I'm a little on the fence about this because I wasn't too acquainted with the author or his work and am acutely aware that I'm not the intended audience here, but I do think the blurb is a bit misleading, missing a few content warnings, and doesn't make it clear that lacking threads of context will make it tricky to really connect with and keep track of these characters (which the fractured narrative only compounds). Still, the agile writing keeps the story dynamic and adrenaline-charged, there are interesting plot points stemming from the ornamental integrations of occultism and secret societies, the queer and trans rep is pretty unparalleled and the pop culture references are close to pitch-perfect.

No Gods, No Monsters is about the monsters living among us, along with secret societies of both good and evil. This story follows a large cast of characters who overlap throughout the story. Some are human, some are gods, and some are monsters. There are many minority groups represented within this novel, including POC, Puerto Rican, transexual, bisexual, asexual, etc, I was intrigued by the premise of the story, but I feel the execution was a bit rough. Some of the chapters are quite long and they jump from present to past and there were multiple times in the story when I didn't know whose POV it was. The story felt very disjointed and confusing. There was some beautiful writing within the story, especially around character dialog. Once I got to know some of the characters I really enjoyed learning their stories but I felt as though a lot of it was done backward and it left me feeling confused right up to the end of the book. While I would be interested in seeing how it all plays out for these characters, I didn't enjoy so many POVs and I don't think I could read another story in this back and forth format with so many protagonists.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was alright. I wasn’t a fan of the style of narration - the way it spoke like everything was happening in the moment they were telling us. And I was not used to the fact that the protagonist was a full grown adult. That was partly my mistake, but I went into this book fully expecting a teenager or at least a college student, and then coming across a grown adult as the protagonist threw me off and I immediately felt disconnected from the story. However, with the concept itself and the way minorities were represented in the book, I cannot bring myself to completely dislike this book. So while I appreciate it, No Gods No Monsters just isn’t for me.

**5 Mysterious, anarchist, ACAB stars!**

No Gods, No Monsters is absolutely fantastic. Cadwell Turnbull wrote an incredibly unique fantasy novel laced with so many real world problems that were represented in such fascinating ways it was hard to turn put it down. There are definitely some heavy topics in here, so be aware that it is not a light book, but it is worth it. You just have to pay attention.

> Like most things, love came as a decision: I'm going to look harder at this one.

The story starts off with Laina hearing news of her brother's brutal murder by the police. This starts a string of many seemingly unrelated events in many people's lives. The world finds out that monsters are real, and they are living among us, risking their lives to seek safety in visibility. But why? Why are they making this display now? What is happening to make them do this?

> There is no way of knowing how many world-changing events were precipitated by the phantom cause of paranoia, but the number is sure to be vast.

If you are not paying attention to this book, it is a little easy to get lost. The chapters are short snippets, and there are many characters who get their point of view represented. I imagine many reviews are going to speak on this piece. However, to me, the multitude seemingly unrelated characters functioned to remind me the extent to which police violence, othering, and oppression can seep into every aspect of society, and affect people who don't even seem to be connected. It functioned to remind me that stories of people like this are often forgotten for the same exact reason. Sometimes there are just too many, and not enough attention bestowed upon them. It reminded me constantly of the bigger picture.

> No one knows who he was, how he died. He'll be lost in all this, his tragedy a deleted footnote. Unless someone ***says his name.***

What impressed me the most about this novel was that, though the characters seem to be unrelated, Turnbull connects each character **just enough** that it reminds you that they are connected somehow. It is just the perfect balance to keep you interested in all of their stories, separately and together. There are little Easter eggs in each point of view that remind you that the stories are going to connect, as long as you are a little bit patient.

No Gods, No Monsters is a play on words of the popular anarchist and labour slogan "No Gods, No Masters" which is often used as a chant at protests. This book is a a definitely piece of work in the step of justice within literature. Go Cadwell Turnbull, you nailed it!

## Big Takeaway

No Gods, No Monsters is an incredibly inclusive story about othering, oppression, police violence, connection and how we stay safe and fight back. Though it is heavy at times, and there are many characters to follow, it is absolutely a wonderful work of art.

