Like many other reviewers, I found the premise and overall idea of this book to be intriguing and wish the execution had followed through to make this an enjoyable reading experience. I really struggled with the general structure of the book - the constantly changing POVs and timelines that were poorly set up or clarified made it hard to follow what exactly was happening in the book.

I was really excited about the premise of this book, but I don’t think it ended up being for me, which is fine. I think a lot of people with love this book, but I am not and have never been an urban fantasy fan, so I was left with the impression that this book was just meh. 10 points for representation and 10 points for creativity. I hope this book finds its audience, but it’s audience is not me.

What a strange and frustrating book. I thought it was beautifully written with lovely prose and turns of phrases, but this was a convoluted mess in terms of characters and perspectives. It would change from one character to another without any real indication. I would be left confused as to which character I was following and who this new character was. Had they been introduced before? What had I missed? The author also messed with the timelines which added to my feeling of being lost.

I don't need my stories to be linear. I like adventurous storytelling, but this really need a strong guiding hand from an editor. There were too many characters and except for Laina, Rebecca, and Ridley, I didn't think I got to know any of them. Having all these disparate characters come together towards the end of the book gave me little pleasure. For such a long book, this felt very truncated. I don't know if there was an issue with my ARC or if the book just ends that way, but there was no resolution. It was over abruptly and with no indication that the end had been near. I kept trying to flip the page to see if there was more. I am assuming a sequel is planned otherwise this was a waste of time. I loved the premise of this book -- monsters coming out of the shadows and the world changing because of it, -- but this left me very disappointed.

This book had a really interesting premise, but it was really hard to read because the author kept switching up the point of view and it made it hard to follow. It might really work for some people, unfortunately I am not one of them.

My only complaint would be pacing. I really enjoyed the ride of the story but had to motivate myself to pick the book up between reads. I wish that the meandering was less. Thanks to the publishers!

"No Gods, No Monsters" by Cadwell Turnbull is an incredibly riveting novel that blurs multiple genres into one or successfully creates a unique genre of its own. Therefore, it's no surprise the story is written in a jarring, razor-edged cadence that creates an original narrative voice unlike anything else.

In this page-turning novel, multiple characters are witness to a world-changing event in which monsters are real and they want to be known. This causes a chain reaction of events that results in a growing tension of whether humans are ready to accept monsters exist and the dangerous consequences that may have.

On the surface, this novel seems like a simplistic fantasy novel that delves into secret underground societies, fantastical creatures, and government conspiracies. Instead, Turnbull draws upon a variety of themes that speak to a lot of issues society faces in the present time. Through the use of monsters, Turnbull creates a conversation about the ways in which humankind deals with oppression, fear, trauma, violence, family, identity, among many others. The story even refuses to focus on a single character as it becomes clear as the story unfolds that the events that take place are about community and society and how, as a collective, people are responsible for how they shape the world they live in.

This is going to be a novel people either love or struggle with. Certain readers have difficulty getting into a story that doesn't have a clear timeline, a well-rounded plot, or a specific character(s) to focus on. Even still, there is no doubt "No Gods, No Monsters" is a stunningly original novel that will spark a wide range of interest and create an important conversation.

Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing (Own Voices) for providing me with a free e-arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Look for "No Gods, No Monsters" by Cadwell Turnbull on its expected publication date September 07, 2021.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC.
I can honestly say I’ve never read a book like this. The idea was great. Monsters are real. There are parallel universes. The writing style is gorgeous, I’ve never read anything like it.
Unfortunately, this book, for some, will be difficult to get through. It was for me. I truly wanted to love this book, and the diversity in it is great. What was such a let down was it was hard to follow.
The point of view shifts often from first to third. Because of this, it made it hard to keep track of who was telling the story and what was going on. I had to re-read a few parts over just to get my bearings.
There are also quite a few characters. Due to the large cast, it’s not easy to get attached to some of them and others suffer from not being able to be developed much. The messages and themes that were in the book were interesting and there is a lot for readers to enjoy in it if they don’t mind possibly having to play catchup once the pov shifts again.
There’s also gore and for some people that’s a turn off. There isn’t a warning about it.

I wanted to like this book so badly. The synopsis was so intriguing but it was a slow start to the book. I almost didn't finish it. The genre and writing is so unique, but did create quite a bit of confusion for me.

