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.

<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.

I really wanted to like this book as the story sounded so interesting but sadly the constant changing of pov threw me off so much I couldn't enjoy this story. The writing besides that was pretty good and the diversity was also very done well.

No Gods, No Monsters is an urban fantasy of the fast-paced and unputdownable variety. It throws you in at the deep end and says, hey, you’re going to be so desperate to find out what’s going on, you won’t even put this book down once. It drip feeds you the crumbs of what’s happening in such a way that you’re compelled to just keep going.

Basically, it’s the best kind of book.

Without too many spoilers, No Gods, No Monsters follows a number of POV characters, tracking each of their stories as they slowly come to intertwine. The blurb doesn’t really capture that, to be honest, so it’s a little confusing as you start out. But, as you get into it, you start to see where the plotlines all tie together.

Really, the best thing about this book is its characters. They are the reason that you continue reading even if you find yourself with not really the slightest bit of an idea what’s going on (or, more accurately, why what’s going on is going on). They’re characters you won’t be able to help but find yourself rooting for. Every time the POV switches, you’ll feel there hasn’t been enough of the previous one, sure, but the next one pulls you in just as neatly. It takes skill to juggle multiple POVs like this, and to make them distinctive, and Turnbull shows it in abundance.

It’s also a more understated fantasy, for want of a better word. It’s not about saving the world, or defeating some (named) bad guy. It’s more about what the world (or, the USA, really) does when faced with the knowledge that creatures from horror fiction are in fact real.

I think if there was anything I would criticise about it (and this is a very light criticism), it’s that it was quite… shallow in the worldbuilding. There were a few times where it felt something wasn’t explained very in depth, but there was just some leap of logic you were supposed to have made. And I think that led to the plot being somewhat confusing (not convoluted, but perhaps vaguer than I would have liked), and the ending being a little more like it’s leaving you at the beginning of something rather than the conclusion. Although that may well have been about leaving space for a sequel, I suppose.

However, if you looked at this book and were on the fence about it, or you had never looked at it before now, let me just say it’s one you don’t want to miss out on.

This is an incredibly ambitious book, and to make a long story short it, it achieves what it aims for. Multiple POV, time skips, and meticulously interwoven plots all work together to create an unputdownable read., Each of the different story streams are compelling, and I would love to read novels devoted to each of them. I will definitely be rereading this, as the sheer amount of content packed into the pages and the speed at which I wanted to read it meant that I missed a few plot points. Absolutely recommended.

I really liked this book. I like the narrative style, and how it would change randomly. I liked the diversity of the characters. I liked the mystery of the secret orders. But I didn't like how it ended so abruptly. I want to know what happens next!

I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day! I enjoyed every page and thought that the plot/story was very unique. Would recommend to anyone!

I am fan of this genre! This was quick, gripping, interesting, capturing, action packed and thrilling ride that I was truly excited to experience! The writing in this book is incredibly beautiful. There is no doubt about that.This structure of this story, which winds backward and forward and in other ways through time, didn't give me enough of a throught line to follow the main plot, which I actually found very interesting.

This is a juicy story that opens with quite the bang. It was a super quick, page-turning read and this kind of ‘urban fantasy thriller’ was a new genre for me and one I’d love to read more of. I always enjoy when books/tv shows/movies/etc. take place in my city (doesn’t everyone?) so the fact that this book is set in Boston really brought the story off the page and into real life for me. There are a ton of characters in this book and a very busy plot, so it could be overwhelming and a bit confusing at times, but overall it’s a very engrossing read that contains themes that are super timely in the US today.

This is going to be a book people either love or hate.

On paper, No Gods, No Monsters is extraordinary. It’s a subversive, genre-bending, philosophical take on intersectionality, quantum theory, and the nature of humanity. It features a cast of BIPOC, queer, and monster characters (often all three at once). It questions the assumptions on which we build our world and the ways in which we can reshape it. It finds beauty in the mundane and horror in the sublime. There is no protagonist, because the novel makes clear that it is in collectives and communities that we find meaning and purpose.

But this book has a specific audience, and it will not appeal to everyone. To begin with, it does not have a traditional plot. The interweaving storylines feel as though they would be more appropriately situated in a short story cycle than a novel. Very little in terms of action actually happens; most of the book is about characters reflecting on their worldviews and philosophies while going about daily tasks, like browsing internet forums, driving to their hometowns, or stocking shelves at a collectively-owned bookstore. This book is not, as I first thought when picking it up, a blend of horror and urban fantasy; I would instead describe it as postmodernist speculative fiction.

The blurb makes it seem as though this is a book about monsters suddenly being revealed to the mundane world and then beginning to interact with it, but in fact this reveal is immediately covered up; the majority of the book is spent in a world that vaguely suspects monsters walk among us, but no one willingly admits to believing in them. The point-of-view characters all know or suspect that monsters exist, but are protected from obtaining any real knowledge about the extent of the supernatural’s presence in the world by the Powers that Be (various non-POV characters or organizations who know more but tell nothing). This can be an incredibly frustrating experience as a reader.

For me, the first 200 pages of the book really dragged. The interweaving storylines read like vignettes, barely connected by being situated in the same world and having the same distanced writing style. More than once, I would start in on a new vignette and realize, a few pages in, that I had met its central character before in an earlier vignette, and had completely forgotten about them in the interim. This doesn’t bode well for anyone who prefers character-driven fiction.

After the 200-page mark, the book really picks up. The vignettes, previously loosely-crossed threads, are pulled together in a tight weave. Characters finally take decisive actions, a coherent theme develops, and the interconnected stories build to a climax. For me, the last three hundred pages were satisfying, a reward for having made it through the often-confusing build-up.

But it’s a hard ask for most readers to wait 200 pages for a book to start making sense. If well-formed prose and philosophical musings delight you, you will love this book from the start; if you dislike being held at arms-length by the narrative, and struggle with different PoV chapters that aren’t readily connected to an overarching narrative, you will struggle to feel engaged for the first two-thirds of the novel. In my opinion, Cadwell Turnbull shows great promise, and I look forward to reading his backlog in short fiction and seeing what his long-form fiction looks like in the future.