After recently finishing and enjoying Cadwell Turnbull's first novel The Lesson, I was excited to read this one -- a book with a title referencing an anarchist slogan that promises monsters, mystery, and magic! -- and I was not disappointed.
Turnbull really excels here at crafting a narrative from disparate stories that, for much of the novel, seem unrelated; what begins feeling almost like a short fiction collection weaves and intertwines into a whole that exceeds the sum of its parts (though those parts, alone, are intriguing). The novel's description didn't quite prepare me for how disconnected -- and non-linear in time -- it would be. I do think some readers really won't be into it, but my only criticism would be that I wonder if there is perhaps too much here -- perhaps the basis of a series squished into one novel -- but overall, I feel that it works.
I enjoyed the references to authors I've read and know well (Goldman, Rocker, Bakunin, and even Nietzsche's eternal return), the explanation of the slogan in the title, and the explorations of co-operative organization, the potentiality of protest to change things, and the possibilities for solidarity across difference. I also very much appreciated the diverse representation in the novel, and the author's ability to simultaneously maintain the distinction of quite a few different points of view without losing his own voice in the process.
Finally... the writing is just stunning.
Thank you to NetGalley + Blackstone for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my review.
Content warnings: police brutality, gun violence, drug abuse + addiction, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, some gore

The premise of this book grabbed my attention, but it was executed in a way that I found difficult to follow. There are many POVs and the book jumps around frequently between plots, time periods and characters making it a bit disjointed and confusing. The characters are well created and interesting, but I often had to keep flipping back to remember who each character was and what they were doing when I last saw their POV. The plot is very original and creative and the tone was a dark style that worked well for the material. I loved the author’s creativity but feel this book would have benefited from additional editing to the format. More indicators of who the POV was and what timeline, longer sections that related before starting something new, more time with each main character, etc. This has such potential and great ideas, I think with some formatting changes it would have been a much higher rating from me. I would read another book by the author because I enjoyed the unique concept.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me this eARC to read and review.

The book, in short, is about the main character, Laina, discovering the news that her brother, Lincoln, has been shot and killed by Boston police. As she investigates and navigates through the brutal reality of America (police brutality, gun violence, systematic racism, and more) that is very real, she comes to find out that monsters are ALSO very real. I find fantasy, especially one with supernatural elements, is a great way to discuss various themes, especially, what is going on in politics, society, and the economy. This book just embodies this.
The one thing is that it was at times confusing who was talking. The book, for example, actually opens up with two other characters. One of them (won't say who) is important to the story. I just wish it was a bit clearer.

Triggers including (not limited to): implied sexual abuse, drug abuse, implied domestic abuse, police brutality, gun violence.

I just reviewed No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull. #NoGodsNoMonsters #NetGalley

#NoGodsNoMonters
#NewSeries
A good start to a new fantasy. It has a lot of characters, but a very intriguing plot.

English/ Spanish
First, thanks to Netgally for letting me read it in advance in exchange for an honest review.

No gods, no monsters is complicated, but let's try to organize my thoughts. Everything starts with a corpse, all good stories start with a death body, right? The story goes like this; Laina has lost her brother Lincoln, a couple of days after the funeral she receives a disturbing visit and a video related to Lincoln’s death is released on the internet revealing that monsters are real, that werewolves exist and that beasts are walking among us.

Here we find ourselves among a lot of characters that leads us to secret societies, gods looking for silence and protest in favor of liberty and against hate crimes and discrimination.
The good aspects:

Well I have to say the account is one of the strongest points of the book, the author has an incredible management of the time, the memories and the monologues. Even though it has a lot of information it is easy to follow the story thanks to the writing style.

The only bad aspect I can recall is that there are too many characters and it is very difficult to follow what happens with each one of them. At the beginning there are Laina and Ridley, then we have a teacher inside a secret society o wanting to enter in one; after there is a dragon and so on. Sometimes it looks like the book is not going to take back the stories of the previous character, because it keeps introducing more almost every chapter. And when the old ones appeared again I didn’t even remember them.

Basically the problem of the plot is that inside a complex structure there are way too many characters and it is difficult to keep track of them and their personal plot.
To sum up I really enjoyed the book, the topics behind the story gave a lot to think about and to reflect on. The plot kept me at the edge of knowing what was going to happen next. 4/5 stars.

