This was a rather unique novel that provided a wonderfully poignant conversation about marginalization and prejudice. From the premise, I expected this to be a straightforward and simple social commentary on race relations and police brutality in the United States. However, the story ended up being so much more nuanced. I was impressed how this novel provided such an excellent intersectional conversation about these complex issues. 

My favourite aspect of this novel was easily the character work. There was fantastic representation for queer and non white people. All of the people in this book felt flawed in a realistic way. I found myself identifying with several of the characters, even when I had not experienced the same personal struggles.

In terms of pacing, this novel is very slow, focusing on characters over plot. This was technically a piece of urban fantasy with mild horror, but read more like a literary piece of social commentary. I would have liked to learn more about the fantastical elements, but they were in the background of the story. I wished this one had a more narrative drive, yet I still enjoyed the reading experience for the most part. 

I would recommend this one to readers looking for an insightful exploration of the challenges that affect marginalized people in America today.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This is a fun mystery set in a fun fantasy world. I enjoyed the characters and was interested in the plot, but some parts went over my head. It was generally well written and well plotted, but overall it felt a little disjointed and wasn't for me.

I don't read much fantasy, but I was interested in the book because I attended an online reading given by Cadwell Turnbull and was curious about his work. As other readers have noted, this book is complex, with a large cast of characters, various connections to current events and cultural change, a complicated magical system, variety of locations and events, etc. Complexity is good, though! I could see how adding a list of characters or other front matter might be helpful, but otherwise, I found the book engaging and am looking forward to the rest of the series. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy.

I was very excited as I read the synopsis of this book and was reminded of Lovecraft Country (the HBO show). Unfortunately I was expecting a fantasy novel and this read more like literary fiction, which is not something I usually enjoy. I came pretty close to DNF'ing this book but my stubbornness won out. I was also confused by the frequent change in POV and the large cast of characters. While the characters were interesting and I appreciated both the racial diversity and queer representation, the POV would change just when I became invested in a character. The result being that the pace was too slow for me in what I expected to be a fantasy novel. There were many times where I was confused about how certain characters fit into the overall story, or why something was written about when it seemed both irrelevant and uninteresting. We also don't learn the specifics of the creatures and the magic until the second half of the story or later. Overall I wouldn't recommend this to fantasy readers, but maybe to someone who usually enjoys literary fiction but wants to explore fantasy a bit more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone for this advanced egalley in exchange for an honest review!

This book was honestly a lot. So much that I don't really know how to describe it other than what it says on the tin. Lincoln is killed by cops and his sister, Laina, has to pick up the pieces of the mystery surrounding why. There is a large cast of characters -- hovering on too many, in my opinion -- that float between this world of human and monster. I didn't really see just how fantastical this story was going to be until it just, hit me in the face. Like, I was pretty bored and not sure where this was going until the first signs of what was to come showed up. And then it was like a rock rolling down a hill -- more characters, including a mysterious first-person voice, some clearly less-than-human-more-than-monster figures, and plenty of people caught in the crossfire of what feels almost too big for these pages. The timeline jumps were confusing (though this might come down to the strange formatting of the ebook) so it was hard to keep track of how everyone interacted with each other.

What I did really enjoy was how the stakes built. I liked this reimagining of society in which monsters are just a part of everyday life but also so on the outskirts -- the reactions of people for or against monster equality felt real and justified. I think using sci-fi/fantasy to engage with discussions about race and police brutality and social movements is really interesting and useful to engage audiences that otherwise feel uncomfortable with those topics so I hope this book reaches those people. I also enjoyed the world-building and mythology. I do think I wanted more of it -- the line between mystery to keep the story intriguing and revealing enough to make it make sense felt pushed here. I hope the next book dives more into the world of monsters.

So, this is 3 stars for me. I think the narrative needs some tightening as the switch of perspectives was a little confusing and the plot could be clearer at the start of the book for me. However, it was interesting enough that I would like to see anything that comes next in this universe.