'No Gods, No Monsters' is impossible to put down, with an elegant and exquisite writing style, and I loved every second of it.

This Adult Urban Fantasy novel starts off with Laina, standing over the body of her dead brother. What seems to be a case of police brutality at first, slowly reveals itself to be a part of something more: Monsters are real, and not willing to hide anymore.
Switching between several PoV‘s, we will see people harboring secrets until they disappear with them, hidden societies and dark organizations starting to surface, and suicides and hate crimes rising. Only one thing is clear: the world will not be same as before.

This story was utterly fascinating, probably due to its incredible disorientating narrative. Turnbull is jumping back and forth trough many different PoV‘s, timelines, and places; slowly forming a bigger picture while simultaneously not giving away too many answers to the questions that are swirling around in the reader‘s mind.
By only giving bits and pieces of information, Turnwell makes it impossible to lessen the anticipation of reading the next sentence, until the desperate need to find out more starts to be almost unbearable. He dares his readers to read between the lines, to ask questions, to build up and throw away theories, to fully immerse themselves in the story, so that they will almost feel like a part of it.

At the same time, 'No Gods, No Monsters' is as gruesome as it is enchanting - full of gore, blood, and trigger warnings, filling its reader with an antsy feeling of rising panic the darker it gets outside. I for sure left my lights on while I deprived myself of sleep, constantly convincing myself to just read a little more.

This book deals with an interesting concept that will definitely make you think, not only because of the unreliable narrative, but because of how grand the spectrum of the story grows. We are talking about underground societies and parallel universes, about grief, revenge, and acceptance - from other‘s and from oneself - and about the big question: where does being human end, and being a monster begins?

I particularly enjoyed the Science-Fiction aspect of the reasoning behind the monsters and the magic system. I prefer the fantasy worlds I‘m reading about to be well fleshed out and believable, and this one surely was.

'No Gods, No Monsters' is a very character driven book. From all these different PoV‘s, I enjoyed the ones of Calvin and Laina the most, but I was looking forward to the rest of them as well. Each character was significant to the story, as well as well developed. We are getting many backstories in this, and while they helped to flesh out the characters, they sometimes gave me the feeling that Turnbull was losing himself a bit too much in the past, which lead to me losing my grip on the story for a bit, until we got transported back into the present.

Nevertheless, this was outstanding in regards of representation. We have biracial characters, characters of color, asexual, bisexual, and trans characters - and I don‘t even think I managed to catch them all. It’s alway amazing to see a wide variety of representation included in fantasy books, so I really enjoyed that!

Although the ending was very satisfying, I‘d love it if Turnbull were to decide to come back to this world in another installment - there is a lot left to be explored, and I am actually not ready to say goodbye to his incredible cast of characters just yet.


'No Gods, No Monsters' hits the shelves on September 7th, and anyone interested in a supernatural, gripping, and action filled call against hierarchy and discrimination won‘t want to miss this!

trigger warnings (potential spoilers): implied sexual abuse on a minor, domestic abuse, drug abuse, loss of loved ones, suicide, mass shooting, violence, blood and gore

[ a massive thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review! ]

<b>Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the digital ARC of No Gods, No Monsters.</b>

I love the kinds of books where you feel like you're missing something vital to the story and then it all comes together at the end. No Gods, No Monsters was one of those books.

It opens (pretty much) with the death of Laina's brother, who has been shot by a police officer. That act is the catalyst for the unveiling of monsters to the world at large. Turns out, monsters and magic have been present and living peacefully beside us for ages without us being any the wiser. Meanwhile, two (or maybe three?) secret societies are in a battle of wills to control...something. The angle of the story? To keep monsters hidden? To eradicate the monsters? It really depends on the secret society, and honestly, even at the end of the book I wasn't sure what the different societies' goals and purposes were. It definitely felt like a book that had sequel potential.

But what I loved most was how many characters there were, and how they all slowly became interconnected and central to the ending of the story. Characters were also diverse, representing a broad range of gender identities, sexualities, and ethnicities.

Overall I was left wanting <b> more </b> . More of these characters. More of this world. More monsters, more gods.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for me (because we can only give full stars). Only because I didn't get all the answers I craved!

4.5/5 stars.