------------

Todo empieza con un cadáver, así es como inician las buenas historias, ¿no es cierto? La historia va algo así, Laina ha perdido a su hermano Lincoln, un par de días después del funeral recibe una visita perturbadora y un video relacionado a la muerte de su hermano se hace viral en internet revelando que los monstruos existen, que los hombres lobo son reales y que aquellas bestias caminan entre nosotros. Así es como iniciamos esta historia, pero no lo es todo.

Nos encontramos después con distintos personajes que nos llevan a sociedades secretas, dioses que buscan silencio y marchas en favor de la libertad y en contra de los crimenes de odio y la discriminación.

Lo bueno: bien debo decir que la narración es de los puntos más fuertes de este libro, tiene un manejo impresionante de los tiempos, los recuerdos y los monólogos. A pesar de que tiene demasiada información no se hace pesado de leer, y eso es gracias a la escritura.

Lo único malo que puedo decir de este libro, es que tiene tantísimos personajes, que es muy difícil de seguir, en un principio de la historia nos presentan a dos personajes; Laina y Ridley, después nos pasamos a un maestro, después pasamos a un dragón y a veces parece que el libro no va a retomar a los personajes anteriores, o que los olvidó en algún punto, por que cuando vuelven a salir simplemente ya no los recordaba.

Aquí el problema es que tiene una historia y una estructura tan compleja que le exige al lector atención, pero con tanto personaje es difícil centrarse en el problema principal. Por lo que parece, va a haber una continuación, igual hubiera sido mejor distribuir los personajes para que fuera más sencillo para el lector tener una continuidad en los eventos que estaban sucediendo.
En general me gustó mucho, los temas de trasfondo me dieron mucho en que pensar y reflexionar y la trama me mantuvo siempre al margen de querer saber que iba a suceder. 4/5 estrellas.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Cadwell Turnbull for the opportunity to review this book.

This book starts with Laina getting the news that her brother has been shot and killed by Boston cops. But this case is not what it seems, something much bigger is at play here!

The writing in this book was beautiful and I thought the premise of this book sounded great. Unfortunately I found it pretty difficult to follow with the book jumping around a lot between different point of views. I really wanted to love it but I just found it hard to connect with this book.

I found Turnbull’s writing to be very captivating. I think that Turnbull did an admirable job of tying all of the narratives together of each monster and each relevant character and did it with such ease. The world that Turnbull created was so intricate and detailed, it was crazy.

The characters that Turnbull created were so relatable and human, even though they were also monsters. I particularly was interested in Dragon, Melku, Sonya and Rebecca. I would have loved to learn even more about Sonya, Dragon, and Melku and I hope that Turnbull plans to write a sequel so that I can learn more about the powers and abilities of each of these characters. The originality and creativity that Turnbull used to write this story is very evident and shines through in their writing.

At first, I had no idea how all of the pieces of the story would fit together but Turnbull managed to do it almost effortlessly. My only complaints about the story were that it seemed a bit too dragged out and long, at some points, and that it was a bit too cerebral for me. Some sections were hard to grasp and understand but it may just be because I have never read another story like this and it took me time to adjust to Turnbull’s style of writing and the genre written within.

CW: sexual abuse, child abuse, drug use, police shootings, mass shooters

It is hard to describe this book because I admit I’m not entirely certain what happened, but I’ll do my best. Laina’s estranged brother Lincoln is killed by the police because he allegedly became violent and threatening in a drug-induced crisis. The police refuse to release the tape of the shooting, which understandably makes Laina suspicious. After all, Lincoln was naked during the confrontation, how threatening could he have been? Laina is given a USB containing the video of the shooting by an apparently disembodied voice and what she sees on it doesn’t make sense: a scared policeman pursues a monster - some kind of big wolf - down city streets and shoots it but, after the monster dies, Lincoln is lying there in its place. Laine posts the video online, and the world wakes ups the next morning to the knowledge that monsters are real. Later that same day, more wolf-like monsters block a bridge and turn back into humans in front of the police and cameras. Very soon, the end of both videos disappears from every recording of it on every computer and camera in the world so that the evidence of monsters is erased, and most people go back to not believing. Hate rimes against suspected monsters escalate while some groups of humans work to become allies and protect monsters. Meanwhile, at least two groups are working against each other: one wants the existence of monsters out in the open while the other wants it to remain hidden. Or something like that.