I’ve read a couple of horror/monster related novels already this year, with Mark Matthews’ The Hobgoblin of Little Minds being the pick of the bunch. Cadwell Turnbull’s second book, No Gods, No Monsters, is a different beast altogether, if you pardon the pun. Both authors offer a fresh take on the werewolf mythos, preferring to focus on the psychological effect of actually being a monster in a contemporary environment. Whereas Matthews’ book is a visceral gut-punch, Turnbull’s novel is more reflective, has a larger cast of characters, and weaves its story through time and locations which don’t, at the outset, seem to connect with one another. But they do, in the end. How Turnbull gets there is genius.

It’s a difficult book to give a synopsis of, but I’ll try. The book is framed and narrated in parts by Calvin who, like the author, is a native of the U.S. Virgin Islands. He ends a relationship when he learns of his brother’s death. He goes back home to reconnect with his niece. Laina, who I consider to be the main character, has also lost her brother, Lincoln, who was gunned down by police. Echoes of police violence on people of colour in the U.S. and elsewhere weighed heavy on my mind as I read this and other parts of the story. Laina learns of a video of her brother’s shooting and immediately shares it online. It is proof that monsters live among us, because her brother was one. But the video is mysteriously edited, leaving Laina and her husband Ridley knocked back emotionally.

And that’s just two of the many character arcs going on here. Throughout the novel we learn of a war between two secret societies: one wants to let the world know that monsters co-exist with regular humanity; the other uses violent means to suppress the information. Caught between the two is a young boy with powers of his own, enough to turn the tide one way or another. He is protected by a group of women which includes a tech mage and a woman who literally takes her skin off and becomes invisible. The boy, who I won’t name because it’s a spoiler of sorts, is hunted by a man who’s been maimed in a ritual. It’s all sorts of crazy, and somewhere in the back of it all, there’s a debate on quantum physics and the ability to slip between dimensions. So, some of what happens occurs in our world, I think, while other events occur in a parallel universe.

One of the many things I love about this book is the diversity of its characters. Cadwellr Turnbull brings them to life in a way I’ve not experienced in my reading too much of late. Turnbull brings his Caribbean culture to life in these pages, flavouring his book with characters that do not identify as ‘straight’ or binary. Despite being self-proclaimed monsters in the classic sense, they are as human as you or I, and share similar needs and identities as any of us on this planet. This book left me with a need to read more fiction by authors who don’t look like me, or live a lifestyle similar to mine. I consider this a must in this day and age.

Although No Gods, No Monsters is a fantastical tale, brilliantly written and told, the depth of feeling and sense of urgency is as real as anything you would see in our world. This book will sit with me for some time to come.

My thanks goes to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for supplying me with an ARC of No Gods, No Monsters, in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on September 7, 2021. Get your copy now. You won’t regret it.

The description of No Gods, No Monsters sounded absolutely insane and I obviously had to request an ARC... Unfortunately it left me disappointed. The story is well written, don’t get me wrong, but it’s so incredibly slow paced and the bouncing between past and present got a bit overwhelming.

Overall it’s a pretty solid read, just wasn’t for me

No Gods, No Monsters details the discovery of “monsters,” the events leading up to this reveal, and how the world copes with this discovery. The story is told through a cast of characters who at first appear to be unconnected but are slowly revealed to have fewer degrees of separation than originally thought. Told in a non-linear timeline, which may not be for all readers, and with a slow build that makes sense when one remembers that this book is intended to be the first in a series (The Convergence Series).

I began this book with a generic idea of what to expect from an urban sci-fi fantasy but in the reading it seemed to bleed into the supernatural/paranormal genre. I say this largely because of the focus on werewolves and other shape shifters, which to me speak more to the supernatural. Not a bad thing, it simply meant I had to reorient myself and my expectations. There were urban fantasy elements as well and though they were not prominent in this book it seems as if they will feature more prominently in future installments of this series.

I appreciated the BIPOC and LGBTQI representation found in the main characters - none of it felt forced or like tokenism. There is a strong focus on the characters, othering, and social justice that seemed to outweigh world building which could be a downside for some who prefer a fully fleshed-out world from their SFF.