Trigger warnings: references to child sexual abuse, drug use, violence, gun violence, mild body horror.

No Gods, No Monsters is a fascinating story that starts off with the character Laina finding out her brother has been killed and spiralling into monsters and secret societies having to come out of hiding, and the fallout and chaos that follows this. Despite having a slow start, powering through the novel really pays off as Turnbull introduces multiple amazing dynamic characters, slowly revealing details and secrets about the world. It's evident that a lot of thought went into the story; the author keeps a lot of the cards close, and I wish that more of the details about the monsters and world were given sooner so that I spent less of the book in confusion, but nonetheless it had me on my toes trying to piece everything together.

It's an ambitious novel with a lot of characters and intricacies not meant for a casual read and definitely one you can be sucked into if you give it a chance. I look forward to rereading it in the future now that I have more knowledge about the world, and look forward to the next novel in the series.

it was slow to start, and did not quite get it's hooks into me right away, give it a change and you will not be disapointed

Did not finish; confusion and gore

I got around a quarter of the way through the book. After much confusion about who was narrating, slow movement of the plot, feeling more like an anthology, and gore that added nothing, I stopped reading. Although some of the writing was splendid, it wasn't enough to make up for the other weaknesses.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary advance reader copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.

The story: One day, a policeman shoots a large animal roaming the streets, something as large as a bear but akin to a dog. Once put down, however, the monster turns into a man. Others like him appear, and the world shivers in fright. Secret orders and societies appear from the shadows.

Pros: An exciting idea rests at the center of the book, meshing the issues of everyday life with fantasy. This is often a recipe for success, attracting readers and giving them food for thought. Not this time, however.

Cons: There’s little to no world-building, and as the point of view confusingly jumps from one character to another, that fact, astonishingly, remains true. There’s no explanation for most events, no character or story development, only awkwardly inserted background information that serves no purpose. Characters are flat, unidimensional, defined by their identity and nothing else. All along the book, one gets a sense that Turnbull is simply using political issues to mask his poor storytelling.

Recommendation: “No Gods, No Monsters” is static, confusing, and can only be placed on the lower end of the fantasy genre. Whatever action occurs remains unexplained and untethered to a larger story. The book is also too obviously activist, bringing real-life issues into the fictional without fitting them in the narrative. I do not recommend the book by any means.

No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull. The foul language with no purpose and the writing style really made me dislike this book. I do think others will enjoy it and thank you for giving me a chance with this book.

No Gods, No Monsters was a refreshing story that was really easy to get into. Monsters are real in this world, and that is always such a pull for me in a story. Turnbull has an array of characters in this book, so make sure you are paying attention! Overall, I am excited to re-read it when it is published.

This book was a huge mess. To me, it felt largely unfinished and it could do well with another editor. There was no coherence between the characters and I couldn't bother with half of them. The writing was all over the place and felt more like short flickers of thought rather than properly polished and explored characters and a connecting story.
It was sad, since I had been excited about this book and had high hopes for it.

I received a free ARC by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I, unfortunately ended up DNFing at the 32% mark.

The synopsis of this book really spoke to me and I was eager to see how the fantastical elements would play out. However, I just found the POV switches to be confusing. I found myself getting very confused about where I was in the story and who I was following. I just felt lost for the entirety of the beginning of the novel.

Whilst I think this book will be a hit for many people, and I will recommend it if I think someone will enjoy it, it wasn't something I personally enjoyed,

Disorienting, is the first word that comes to mind. Disorienting, in the best way. This book jumps between character POVs, across time, between storylines without notice and seemingly without pattern. We are introduced to an unnamed narrator who seems to immediately disappear from the story, and as we try to puzzle out the connection between the characters we meet some links are revealed and others are not. But this struggle for understanding is what is at the heart of NO GODS, NO MONSTERS. In this novel, a society grapples with the knowledge that monsters are real and live among us, that their world is being manipulated by strange forces; everyone is truly disoriented.

This is a difficult book. This is also an ambitious book, and Caldwell Turnbull's skill meets his ambition.

Content warnings for sexual abuse, general violence, and an active shooter event.

The story seems very interesting though at time confusing. Especially the start part is hard to follow and keep track of character as narrators seem to change each chapter without that much notice or introduction.