This book is really clever and I definitely didn’t grasp all the nuances but the way the characters stories are so intertwined and complicated is really insane. It took me a while to get into it because the different narratives threw me off but once I did I could really appreciate it. The author also cleverly drops in reminders of previous events that this new protagonist was a part of so you can link them back in your brain - it’s all very clever and complicated and really not what I expected from the synopsis. I think a better synopsis may be in order here because it really doesn’t highlight the pure intricacy of this book. 4 stars for the insanity that is this writing.

This just didn't turn out to be the kind of book I thought it would be, based on the description. I don't know how I'd use it in a classroom at this point, and it feels like it needed a bit more work done on it in general.

I dont think I have seen so many starred reviews - Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal and Booklist. Particularly amazing as this is not a book easily classified. It is about Monsters, but mostly it is about being human. Monsters are real, and they want to live in peace and harmony with the human population - except some monsters don't want to be out there, they much prefer hiding. And so starts a Monster Civil war - but that is mostly the background story. The majority of the book is a large cast of human characters that have to cope with what is happening in the world around them. The story tells about the 12 months after some of the monsters try to out themselves, and for awhile you will might worry that this is separate tales, little vinergretes, more like a short story collection. But the stories start to merge, and you start to understand the scale of this war, and what the role of the humans is in the war, and maybe a sense that while the actions might now be public, this war started a long time ago. Can not wait for the next volume!

This is one quirky read. I don’t know if I particularly enjoyed reading this or not. To be honest, I still don’t understand the full extent of the story and I feel as though there were too many different elements at play here which made it all the more confusing.

We follow Laina, who is trying to investigate the cause of his brother’s death. He was shot by a cop and what was thought to be a police brutality attack turns out to be something more sinister and bizzare. Laina’s brother is hiding more than he lets on and Laina is determined to find out the truth.

I feel that the author is deliberately keeping his cards close, only revealing all our unanswered questions in the end but that only made me confused from the get go because he didn’t reveal any crumbs. I wonder if that is the intention of the author to begin with. However, I do still enjoy the plot and pacing of the story. I like the different monsters here which I thought adds a good depth to the story but I wished they were developed more instead of just being mentioned here and there with no development whatsoever.

Thank you Netgalley and Titan books for the arc.

I was really looking forward to this book, the blurb was interesting, and it sounded right up my street. And for the most part, this book is good. I liked most of the storylines and quite a few of the characters, however, I ended up DNFing at 58%. This book has a lot of characters and a lot of storylines and I just couldn't keep up with them all. I kept forgetting who the characters were and who was doing what. It was too much. It was confusing. I'm so disappointed as I was certain I was going to love this book. The parts I read were good, but again, I couldn't follow what was happening because there were was too much going on. It's such a shame. I'm sure others will absolutely love this book though! If you have no problem getting used to loads of different characters and remembering who's doing what, this book is for you.

A book that combines fantasy with the real world in a clever, relatable and modern way, this is a hugely readable book with strong ideas and compelling leads

No Gods, No Monsters is the latest urban fantasy novel from Titan Books, one that is more than your average narrative of a person discovering that monsters and magic exist, as here the entire world finds out. But, there are secret societies, and powerful people trying to keep the secret, lives being broken apart and new families being found, and a mysterious watcher seeing all from beyond this world that makes this book something a little different.

No Gods, No Monsters features a rather large cast of characters, and as such we don't just follow one individual across the entire book. There are several characters that we meet along the way, all of which meet, interact, and move on into their own stories at various points, creating something of a complex web of points of view and stories. As such, it's best to go into this book not expecting to get everything straight away. The first several chapters jump around from character to character, introducing us to new points-of-view to the point where you begin to believe that you're not going to go back to those you've already met before. It's only as the book gets into its second half and you begin to see these characters come together that you begin to realise that you don't have to try and make sense of it all straight away; as the narrative doesn't seem designed to give you much insight early on.

This kind of reflects the actual content of the story. The book begins with Laina, a young woman living with her husband and working at a coop owned and ran bookstore. She gets the news that her estranged brother has died. She spends some time processing her feelings on this, looking back on the troubled life her brother had, and the incredibly strained relationship that existed between them. She has guilt over this past, over not trying to do more for him, of helping him, but she also blames others for the paths he went down, and the things that hurt him. It's complex and messy, and sums up the emotions of grief well. However, when a mysterious voice in the darkness of her apartment tells her her brother wasn't just shot and killed by police, that there's more to it than that, it begins to open a world up to her that she never dreamed possible.

