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stevesbookstuff's review
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Cadwell Turnbull’s latest book will release in November of this year. It starts three years after the events in No Gods No Monsters, the first book of an expected trilogy. You can find my review of that first book here.
I had the opportunity to grab an advanced copy of the new book from Netgalley recently. I had such great fun with the first book (I gave it 5 stars) that I immediately dropped my other reading - I’m in the middle of four other books right now - and dove into We Are the Crisis.
Many of my comments on the first book also apply here. The new book is also a well written page turner with multiple story lines and multiple monsters and multiple universes. It can be overwhelming, especially as you try to remember back to the events of the first book. It’s true that We Are the Crisis can be a frustrating read. It’s also true that it’s a fascinating mishmash of a book. I am still not sure where this series is going, but I am enjoying the ride.
I will try to give you a bit of a synopsis of the book with the caveat that no summary can do these books justice - there is just too much going on. But here goes:
In Book 1, in a world almost exactly like ours, monsters are suddenly revealed to be real. It all starts in Boston with Liana whose brother had been shot and killed by Boston police. She learns that videotape of his death is available and reveals that in fact her brother was a werewolf. Monsters are real and the world must begin to cope with that fact. Turns out that doesn’t go too well at all, culminating in the “Monster Massacre”.
Book 2 starts three years after the massacre. Monsters have gone undercover. A militant group called the Black Hand is stalking monsters. A number of plotlines reveal themselves in Book 2, some with characters we’ve met before, others introducing new characters. This all culminates in… well, maybe I shouldn’t give too much away.
Suffice it to say that enough is revealed - and not revealed - to leave me wanting more. I’ll just have to wait patiently for Book 3.
I will caution that these books are not for everyone - it takes some patience and persistence to read them, as Turnbull slowly, slowly reveals the wheels within wheels that tie these stories together. One thing that made that easier in Book 1 was the excellent writing. I didn’t find the writing in We Are the Crisis to be as consistently excellent. And the plotlines here seem, if anything, denser than No Gods, No Monsters. Regardless, I devoured this book.
RATING: Five Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
NOTE: I read an advanced review copy of the book courtesy of NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing. The book will be available on November 7, 2023.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Kidnapping, Violence, and War
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