Finally finished!

I have no idea why a book this short felt so long, but it really did

For the first 70% or so, it felt like every time I started becoming interested in the story, it would slow right down again and switch POVs, and I'd get bored and a bit slumpy

I've been reading Sunbringer for about two months now, which is entirely too long for me. I binged Godkiller, so at first I couldn't figure out the problem, but I think it's become clear to me that at least part of the cause was the lack of banter

By keeping Kissen and Elo separate for this whole book, there was just a lack of tension, and I missed their relationship. I was continually hoping for them to meet up again to fix this, and yet that didn't happen until the book was pretty much done.

Another issue I had was once again it was a bit hard to keep track of all the names of places and gods and who was where doing what.

I still love Kissen. She's still a badass, but most of her time in this book was spent being thrown from place to place, so I didn't really look forward to her POV much

Elo was a bit more boring as well, not only without Kissen, but without Inara as well, I just got sick of his attitude pretty fast

Inara and Skedi were probably where I was most intrigued. Though theirs POVs are separate, they do feel like the same POV a lot of the time. They were doing most of the fun stuff, and I loved their progression this time around. I can say I definitely do like Skedi now despite how he acted in the previous book

The addition of Arrens POV was an interesting choice. It gave an alternate perspective on this whole situation and what had happened from his side of things. I thoroughly enjoyed his chapters

Overall, I can't say I loved this as much as Godkiller, but the ending made the journey worth it. I'm excited to see where this goes from here. Hopefully, the pacing is a bit better in the next book

➛ 𝟑 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 𝘒𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘳. 𝘔𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Before I get in to this a little more I was convinced that this was a duology, it isn't it's a trilogy but having that in my mind I feel definitely contributed to my reading experience.

Sunbringer picks up right where Godkiller ends and it is incredibly hard to review without spoiling - our main protagonists are separated and much of this book revolves around piecing together what happens after the events of Godkiller- we still have that multi POV and we are hearing each POV's experience. I enjoy a multi POV and I enjoyed the different storylines but I did feel that this slowed the pace as there was a significant period where I didn't feel we moved forward; Having said that and returning to my first statement I was reading it as a duology and thinking we need to speed this up because I'm not sure how this is getting resolved.

Sunbringer does feel like in hindsight that middle book in a trilogy - the one that sets you up, that adds even more flesh to the bones of the story and for me I found it slower - but that last 25-30% wow, so much I didn't expect, so much that had me shouting out loud in shock and I will 100% be picking up book 3.

3.75 rounded up to 4

I couldn't wait to read the sequel to Godkiller and I was not disappointed.
I was brought into the story once again with lavish and rich descriptions that created a world that was life like. I really could picture everything as I read. The writing was so captivating and I really enjoyed being in this world again

After being excited for this second book in the series, even rereading Godkiller ahead of release, I’m so sad to say that I found this a struggle to get through. The first 60-70% of the book felt slow and somewhat confusing with all the jumping around locations and POVs. The action did pick up towards the end but it wasn’t quite enough to save the book for me. Possibly this is partially my fault as it took me over a month to get through as it just couldn’t hold my attention in the first half of the story. I’m not sure if I’ll continue with the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

As a big fan of Godkiller, Sunbringer was a highly anticipated read and sadly it did not live up to the hype. It’s far from a bad book but all the elements that made Godkiller so good felt lifeless in Sunbringer. It’s 100 pages longer than the first book and that length is felt, the whole thing was a slog to get through. Quite a few of the plot twists are obvious – which is fine, but dragging out reveals becomes boring when you know what’s coming.

For the extra length, it feels like so little happened. Still adore the main trio though I wish they were saddled with more interesting plots. Hoping this is a case of middle book syndrome and I’ll definitely be picking up the next one but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed.

This was a dark, mysterious and action packed sequel to Janet's debut Godkiller and the fact that we now were able to go straight into the story without any world building really made me more invested in this story.

This picks up right were we left up and continues the fate of our characters and where they all end up. And we really get some amazing character growth here

I loved leaning more about the world, and about the characters. About their backstories, and of course all the gods big and small.

I enjoyed exploring the concept that gods aren't necessarily bad, but kissen has her viewpoint so we see things bias through her.

I liked the increase in politics and fighting and scheming. That really kept the book turning over.

It was a little bit slower in the middle just to the characters locations, but the ending is so worth it. There were yet again twists I didnt fully expect, so it's definitely worth reading all of it! Curious to see where it all goes from here.

What a fantastic follow up to the first book! It was a joy to reunite with the characters at the point where the Godkiller left off, and follow them as they picked themselves up in the aftermath of the events at the end of book 1. We as readers knew Kissen wasn't dead, but they didn't, and I really enjoyed how seriously Inara & gang experienced the consequences of it. The worldbuilding remained vivid and immersive, and spending more time with the main cast let them unfurl even more, and I thoroughly enjoyed that journey! If I had to compare the two, Godkiller was more tightly put-together, but then it had the advantage of being a first in the series. The Sunbringer cannot be the exact same kind of book because it brings depth and build-up for the whole trilogy - thus the slower pace - but I felt it was doing it very well. Needless to say, I am beyond excited for the third book!

