AustLit

'Joan Chang-Hunt has no idea she's part monster until she's thrust into a battle between the boy she has a crush on and one of the most ruthless monster families of London. A brilliantly compelling YA fantasy from a dazzling new Australian talent.

'Don't forget the rule. No one can know what you are. What we are. You must never tell anyone about monsters.

'Only a monster would kill a hero. Right?

'Every family has its secrets, but the summer Joan Chang-Hunt goes to stay with her Gran in London, she learns hers is bigger than most. The Hunts are one of twelve families in London with terrifying, hidden powers.

'Joan is half-monster. And what's more, her summer crush Nick isn't just a cute boy - he's hiding a secret as well; a secret that places Joan in terrible danger.

'When the monsters of London are attacked, Joan is forced on the run with the ruthless Aaron Oliver, heir to a monster family who are sworn enemies of her own. Joan is drawn deeper into a world that simmers with hostilities, alliances and secrets. And her rare and dangerous power means she's being hunted. She'll have to embrace her own monstrousness if she is to save herself, and her family. Because in this story . . .

'. . . she is not the hero.'

Source : publisher's blurb

'Never a Hero is the brilliant sequel to the bestselling Only a Monster - where the line between monster and hero is razor thin. Hidden worlds dwell in the shadows, monsters with untold powers walk among humans, and secrets are the most powerful weapon of all.

'Despite the odds, Joan achieved the impossible. She reset the timeline, saved her family - and destroyed the hero, Nick.

'But her success has come at a terrible cost.

'She alone remembers what happened. Now, Aaron, her hard-won friend - and maybe more - is an enemy, trying to kill her. And Nick, the boy she loved, is a stranger who doesn't even know her name. Only Joan remembers that a greater and more dangerous enemy is still out there.

'When a deadly attack forces Joan back into the monster world, she finds herself on the run with Nick - as Aaron closes in. Torn between love and family and monstrous choices, Joan must find a way to re-gather her old allies to face down the deadliest of enemies, and to save the timeline itself.

'Vanessa Len's stunning Only a Monster trilogy continues with this second instalment, a thrilling journey where a secret past threatens to unravel everyone's future.' (Publication summary)