I really enjoyed this story. For a fantasy book, this one is relatively short, but builds a intricate and wonderful world. This book really felt like a first book and that it was just a small sampling of what this fantasy world can become.

I loved all of the characters in this book and I was fascinated by how gods interact with beliefs. Definitely want to see the final catharsis.

Despite a strong start, Godkiller fizzled out for me pretty quickly. The prologue throws readers right into the action with a hard emotional punch. From there, the worldbuilding felt interesting and I really liked the characters being introduced. I loved that every character had a very clear perspective through which we got to experience their goals and their plans for achieving them. Although I cared for some storylines more than others, every POV felt unique, compelling, and well-balanced. Then the quest began...

It's a fairly universally accepted fact that it's hard to write the actual journey aspect of quest storylines. It's difficult to keep the reader focused on the primary end goal, while also ensuring the mundane travel sequence doesn't feel like a mundane travel sequence. Unfortunately, my experience with this book fell right into that trap. The pacing came to a crawl and it felt like nothing of substance happened for like the middle 60% of the book. I stopped caring and found myself reading to finish rather than out of any desire to actually experience whatever happened next. I will admit that an action-packed finale did somewhat draw me back in, but it feels like a case of too little, too late. Jury is still out on whether I will seek out the sequel or not.

imo, cool worldbuilding and compelling characters weren't enough to save such a lengthy slog, but I will award bonus points for writing great rep involving queerness, disability, and trauma. Additional kudos for super cool sequences involving various gods.

Kissen was the only person to survive when her home was burned by an angry god with her entire family inside. So she's angry, jaded, and completely self-sufficient. During one of her jobs as a godkiller, she finds herself saddled with a newly orphaned girl who was seeking her help that she can't bring herself to abandon.

While this story is about the resistance between the people who are for and against the outlawed gods, Kissen's role in the balance, and the friends she has acquired along the way, it is also about the dangers of too much power and if anyone with it can be trusted.

The worldbuilding and characters are standouts in a crowded sea of fantasy series with the bonus of adult, not YA, main characters.

Unfortunately, this book was a loss for me. The author is a strong writer and a great world builder I was sucked in during the prologue to start and lose interest very quickly on. If a book is a trouble for me to read once I've passed the 25% mark then I know I won't be able to pull through. A great concept with interesting characters however there just was something missing for me that couldn't keep me hooked.

Hannah Kaner’s Godkiller offers a rich blend of epic fantasy and intimate storytelling, delivering a captivating narrative that unfolds with a deliberate pace. The novel masterfully explores themes of trust, revenge, found family, and personal growth.

What impressed me most was the depth of the world-building and character development. The story is a slow burn, with the true excitement and momentum building around the 60-70% mark. While the romantic element is minimal, the intricate web of relationships and character evolution compensates for it with a profound and engaging narrative.

The characters—Kissen, Elogast, Inara, and Skedi—are an unlikely ensemble: a godkiller, a knight, a noblewoman, and a god, respectively. Their interconnected stories and evolving dynamics are seamlessly woven together, making their journey of trust and collaboration compelling. The culmination of their individual pasts and present struggles is handled with finesse, culminating in an ending that leaves readers eager for the next installment. Overall, Godkiller is a rewarding read for those who appreciate detailed world-building and complex character arcs.

This book reminds me of the Witcher (mostly the Netflix series because I haven't read the books yet or played the games much). Kissen, Eloghast, and Inara seem like Geralt, Yennifer, and Cirilla to me. These companions in Godkiller go on a quest to find the answers they are looking for, and to protect the youngest member among them. There are secrets among them that made the story interesting, especially when things started to be revealed. I feel like things are set up nicely for the 2nd book in the series.

I can’t believe it took me this long to read Godkiller! It had everything I love to see in fantasy: strong world-building, a long trek full of opportunity for ✨bonding✨, and a cast of characters that I can’t help but root for. I can’t wait to read Sunbringer! 🙌🏽 P.S. after immediately becoming obsessed with Kissen and thinking about how obsessed I am with Gideon from the Locked Tomb series, I think it’s safe to say that “buff women with a heart of gold who could and would stab you” is one of my types 😂

A hair-raising adventure!

Kissen is a godkiller who enjoys making gods suffer after her family was sacrificed to one.
Inara is a little girl with a big god problem. She is bound Skedi, the god of white lies, and neither of them can go very far away from each other without getting hurt. Not wanting Inara to suffer the way she did as a child, Kissen promises to protect Inara while they journey to Blenraden so Inara and Skedi can finally be separated.

