Reviews with content warning for Murder - We Are the Crisis

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We Are the Crisis by Cadwell Turnbull

2 reviews

laurareads87's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

The second of three in the Convergence Saga and sequel to No Gods, No Monsters, We Are The Crisis is set a few years after the first book. In the first, the world comes to know that monsters exist. In this installment, the world is processing what that means, and the reactions vary from extrajudicial violence to solidarity movements to debates on legislating equal protections; Turnbull weaves in conversations about monsters and their place in society happening on the streets, in governance, and in families. Like it’s predecessor, We Are The Crisis has a large ensemble cast of characters and multiple plot lines (some of which eventually intersect), together constructing a large-scale narrative of a world reckoning with a new reality; some of the characters are familiar from book one, while others are new. This will not be a book for everyone — it in some ways reads more like literary fiction than anything, and it is entirely non-linear; at times it reads more like a series of vignettes than a single novel. As someone who enjoys novels like this (and television like this, really — the kind of narratives where the setting is akin to a character whose struggles are revealed through those of disparate characters) I really love this series. The only reason I’d rate this lower than the first book is because it does feel very ‘middle book’ — some threads come together but it doesn’t end in a conclusive way, so it has left me eagerly awaiting book three.

Content warnings: violence, murder, blood, hate crime

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for this review.

Content Warnings

stevesbookstuff's review

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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.

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