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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Body horror, Drug use, Gore, Police brutality
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt
I want to review this book because I want to share it, but I don’t know how. I feel like I can’t possibly write a review that would do it justice. So I’ll just touch on a few things I liked and hope that’s enough.
If you’re looking for books with a broad spectrum of queer representation, you can add No Gods, No Monsters to the list. There are trans and non-binary characters. There are bi, gay, lesbian, and ace relationships.
Reading No Gods, No Monsters was a moving experience. The writing was truly beautiful. Some parts had me cackling with laughter while others had me crying because I felt such deep sorrow. Even though it was based in fantasy, with magic and monsters, multiverses/parallel realities, and ancient secret societies, the struggles of marginalized communities reframed as monsters struggling to be accepted and treated humanely mirrored our own world in a heartbreaking way.
There were a lot of people to keep track of in this story, and many of them could be counted as main characters. All the POVs were confusing at first, so it took me a little longer to really get into it than most books, but I never thought of stopping because I even when I was confused, I was too intrigued.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Dion Graham. I always listen to audiobooks at 1.75-2x speed because my mind wanders too easily if I listen at a speed lower than that. But Graham’s voice is so soothing and the writing is so wonderful, and together they were too beautiful to listen to beyond regular speed, so I didn’t increase it was surprised to find Graham kept my attention the way no other narrator has ever been able.
I’ll close with my favorite quote from the book and a suggestion that you go to Goodreads (sorry StoryGraph, I promise I will never suggest GR again) and read the review from Cadwell Turnbull himself where he’s written a letter to possible readers of No Gods, No Monsters. Read the letter, then read the book!
“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.”
If you’re looking for books with a broad spectrum of queer representation, you can add No Gods, No Monsters to the list. There are trans and non-binary characters. There are bi, gay, lesbian, and ace relationships.
Reading No Gods, No Monsters was a moving experience. The writing was truly beautiful. Some parts had me cackling with laughter while others had me crying because I felt such deep sorrow. Even though it was based in fantasy, with magic and monsters, multiverses/parallel realities, and ancient secret societies, the struggles of marginalized communities reframed as monsters struggling to be accepted and treated humanely mirrored our own world in a heartbreaking way.
There were a lot of people to keep track of in this story, and many of them could be counted as main characters. All the POVs were confusing at first, so it took me a little longer to really get into it than most books, but I never thought of stopping because I even when I was confused, I was too intrigued.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Dion Graham. I always listen to audiobooks at 1.75-2x speed because my mind wanders too easily if I listen at a speed lower than that. But Graham’s voice is so soothing and the writing is so wonderful, and together they were too beautiful to listen to beyond regular speed, so I didn’t increase it was surprised to find Graham kept my attention the way no other narrator has ever been able.
I’ll close with my favorite quote from the book and a suggestion that you go to Goodreads (sorry StoryGraph, I promise I will never suggest GR again) and read the review from Cadwell Turnbull himself where he’s written a letter to possible readers of No Gods, No Monsters. Read the letter, then read the book!
“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.”
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was absolutely riveting. Loved how Turnbull played with PoV and brought so many different perspectives in on community, how we work together to make it, and how growth is not a one-and-done event. The breadth of characterization and focus on culture drew me in, and wanting to see how the seemingly separate threads would come together kept me hooked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Murder
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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, 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 the author was writing about something 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.
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, 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 the author was writing about something 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.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
If I end up reading all 3 books and actually come away with an understanding of the various secret societies and how they operate (and if he stops introducing a new character every chapter), I can see looking back and saying I "liked" this book. But if I'm just as bewildered by the end of the trilogy, then it will not have been worth the read.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
like a lot of reviews say, there is a lot of characters to keep track off and some like Cassandra and Sandra have such similar names that I would get them confused. I did think it was very interesting plot wise and will continue the series and I hope they go more into depth about the two opposing cults/societies