Liked but did not love. Really appreciated the diversity in a fantasy though. The pacing was uneven through the middle and I could not stop thinking about Lyra and Pan every time the bond between Inara and Skediceth was mentioned.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Harper Voyager for an eARC of Godkiller!

Absolutely incredible! I loved everything about Godkiller. The worldbuilding, the characters, and the writing are all so well done. What a debut! I’m so glad I bought the book and have a special edition!

Author: Hannah Kaner
Source: DRC via NetGalley (Avon and Harper Voyager, Harper Voyager) in exchange for an honest review.
Publication Date: September 12, 2023
Synopsis: Goodreads
Purchase Link: Amazon

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Why did I choose to read this book?

I was scrolling through the “Most Requested Books” area of NetGalley when this ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS COVER caught my eye. When I read the description and found (1) payback/revenge storyline, (2) consequences of a past war against the gods???, and (3) mysterious/brooding knight I was in 100% and I am so thankful that my request was granted.

What is this book about? (Synopsis: Goodreads)

Ultimately this book is about exploring themes of obligation, guilt, duty, and choice/freedom. Kissen (the godkiller) does her job as a way of asserting that she doesn’t need any help from anyone and that she wants to kill gods because of what a god did to her and her family when she was a child. She appears to be free, but she’s just running from inevitability. The noble girl Kissen is helping is chained to a small god and neither of them know why. The knight is chained by his duty to his king and their past involvement in the god war. Everybody is in guilty/revenge jail and that drives the plot. I would suggest that this book is about how all the characters make progress toward their own versions of freedom from burdens they did not ask for.

What is notable about this story?

I cared about everyone in this book. I cared about what was happening to them. I got angry when bad things happened to them. I wanted them to find peace, revenge, whatever it took for them to be happy. I read this book very quickly, not because it was short but because I couldn’t bear to be away from the characters for too long; I had to know what happened next.

This was what I would call a gripping tale. 100% fascinating: the worldbuilding, the magic systems, the gods, the history, the politics, EVERYTHING.

Was anything not so great?

This isn’t so much a critique as it is a question. Is there a kind of god in this universe that could be considered helpful and good at all stages of development? We see the world of the gods mostly through Kissen’s eyes, and as a god killer it’s not ever in a positive light. Her attitude changes as she interacts with Skedi (the tiny god bound to the young noble girl) but I think the question still stands. If even Skedi grows to a powerful form, is it possible for him to still be good? Or would even he eventually demand more sacrifices/offerings than are possible/humane? Being left with this big of a question at the end of a first book is disappointing but acceptable, as long as it eventually gets answered.

What’s the verdict?

5 stars on Goodreads – if you’re a fan of fantasy and knights and gods and weird creatures and revenge this one is a GO BUY IT RIGHT NOW TRUST ME IT’S WORTH IT!!!

Godkiller is an incredible debut novel by Hannah Kaner, and I cannot wait to see where she takes the story in the sequel.

Starting off strong with a beautiful cover, an intriguing prologue, and a badass FMC, Kaner takes the reader on a beautiful journey full with descriptive world building, interesting side characters, and multiple points of view.

To be completely transparent, it was a bit of a slow read for me in the beginning (which was a bit of a plot twist since the prologue was so capturing and intense). However, once most of the backstory telling is done and out main characters converge, I found myself flipping through the pages into the late hours of the night. The quick-paced, action-packed, and tense happenings had me hooked and I couldn't put the book down.

Kissen, our FMC, is a breath of fresh air. She is witty, headstrong, independent, queer, a redhead (which I am obsessed with), and is just a badass all around. The other characters we follow in the book are Elo, Inara, and Skedi. All stand strong on their own but also mesh so well within the book. It was great to get their POV throughout the book and get glimpses into their pasts and how they came to be who they are.

Absolutey loved this book, and the trip that it took me on through a new godly world. Cant wait for the next book in the series.

This book was everything I wanted and more. I absolutely adored the characters and the world building was spectacular. I was invested at every turn and the multiple point of views were so well written I loved each one. The found family aspect was one of my favourite parts of the story and the character dynamics we so heartwarming/wrenching and beautiful.

Do yourself a favour and add this to your immediate TBR list. It’s a wonderful adventure story full of twists and turns and I hope everyone who loves fantasy will enjoy it as much as I have.

I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this. If you said it had a pocket sized god, that in this book is frowned upon, that made me like him even when he did not so great things, I’d say no way! But yes way!

