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lezreadalot 's review for:
No Gods, No Monsters
by Cadwell Turnbull
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
For him and me and the ruin, we are helpless to change.
REREAD 2025. 4.5 stars. This series is set to conclude this year, so I knew I had to reread it and catch up. I'm really glad I decided to reread, because there was soooo much that I had forgotten about this world. I had actually forgotten one of the things I loved best, which is the POV/the way it's told, and discovering it all over again was such a treat. Each of these characters was fascinating in their own way, and I loved seeing the plot slowly come together. I will admit, I wasn't AS MUCH in love with this as I was when I first read it four years ago, possibly because I've had the chance to read similar types of fantasy that scratch this particular itch for me. But I think so fondly of this, I couldn't lower my rating. Especially since this uses and features Caribbean folklore that I love.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Dion Graham, and loved it once again. Excited to continue this series!
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Nothing ends. It bleeds.
4.5 stars. I'm thrumming with excitement. I love when I finish a book and my mind won't shut up about it; my brain keeps spinning with ideas and theories and turning over all the cutting, delicious, insightful things this had to say. This book landed at the perfect intersections for me; fantasy, folklore, mystery, queerness. It's dense, but told in the perfect way, so I never felt overwhelmed, just eager for every new reveal.
Monsters are real, and the world is about to find out just how real they are. We're following a diverse cast of characters: a woman who just lost her brother to police violence, her bookstore owning husband, a little boy who's a pawn in ways he doesn't understand, a conspiracy theorist professor, an invisible woman, and several varied shifters. They each have their part to play in the story that unfolds, as the reality of monsters is brought to light in the world. The thread that ties them all together and the way it's revealed is one of the cleverest, coolest things I've ever read; I loved it so much. I can be really picky about POV in books, and all I can say without giving away too much is that I loved the hell out of the way this was told. The story does take some time to find its legs, and the beginning chapters where the reader is in the dark were confusing in a few ways. But never in a frustrating way; I devoured this, and just wanted to know everything about this world. The writing was so sublime; raw and heavy, always packing a punch, but never overwrought or over the top. There are a few scenes and images from this book that keep coming back to me; they were so striking and vivid. In a couple scenes I felt like I was being held by the face and being made to look. I loved it.
Even folks who claimed not to believe in God knew not to tempt devils.
I'll probably never stop yelling about how I love seeing dialect used in books, no matter how small or casual; especially when it's a Caribbean dialect. I adored the way USVI culture and folklore played a part in this world, amongst all the other cultural influences that were evident. I especially loved it when it came to the monsters. One of my favourite folklore characters has a role here; I suspected who/what she was from the moment she appeared (so to speak) on page, and I was delighted with pretty much everything she did and said and the type of part she played. I also loved the casual diversity of this; we've got a mostly black and brown cast, and there's all the queer characters, the trans and nonbinary characters, the polyamory. This also talks about activism in a way that clearly calls to mind recent events, but in a far less clumsy way than I've seen other recent books try to do it. It felt firmly rooted in Turnbull's world, but also relatable.
Listened to the audiobook as read by Dion Graham, and really loved it. He has one of those universally changeable and (imo) universally pleasing voices. Because of the style of the POV, and all the different characters, this might have been a tricky one to narrate, but Graham handled it perfectly. There are a lot of different accents in this book, and I'm not an expert on any of them, but they sounded great to my ear, and made the experience such an immersive one. This was just such a satisfying read; giving a voice to monsters and marginalised people. It's been a while since I've been this excited to start a new fantasy series; particularly one that isn't even done yet. But this was absolutely gorgeous, really powerful, and I can't wait to see what's next for these characters and this world.
Content warnings:
☆ Review copy provided via the publisher and NetGalley. Thank you!
Anything with substance can be manipulated. One becomes ten, then a hundred. And pretty soon, the whole world flaps its wings.