You ever start a book and have no idea where it's going, but you are here for the ride anyway?
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That's what happened with No Gods, No Monsters. It started off as a contemporary social commentary before diving into its paranormal fantasy elements, then took a hard turn into horror, but also it's a mystery? Regardless of classification, I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next book.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is either going to be amazing or just not for you. I absolutely loved it! The writing was simply gorgeous. Lyrical and haunting yet not too literary/obscure. The characters’ stories found their way to each other in a way that was complicated yet made total sense in the end.

There is so much brilliant commentary on racism, violence, disjointed family, class, sexuality, the list goes on. Basically, what happens when when it turns out monsters are real? Are we allies? Do we pretend they don’t exist? Do we “other” the people around us who are different? The author tackles so much in this book and does it well while never losing that mystical fantasy allure.

A lot of negative reviews have mentioned the limited world building and many characters as the downfalls of this book. I found it to be more like a puzzle that made for an interesting and fast paced read.

Rep: LGBTQIA+

This novel sounded so cool and I was super hyped to begin the readathon with this book. However, I struggled to get through it. My main problem was in the way the story was told; I found the plot confusing, with too many character perspectives introduced. It was hard for me to follow along and I struggled to connect with the story. There are quite a few people who enjoyed this novel and its unique writing style; however, it just wasn’t for me. For those reasons, I’m giving it 2/5 stars.

This isn’t my usual read but I really enjoyed this book! It was a wild read from start to finish and the conflict and plot were well done. It was such a unique concept and I enjoyed the way the author concluded the book! Definitely recommend!

It was really hard for me to get into this one and I'm not sure I ever really got it. I am new to fantasy, but this plot was very disjointed and hard to follow. Also all the violence and gore was not for me.

Caldwell Turnbull is brilliant, and No Gods, No Monsters just adds to the proof of that fact. This is a poignant and engrossing novel that serves as a clear allegory for the things we face as a society today: themes of race, class, and power are vivid, and Turnbull’s use of fantastical creatures and mythical characters almost serves to pull us out of our intellectual understanding and contemplation of these realities to become more engrossed in them as stories. For me, that helped my activism and desire to disrupt systems of oppression get downloaded even more strongly in my mind, because I’d literally just been immersed in this world for hours.

I hope everyone reads this book. I think readers young and old alike will be captivated, moved, and called to action. I’m very grateful to have read No Gods, No Monsters! Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-arc.

I wanted to like this book, I really did, based on the description. I couldn't connect to it or get invested in any of the characters. The shifting point of view was confusing, as was keeping track of how each character knew the others, if at all. Regardless of my disconnect, I did enjoy Turnbull's writing style.

Turnbull sketches out the beginning of a series with compelling characters, intrigue, and a graft of radical politics onto an urban fantasy setting.

Not for me. I ended up DNFing a few chapters in. I don't know what it was about this but I just couldn't get into it. The writing is great, but the layout of the book was confusing and I didn't get into the story enough to justify it.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I went into No Gods, No Monsters expecting a straightforward urban fantasy with themes of racism and police violence. Which it was, except for the straightforward part. This is gorgeously rich and complex, in writing, themes and plot. I found it a difficult book to get into as it the narration jumps around a lot and there a lot of threads to follow, not all obviously connected until the end. On the surface it is the story of what would happen if we found out monsters were real, we start with following Laina, who’s brother has just been shot and killed in a police shooting. She is then given a video that shows him shifting into a warewolf just beforehand.

This is really a book that you have to not mind being confused for a good portion and just trusting that it will all come together, which is does phenomenally. This is an ambitious story that really worked for me. I am looking forward to the second book.

This is a story about the monsters all around us.

I love this wave of books that feel inspired by cosmic fiction, but are directly confronting the prejudices Lovecraft held. I thought elements of this were excellent- the imagery and mounting dread were particularly deftly done… but I think I would’ve preferred fewer characters & found the flashbacks to be distracting at points.

Thank you so much Netgalley & Blackstone Publishing for the eArc!

This had so much promise but I felt like there were too many overlapping storylines going on. It left me feeling lost, confused and unable to keep up with the disjointed connections. I’m heartbroken and I hope that if you read it, you find it easier to manage and absolutely amazing!!!

While it took me a few chapters to get caught up in Cadwell Turnbull's stunning novel, No Giods, No Monsters, I was quickly swept away in Turnbull's powerful exploration of race, otherness, fear, gender, and the use and misuse of power, and in one of the most original and shattering novels I have read in some time. I am grateful to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an digital ARC of the novel, in exchange for an honest review.

This is a difficult book to write about - multiple narrators and points of view, multiple worlds which seem to exist simultaneously, and multiple plotlines all drive the novel to a powerful and breathtaking conclusion. It is easy to get lost with the many characters in the book, and the shifting timelines. However, once you surrender yourself to Turnbull's beautiful writing and fast-paced plot, the complex and intertwined stories become clearer (more or less). I know I will be back for another reading of the novel before the end of 2022. (a second book is in the works).

The premise of the book is straightforward: what if all the monsters we read about - werewolves, dragons, beings with incredible power - all the things that frightened us as a child - were actually real? What if they walked among us, and we didn't know it? What if secret societies championed these monsters, or fought against them? Then, one day, the monsters' existence became public knowledge. What if they wanted to be treated equally and live their lives openly? What if...?

So much weight for one novel to carry, and yet No Gods, No Monsters does so successfully. Is Turnbull writing about monsters, or does he have something else in mind? Is the book a metaphor for the society we currently live in? Perhaps.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and its challenging complexities. It's not a book I will soon forget, that's for sure

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

This was a really mesmerizing book, with language that enveloped me in a cocoon. I felt compelled to keep reading, to find out how these different characters and their stories would converge. It is, I think, on the literary side of fantasy, driven by character and mythology/world-building. I'm excited to see what comes next.

Tried getting into this one, but ultimately the ambiguous way the author wrote it just wasn't to my taste, so I put it down after about 60 pages. I guess literary fiction and science fiction combining/melding is a no for me, because I can usually get behind authors not revealing things in books - but I've never read a sci-fi novel like this, and it wasn't for me.

In a world that has just discovered the existence of monsters among its people, things have gotten complicated. With some monsters finally understanding that they're not alone and powerful interests trying to hide the truth, the world is not an easy place for anyone. No God, No Monsters follows many people through the history and present of how they have come to understand the world around them. With many stories but few answers, this book is a masterpiece about the human experience and otherness. The first book in the Convergence Saga; I cannot wait to read more from Cadwell Turnbull.

Urban fantasy creatively melds with social justice in Cadwell Turnbull's No Gods, No Monsters. An unarmed young man is shot in the streets by a police officer. Leaked footage from the officer's body camera is uploaded to social media. In those moments, time stands still as people look on in disbelief. Monsters do exist. Turnbull delivers diverse, well-developed characters and a carefully constructed world with humans, monsters, secret societies, and a social unrest that is so palpable it threatens to destroy it all. Recommended for fantasy readers and readers who enjoy discovering a new voice in the genre.

No Gods, No Monsters, focuses on monsters who live among us as our friends and families. The characters are complex and it doesnt shy away from sensitive topics such as police brutality.

The plot was completely new and thought-evoking and sweeps you in from the very start.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I really enjoyed the world that the author created for this book. However, I found that the plot became a little muddled for me in the middle and lost its impetus. I probably should have done a closer reading, but I ended up losing the thread with the time shifts/alternate universe/character perspective and sometimes an omniscient observer.