During their journey the meet Elogast, a former knight turned baker who will stop at nothing to save his best friend the king, even if it means going back to Blenraden, a place that holds memories that still haunt him.

When the group is attacked by shadow demons, they learn the only way they can make it to Blenraden safely is by trusting each other, but this is easier said then done when so many secrets are being kept.

A hair-raising adventure, Godkiller is a wonderful work of fantasy full of found-family, tests of loyalty, and bitter betrayals.

Fantastic writing and prose and an impressive debut novel. Highly recommend for someone who is interested in dabbling in high fantasy but is often daunted by the length of some of the "classic" or popular books in this genre. My one complaint was that because of the length the passing seemed bumpy at times. With a lot of happening very quickly and then nothing for a period of time. Despite this I am intrigued by the beautiful world and story Kaner has created and will certainly pick up the sequel when it comes.

My favorite part of this book was the main character, Kissen. She's the titular Godkiller, a profession she's pursued after almost being killed by the god who killed the rest of her family when she was a child. Kissen lost one of her lower legs in that struggle but she doesn't let that slow her down, and she has a found family that includes a smith who has created an artificial leg for her. Kissen is grumpy, pragmatic, clearsighted, bighearted and courageous. She ends up shepherding Inara, a young noble girl who's lost her family and Elo, a knight on a mission for his king, as they trek to the city where the Godswar happened for various reasons.

I also loved Skedi the winged jackalope god of white lies. The author managed to get across the alienness of Skedi's needs and fears and despite some of his actions in the book I want the best for him.

The author has created a world with a rich history and a recent upheaval in power- Elo's king has routed the gods from his country and is pursuing a policy of inquisition and persecution to make sure that the gods don't return. This is good for Kissen's pocketbook since she can now do her job in the open instead of under the table but many in the kingdom don't like this seismic change and are working against the king. This is a journey book and I loved traveling through the author's world with the characters. I've got no complaints about this book and want to read the next one, which means 5 stars!

The book had a really strong prologue, and then I lost interest. It follows Kissen, a GodKiller whose life becomes entangled with a strange girl called Inara and her little god, Skedi. Inara and Skedi's bond reminded me of the bond that Lyra has with her Daemon in His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. Other than the MC, the other characters perspectives did not interest me much at all. As Inara is a younger girl, it is told from a younger perspective and I found it slightly irritating to read. However, I am curious about where her journey may go.
The other characters in this book I did not become interested in. I was very interested in reading the things about the gods and their shrines, the different worshipping of gods and their powers.

ABSOLUTELY. Yes. World building and badass characters? What more could you want. Super excited to pick up book 2!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC! I am very grateful and happy to explore everything this author will write in the future as well!

This cover is absolutely beautiful but I wasn't able to get into the world in this book. I didn't understand why the god killers were treated so badly yet people didn't like the gods either. I wasn't able to feel any depth to the characters but I do know this is the authors debut novel and they will improve their writing over time.

I heard so many amazing things about this book from friends and it didn’t disappoint! I think this is a great book for those new to the fantasy genre and a great twist on an age-old story (re: there’s gods to kill!). Absolutely loved the disability rep!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Whew, this was quite the journey! I love a ragtag crew, and this book has a good one, even if it’s a small group. All the characters felt really strong to me — Kissen was all@sharp edges and strength, but balanced with care. I felt like I got to watch Inara grow throughout the book, and I was so proud of her (and Skedi) in the end. And I wish we had spent a little more time with Elo, but his goodness was the perfect balance to the group. I’m excited for the next book!!

First of all, Godkiller's cover is stunning and completely sucked me in! Second, it's not the book... It's me.. I am learning that greek mythology stories are just simply not for me. If you enjoy mythology stories then you're going to love Godkiller for sure!

I was very impressed with this story! I love a story of trust, revenge, found family, and growth. I will say, this was the slowest of slow burns. I wouldn’t consider this one romance but it had one small dose. The slow burn was the world building and character building. I felt that the excitement really came in to play around 60-70% in. Once it picked up, I really really enjoyed it. The stories of Kissen, Elogast, Inara and Skedi are so impressively intertwined. Their pasts and presents come together so perfectly. They are an unlikely group: a godkiller, a knight, a noble girl and a god. All of them learning to trust and work together throughout was really nice and the ending really has me excited to start book 2!