I loved this book right up until the end. It’s an intricate piece of work, with multiple characters who intersect at crucial moments, and it always hides more information than it reveals. It explores philosophical questions and scientific theories, perhaps hinting that the line between Good and Evil, Right and Wrong, is more difficult to perceive than we think, and that magic could be explained by quantum physics (or quantum physics could be explained by magic). Some of the creatures and the magic are derived from African, Caribbean, Indigenous and other traditions outside the white Western world, which feels original and I would have loved to learn more about this aspect of the fictional world. The mood is a dreamy kind of dread, the pace is slow and deliberate so that the tension mounts and I was constantly afraid of a terrible tragedy happening. When the tragedy does happen, it is very familiar, something we see on the news time and time again, although it is driven by magic.

The only reason I can’t give this book five stars is that there isn’t really an ending as such. I turned the page, and was faced with the blank pages at the back of the book. Over, just like that. While there is a hint in the dialogue just before that end that what happened was only the beginning and that similar events will occur in an almost cyclical fashion for some time yet, I didn’t find it satisfying. Some of the characters had just found each other and I was interested is seeing what they would do together. The motivation of the group that causes the tragedy is not explained, so that the mystery remains nearly as opaque as it was at the start of the book. I understand that this how life is, the truth is rarely presented wrapped up in a neat little bow, but fiction is usually more tidy than life.

I have a feeling (perhaps that’s all in my head) that there is an analogy made between the “monsters” in the book and Black people in the United States and other predominantly white societies: the fear others feel about them and the violence this causes, the way in this book they are killed by the police out of misunderstanding and the influence of something that is outside them.

I’m having trouble summing up my opinion of this book, but I know I will be thinking about it for a long time, which is why I am giving it a rating of 4.5 stars. Any book that carves out a place in my head is a book I recommend, even if, as in this case, I was disappointed by the pieces left unresolved.

NO GODS, NO MONSTERS is a profoundly experimental work featuring time travel, werewolves, tech wizards, witches, and gods all competing for space in a multiverse that reminded me most of the one featured in THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS by Karen Lord. Like much of Lord's work, Turnbull works simultaneously in quantum physics and the culture of the African diaspora, in monsters and gods and in science and politics. This is no surprise, as the authors share a similar cultural background -- while Barbados and the U.S. Virgin Islands are not the same place, they are close cultural cousins. Turnbull brings his own roots into this work deftly, using the narrator as a connector between storylines set in the northern climes of Boston, the hills of Virginia, and the island of St. Thomas.

The plot of this book revolves around very compelling current events, flipped on their heads. Laina, one of the main characters, starts the story examining the body of her brother, who has been gunned down by police. She was estranged from her brother because of drug use, and the emotional fallout from his loss would be enough to shake most people, but the mystery deepens when a disembodied voice offers Laina information on her brother's murder. Thus Laina is plunged into the world of magic. Notably, this scene parallels a storyline that appears later in the tale, where we learn that the narrator also had a brother lost to substance abuse who was gunned down.

The way loss functions as apocalypse, as unveiling, is a strong theme in the book. Not every character experiences it, but many of them do. What is revealed by the loss can be corruption, but can also sometimes be magic and community. Most likely, it is a mixture of both. Magic is not benign in this novel -- on the contrary, magic is treated as a force of nature. It can have benefits and joys, but is just as likely to cause grief. Sometimes, as with the narrator, it seems almost a neutral force -- but not everything is clearly visible in this book. There are layers within layers, each waiting to be picked apart.

For that reason, NO GODS, NO MONSTERS might be a hard read for some. While the various plots do ultimately connect, it does take some time to get there. This was fine for me -- I found each of the threads of the story to be ultimately compelling in their own way, and was happy to be along for the ride. It's a smart book, a puzzle in need of assembling. If that's the kind of thing you enjoy, this will be the book for you. That said, you won't get all the answers here -- the end obviously leaves things open for a second book. I'm excited to see where it goes.

To put it simply this book follows the lives of a few different characters, that are all connected in some way, as they try to navigate their lives after the existences of monsters is brought to light. However it is so much more than that. I think anyone’s who likes fantasy and dark fantasy will like this.