A literal killer of the gods ends up on a journey with the little pocket sized god and his *owner*. What could go wrong?

I liked when all the POVs met up together and it all synced. I was not expecting the ending. The authors writing is stellar and I think the plot itself was quite refreshing. The middle bits are nothing too extravagant but the little pocket god more than made up for it. It packs back up pretty quickly and leaves you with a lot of action. The diversity of characters was pretty great too. Looking forward to see what comes next!

I don’t know that I have ever read a book that had such a gripping Prologue. I had high hopes that this was going to be a fast paced action packed read, I was partly right. The book slowed down immediately, which left me a little disappointed for most of the book. However, the story picks up about 3/4 of the way through. I felt that Elo’s chapters were very slow and almost hard for me to care. It wasn’t until he joined our main group that I started liking him as a character. Kissen however, was interesting from the start for me. You can’t go wrong with a strong female character, I was also very happy with her character development throughout the book. I appreciated the LBGTQ+ and disability representation as well. I thought this was going to be a 3 star read for me but the last couple of chapters really pulled me in and earned another star. I’ll be waiting for the sequel.

I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

GODKILLER is brings together action, lore, and emotion in this epic fantasy. Kaner showcases her talent by breathing life into deeply flawed and beautifully conceived characters while throwing them down a path for answers and to complete a secret quest.

The thing I loved about this particular tale is that it is driven by the characters. They are center stage and it is their engagement with each other as well as the world they live in which propel the narrative forward. Though I would have loved a little more background to the gods and magic, I became instantly invested in Kissen, Eulogist, Inara, and Skedi from the first few chapters. The candor and inner struggles brought to the surface felt real. There was no shying away from tough moments even though there were breaks with witty banter and quirky antics.

This world the author created is vivid and rich with potential to explore in the next book. As a reader, it is my hope that we get to know more about Inara and delve further into the gods still making their presence known and wanting to be worshiped. All in all, Kaner came to play with this entertaining and all-consuming fantasy.

I just finished and feel like I need to process but also I need to say how amazing this book is!

A god, the child he's bound to, a godkiller, and a retired knight find themselves joining paths on their respective quests. The god and child aim to be freed. The godkiller to protect the child. The knight turned baker to save his King.

The world building is incredible, and I absolutely loved the characters. Loved that Kissen's disability is portrayed how it is. Excellent portrayal of PTSD in Elo. The ending?? I need the next book ASAP!

Gods are forbidden in the Kingdom of Middren. But as long as humans worship and create shrines for these Gods, they will exist. The stronger the worship and the more shrines, the stronger the Gods.

Kissen witnessed her family be murdered by the fire god and now she vows to kill all gods she runs into. That is until she is tasked to help a daughter of a noble who has bonded with a God, Skediceth.

Elogast is a former King’s knight and has fought in the God War. He helped destroy a city full of god shrines and gods and now he has “retired” to live a simple life and bake. Yes he is a baker. But now the King has tasked Elo to go on a secret mission to Blenraden, the city he once helped destroy and where gods still reside. On the way he meets with Kissen, the noble’s daughter: Inara, and Skediceth, and they cannot know what he’s on a quest for. But they soon face a challenge only they can stop.

R ead this if you love:
✨Queer normative worlds
✨Bad ass FMC out for revenge
✨Found family
✨Disability rep (the rep was fucking REPPIN’)
✨Big Quest
✨HIGH FANTASY

Ok. For how short this was, it took me a bit to get into it. I think my only gripe with this story was that it took 1/3ish of the book to actually get going. Keep in mind, this book is 294 pages! But once it got going, it was GOOD. I recommend this to anyone who loves dark fantasy where romance is not the main focus. There are four POV’s in this story and it was daunting at first but it actually was not confusing at all. With this type of story you’re gonna need all the POV’s.

The world building and character development was fantastic. Like I can’t believe how great it was in such a short book but Hannah perfected it. Each character has had a hard past and you get to see how they deal with it throughout this story. I also love that gods don’t have to be this *literally* BIG god. They come in all sizes and they are literal beings/animalistic characters rather than an invisible dude.

Kissen is a bad ass and she makes a living killing gods despite a disability she has had since childhood. And although I am attached to each character, I think I enjoyed reading about Elogast the most. How he handles PTSD after fighting in the God War to how he’s able to face his personal demons and still have a high sense of honor. What’s not to love on a former knight turned baker? This group that is forced to work together is so unique because they don’t necessarily trust each other. They all have different viewpoints and it was no easy feat to journey and grow together. I just know that Hannah has set this up for an epic fantasy series. I cannot wait to read more.

