Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull

8 reviews

psychnp's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

2.0

Heavy and feels incomplete 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria

violerwolf's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

While I enjoyed the concept and broader ideas explored in the book, including Turnbull’s iconic mosaic narratives, the prose fell a bit flat for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Police brutality, Dementia, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Body horror, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Acephobia/Arophobia

Minor: Transphobia and Alcohol

spootilious's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

2.0

 

Read: August 16, 2023
 Title: No Gods, No Monsters 

Series: The Convergence Saga #1
 Author: Cadwell Turnbull
 Genre: Fantasy Horror
 Rating: 2/5
 Review: 

I don’t really have a lot to say about this one. I didn’t… NOT like it, but there isn’t much I specifically liked either. 

What I can say is that the writing style is beautiful. It is obvious that Turnbull is  very talented. However, the storyline and the characters have this sort of vagueness that keeps anything from truly standing out. 

From what I can tell, most people complain at how the story jumps around and the points of view shift so strangely. I can understand their point. I suppose I’ve read enough novels written this way that it wasn’t too bad for me. Though I will say with just a small shuffle of one or two chapters Turnbull could have kept the mystery while still making the shifts less jarring for the reader. In my opinion he didn’t quite manage what he was going for. 

I will also say that physically reading the book makes it more understandable than listening to the audiobook which is what I first attempted. Dion Graham is one of the sexiest narrators I’ve come across but there was nothing he could do with this one to make it easier to understand. 

Overall, not a bad book but not a great one in my opinion. Bit overhyped but love the writing style 😊 

 Quotes: 

N/A 

 

 

TW: Rape, Murder, Gore, Vore, Body Horror, Mass shooting, General Violence 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Cannibalism, and Murder

Moderate: Rape, Suicide, Torture, and Suicide attempt

azrah786's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, and Death of parent

marcostorin's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring mysterious 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? N/A

5.0

This book is amazing anarchist fiction. I don't know if the author considers himself an anarchist, but that is irrelevant, the themes and how they're handled speak for themselves - and that's without mentioning obvious references at anarchism, like Ursula K Le Guin and the title itself. It hit me hard and I can't wait for the next two books of the trilogy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Police brutality, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Torture, Transphobia, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism

gilnean's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Deadnaming, Eating disorder, Transphobia, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Minor: Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Excrement

meaghanelizabook's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Mass/school shootings, and Murder

Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer, Mental illness, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Forced institutionalization

allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Transphobia, Death of parent, and Acephobia/Arophobia