Unfortunately, I fell with the minority who didn't enjoy this story as much as the others. I really wanted to love this and was so excited when I got approved for the ARC (as it was one of my anticipated releases), but I was struggling a lot with this.
The plot itself and the portrayal of the gods was good and the reason I still gave this 3 stars, the writing/prose on the other hand made it a painful experience for me. For a long while I felt like I was reading in Elvish or studying for an exam, until it switched around midway, but by that time I was skimming the chapters.
I really liked Ina and Skedi as characters, and their whole plot line though. They were the only reason I kept skimming as the other characters were either forgettable or a little irritating.

2.5 stars rounded up

I'm keeping this a short-ish review with thoughts in the positive and negative.

Positive:
The concept of gods, how they could be created, sustained and killed was so interesting
The characters' sexuality, fluidity and how that played into this world
Elo was a great character
Great late plot twist

Negative:
Incredibly slow pacing, it was hard to stay invested
The middle section where the characters journey and journey felt lacking in excitement
Skedi was very annoying

I can see this book has worked well for many but for me it generally fell flat and if there's more to come, I don't think I'll be joining in.

Thank you to Harper Voyager for the eARC.

Godkiller is set in a fantasy land where gods are corporal due to the wishes of humans, and the prologue (set 15 years prior) jumps straight into the action, showing the results of one god on a complete and utter power trip. From then on, there is a lot of talk throughout the story about the danger of seeking power, something which our first main character, Kissen the godkiller, understands thoroughly from observing others and finding herself alone.

Kissen’s isn’t the only perspective we have though, and soon we’re introduced to Inara, the sole heir to the Craier noble house who has a little problem of being connected to a god, Skediceth (Skedi). They can’t move too far from each other and, seemingly as the result of the connection, Inara has some godlike qualities herself. She hears of Kissen’s journey to her town and sneaks out to see if Kissen can help her at all.

Kissen is brash, a little full of herself, but above all she’s ridiculously loyal and compassionate to those she cares about (even if she’ll happily throw a few in digs in still). All of those qualities make her a completely endearing main character and it’s hard not to make comparisons to Geralt from the Witcher series, though this is loose and due solely to her penchant for swearing, being a godkiller for hire and a loyal horse called Legs who she loves. Inara likewise has some qualities that could be compared to Ciri (noble-born, mysterious powers), but that’s it. Essentially, they’re reasons why fans of the Witcher series would also love Godkiller.

And back to Godkiller! Our fourth perspective (Skedi has a couple of chapters) is that of Elogast, ‘Elo’, a former knight who left it all behind to become a baker whilst suffering from PTSD. Elo is a sweet character, he may have some deadly skills but he’s kind to everyone he meets and his mission throughout the story is completely selfless.

All of their missions lead them to eventually meet 10 chapters in, heading to a town that had been the country’s main battle site for a war between humans and gods.

Kaner has crafted a unique world, with four different perspectives written exceptionally well so that each can be recognised even without taking note of each chapter heading. There aren’t any cases of serious info-dumping, throughout the story we learn about the world and characters at a slow and steady pace.

Representation wise, we have a queer-normative world with two bisexual main characters, and a super sweet f/f relationship is shown a couple of chapters in (though I wish we saw more of them throughout the book). One of the characters in the f/f relationship is also deaf, which leads to both representation and the use of sign language through the story.

Overall, Godkiller stands as an incredibly strong start to a series, with compelling characters and a wealth of adventure throughout; this will easily be a favourite of many.

"Sixteen Years Ago her father fell in love with a god of the sea."

In a world on the brink of a civil war, a Godkiller, a girl with a god bound to her and an ex knight navigates roads filled with dangers, battling psychological and real demons, their own secrets, lies and pasts in order to save their loved ones.
Written wonderfully, intense, captivating and intriguing, Hannah Kaner wrote a brilliant story told by multiple POVs, set in a world where faith is oppressed and people and gods are connected by will, desire and life.
The world created is brimming with life, the descriptions make the reader feels like it's there with the characters, travelling, running from perils, facing memories with them. The characterization is incredible. The characters are relatable and realistic in their actions and reactions, with complex pasts and fierce loyalty to their loved ones and family.

Kissen, Inara, Elo and Skedi are intriguing characters, growing while facing realities, lies, secrets and travelling together. It's a story about love and loyalty, queer characters and found family, truths and lies, gods and humans, greed and courage. Brilliant in Scope, Godkiller is the first book in a series and I'm absolutely in love with everything, from the layered worldbuilding, the characterization and setting, the writing style able to capture the reader's attention and love since the first page.