Godkiller was one of my best reads of the year and it ended on such a damn CLIFFHANGER that I was DYING to read this.

And it didn't disappoint.

It felt like a very different book to Godkiller. While GK is a typical quest novel and the main characters stick together, this book separates everyone, adds in some more POVs, and moves away from the quest objective. This was a real gamble, because it could have gone spectacularly wrong, but instead, it gives a really rich and different second book. In some ways, book 2 in a trilogy can sag a bit, but this was just spectacular.

I loved that we got a POV for Arran (even though we hate him). I loved that we learned more about the different types of gods. I loved that we got to see some more human elements to Kissen, because this book softens her even further, while still holding her up as a warrior.

I genuinely think that Hannah Kaner has outdone herself and deserves all the accolades for this book. Brava.

This takes up where Godkiller ended. Elo and Ina are having to come to terms with the loss of Kissen and begin their epic journey homewards. Concurrently Kissen has survived her fall into the sea and now has to do the unthinkable and NOT kill the bad guy!

Book two is less about finding a new family and more about dealing with loss, grief and learning that friends can became enemies and enemies your strongest allies. Inara, Skediceth and Elo develop much more in this book as they don't have Kissen to wrangle them together.

Slower paced and less set piece battles this time around, which makes room for much more character development and growth but it didn't lag and there was enough action to keep me happy. I love all things mythology and this has enough basis in British/European god pantheons that I felt that I already knew the gods that appear throughout the books. I also enjoyed meeting all the small gods which reminded me so much of Terry Pratchett's DiscWorld.

I really enjoy books that help you navigate the mire of real world politics and religion in a safe, fictional setting. I may not be LGBTQIA+ myself but I thought the representation was amazingly well done. The world just accepts ALL relationships between consenting adults.

Can't wait for book 3!

I couldnt wait to get my hands on Sunbringer and was so thankful when the publishers approved my early access request.

The story resumes immediately where the first story ended with Kissen seperated from her family and friends; Elo is recovering from Arren's betrayal and Inara is coming to terms with her powers whilst seeking to find out more knowledge regarding her relationship with Skedi.

This sequel was far more action based than the first and moved at a far quicker pace - I think this worked overall but at some points the story does feel a little rushed. 3.5 stars for me.

The story adds in Arren's perspective early on and I must say I wasn't really feeling it. His chapters definitely had me skipping through just to get back to the others' perspectives. Unlike the first book the chatacters are following widely different paths and so the switching of narratives is definitely felt more - if you don't like dual narratives then this might not be for you.

I hope to see more of Kissen in the third book as she was relatively left out in this book which was a shame as in both novels I liked her chapters best!

Special shout out to the illustrator of this gorgeous cover as it is truly beautiful 😍

It's possible that this book didn't work as well for me because I listened to the audiobook instead of reading it. It's also possible that it was just a wrong book wrong time thing. Weirdly all the things which bugged me with this one were the things I loved with book 1 so go figure.

Anyway, this book is fine. It just didn't really grab me. For some reason the very linear plot annoyed me this time and the constant pov changes didn't help with that - again things that worked in book 1.

You also need to consider what you're read recently, I think. And recently I read the Goblin Emperor which is very nuanced political fantasy. So when this veered into the political side of religion within a fantasy context in a way I didn't find as nuanced, I may have been unintentionally biased.

I'm going to stop there because I've hit the point of damning with faint praise and this book didn't do anything wrong. It was just that for me, it wasn't right enough.

It's an interesting sequel but slower and less exciting than the first one.

Sunbringer is the second installment in the fallen god trilogy. Picking up from the previous book, <spoiler>King Arren ups his activities to become the God king. Inara and Elogast are back in the city and prepare for their upcoming conflict. While Kissen is on a quest of his own. Through Arren, Elogast, and Inara we understand the conflicts and the character developments while through Kissen, the larger world is explored where events happen beyond the main 4 characters. </spoiler>

We got to know some key characters more closely as well and it was good to see Kissen growing and Elogast taking an opposite role. However, the first half of the book is really slow and events progress very slowly. By the time we have reached the main plot points, the excitement is gone. There are some oohs and aahs but overall it was not exciting enough. Also, a few reveals were predictable enough.

Would I read the next one? Absolutely, I am way too engrossed and intrigued to find out how the story unfolds. Thanks Harper Collins and Netgalley for providing an ARC,

Godkiller was one of my favourite books of last year so I was happy when Sunbringer arrived and I dived straight in!

I really wanted to be sucked into the journey of Kissen, Elogast, Inara and Skediceth against Arren, I wanted to love it as much as I did book 1 but was so conflicted because I didn't.

The first 3 quarters of the book were really slow and Inara got on my nerves for most of it!

But then......the last quarter was action packed and made me remember why I loved this world and these characters!

There was a jaw drop moment that I loved and a heartfelt moment that made me really feel like I was there and another jaw drop at the end that sets up for book 3 nicely!

