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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is beautifully written and I am left with the sense that I enjoyed this book yet at the same time I’m not certain what I just listened to. Many reviews indicates this was hard to find the plot & keep up with the characters and while I agree to an extent, I was not frustrated by this experience. For me it represented the chaos and energy of the world of this book. I also didn’t feel it was necessary to immediately know “who, what, when & where” at the start of every new perspective, it felt obvious when the narrative shifted to a new storyline and I was happy to let it unfold. I do think I might have been more open to this because I listened to the book vs reading a hard copy. I would recommend audio to anyone who DNF this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence
This book uses a fantasy lens to examine social constructs and discrimination.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wrestled with the urge to DNF this novel from the start, but the premise's promise kept me going. No Monsters, No Gods positions itself as a thrilling blend of X-Men-style powers and modern-day supernatural intrigue, with the added potential of exploring contemporary themes like racism and queer identity. On paper, that’s compelling. In execution, however, the novel buckles under the weight of its ambition.
The most immediate issue is the sheer number of perspectives. The narrative juggles too many point-of-view characters, many of whom feel indistinct or underdeveloped. While a few, like Laina and Ridley, offer meaningful entry points into the world, others—Sonya, Sondra, Sara, Dragon—blur together with overlapping voices and redundant narrative beats. The similar-sounding names only added to the confusion. It becomes increasingly difficult to track who matters and why, especially when characters like Harry are introduced and seemingly forgotten.
The absence of a clear guiding force or internal logic compounds the lack of narrative focus. We’re told there’s a secret society pulling the strings, but the story meanders without a central figure or clear narrative arc. Both the characters and the reader are left disoriented, searching for direction.
This feels less like a fully-formed novel and more like the scaffolding of a larger series—a prologue masquerading as a main act. There’s rich thematic material here, and it’s clear the author has a vision, but the execution falters under too many competing ideas and not enough editorial restraint. It might have landed more powerfully if the story had been committed to three well-developed perspectives and saved some narrative weight for future installments.
In the end, I walked away confused, disappointed, and emotionally disengaged. The potential is there, but as it stands, this reads more like an ambitious draft than a cohesive novel. I won’t be continuing with the series.
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a fantastic read! The constant shift of perspectives and characters is challenging, but all the characters are so intriguing that I found it worthwhile. It drops below 5 stars for me for a few nit-picky reasons: 1. it's a large cast of characters, and I struggled to keep them and their points of intersections straight. (with a cast this large, why you would give 3 female characters the names Sondra, Sonya, and Sara is beyond me and makes me wonder about the editor.) 2. It ended with a few too many things I don't understand. Is like to start the second book on a bit more solid ground. Overall, it's a really truly great book, and I hope he's moving along on the next one!
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
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.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
thought this started strong with its "what makes a monster" and use of the 'monster' as the subject of systemic oppression, then i thought that after its setup it was kind of disjointed and the sections didn't really follow one another. lost the thread maybe 50-60% of the way through and I was following but not really understanding the point for a lot of it
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced