This was actually pretty nice, and I liked the story. It opens with a powerful scenario that is shrouded in fire, bone, flesh, blood, sacrifices, and radically altered pledges.
The book's atmosphere is perfect, drawing you into a thoroughly well-developed world.

The writing is very excellent; I believe that the reason for my difficulties was the erratic pacing in the middle section, as it took me a long time to finish this relatively short book—at least by fantasy standards. The cover perfectly complements the plot and is a true piece of art.
Expect an LGBTQ+ lead, main characters grappling with mental illness, a prosthetic-limb point of view character, several significant disabled characters, and a form of sign language unique to this planet in Godkiller. These elements all work together beautifully to improve the plot and the characters in it. Amazing set pieces, romance, betrayals, showdowns, curses, heartbreaking loss, demons, and a fantastic climax are all included. Godkiller is unquestionably a rewarding book for those who pay attention because small details and seemingly insignificant statements later on turn out to be crucial.

Each member faces unique challenges, which makes for a charming found family cliché.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this one at 37%. After a super promising prologue which really drew me in and which I felt like set up such and interesting world, the story fell flat. The main characters all felt pretty stereotypical and frustrating and predictable, and I just didn’t feel like the interesting ‘Godkiller’ bits were keeping me entertained as they were so few and far between. I really wanted to enjoy this as the cover is great and the book sounded good, but the writing just wasn’t for me on this occasion. DNF.

I've seen so much goodness about this book, but despite my best efforts, kept finding it hard to stick with. I will likely return to it in future, but for now it's a DNF. It's not you, it's me!

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish! Godkiller was a true adventure novel, with a fun and sympathetic cast, each on their own quests but coming together to form a family. The ending left me thirsting for more, and I can’t wait to dive right into Sunbringer!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperVoyager for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Following a godkiller, Kissen, who has an ongoing vendetta against the Gods who killed her parents, she must embark on a quest with people she meets along the way to split a bond formed between a young child and a God which joins their lives. This is a thrilling fantasy packed full of action and assassins - they are quite literally being chased their entire journey.

I really enjoyed the premise and plot of this book, but at times I felt like the plot was slightly flat. It very much did remind me of the journey that is in Tolkien's universe if that makes sense. Would I read the sequel? Probably not, this book didn’t stand out for me as much as I’d hoped. Regardless, some people really loved this book, so take this review with a pinch of salt :)

This book!! This boooook! I barely have words for how I feel about this one. I listened to the audiobook, which was spectacularly performed, and I was completely enchanted by it. I felt so deeply embedded in Kissen's story that it was almost jarring in those moments where I turned the audiobook off to return to banal real life. Kaner's prose is pure perfection, and I can't wait to read the follow up because I just know it's going to ruin me as deeply as Godkiller did.

Aaaah, I really wanted to love this and sadly it didn't do it for me. I got about half way through this and just wasn't kept hooked. One day, I might pick it back up and retry it, but at the moment, I'm not rushing back. I can see why people love it though, so I think it is just personal to me.

Ah, this book wasn't for me. I'm really disappointed that I didn't enjoy it- I wasn't thinking this would be a new favourite, but I thought that I would at least enjoy it.
I didn't really connect to any of the characters, that then meant that I didn't care about their motivations. I felt like the quest and travel went on for far too long without any plot development.
I felt like there were lots of gaps in logic, I didn't understand the magic or gods in this world.
For a book with less than 300 pages, it shouldn't have taken me over three weeks to read. I'm a fast reader, I should have been able to finish this in a day or two, but it just didn't draw me in.
The part that really annoyed me, to the extent of making me want to DNF 30 pages from the end, was SPOILER the sex scene. It felt really unnecessary, almost fan service-y, and like it had been added in to tick a romantasy box rather than developing the plot.

This book was not for me, however I can see that fans of YA, slow paced, character driven stories might enjoy it. It reminded me of Truthwitch.

At some point you just have to admit defeat, and that’s where I am with this book unfortunately.
This book sounds like everything I would love but I’ve tried reading it 3 times and I just can’t get in to it. I don’t understand the world and I just have no interest in any of the characters.

It has taken me sometime to start this and I am so glad I finally took the jump. What an incredible story! I loved all of the characters and it was such a refreshing read with disabled characters being heavily featured in a fantasy setting. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series (and I can start the second one right now…)

4.5 stars

I wanted to wait until I read most of it I’m almost finished now although obviously quite late I do apologise I’ll be posting a proper review on goodreads but this book? I am really taking my time with it because it’s so good I just don’t want it to end. The author is masterful I love all the characters I find the little white lies god both endearing and infuriating sometimes both but the world the author has built is stunning I haven’t got to the end but I’m loving the journey so far (I’m about 80% through it I believe)

ACTUAL REVIEW

This book took me so long to read almost or maybe over a year I forget exactly how long but it definitely took TIME. Not because i didn't like it, which should be clear by my 5 stars.