'In fire you will be lost. In ink, you will live forever.'

3.5 ⭐

This is certainly an interesting sequel, but I didn't find it quite on the same level as Godkiller.

I really struggled to get into the story. The first 60% dragged so much for me, the pace was much too slow - the slow pace worked well in Godkiller, but it didn't have the same effect here.

I liked that there was more about the Gods, and how the main characters did their own thing after splitting up. Arren's POV was also a nice addition, but I didn't enjoy Elo's chapters - I found myself wanting to skip those, I wasn't really a fan of him in this book for some reason. I missed Kissen.

And there was no romance! This made me a little sad, because there was certainly potential, especially after the little glimpse in the first book. Also, no real reunion between the characters.

I can't say that it all makes sense just yet, and I found the last couple of chapters, along with the epilogue, a little disappointing. This is a trilogy though, so I guess more is yet to come.

The writing was beautiful though, and I love the world the author has created - how most people seem to be bi, it's all very inclusive and accepting of whatever anyone wishes to be.

This is another if you loved the first this one will not disappoint. I enjoyed book 1 so much and I was so excited to get to this one as well. Everything takes a minute to start back up as usual within a fantasy, but once it gets going you don't want it to stop. I am so excited for the next one now and kind of need it like right now please and thanks!

4-4.5 stars.
This was a fantastic follow up to Godkiller. We get such a deeper dive into the is world and in the characters we met in book one.
Got to say there’s a surprising POV added in this one and whilst I had mixed feelings about them I liked the addition.
My general like or dislike of some of our originals switched back and fourth through this too and I love that in a book series. It means the author has me invested.
The plot pacing was good - although at a couple points it felt slow, hence the slight drop from 5 stars - but the beginning and ending were incredible.
There’s a lot of characters to keep track of, as is true with a lot of fantasy so I’m thinking this might be even better on a reread.
The ending was everything I was hoping for, I’m keeping this spoiler free. There was one thing I was hoping for for nearly the whole damn book and the way it finally unravelled was worth the wait!
Can’t wait for book 3.

Somehow, this book is even better than the first - smashing “second book syndrome” down with a vengeance. Our companions are now separated, dealing with different threats: Kaner weaves the threads together with skill and heart, playing out the tension and emotion with care as war rages, new alliances are formed, and truths are revealed. An excellent sequel.

This review is for Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner which released in the UK on 15th February! Thanks so much to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for giving me an eArc copy for this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the sequel to Godkiller which came out early last year, which I also read, reviewed and loved. As soon as this was available to request, I did and could not wait to get back into the world Hannah had created.

Sunbringer lived up to every expectation I had going in, and I could not put this book down. It was fast paced, easy to read and I managed to read it in (nearly) one sitting! The authors ability to write an intricate and interesting fantasy world in under 300 pages is incredible.

Th character development in this sequel was also what drew me in, you had most of the same characters from the first but built up so much more. You get to see them change and grow with the new issues they end up facing, especially with Inara and Kissen, who you see their morals and opinions a bit more in this book. You end up feeling so much more towards each character, which again was so amazingly done in around 300 pages. You also see a lot more of the gods in this book, and how they come to feel in the strife they have ended up in. I also loved to see Kissen’s opinion of the gods change through the story, when she begins to see more of their side.

I honestly cannot wait for the next one in this series and will be on constant look out to see when this will be released. Would 100% recommend this to any fantasy readers out there, especially the ones who get a bit daunted by the dense 800 page novels.

Godkiller was a brilliant read and I was excited to see what would happen after the ending. It is safe to say Kanner does not disappoint. I am incredibly biased to Skedi but it is safe to say all the characters are, once again, given time to shine. I actually love that we have different points of view and see how all the characters have their parts to play.

While Sunbringer literally picks up after the end of Godkiller I will say it does have the element of fantasy where it can take a little while for the action to ‘restart’. That is to say there is a bit of information on what is happening now, what our rag tag group need to face and how it all came to be. Now I love fantasy in all it’s forms be it a slower build up to the ‘main’ action or a quick and in your face plot. I am notorious in Roleplaying games for going on numerous subquests before the main one and in a way that’s a little bit what happens here. Just it’s more with understanding what the ‘main quest’ is about. Now for me, I loved it because we got more time with Skedi, Kissen and co but for some it may seem like the story drags. That said when it does ‘pick up’ it goes quick.

Sunbringer also has a few twists and turns I enjoyed and some I didn’t see coming. As before Kanner’s writing, pace and characterisation are the real winners for me. I adore the world they have created and it’s inhabitants be it the gods or mortals, good or bad (and particularly if they are the God of White lies!). It’s hard not to love this sequel. I am planning to do a re-read of both, once I have the physical of Sunbringer and read them back to back since I know that will be an epic experience.

If you love interesting fantasy, gods and mortals, representation and a well built world the world of Godkiller and Sunbringer are for you. But please remember to read Godkiller before you read this one to ensure you fully understand what has happened before.