Library Journal - Audio
★ 12/01/2021
Turnbull (The Lesson) mashes genres in a way that's both beautiful and explosive. After a werewolf is shot and killed by police, monsters such as shapeshifters and dragons reveal themselves to the world. Humans, though, aren't completely accepting of them, and this reveal also pushes two shadowy factions of monsters to the brink of war. Told through an omniscient but still human narrator, the novel jumps between the POVs of multiple characters, both human and monster, but Turnbull's writing never gives the reader whiplash; he not only fully develops these characters but connects each individual story into the central narrative of the fight between the two factions and the overall fight for monster rights. Dion Graham is the perfect narrator for this story, giving all of the characters unique voices while expressing awe and terror in just the right moments. Perhaps the greatest strength of this novel is its metaphor of monsters as those seeking equality in a flawed system. VERDICT This book is perfect for not only aficionados of fantasy and horror, but also for fans of speculative fiction with a social message.—James Gardner, Clark Cty. P.L., KY
Publishers Weekly
★ 03/22/2021
Turnbull (The Lesson) delves into the complexities of injustice and identity in this powerhouse contemporary fantasy. Laina awakens to the devastating news of her brother’s death at the hands of the police, and the tragedy leads her—and the rest of the world—to discover that monsters exist and that her brother was a werewolf. From there, the novel spins out into multiple story lines, switching between the perspectives of many well-developed characters and encompassing underground organizations, powerful gods, and beings thought to have been simply country lore stepping out into the public eye. Werewolf Rebecca, who knew Laina’s brother, struggles to protect what’s left of her pack when society’s response to their existence threatens to bring them harm. Harry finds solace in online forums after his divorce, leading him to join a secret society. Calvin, grieving his brother, searches through time to find answers to what happened. As these characters’ paths slowly converge, Turnbull plunges readers into a layered world of monsters and secrets and uses his supernatural conceit to prompt them to examine the demons that already plague society and endanger the disenfranchised. The expert combination of immersive prose, strong characters, sharp social commentary, and well-woven speculative elements makes for an unforgettable experience. Fantasy fans won’t want to miss this. Agent: Nell Pierce, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Sept.)
Library Journal
★ 07/01/2021
It's been seven years since Laina last saw her brother Lincoln; now she's staring at his dead body. He's been shot and killed by Boston cops, and Laina expects it'll be difficult to find out the truth about his death. A mysterious voice leads Laina to a video, and she's stunned when it reveals the existence of werewolves. Monsters who hid in shadows come into the light, and Laina pieces together another mystery and discovers a secret society. A boy with incredible abilities is forced to choose between two factions that will exploit him; werewolves are silenced with threats; and an anonymous narrator is unmasked, in a story of magic, physics, secrets, and choices that pit friends and family against each other. One thing is certain: after the Fracture, no one will ever be the same. Juxtaposing supernatural scenes with themes of otherness and humanity, this novel leaves some questions to be answered in the next book of the series. It has a multiracial cast of characters with broad LGBTQ representation. VERDICT Turnbull's sophomore work (after The Lesson) puts him at the top of the field of fantasy literary fiction. It reveals social faults with insightful commentary and intriguing characters.—Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton
OCTOBER 2021 - AudioFile
Narrator Dion Graham lends his rich and resonant voice to this complex supernatural story of converging destinies. A scattered array of wounded and weary people find themselves drawn together in sympathy and conflict as a new truth—that monsters are real, and they walk among us—dawns on the world. Graham picks up on Turnbull’s subtle character notes, with accents ranging from Caribbean to American to European, as needed. He strikes a somber mood for the weightier themes but never hesitates to bring in lightness and humor when the story calls for it. Listeners will follow Graham’s assured performance from storyline to storyline, trusting his considerable narrative skills to keep them on track despite dizzying jumps in time and point of view. N.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2021-07-10
In the first of a series, the monsters who have always lived among us emerge, endangered by prejudice, doubt, and at least one deadly, ancient cult.
Laina mourns the death of her estranged brother, Lincoln, lost to drug addiction and killed by a cop. Then a mysterious person sends her a video of the incident, which shows Lincoln transforming from wolf to man. When Laina tries to share the video online, the unedited version soon vanishes from the internet. Someone has revealed that animal shifters, witches, and other supernatural beings exist...but someone else seems dedicated to obscuring—or exterminating—that truth. As these so-called “monsters” consider the dangers of becoming more public, their allies must decide whether they, too, will take a stand and risk themselves as well. Calvin, a man with the power to move along the timeline of any parallel universe except his own, serves as a semiomniscient and flawed first-person witness to these events, even while greater powers observe him. As in Turnbull’s first novel, The Lesson (2019), the otherworldly aspects of the story act as a lens that brings the characters’ richly depicted lives and complex relationships into sharp focus. Despite her eldritch origins, it’s easy to sympathize with Sondra, a senator from St. Thomas and secret weredog, who longs for her missing parents and both loves and resents her adopted sister, Sonya, a blood-drinking and usually invisible creature hiding many secrets. The struggles of Laina’s girlfriend, Rebecca, a werewolf who has faced many losses and made many mistakes, are absorbing, as are the struggles of Laina’s husband, Ridley, an asexual trans man yearning for his parents’ approval even as he devotes himself to improving society through cooperative enterprise.
This is a deeply human story, beautifully and compellingly told.