This was not a book I could read passively because of the non-linear timeline and the large cast of characters. There are many threads that only come together in the end and if I forgot what happened earlier it became confusing and required a quick skim to remind myself. The build was slow but I’m glad I stayed with it to the end because the last portion of the book was highly engaging.

No Gods, No Monsters attempts to do a lot and it succeeded overall - I would definitely be interested in seeing what comes next in this series!

cw: sexual abuse, drug use, suicide, gun violence

Goodreads review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3864890531
Instagram review - https://www.instagram.com/p/CLzcaf2A6zh/?igshid=1hfrqyae60kxr

When monsters decide to come out of closet the world will have to deal with it the best it can.
I loved the idea and description of this book. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to get into and slow paced. A lot of emphasis is on psychology and thoughts while changing point of view and timeline too fast for me to start to care about any one character.
Love the inclusivnes.
Might be a good fit for reader enjoying slow thriller.

"No Gods, No Monsters" is an urban fantasy that seamlessly combines 'traditional' urban fantasy elements with modern-day politics, activism, and a diverse cast of characters. It's got secret societies and anarchism, werewolves and solidarity co-ops, and even a character whose name and role is a delightful nod to Greek mythology. Ultimately, it is a deeply compelling story about connection, compassion, love, family, and what it means to be a person. And also, a little bit, about monsters.

The story is told in a series of interconnected chapters (framed by a first-person metanarrative of sorts) focused around separate characters, whose lives being to intertwine with each other in various ways, and finally rocketing to a dramatic, chilling climax and final convergence. I generally appreciate stories told from multiple perspectives and centering a variety of characters; while I do believe it worked well for this book in the end, it was jarring at first, especially the occasional switches from first to third person narration. It's eminently worth sticking with, though, if you find it similarly disconcerting; eventually, the characters' stories connect very naturally, and the different perspectives create a great deal of investment in each separate thread of the story.

I'll be very happily seeking out Turnbull's previous and future work after reading this. Four stars, and very enthusiastically recommended.

This is a gorgeous, strange and unexpected book.

Set in a world where monsters reveal themselves to be real, this book unpacks the social and political ramifications of such a revelation. We look at this through several different characters and lenses, and each is a powerful prism of supernatural fantasy to consider questions of oppression, injustice, and anarchism.

There's so much to love here. The prose is sublime. The storytelling is constantly surprising and inventive. And this book just pulses with righteous rage at the very real world we inhabit, a world where we're often the monsters ourselves.

This one is going to be a standout of 2021.

This was a DNF at 20% for me, but I do think I'll be an outlier here. This was a DNF for me at roughly 20%. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to check it out!

I have to say, I think I'll be an outlier here, and most people would love this book if the synopsis appeals to them. It was too choppy, with short, POV-switching paragraphs, to really capture my attention. Not quite horror, not quite sci-fi, not quite fantasy--I can see why this is a positive thing to most readers--but not too appealing to me because it feels like Trying to be genre-blending. It could be a quick and satisfying read, but is definitely one worth fully paying attention to.

A lot of other reviewers are using "ambitious" as both praise & criticism, and that feels pretty spot-on.

Okay, this was almost a 3 star read for me, but the last 1/3 of the book popped it up.

This was super fascinating. I haven’t read many urban fantasy books before, and it was very interesting adding a supernatural aspect, as well as quantum physics, and some secret societies into the mix.

I will say it was confusing at times in the beginning with the huge cast of characters, and sort of being thrown into their lives without having enough build up or knowing whose story you were reading at each chapter. It would have benefitted from having each chapter’s “narrator” listed at headers.

I loved the way everything came together at the end, and how deeply you had to dive into each person’s story to understand exactly what was going on. It was massively different from anything I’ve read before.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

This book is strange and lovely. The characters intertwine in interesting way. The mysterious narrator did make this difficult at first but I found it to be really novel. The book asks and does not answer, which I enjoy. I wouldn’t put in my middle school library but it could hang in a high school.

This book had a lot of characters that made it hard to follow.Talented writer story was masterful. However this book would be better as a movie than a book. But I did enjoy the story.

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