This is the first line:

"Sixteen Years Ago her father fell in love with a god of the sea."

How could you not be in love right away?

I am in awe of this author's writing. This DEBUT novel is more accomplished than a lot of well established authors. The depth, the detail, the worldbuilding is excellent. I learnt so much about this new fantasy world and yet was still left wanting more.

Godkillers are mercenaries trained and hired to kill problematic Gods which often take the form of monstrous beings. Now, as a result, this book will doubtless be compared with The Witcher. Having also read books from The Witcher series myself, I can honestly say Godkiller is superior.

The book is written from alternating points of view (one of my favourite styles of writing in high fantasy) which works really well. All four of the main characters are enjoyable and likable despite their complexities (and in some cases morally questionable motives).

Godkiller also has strong LGBTQ+ and disability representation which I loved. It was well integrated into the plot and didn't feel like an "extra" addition for inclusivity points. It was just completely natural.

Also I can't not mention the absolutely stunning cover. I know you shouldn't judge a book by the cover but damn. This is beautiful.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I am really excited to see where the series and this author goes.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of the book in exchange for an honest review

I've tried to get into this so many times, the cover is beautiful and the story sounds absolutely incredible but I just can't at the moment. The story begins immediately, and I was expecting a lot more worldbuilding than was actually in the beginning of the book. I think I got to chapter 4 or 5 and still had no clue what was going on - there were so many different names of people and I kept getting mixed up unfortunately! I think I'll try again another time though, because it really does sound promising, but I'll have to put this one down for now.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC via NetGalley! My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Godkiller is a compelling, well crafted debut epic fantasy novel by Hannah Kaner.
Written with four points of view in 3rd person narrative, the novel follows a one-legged warrior; a baker-knight; an orphan noble and the god of white lies.

Kissen is a foul-mouthed, no messing veiga who’s mission is to contract kill gods. She does not suffer fools gladly. Her life gets complicated when she falls into the path of Inara, the girl, and her parasitic god Skediceth. Elogast is the last piece in the puzzle, honourable but bruised from battle in more ways than one with a secret mission to complete for best friend, the King.
Kaner’s prose is immersive, bringing tastes and textures, pleasure and pain in deft brushstrokes, painting a fascinating world that really connects with the characters at the heart of the story. The magic system is fascinating, gods need humans to worship them, but there is always the risk they will grow too powerful destroying the humans they need to survive in the process.
All four characters make mistakes as they come together and I really came to care about them, without giving much away. And how could you not love them? Compelling characters are often flawed. I found myself routing for all four, even when they were working in opposition with each other. It was hard to stop turning those pages as a result. This is a diverse world, where racism doesn’t appear to exist, same-sex or bi relationships are not frowned upon. A warrior can kick-ass with a prosthetic leg. This makes it a pleasurable world to inhabit.
Kaner uses god-speak without speech tags, which might seem strange at first but was easy to get in to. I read the book without a map, which made it difficult to understand where all the locations and countries were, but I found it did help when I came across a print of it online.
It’s definitely a book I will reread – so I’ve ordered a special signed edition from Broken Binding. Very glad to hear it’s a planned trilogy, as I can’t wait to read more about Kissen, Elogast, Inara & Skedi.

Hannah Kaner’s debut novel ‘Godkiller’ is an excellent read. The novel is set in a world where gods are living creatures who are kept alive by shrines, tokens and devotion. However, their power over the faithful caused human sacrifices, chaos and a war that resulted in the youngest, least revered son of the sovereignty becoming king, him banning any worship of the gods, and him destroying their shrines. Kissen, a Veiga or Godkiller, takes payments to kill gods as revenge for her past. Elogast, once a knight and best friend to the King, hides away in his bakery tormented by memories of the war. Inara, the 12yr old daughter of Lady Craier is bound to a the god of white lies, Skediceth, through a process neither of them understand. All end up joining together and making a pilgrimage to the heart of god country, to try to make sense of what is happening.

I tend to think that the measure of a good book is the extent to which you find yourself thinking about it when your not reading it. This happened to me frequently while reading Godkiller. Kaner brilliantly creates a world in which all of the action takes place and kept me fully engaged throughout. I did at times wonder whether I’d describe this novel as YA, partly due to the fantasy setting and partly because she’s worked hard to go against stereotypes, but I quickly reached a point where I didn’t care. I would definitely seek out the next novel in this trilogy. Highly recommend.

