Once a Villain by Vanessa Len (book review)

GENRE: YA Fantasy

LENGTH: 500 pages

PLOT

In the conclusion to the Monster trilogy, Joan, Nick, and Aaron and their allies find themselves in a timeline ruled by monsters. They must stop Joan’s evil sister, Eleanor, and reverse the damaged timeline she created.

CHARACTERS

I knew this novel was going to have to resolve the love triangle between our main trio. If you look at other reviews for the series it’s pretty clear that most readers prefer Aaron. I myself find Joan and Aaron’s chemistry to feel more authentic. Joan and Nick are ‘fated’ lovers, and so their romance had that sort of manufactured aspect – was their love genuine or was it merely a remnant of the original timeline? Joan and Aaron come from rival families and were never meant to be together. Yet even after Aaron forgot her when she changed the timeline at the end of the first novel, they still found their way to each other.

One thing I liked about how the love triangle is constructed was how book 1 focused on Joan and Aaron, whereas book 2 was primarily Joan and Nick. Book 3 finally brings them all together to fight a common enemy. I also appreciated how the love triangle was a side plot to the main conflict. This is not a romantasy, it’s a fantasy with romance. Let me be clear, there’s nothing wrong with romantasy – I enjoy a good romantasy book – I am merely saying this one doesn't slot into that subgenre.

I could never have foreseen the way the love triangle is concluded. I personally thought it was an odd choice. It reads like Len knew readers wanted Joan with Aaron but she wanted her with Nick, so she compromised. That’s all I will say on that – anything more gets into spoiler territory.

Jamie and Tom both return in this novel, though they are tragically separated. They are such sweet, helpful characters and great allies to Joan. The entire trilogy they are being tormented and I just longed for them to have the happily ever after they deserved and had more than earned.

Eleanor is a sympathetic villain. It’s impossible not to feel for her when it’s revealed she wanted to change the timeline because her entire family was erased. Joan herself did morally questionable things in order to save her family. However, I cannot forgive Eleanor for how she went about restoring her family and the countless people, monster and human alike, that she hurt.

WRITING

This novel, as with the previous ones, is told from Joan’s third person POV. It picks up immediately where book 2 left off – as in literally the same scene we ended on, their arrival in Eleanor’s monster ruled timeline. My favorite quote describing this new timeline is from Joan – “She didn’t feel safe – more like an animal that had found a temporary burrow – surrounded by predators on all sides.” (page 32).

The trilogy has never shied away from darkness and gore, but this one is by far the bleakest. This is a fantasy series, but the finale leans more into the horror and dystopian genres. My favorite setting in this world is a market that’s shaped like a clock with each wedge dedicated to a particular time period. This is a nod to how monsters time travel. It’s a small detail, but a clever one. Eleanor’s timeline is like a mashup of past and present and future all mixed up into one. Joan describes it as “a Frankenstein’s monster of a world with technology and architecture that that pleased her (Eleanor).” (page 139). As horrific as this timeline is, I found it to be the most immersive in the trilogy. The timelines of books 1 and 2 had very minor differences in comparison.

The novel has frenetic pacing despite its 500 page length. There were so many twists and reveals in this new world so that you never knew what to expect. The pacing matches perfectly with the plot and it keeps you reading. My only critique here is that the book actually could have been a bit longer. Some of the conclusions to plot points were too rushed so that they didn’t quite slot seamlessly into place.  

FINAL THOUGHTS

Len is an author I often rave about. She’s become one of my favorite YA fantasy authors. Joan was actually the initial inspiration for the protagonist for my own YA fantasy manuscript which is currently undergoing the querying process. My protagonist ended up deviating a lot from Joan in the end – after all, I wasn’t trying to make a Joan clone – but the roots can still be found if you go fishing for them.

I gave both books 1 and 2 a 5 star rating. I was anxious during the two year wait for this conclusion to the series. This one I had some gripe with – such as the love triangle’s resolution and rushed endings. Overall, though, I think it was a fitting end to an epic series. It’s an emotional roller coaster, that’s for sure. I anticipate whatever Len will write next!

FINAL RATING: 4⭐️