shadowhunters to me, I never even thought one would sit beside it in my heart, but here we are with the Monsters series by Vanessa Len. I talked to my people SO MUCH about it, and cared and loved and hoped and… felt deeply personal with these characters. I love that world. I love them. So, yeah, that’s how much that trilogy is amazing. Now, I’ve got two series I adore and which mean so much to me: Shadowhunters by Cassandra Clare and Monsters by Vanessa Len. This is NOT an easy feat. I’m very, veeeeeery picky with favorites. But Monsters just blew my mind, awed me, grabbed my heart, wrenched it, put it back, made it melt, and more. So, it’s won its spot fairly.
On top of that, this Monsters series is SO thrilling and emotionally loaded, and it has so much potential to explore other stories from both the monsters and humans’ point of views, along with historical events in that world, that I would take AT LEAST 15 books of this world! I NEVER say this about any series, except for Shadowhunters (and I’ve been lucky with that one, because Cassandra Clare DID explore a lot of stories within her Shadowhunter world); yet, this series by Vanessa Len deserves the same opportunity. I WANT to know what happened before, what happens next, what happens to that side character or another I haven’t met yet… Please, give me 15 more books of Monsters! Usually, I find most series end where they should, that there isn’t much potential for other stories within that world… But Monsters? Please, YES! I NEED MORE!
Speaking of ending, I love the very end of Once a Villain; it’s like it echoes the “true timeline” (the very first, the OG timeline), and it’s beautiful. Almost poetic.
Lastly, this book (and series) was filled with lovely and crucial themes: Hope, love, family, friends, fairness, sacrifices, grief, survival, despair, evil vs good isn’t black and white, courage, and coming into oneself. What more can you ask for?
The Negative Points
Surprisingly, there are negative points, but they are very few and do not impact my rating.
First, I noticed a big inconsistency: At some point, Jamie was out walking the dog, Frankie, but then he’s back without any notice or mention of his return, and he’s suddenly close to Joan and talking like he never left; he’s way too aware of the conversation going on for someone who was out a minute ago. We didn’t even know he’d been back.
Second, and this one is rather funny, it’s something that the author does in all three books… but in this one, she really went all in with “she released the breath she didn’t know she was holding”, with a variation for Nick at some point. I counted at least three occurrences throughout the book. I mean, it’s not bad, it’s just a tiny bit annoying and so tropey.
I thought it was still worth mentioning, although like I said, they don’t impact the rating.
In Conclusion
Overall, Once a Villain by Vanessa Len mesmerized me (the whole trilogy in fact!), and caught me so tight by my feels. For all the emotions, the awe, the thrills, the amazing world-building, the angst, and the perfect resolution, I give this fantastic book a rating of 5 stars out of 5. I would give it much more, but, well, I can’t go higher. So, a perfect rating it is for a much beloved adventure!
On a side note, I highly recommend reading the series from the beginning (you can start with Only a Monster, then go to Never a Hero, and finally Once a Villain). Otherwise, it could be confusing—very confusing. However, if you’re not too much into series, keep in mind it’s only three books, and it’s sooooo amazing, I urge you to read it!
If you want to learn more about the author, Vanessa Len, you can head over to her website. She also has an Instagram account. You can also follow her Author Page on Goodreads. Don't forget to add Once a Villain–and the whole trilogy while you're at it!–to your cart, your bookshelves, or your wishlist!
Ad Librum Aeternam 