An absolutely stunning cover which, sadly, did not live up to expectations. 2.5 stars.
The concept of a volatile relationship between the gods and their people is a good one, but the execution is a bit confusing and not very credible. While the characters are reasonably well drawn (points at least for the evolution of the main three characters' motives and interactions), the world-building is not convincing (the country appears to be in ruins and there is very little mention of how the economy is mangaging to survive in this turmoil; and the ultimate betrayal at the end was immensely predicable, so it wasn't much of a climax). Possibly more suitable for the YA market. I realise this only the first in a trilogy, but the plot wasn't interesting enough to make me want to come back for the next installment.
My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

What a great fantasy debut from Hannah Kaner, it really gave me The Witcher and Skyrim vibes.

The first chapter had me completely hooked, and the multiple POVs worked well. To get a few chapters from a God himself was a real treat. Plus if it’s LGTBQ+ or disability representation you’re looking for, this book has you covered, with our Godkiller having a prosthetic and being casually and openly Bi.

On a slightly critical note, the pacing felt a little off at times and I was left feeling like the book should have been longer to flesh out the characters and world just a little more. That’s just how I like my fantasy.

I really hope there’s more to come from this world, the idea of Gods and Godkillers is just so interesting, I want more!

Godkiller is the first instalment on a new fantasy saga and one I am keeping an eye out for sure. It follows Kissen that makes living of killing gods after her troubled past; Elo, the most loyal knight-baker you will find; Ina, the curious child that finds herself connected to a god of white lies, Skedi, which should not be possible.



When Kissen finds herself incapable of killing Skedi and getting rather attached to Ina, she is thrown in a journey to a cursed land, changing her life course completely. Kissen sees her youth self in Ina and is determined to discover why a bond with a god was allowed to happen to this child. Elo joins them on this quest, with his own motivations, deeply rotted to his best friend, the King.



I requested this proof immediately because of the concept. I am utterly convinced there should be more books that have despicable gods, paranormal creatures, unbreakable bonds and curses. The author approaches these subjects so compellingly that I am quite surprised this is a debut.



The characters are well rounded and characterised. I love a morally grey character above everything but you get characters that you will love on this story – and that is okay! Why? Because the flaws were approached beautifully by the author – they have their motives, they deceive and make mistakes, but they also have hope and humbleness to them. As much as I loved our fierce heroine Kissen, I was deeply caught by Elo. His loyalty, eagerness to trust, self-sacrificing trait and humility, allied with a fierceness and eagerness to fight were captivating and I can’t wait to find what happens to him.



The best bit about this world and these characters was the great representation for non-hetero relationships, PTSD and disability abound. The integration on the plot was impeccably done and I commend Hannah for it.





There is a hint of romance, so superbly done to the point it drove me into to sweeeeet misery. I really don’t like heavy romance fantasy as I find it lingers on and on and becomes exaggerated, boring but also unrealistic and saturated. I am so ready to the sub-plot to carry on in the next instalment.



You get all of this in Godkiller wrapped into beautiful, evocative but straight to the point prose, amazing plot pacing, great world building and tension through 300 pages.



After this review, I will be placing an offer to some god to get book 2 out, asap.

I absolutely loved this book! I read it in two days and couldn’t put it down.

The world building was phenomenal straight from the start and gave you enough that it wasn’t overwhelming. I love how descriptive the author got with all the different types of gods with there different abilities and how she portrays the size of the gods.
The plot was amazing and truly pulled me in from the start. As I was reading, I kept wanting to know more and more.

I love how the start of the book was Kissen’s backstory. It made you understand her hate for the gods after what they did to her family. I love the fact that she doesn’t let her disability stop her at all and feel that it’s represented well in the book. She’s strong and able to adapt to what the world throws at her. You are also able to see her softer side too which I think it important.
I loved the other two main characters that we meet and enjoyed seeing their character development throughout the book.

I’m really looking forward to the next book and can’t wait. I’m looking forward to seeing where the story goes next.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Harper Collins for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There was nothing terribly wrong with this book, but there was also nothing to really hook me in and the writing didn't jump out at me.

To be honest, I think I've just overloaded on fantasy recently and I'm a bit sick of it.

I'm sure there's a market for this book but it felt a little generic and YA for my tastes.

A godkiller, a knight, a noble girl, and a god..they all embark on an unexpected journey to Blenraden which can change the future of their country. While on this journey, they discover secrets and come across demons and gods, not all of whom are amicable.

This premise would pull in any fantasy reader, including me. I loved this first part. It took me a while to get into the pace, but after around 30% it picked up beautifully. It is action packed but the violence may act as triggers for some. The character mix is great with a bad ass heroine and a handsome knight. I liked mostly matriarch world where women hold all the important positions. It surprised me that how much this of felt non intuitive. I would assume a patriarch right away only to be introduced a great female character. I hope this will get more normalized.

