What a fantastic audiobook! The narrator is giving his all and it really enhanced the listening experience for me.

This was my first Tumbull, but I will definitely be picking up more from him. It's a very literary take for SFF, and so I think it will be pretty hit or miss for folks, but it was definitely a hit for me!

This book is a case of "it's not you, it's me". It was well written, had an intriguing plot, and delightfully creepy atmosphere. But there were a lot of characters to keep track of, and I felt that at times I was missing something that I should've gotten. For those reasons, while I was interested, I was never fully invested. But because I genuinely think I just didn't fully get it, I would still recommend this to fans of adult fantasy/ sci fi.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was beautiful and exciting. I enjoyed Turnbull's style and can't wait to read what else Cadwell puts out. This became a new favorite.

I did not like the pacing of the audiobook. Oftentimes I enjoy listening to audiobooks at 1.5-2x speed but I found this one did not have an even pacing and I could not do so.

I loved Turnbull's previous novel, "The Lesson," and I probably do still prefer it to "No Gods, No Monsters," but there is a lot to appreciate about this novel in its own right. I like that it is speculative fiction on the more "surrealist" end of the spectrum, and that it therefore connects to current events in a more evocative rather than literal fashion. I finished the novel and was left not necessarily satisfied by the narrative, but still with a lasting, visceral "impression" from the writing. I still think Turnbull is a writer I'll continue to follow and I'm very glad there's a space for his writing in the landscape today! Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a review copy.

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

Overall it was okay and the narrator was okay too.

I recommend it to fans of YA fantasy.

While I don't often get caught up with the narrator of an audiobook, this one definitely stood out. His voice was easy to follow, narration clear, and truly captivating. For an audiobook to be successful, you have to have en engaging narrator, and this one was perfect. With how the story is written by the author, I think it was even more important for No Gods, No Monsters to have a clear narrator. It was at times difficult to follow, but the narrator and writing style made it much easier.

This plot had me hooked from the beginning, but it took me a while to really sink into it. I found myself having to take long breaks as I didn't think I was able to absorb the content like I wanted to, but in the end, I did finish and quite enjoy it. While the narrator is incredible, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes audiobooks, with fantasy's like this with a complex story (many characters) I did find myself wanted to look at the physical book to follow along. That's never a bad thing, it just meant I was a bit lost at times and forced to re-listen to a chapter.

Overall, I think I'll continue with the series, but I will probably purchase the audiobook and the physical book next time to make it easier (I'm hooked on the narrator and don't think I could go without him!)

https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/no-gods-no-monsters-2119786 A very modern monster story where the monsters are all of us.

Urban fantasy is not my go-to genre, but I enjoyed this book. I think what I enjoyed the most was the horror-aspect to it, but it also helped that it was very queer. The author does a phenomenal job bringing this world to life and was the reason I stayed up past my bedtime enthralled by the narrative.

Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

I may be in the minority here, but I wasn't a fan of this book at all. I didn't like the narrator either. There wasn't enough of a plot for me. It was more character driven and that's not what I enjoy reading. The narrator's voice was lulling me to sleep at times.

People will like this book. People do like this book, it's obvious from the reviews, but I am not a fan of this writing style.

Dion Graham gets 5 Stars for his narration.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
"Monsters are real, and ghosts are real, too. They live inside us; sometimes they win."
First, the prose is beautiful. I love unique and off-the-wall stories, but I had a hard time getting into this book because I didn't understand what was going on at times. I read it like I would any other Urban Fantasy, but this is the kind of book you need to read slowly and pay a lot of attention to. The type of book where you reflect on the story's meaning after each chapter. It's not the book you fly through following the plot and character development. I don't know if that makes sense.

I would describe it as thought-provoking and recommend everyone give it a try. This would be an excellent book for discussion for a book club.

The narration on this was great, story in parts was fantastic and i was happy that i didnt listen to this at night. overall story could have been stronger.

The audiobook itself was very easy to listen to however this the story itself wasn’t for me. It wasn’t a bad book and deserve a 3.5-star rating at most from me. At some parts the story telling didn’t make sense to me. I’ve listen to this with a friend and they enjoyed it. It’s a hit or miss…

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an advance listener version.

I absolutely loved this book and I am very excited to read the next one.

This sci-fi/fantasy book had such an interesting mix. Monsters and mythology all tied up in social issues, like police brutality, made this a reading experience unlike any other.

