I originally DNF'd this book and wasn't going to give feedback. I just couldn't get into it.
I'm glad I decided to try again.
For a story about monsters, this book was surprisingly human. It switches between POVs about every five chapters. You get a taste of what's happening before it changes to another character. At times this can be frustrating, but in a good way because it helps drive the story forward.
The world building is interesting and I look forward to reading the next installment.

I couldn't get through this title. It ended up not being for me, but I hope it finds a hope with other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Okay, soooooo I really like the concept of this and I think it did some pretty cool stuff towards the end, BUT... I did not enjoy the first 90%, or whatever, of the book. It felt like there where too many people, things were too random and vague and I wasn't getting as much of the monster parts as I was thinking I would.

There was some nice commentary but it was lost in the monotony of the everyday moments that we were experiencing with characters that I just did not connect with. Now I don't think the book did anything wrong per-se, I know this would be interesting for some people, but it wasn't for me and if I wasn't trying to finish the book so I could provide feedback over on netgalley.. well.. I would have DNF'd this book pretty early on.

I will admit that the ending was interesting but it just wasn't worth the rest of the book. I assume that we were supposed to be building connections with the characters while it laid the foundation so that we would be emotionally impacted by all the stuff that happened in the later half of the book but I just didn't care about anyone. I guess I wanted more from the book, and I'm assuming the writing or whatever just isn't for me. Which is a bummer. Really like the idea wish I liked the book..

Thank for the review copy of this book. Unfortunately it just wasn’t for me, however I recommended it to my manger who read it and enjoyed it. The strange back and forth POVs were interesting at first but I just found them confusing after a while and it affected the way I read it.

I am so sorry, but this was a DNF for me. I couldn't get into it. This was probably my fault, but it was much too literary and the story seemed to jump all over the place.

When Laina hears that her brother has been shot by police, she assumes it's another case of police brutality against a black man. But when she gets a hold of the bodycam video, she learns that it's much more complex than that: Laina's brother was a werewolf, or something of the sort, and in monster form when he was gunned down. When Laina leaks the footage online, there's a visceral response across the country — but then the footage gets mysteriously edited to remove any proof of monsters, and the world has a collective moment of "did that actually happen? Nah..." and goes about its business. Well, except for the conspiracy theorists and the actual monsters that is.

With this novel, Turnbull has created a fantasy world full of monsters living among us, and as the story develops, it's hard to tell whether the monsters are really the ones who can shift bodies and breathe fire and manipulate technology and become invisible...or if they're the "regular everyday people" who lash out based on their fears and assumptions. It perfectly captures the zeitgeist of today's political situation and culture wars, and I cannot wait to see what Turnbull has up his sleeve for the next book in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

This book has an interesting premise and I felt it had potential. There aren't many monster stories anymore. But I found it confusing and I just didn't get it. Based on reviews, I can see this is a common theme. It's categorized as sci-fi, which I didn't realize when I started reading it. Based on the title, I thought it would be a horror book. I found it reads more like literary fiction. Not necessarily for those who prefer fast paced or action packed novels.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing for the opportunity to review this book.

I seriously enjoyed this book. I went into this book not knowing what I was expecting and yet it completely blew away all my expectations. Excellent read!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the published for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I love urban fantasy, but recently, they've felt too similar. "No Gods, No Monster" broke the mold for me and kept me turning the pages. I enjoyed the world building and reading to learn more. I would recommend this book to other urban fantasy fans that need something fresh and interesting to read.

I absolutely loved this. I was thrown off at first by the narrative structure, but it quickly became a favorite aspect of the book. The book is split into many small sections each consisting of about 3-5 chapters. We're introduced to our narrator in the first section, then the same narrator takes a more omniscient view, while still writing mostly in first person POV. I was equally entranced by both the unfolding of the storyline that is everything not happening to our narrator as well as the unfolding of the magic system.

I highly recommend the audiobook version of this as well; I believe that Dion Graham's narration really enhanced the story's dreamlike and otherworldly qualities.

Read if you like:
- being confused (/pos)
- werewolves (and other creatures)
- community and collectivism
- toeing the line between sci-fi and fantasy
- large casts of characters

I had such high expectations for this title and unfortunately it fell flat. It was quite clunky to read and I found myself not caring about the characters.

There is so much going on in the book. There are several different characters all with different timelines and points of view. The author does an incredible job at bringing everyone to life and creating such a developed world. This book has all different kinds of monsters and even has a multiverse aspect. However, at times it was hard to follow along. I don’t think this book was for me, but others might like it more than I did.

I did not enjoy this book. I felt that the tone was odd, and I did not understand where the story was headed or who the characters were. I felt like there was just a whole lot of cussing and crass language without any kind of introduction or setting of a vibe it was all odd to me.

This one was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the concept.

Overall it was okay.

I recommend it to fans of YA fantasy.

Monsters are real, and they're tired of hiding themselves. An ambitious book that may or may not succeed in its larger point but also features a variety of trans, nonbinary, and queer characters

We covered Cadwell Turnbull's novel on Episdode 455 of The Skiffy and Fanty Show.

I absolutely loved this (as was clear in the podcast), and I will read literally anything Cadwell releases in the future!

In spite of a confusing start and an unforgiving immersion into a complex world with very little context, No Gods No Monsters emerges as a thoughtful, powerful look at the tension between societal change and entrenched power structures. Character-driven, it slowly reveals conspiracies and conflicts through the people affected by (or contributing to) them, laying the groundwork for future instalments of The Convergence Saga.

The shifter narratives reveal the world of ‘monsters’ – living, breathing folklore who still have to go to school and make rent. Some belong to ruthless, manipulative secret societies; some have bloodlines spanning generations; others are rogues, surviving on the fringes as best they can, preying on humanity when they must (or in the case of unusual, childlike Smoke, because they’re made to). Trust is a rare commodity – they are outnumbered by humans, as their powers are dwarfed by those of the mysterious gods.

The human perspective focuses on Laina and her (trans, ace) husband Lincoln, blissfully unaware of the supernatural until Laina’s brother is shot dead by police. Laina is drawn into the lives of a pack of angry young shifters ready to reveal themselves – and finds that there are unknown forces equally keen to suppress the message. Lincoln has no idea that his solidarity economics network is chaired by someone more than human until a meeting goes spectacularly sideways with far-reaching implications.

As supernatural forces manouevre to control escalating events, No Gods, No Monsters considers how we align with causes and what moves us to support (or oppose) them. Our protagonists must come to terms with betrayals, evaluate their beliefs and decide where their hearts lie: whether they can stand aside or must get involved and take responsibility for trying to change the world. The result is a narrative very much about idealists confronting the ruthless opposition of the status quo. For our protagonists, victory means change. I loved the focus on achieving this through co-operation – whether for social transformation or economic benefit – with Turnbull quite clear that the only way we rise is if we do so together. I’m keen to see where he takes this next - and what role will be played by the uncaring gods who stride his multiverse.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this one. I do think many people will love this one and it was definitely well-written and had a fascinating premise. I was reading this book at the wrong time in my own life where a disjointed, confusing narrative style confused me and felt like more work than an entertaining story with an important message. I was able to give at the time. I have seen many people love this! This is just a its me not you situation for sure and I will definitely plan to come back to this one when I have more time to dedicate to this unique story delivery. I appreciate the author using fantastical elements to dive into such delicate- hard-hitting topics. The author's writing style is fantastic too.