I love a good fantasy with its own characters and places and elements. Godkiller, is a good pick for anyone looking for a whole new series to follow. It also ends with a great plot twist.

I would love to read the next part even when my brain is asking me not to get invested in a new series.

Thank you to Harper Collins for this eARC of Godkiller by Hannah Kaner.

I thoroughly enjoyed Godkiller from start to finish. It felt like a cross between The Witcher and Wolf Brother.

There was excellent world building from the get-go which didn’t feel overwhelming like some other fantasies. It wasn’t difficult to understand or remember the names of the places or people. There was also brilliant pacing. You didn’t feel like the story was dragging, and it didn’t simply go from fight scene to fight scene.

There are complicated characters, with great representation. The main character has limb difference and there is a deaf supporting character. The main character is also bisexual (this isn’t specifically stated, though the main character does mention they love another woman).

I would recommend Godkiller to anyone slightly interested in fantasy. I think this will be difficult to beat as my favourite book of 2023.

3.25/5 stars! I'm genuinely confused because it seems like many readers have loved this book. In my opinion, it just didn't connect to me as a reader. The main characters felt 2-D and I didn't find myself investing in the success of the story's mission. The multiple POVs just broke up the momentum of the story too much for me. Would be interested in reading more by this author in the future and maybe my standards for an epic fantasy story are too high right now.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Thank you to Netgalley, HarperFiction and HarperCollinsUK for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was absolutely beautiful. It's the kind of story that leaves you full of curiosity and always wanting to know more, and you become so attached to the characters (I certainly did!) that it's hard to stay away from them for too long.

Kissen is exactly the type of anti-heroine I enjoy in fantasy books, she looks like your typical grumpy-and-costantly-angry badass, but deep down you can see from the very beginning she has a big heart, it's just hidden under all those scars that became her shield. The disability representation felt accurate and real, not sugar-coated or minimized and you're constantly reminded of the impact it has on every aspect of Kissen's life - from fighting, to washing, to just sleeping. I love that we got to see her vulnerability as well as her toughness , they show two different sides of a very complex character and I can't wait to read more about her.

Beautifully written, the style is totally captivating and the pace is just perfect, it makes the 3rd-person-multi-pov narration very enjoyable; I also really appreciated the length of the chapters, not too long nor short, so you get to read each perspective in equal mesure.

Godkiller is the beginning of a beautiful journey and feels like a solid foundation for this trilogy, and I'll be impatiently waiting for book two.

Thank you to the publisher for granting my wish and providing an e-arc of this book via NetGalley.

This book in many senses reminded me of the Witcher but instead of witchers and monsters there are gods and godkillers (veigas). One of our main characters Kissen the godkiller even has a beloved horse named Legs (I’m looking at you Roach from the Witcher). We also have a little noble girl Inara who is mysteriously connected to a god named Skediceth whom Kissen vows to protect. And finally we have Elo, a knight turned baker pretending to be a singer with a dangerous quest of his own.

I found the world building of this world to be wildly imaginative. The descriptions of how different the types of gods are, their shapes, sizes, abilities and the connection all gods supposedly have to shrines really interesting. In this world the country of Middren is torn apart by gods and the worship of these gods and their shrines has been made illegal by the King.

The beginning of this story drew me in, establishing the origin story of our character Kissen. Though I will admit, after this I was skeptical going forward when the story and pacing felt a bit slow. But seeing how these characters came together later on through unlikely circumstances was fun to see, and some of their dynamics and interactions were hilarious.

This book also has in my opinion, wonderful disability rep through Kissen, who is unapologetic for who she is and is a character who ultimately shows how much she’ll do to protect her friends and loved ones. I found it refreshing on how casually queer this world was as well.

Finally, the ending of this book was fast-paced and phenomenal. It definitely has me intrigued enough to pick up the next book in this series!

📚 #NetGalley ARC review📚

Title: Godkiller
Author: Hannah Kaner
Release date: 19/01/23

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the chance to read this ARC ahead of its release next year.

You can read the synopsis on the book's Goodreads page and elsewhere, so I won't rehash it in detail. TL;DR: imagine The Witcher...but with gods of all shapes, sizes, elements and forms, instead of monsters.

Within this world, a professional godkiller (a 'veiga') finds herself involved with the fate of a young girl who's mysteriously linked to a tiny god of white lies. Throw an undercurrent of rebellion brewing against the crown into the mix and you have all the ingredients for a gripping fantasy tale, right?