I don't take 5 stars lightly. 5 Star books are the kind of books I would be happy to read multiple times. The kind of books I will hype up to my friends for months and years to come.

What I loved

The characters

Descriptions of food (food is a commonly loved thing for me in books, I love how authors describe different foods in so many ways and each food item envokes so many feelings in the reader)

Romance there was some and thats what I loved, it wasn't intense or in your face or icky it was at the right time and slow burned but at the same time wasnt mushy romance, the book focuses on the plot the romance is just secondary and I loved that the fate of the world didn't rely on the romance.

What I didn't like as much

I think the building of the plot required some flashbacks in relation to the king and his soldier. I just think that may have helped me care a bit more for the soldier.


Overall though 5/5 the story as a whole was comfortable to read it didn't overcomplicate things and I enjoyed the ride.

Apologies to Harper Voyager, thank you for the ARC I was meant to finish this ages ago but college got in the way.

I will absolutely be picking up the next book as I definitely am chomping at the bit to find out what happens next

I kept this review spoiler free and avoided names etc. I might update this on a later date with a spoiler review at the end of this review for those interested.

Godkiller is the author's debut novel and the first book in the Fallen Gods series. The world was definitely the highlight for this book for me. The plot was compelling throughout and the characters were well written. I would definitely recommend checking this book out.

“That’s why people need white lies, isn’t it? To protect them from a truth that causes pain.” #HannahKanner #Godkiller #FallenGods

Book: ½

Publisher: @harpercollingUK // January 2023

Genre: #Mythology #Fantasy #LGBT

This was probably one of the best fantasy books I’ve read lately. I will be honest it took me a while to get into it, but after 20% I couldn’t stop.

Looking forward to the second book #Sunbringer that should be out in March 2024.

I will start with the characters and OMG, Kissen is such a well written female lead in this book. I have missed witty, arrogant and on point characters that have not been overexaggerated. She is a Godkiller, her parents were killed by the fire Gods and now she is on a mission to hunt them all, until she comes across Skedi.

Inara the noble girl, is not the typical Mary Sue type of female and I really liked it. She gets to learn things the hard way.

And my favorite Elogast, who gets very likable towards the end of the book, and I love when author can grow the attachment through the book between the reader and character.

It’s an adventure type fantasy, we get to explore beautiful places, get on a journey and come across memories of the war, fight for the power, worshiping of Gods and Gods turning against the people. In a way this book has got LOTR vibe.

I read Godkiller a while ago now, while I was on holiday in Australia, and it’s going to be one of those books that every time I read it, it summons up the place I first read it.
It felt like the sort of tangling fantasy book that you can really sink your teeth into. Several point of view characters each with their own well established back stories, motives and goals. Some political plot lines that you see *some* consequences of straight away and other threads which aren’t revealed until much later.
Until fairly close to the end, I didn’t know if it was a standalone book or not; I’m really pleased that there is more to the story and I’ll get to climb into this world again.
There is also a good amount of disability representation in the story, which I always like to see in books.

I really enjoyed this fantasy novel and I definitely recommend it to other fans of the genre. I had an ebook review copy through NetGalley, but I liked it so much I’m probably going to buy a paper copy to reread before I get to book two.

Fantastic world building, great representation of disability and sexual orientation.
However, unfortunately this book didn't grip me as much as I thought it would.

I wanted to pick this book up as I’m a big fan of the Monster Hunter franchise, the Cover is incredible and the idea of Gods and Godkillers captivated me.

We have 4 POVs who eventually find themselves together to travel to Blenraden, each with a different purpose and reason for the search of a powerful god who can fulfil their request.

We follow our characters who are living in a post-war word that killed of most the powerful gods, regardless of if they were good or evil. Our characters all find themselves running into each other for different reasons and eventually find themselves in an alliance, each giving the story a unique POV filled with delightful friendship.

Inara is a young girl who mysteriously has a god that cannot leave her, she is in search to find freedom for both of them.

Skedi is a strange, little god with no memories of his life prior to being binded to Inara, he is accompanying Inara to find out why they have been stuck with each other.

Kissen is a Godkiller, after her family was used as a sacrifice for riches many years ago, she has turned to a life of hunting down the gods who are often causing harm to humans.

Eloghast is currently a baker, with a past that ties him to the current king, he joins the travels for help from a god that cannot be found elsewhere.

During their travels they are ambushed by beastly assassins that can’t be natural, they’ll find out each others true purposes for their travels and they will find things out about themselves and about a war that is brewing.

The book has good representation with LGBT+ characters, disabilities and deaf characters using sign language.