Wonderful characters, beautiful world building, heartfelt story arcs and so much more make this book a must-read.

Loved this and it had a great overall message, though it got a little confusing and convoluted at times

“This is what you wanted. What they kept from you. Now that you have it, what will you do?”

In the imaginative, perceptive fantasy novel NO GODS, NO MONSTERS, Turnbull has created an intricate and fascinating realm of monsters and their varied allies and opponents, simmering just below the surface of the world we live in. The story starts with Laina, whose brother has just been shot and killed by the Boston cops. She receives a video of the killing from a mysterious voice that reveals her brother could shift into a wolf; when she shares the clip on social media, the thin veil concealing a world of monsters and magic begins to pull back.

The plot is hard to summarize without spoilers (and I’m still not sure I fully understand what happened); it’s a novel where the journey, not the destination, is the focus. The narrative unspools slowly, following individual characters for a few chapters before switching to a different, linked character, the mysteries unfurling as each perspective adds on to the world building and plot. Along the way we meet income-sharing werewolf roommates, internet conspiracy theorists obsessed with secret societies, an anarchist collective deciding whether to support the emerging pro-monster movement, a young boy known as a dragon kept imprisoned for use of his powers, a tech mage who passes in non-monster company, a bodiless voice who knows the future, a witch with a powerful family history of detecting magic, a vampiric sister who can shed her flesh and needs love as well as blood to survive.

Based in the greater Boston area, the story ranges from the suburbs of Virginia and the island of St. Thomas to beyond the boundaries of time and space. Written primarily in the third person, one narrative voice strikes through in the first person, their identity unknown until the final chapters. The writing style and focus on characters makes this feel more literary in some ways, like The Vanished Birds or Station Eleven. There’s many powerful parallels between Turnbull’s world and our own - police violence, protest movements, substance use, secret oppressive powers - pulled together with a dystopian quality; I wasn’t surprised to see that Turnbull named Butler and Le Guin as inspirations.

It’s deeply, casually queer, with sapphic and achillean, trans and nonbinary, asexual and polyamorous characters littered throughout the story. I loved the way that Turnbull connects monsters with queer and BIPOC communities, not in a simplistic way but with layers, where monsters are not a monolithic group by divided into factions, leading to differences in how monsters interact with the rest of the society and the ways that monsters are taken advantage of. The anarchist, collectivist themes are really interesting and I’m excited to see how those concepts continue to emerge. I did have a hard time carrying an emotional through-line across all of the characters, and some of the plotting could’ve been more clear for me (or perhaps I could have paid more attention).

I was really glad to hear this was a series and I’m looking forward to reading the next installment. Thanks to Blackstone Publishing for the audio review copy!

One more quote I loved: “As he walks with the crowd, he understands what he had forgotten: that a march is not just a voice against violence and trauma, but also a reminder that even in a cause that is stacked against them, no one is alone.”

Content warnings: police violence, gun violence, murder/death, cannibalism, child abuse, imprisonment, suicide attempt

Smart, elegant and haunting. Existing in that dream space between genre and literary. Highly recommended.

"Monsters existed in the liminal space of half-belief and practical superstition. Even folks who claimed not to believe in God knew not to tempt devils."

No Gods, No Monsters is a series of vignettes highlighting the lives of monsters who have come out of hiding to be witnessed in the light.

A pack of werewolves, a young boy with control of flame, a woman without form, these stories weave in and out and combine only to pull apart again.

This is not a straightforward narrative, and Turnbull doesn't hold your hand.

The writing style was casual in its complexity, grounded despite its fantastical nature, and the premise was incredibly unique.

I must admit I was confused at several points throughout, not the least due to the staggering number of characters we follow throughout the narrative. While I'm still not sure I entirely absorbed this story, I plan to continue with the series.

I've been hooked, even if I'm not exactly sure what's on the other end of the line.


Trigger/Content Warnings: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Death, Gore, Addiction, Body horror, Police brutality, Child abuse, Suicide attempt

The writing in this book is phenomenal. The author really helps you get to know the characters and the world quickly through descriptive and effective prose. There's a lot of variety in this book in terms of representation. It is somewhat hard to keep what's going on straight at some points. The POV jumps around, as does the time period. While this is clearly intentional, it didn't quite work for me and, since it was an audiobook, I couldn't just flip back a few pages to restart/refresh my memory.

I absolutely loved this LGBTQ romance audiobook.

Such a great book with a solid storyline and great characters.

I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.

A definite recommend