Well...I wish I could say I was gripped, but honestly, it took me until about 80% in to finally get that 'I can't put it down' feeling. It's hard to explain to you what it is that caused me to just not click with Godkiller - the writing is good, and the characters are distinct, coming to life in my imagination as I read (it's always a good sign when your memory of a book is the internal movie that your brain magically turned it into). It has all the elements of a book I would usually love.

What I struggled with most was piecing everything together, I think. There were so many references to places and past events, and for the longest time I found myself asking more questions because my grasp on it all felt tenuous. That could have been a Me Problem, I suppose, but I was actively making notes and still felt that way, which led to the reading experience feeling like a slog for the most part. If I was able to just let everything flow over me without questioning it, then it would have felt different I'm sure - but I struggle to do that when there are things I don't understand. Even though it's fantasy, I need the basic facts as a grounding in that world.

My other gripe was that I'd been looking forward to Skediceth being a Loki-style character - the description of being a god of mischief and suchlike promised something that he didn't really turn out to be. Don't get me wrong, he was a fantastic little character (I'd love him as a pet!), but I'd expected bigger and badder things from him, more potential for conflict. Instead his mischievousness was almost exclusively used to help the group, not particularly cause mischief. I suppose I felt a bit mis-sold...I know he's deliberately written as a small god, a little character with no following and so also minimal power, but it felt like as a concept he could have been dialled up to 11 for more interest, shown as having more potential for doing bad things if he'd wanted to (even if he then never did them).

It was almost like the author didn't have the heart to make him even slightly unlikeable, so it never really felt like his relationship with Inara had any jeopardy to it. His revelation/decision at the end - while heart-warming and lovely - just wasn't what I thought the book was meant to be about. I realise there will be a sequel, and perhaps that's what niggles at me...this felt like the setup for the 'real' action, and when that comes, Skedi probably isn't going to go full Loki then either (or at least it doesn't seem that way). Which is kinda disappointing, especially when the other gods felt far more dramatic and impressive on the few occasions they appeared (Aan, for example, was a favourite).

I don't want to deliberately try and find fault, it's a really well-written book (perhaps with the exception of needing clearer exposition of where the various countries/lands/kingdoms are and how they connect, and more basic info about the war), and it may well have just been an unfortunate case of not clicking with me personally. But when I write in my notes at 40% and 70% that I'm bored, and it's not until the 80% point that I finally begin to feel invested in what's happening, that isn't the best of signs. The e-version was also absolutely riddled with formatting inconsistencies which were very off-putting, as well as a number of typos.

Sadly, for me it averaged out as just an okay experience, so I give it 2/5 stars. ⭐⭐

A huge thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for providing this novel with an honest review.

Hannah Kaner has easily created a new favorite novel among many future readers, as Godkiller is imaginative and brings a new creative spin to the fantasy genre.

There are so many things about this novel that I loved; the world-building, for one, is lovely. Kaner has a way of truly bringing her stories universe to life, and I found myself pulled in from the very first pages. Her writing style is rather enjoyable also, enough so that it felt very easy to fall into a comfort whilst reading.

Her characters are rich and colourful, shaped in a way that is realistic yet interesting to read. Representation is present in the cast and doesn't feel like they were shoe-horned in to check off a list, but given the right respect and care that these characters deserve. One of my favourite examples is the character of Kissen - our god-hunter for the story - who is shown to be strong and capable as a fighter, but later is revealed to have lost one of her legs due to circumstances that the story reveals to the reader early on. Kaner treats Kissen's disability beautifully, showing how she works around it and how she has grown to adapt over time, as well as how she is by no means lessened because of her struggles. The main characters share their own struggles - be they physical or internal - and it is a lovely delight to see how they work through these throughout the story, as well as how they work together.

The way Kaner chooses to portray her Gods is so intriguing too, each one different from the other and coming to life in their own way. There are some the reader can cheer for and want to support, and others who we want to see fall. The connection between Ina and Skedi is something so unique to the story, and those readers who love novels like the His Dark Materials trilogy are sure to fall in love with these two.

The only real negative I have is that there are some places in the novel that feel almost like they drag. I wouldn't go as far as to say that those moments were a struggle to get through, but there are some periods that feel as if little is happening compared to moments where everything feels as if it is happening at once. The story is a little short, so it also feels as if a lot gets wrapped up very quickly towards the end, and I almost feel as if some of the quiet time earlier in the story could have been better used to help give a bit more build-up to later reveals, if only to provide more impact on them. But this isn't a major complaint, and it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story itself.

This novel feels very much like it is the first part of a larger series, and I hope that if that is the case that any later installments will be just as strong - if not stronger - than this one. For now though, Godkiller is a very strong beginning and introduction to this world, and I am eager to see what is in store for both the novel and the author's future.