What I liked:

I loved the gods in this book, the lore of them, the magic and how they need shrines and offering to grow more powerful.

The characters each have strong personalities with unique perspectives so the book never felt like it became boring.
The character building up their trust with one another and learning more about each other made for engaging character developments that you wanted to see how things would end.

The world and lore of the world was well written without feeling dense or complicated, but very thing felt like it worked perfectly together.

What I didn’t like:

I didn’t really dislike anything about this other than a slight disappointment that I was expecting the book to be mostly about a Godkiller who was hunting down gods (we still had this, just not as much as I expected) but instead it was mostly about Inara and trying to help her, this wasn’t a bad plot, just not what I expected and despite that I still loved the the story, especially the friendship between Kissen and Inara and how Kissen and Skadis relationship would face its ups and downs.

The middle of the book did feel like the pacing slowed, but the first part and the ending will hook you right back into the story that you can’t put it down.

The ending wrapped up nicely and left us witnessing some new power as well as setting the next book up with an exciting cliff hanger.

4.5 star ⭐️/ 5 ⭐️. Can’t wait for the next book.

4 Stars

"You're not welcome here, Godkiller."

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of this book for feedback.

As an introduction of Hannah Kaner as an author to the world, this really hit the nail on the head. An engaging story, great character development and world building that really invited you in. Kaner's development of the system of Gods and how they are interacted with was new and refreshing to me. Their creation, how they are sustained and their demise was done very well.

The only downside was that it was more of a taster than a full meal with only being 300 pages. I really look forward to enjoy more of Hannah Kaner's work in the future as she has well a truly nestled herself up there on my auto buy author list.

4.5 stars

This was such an amazing read and I cannot believe it took me this long to read! I loved the premise of this one and how unique it was!

I was scared that with it being just over 300 pages and four different povs that we wouldn't get fleshed out characters but my god was I wrong. I loved watching each of these characters develop on their journey!

Hannah Kaner has created such a impressive and addictive story and I cannot wait to read the next one to see how the world-building develops and our characters grow!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Godkiller is one of the books that fell through the cracks in the past few months: I read it, loved it, and then never wrote my review for it. That all changes today!

I mostly listened to the audiobook for this (even though I had an e-arc from NetGalley) because I was enjoying it so much I just couldn't stop when I left the house. The narrator did a fantastic job creating the right atmosphere for me to simply get lost in this rich world and the stories of these fascinating characters.

The multiple POVs worked very well and the different character voices were unique enough that I never mixed them up - a rare occurrence for me! All four main characters were super interesting to follow and I loved spending time with each of them: Kissen, the titular godkiller; Elogast, a baker formerly the prince's most trusted knight; Inara, the daughter of a noblewoman whose existence was kept secret; and Skedi, god of white lies who is bound to her. All the characters have to face their fears and flaws, and find ways to grow and discover where their strengths lie - even though for some of them this was barely introduced so I expect it will feature more prominently in the next book in the series.

The relationships that developed between them were fantastic, and I loved how realistic they felt, giving each sufficient time to bloom without it ever feeling forced or rushed. I got strong Witcher vibes at times, especially in the relationship between Kissen and Inara, but also enjoyed the slow-burn budding romance element and I was there for all of it.

Another thing I loved is that the representation in this book was handled brilliantly: there is talk of mental health, with some characters suffering from PTSD following an old war; one of the main characters is disabled and has a prosthetic leg; the world features a queer normative society, and several characters (including the MC) are openly queer; and there is a sign language. Although the book lent heavily into some classic tropes, there was enough freshness to the characters, the world and its politics to keep away the feeling of having seen it all before. The gods and the religious system, in particular, are fairly unique, but all the elements introduced fit seamlessly into the world.

Where I struggled slightly was with the pacing, which at times felt off. For a fairly short book as far as fantasy goes, some sections dragged while others didn't seem to get quite as much breathing space as they would have needed. A lot of the time was also spent on the road, as the characters travelled from one place to the next, which slowed everything down considerably. It all exploded towards the end though and, by a certain point, I couldn't read fast enough. The ending was fantastic and I absolutely cannot wait for the next book!

Overall, Godkiller is an engrossing read and a solid debut, featuring compelling characters and fascinating worldbuilding, all topped off with romance, deception and drama. I'm excited to see what other surprises this world has in store!

(Actual rating: 4.5/5, rounded up)

Firstly..... the cover! Stunning, and immediately made me feel this was a book I needed to read (and want to read again)!

What an amazing debut - you wouldn't have thought this was a first novel, the writing is wonderful and rich, with details that are just enough, not over the top, and the world she has crafted is imaginative and wonderful . The characters are all so believable, not always seeing eye to eye, but coming together towards the end.

The details of the Gods are what hooked me, as well as the adventure the main trio face. I can't wait for the next title in this series.