Laina receives a memory stick with a video file on it, the bodycam footage from a cop. Expecting to witness the moment the cop shot and killed her brother in cold blood she's shocked to find the police officer chasing a large wolf-like creature. When he shoots the monster it falls to the ground, dead; as her brother. Laina learns that monsters are real, and releases the footage out to the world at the same time that her brothers friends, his pack, perform a public demonstration of their powers. The news of monsters being real spreads, but then the footage gets altered, the witnesses vanish, and the fight for the truth begins.

From this simple set-up the story begins to go out in other directions, introducing us to several people in this world. We meet other monsters, some involved in secret societies that are at war with each other, some that are simply trying to exist openly and proudly in the world. The cast expands as we learn more about this world, and we begin to see it from different angels that adds more depth and complexity to things. It becomes messy, hard to know who's the heroes and who's the villains, and it makes for a complex read.

One of the things that the book does well is to create complex characters. We return to several characters more than once during the book, and the ones that surround Laina are probably the most interesting. Laina herself, as mentioned before, is dealing with the complex grief over the loss of her brother, but is also trying to find a way to use the new knowledge and proof she has about monsters being real in a good way. Her husband, Ridley, is dealing with his own issues in the book, having to return to visit his family and dealing with the complexities of their relationship after his transition, he's learning to balance his marriage with Laina when she starts dating another woman, Rebecca, and he learns startling truths about the monster world all on his own.

There's other characters that circle the two of them, such as Rebecca and her pack of werewolves, but there's also a secret society of monsters who seem to want to try and make the world a better place for all monsters, but it seems that whenever they come near Laina and those she loves terrible things start to happen. It's complex and messy for those involved, and there are no easy solutions or simple ideas involved. This isn't a clear cut good vs evil battle, it's people, just people. Yes, some are monsters, but that doesn't make them evil, and everyone in this is layered, everyone sees themselves as the hero, and everyone seems to have a kind of point worth listening to.

The biggest mystery in the book, which seems set to continue on into the next volume of this trilogy, is the mysterious watcher. There's a figure who seems to exist outside the narrative, watching events, following all of our players, and it's perhaps he who makes all these desperate threads make sense, as we only ever see what he's seeing. A man with the ability to see other possibilities, other worlds, he exists on Earth 001, whilst the events of the book take place on Earth 0539. How this all works, whether it will all come together, and what it all means are all things that it seems we're going to have to wait until the next book for, as Turnbull has created a narrative that simply can't be contained in this one book.

The book includes a lot queer representation too, with there being a trans male lead, and with every character depicted that has a romantic or sexual history being shown to be queer in one way or another. Characters have partners of any gender, some identify as lesbian or gay, and there are folks in polyamarous relationships. There's so little heterosexual representation in this book that it becomes easier to assume everyone is queer unless stated otherwise; which feels pretty unique, as most books with LGBTQ+ representation still feels like its happening in a straight dominated world. Perhaps Earth 0539 just works differently.

No Gods, No Monsters is a complex and layered read. It juggles multiple characters, narratives, and realities as it tells its story. If you're looking for a book that explains everything in one go this isn't the story for you, but if you're looking for something a bit more complex and interesting it might just be perfect for you.

Thank you Netgalley and Titan Books for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

3.25/5 stars!

This book read so smoothly; even though I did not finish it in one breath, it felt like I did. The writing is rich, flows nicely and is just so lovely. The characters are each so different, which adds a lot to the story for me. The events happen and follow each other in a very fleshed-out and natural way that is easy to read and follow.

As the blurb says, ``Magic and monsters collide in this beautifully crafted tale told through the voices of a diverse and rich cast of characters. An unforgettable novel from a rising star in fantasy fiction.'' The story is told from the perspective of many different characters. Creatures from myths and legends are coming out of hiding, and it is throwing the world into chaos. But why now, what has frightened the monsters out of the dark?

Although I flew through this and thoroughly enjoyed the writing and the characters, I am a bit lost on the story. Even after the entire first book of what will be a trilogy, I do not know what is going on and where this is going. The bigger picture is missing for me, I get the events and their connections, but I am left with the feeling: ... and now? I am still on the fence if I would want to continue reading this series because I did enjoy the rest of the book.

Confusing and fragmented are words I have seen used when discussing this book and i find myself disinclined to argue with them

I read it the first time and found it confusing and slow. I re-read and appreciated the characters and their qualities.
It's a complex book, slow burning and it requires you to be patient.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

3.5 stars

I had a hard time getting into the story, because at a first relaxed reading it appears very fragmented and dispersed, indeed "choral", as people of culture say - in reality with too many characters who should be special but who end up looking alike.
A still fascinating writing.
A book to reread, the first of a trilogy, but for this very reason I still don't know if it is worth all the effort it requires.

p.s. The transition from the omniscient narrator to the narrator becoming one of the characters is one of the most fascinating and creepy things he has ever read!!

Thanks to Netgalley and Titan Books for providing me with this e-ARC!