This is the kind of book that makes you think even after you’ve finished it. The plot is complicated and I found that I was confused at the beginning as to what was going on but not because it is badly written, it is beautifully written and the confusion came from the many different characters you get to know, their role in the story and how they are all connect to each other. I found that once I became attached to one character we jumped to another but as the book goes on you get used to it and it does get easier to read. Regardless of that I found it really interesting and have never read a book like it. I would recommend reading this book purely because of its uniqueness and how well it is written.

This is going to be an incredibly difficult review to write, because I do not want to trespass Spoiler territory but I really, REALLY, want to talk about this book in depth. And I’m pretty sure I can’t do both.

Let’s say this book is about monsters. Furry, four legged monsters who suddenly showed themselves to a world which was not ready for them. And two-legged monsters as well, but we already knew they existed, didn’t we? We see them every single day, trying to appear more human than what they’ll never be able to be.
Let’s also say that the monsters want to achieve some rights: Some of them just want to be left alone to roam the Earth and be happy with what they are. They’re asking for something that is basic for humans, and they feel partly human as well. However, the road to achieve this is not an easy one, and some of the other monsters do not agree with them. War is a possibility.
And let’s finally say that we, as the reader, don’t always know who the monster really is. This book shows us some people’s life in a messy, chaotic, real way, and we are the ones who need to gather the pieces and reach a conclusion.
But nothing ends. It bleeds.
And the pages of this book are filled with blood, with messed up lives, with pain so real and so well described one wants to enter the book just to hug a character (and maybe kick some other in the face. Hard.) This apparent chaos may repel some readers, but those who keep on will find an amazingly threaded story with unique and deep characters who don’t hesitate to spill their most profound fears and their most violent rage.
To close, let me just point that the writing is so beautiful one would like to re-read the story again and again and just underline passage after passage after passage. And then re-read it one more time. I really hope this isn’t the last time we are given passage to this world.

Unfortunately this was one book I was unable to finish. I found to many groups of people, too many plots and too many time changes. When one thing happened that would grab my attention that part of the story got dropped and I don't even know if it was finished. Sorry. I really wanted to like the book and the premise peaked my interest. It just didn't carry through for me. I guess the last page of the book describes it all when it says "Nothing ends. It bleeds." This describes my feelings of the various plots contained within.
#NoGodsNoMonsters#NetGalley

This concept is so cool! The beginning was a little hard to follow, because it hops from one character's perspective to another. Once I got used to the jumping it was a little easier. There was a lot of world development that kept me going more than the action in the book. It was face-paced mostly because you were following a variety of character's stories. I was confusion on some of the use of pronouns. The book was in third person at some spots but then it would switch to first. This made more sense after you learn more out about Calvin. I wish the different parts gave some direction about which character you were reading about. It was a big idea that did not have enough time to develop in the way I would have liked. I hope there are more books to develop the storyline.

Received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF'ed at 50%. I really wanted to like this book, but the disjointed POV chapters made it too difficult to follow.

From what I could understand, each chapter is a different POV, some returning, some new, but most centered around an incident with a main character's brother being killed by the police. Turns out the brother was a werewolf. Al the POVs are affected by the incident in their own ways and we see society slowly changing to accept or reject the presence of supernatural creatures.

I do think it's a really interesting urban fantasy novel and it will definitely appeal to those who like the book's chaotic, but unique writing style. It's just not going to be for everyone, including me. It's also definitely more on the macabre and dark style tonally, so that will also not appeal to everyone.

Turnball clearly has mastered writing and character dialogue, but I think he just needs a bit more focus here to help piece the novel together. If you're interested in horror and urban fantasy and can handle unique writing choices, then this is for you.

No Gods, No Monsters by this new to me author Cadwell Turnbull, published by Blackstone Publishing is a full length, stand-alone, not easy to find the right genre for book. It's fiction, pnr story, fantasy, part non-fiction-ish, you get the picture.
The story starts out with a bang when Laina discovers her brother was kbc. What then happens is more than fantastic. I really liked the writing and the storyline, only at times I was overwhelmed. All in all an ok read, 3,75 stars.

WOW

Such an amazing book with such a rich and deep plot. It's one of those books that you can read over and over again and still not fully understand what is happening. There are so many unanswered questions in the book, but I almost feel as though it's fitting. That's the way life works. We don't have all the answers and we probably never will.

Please please please get this book when it is released. Hands down will be one of the best books in 2021!