Reviews tagging 'Violence'

No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull

24 reviews

mossybean's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.5

As much as I loved some of the characters and the magic, I just came out of this book thinking: so what does that all mean? I feel like I was left out of the loop, I wasn’t told enough about the important parts, so I didn’t care about them, and the less important parts just got thrown by the wayside towards the end. I wanted it all to come together but it didn’t. 

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elle_e_d_light's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

The writing was great, but the book as a whole left me confused. I started confused. I continued to get more confused. I ended confused. So, the 3 stars are mostly for the writing. 

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azrah786's review against another edition

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4.25

 **I received an ARC from Titan Books in exchange for an honest review**

CW: violence, gun violence/mass shootings, blood, gore, body horror, injury, death, death of parent/loved one, animal death, murder, suicide, police brutality, hate crime, drug abuse/addiction, alcohol, confinement, cannibalism, child abuse, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, grief, transphobia, racism, xenophobia
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No Gods, No Monsters is the addictive beginning to a new supernatural/paranormal urban fantasy series. In this story filled with both magic and science, an event denoted as The Fracture sees monsters and creatures from myths and legends being chased out of the shadows and living openly amongst humans as a means of protection from some “other” threat.

Turnbull deftly blends the genres of science fiction, fantasy, horror and thriller together, and his prose perfectly encapsulates the eerie and dark vibe of the story throughout.
The combination of short chapters and a storyline laced with mystery makes this such a page turner. There are secret organisations and seers, shifters and gods but the sharp, underlying commentary on marginalised communities, human nature and the disbelief and blind ignorance people chase during times of change make this so much more than fiction.

There is an extensive cast of diverse and intriguing characters to follow which at times gets a little confusing. However, the multi pov narration also makes the book feel like an anthology of stories that are all subtly interconnected, with a greater overarching storyline connecting them all more fully happening in the background.
We also have a unnamed narrator to follow that pops up within these individual stories and honestly just wanting to figure out who this mysterious figure observing all of the character is, is just one of the unputdownable elements of the book.

A perfect read for spooky season but also one that can be enjoyed all year round.
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars 

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gilnean's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.5


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vaguely_pink's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-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

4.0


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meaghanelizabook's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0


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ofbooksandechos's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
di questo libro non ci ho capito niente. l'ho trovato noioso, forse perché la storia si sviluppa lentamente. in effetti leggendo mi è sembrato che l'autore stesse solo mettendo le fondamenta per il prossimo libro.
non penso continuerò la serie.

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obscurepages's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Wow wow wow. This took me on quite a ride and made me question what we know about the world.

It dove into the paranormal/supernatural, the secret organizations, the magic and the scientific theories that surround us, the reality that we know, the hardships that people go through, the society and the system we live in.

Another thing that really impressed me is the writing style and the prose. It was dark and eerie and so captivating. And the fact that the author blended horror, fantasy, and science fiction and he did it so brilliantly. 😭👏

There are a lot of characters and it can get confusing/hard to keep up. However, the way these different characters and their perspectives intertwine was so cool and impressive. (And hello??? That unnamed narrator?!) Kudos to the author for creating such an intricate yet satisfying network of point of views.

I really enjoyed reading this y'all. This one surprised me and I loved it!

E-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Full review soon! 

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allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

There is some serious world-building mindfuckery on display in this book. The writing is spare and stunning, drawing up images, emotions, and philosophical questions with apparent ease. The narration style confused me at first, not because it is poorly done but because it intends to obscure. We have a seemingly invisible observer as a first-person narrator popping in and out of third-person narration surrounding interconnected but distinct people and plots. I found this an intriguing approach, especially because each person was magnetic even as they were enigmatic. My favorite character was Ridley, an anarchist and worker-owner of a co-op bookstore, who also happens to be an ace trans man. The different characters lead us through the moments where they are pivotal actors or key witnesses in a historic shift for humanity. There is something more natural about this multifaceted approach than following in the wake of a single hero who sees and does everything herself.

I'll keep the discussion of plot brief because I don't want to ruin the experience of seeing the mysteries unfold as the author intends. The gist is this: in the near future, humanity fractures open at the revelation of monsters among us, leading to violence, hatred, and the unveiling of long-pursued secret agendas. The conflicts among many factions will sow chaos on a massive scale.

This eerie fantasy has elements of physics and monster lore spread across a vast landscape, only the first tentative venture in what will require greater exploration. It covers harsh and relevant topics of structural violence, capitalism, abuse, and drug addiction while also peering into philosophical debate about choice and meaning that will take significant time and thought to percolate.

Thanks to Blackstone and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this cleverly woven tapestry of a book, out 9/7.

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melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an ALC of this book

A diverse cast of characters come together when Monsters are publicly revealed to be real, and a power struggle between those who want equal rights for Monsters and those who want them swept under the rug begins.

Firstly, I want to say that I would love to reread this book with a physical copy in my hands, because there were so many characters that I was getting a little lost with just the audiobook.  That being said--I don't think it was the audio's fault at all, and I loved loved loved the narration by Dion Graham .

There were so many amazing characters with diverse identities that I loved! This was dark and tempting and I loved reading/listening to it! I thought it was so interesting and I love that this was just the start of a series! Can't wait to read more!

Pub Date: Sept 7, 2021

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