Thank you @netgalley and @harpervoyagerus for the eARC and physical ARC! ❤️

This book, and its main characters, grew on me over the course of reading it. Kissen the godkiller joins up with a 12 year old girl bonded with a god, and a traumatized former knight on a quest to find more gods, in a country where gods are illegal. These characters, including the bonded god, all have very different agendas, so it's interesting to see what develops. The book doesn't have a YA feel despite the one young character. The story was quite enjoyable, and came to a satisfying conclusion, with plenty of threads to be picked up for a sequel.

✨ book review ✨

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you HarperCollins for providing me with a paper copy and an ARC of the book in exchange for this review.

This is probably one of my favorite fantasies I’ve read to date.

It’s got everything: found family, queerness, female protagonist(s) with a murder problem, a man with immense trauma and baking skills. I loved it ALL!

The story focuses on three POVs between the main characters: Kissen, a veiga (or professional godkiller), Inara, a young noblewoman’s daughter who is spiritually connected to a god, and Elo, a former knight turned baker who’s trying to run from his past. They are on a quest to try and quell a rebellion, as well as pursue their own selfish wants, in a time where gods are outlawed and their worshippers persecuted.

The plot was perfectly paced: it wasn’t too slow and the worldbuilding was incorporated flawlessly. The characters are well-designed and flawed in their own unique ways. I really resonated with Kissen and her struggle to process her traumatic past and trying to not let it have a hold over her. For fantasy, I appreciate when the characters are so relatable that they transcend the genre.

However, the book ended on a cliffhanger - and that threw me for a damn loop 😆

A must for anyone who loves H.M. Long, The Witcher or Nordic-inspired fantasy.

Godkiller by Hannah Kraner is a journey of misfit individuals, each travelling to Blenraden, the last remaining City of Gods, for their own purposes. Inara and her personal god of white lies, Skedi, are joined at the hip but also at the heart and soul. Kissen is a jaded Godkiller known as a Vega who is out to rid the world of as many gods as possible, but has her own reason for why she hates gods so much. Elogast (Elo) is a fallen knight with guilt in his heart and a debt to be paid. Each is motivated by their own loss, grief, anger, revenge, and reason. Overall, I did enjoy this book though I did find the story to be a slow roll and was unsure of where the story was really planning to go until the final 25% or so. The journey felt a bit arbitrary, and I did not know what was motivating each of the characters towards their end goal other than simply duty and that’s not always the best motivation. The little god Skedi is probably one of my favorites because he is so multifaceted and flawed and there’s something about characters like that I love so much. There’s so much growth available for these types of characters, when they make mistakes, we see them fall and we get to see them rise and overcome their lowest low. I do look forward to seeing what else may come from Kraner and her world of Gods and Godkillers. There feels like quite a bit more could be waiting on the horizon.

Currently a DNF, but I may to go back and try again. I am having a hard time getting into the story and the world building is very intense with a lot of odd names, multiple view points and not much going on... Maybe I'm just not in the right frame of mind? I've heard so many good things....

If you’re a fan of V.E. Schwab or Ava Reid than this book is for you! A rich and diverse fantasy filled with idiosyncratic characters and hilariously redundancies (like a godkiller traveling with a small, persuasive god). The dynamics between all the characters are gritty and (mostly) realistic. The build of the bond between Kissen and Elogast was gorgeously done and culminated wonderfully in the ending of the book. Inara was there, and she was very much a character I didn’t like and struggled to tolerate but that is more in relation to my own preferences than the author's writing and character development. She is well developed and many people I know have called her their favorite character but, for me, I could barely stand her. Personally, when I pick up an adult novel I’m expecting adult characters and narratives so Inara fell short in my eyes but, if that isn’t a turn-off for you, then this is a wonderful book. It does start rather slowly but once I got into it it was very enjoyable!

Godkiller just had so much to love. I was initially drawn in by the unique and gorgeous cover art but I knew by the end of page one it was going to be a great read. It took no time at all to completely immerse myself in this unique fantasy novel. The author's descriptive prove and atmospheric world just sucked me in. The pacing was probably the only thing that felt off to me. It suffered from dragging and rushing at times but not enough to get in the way of enjoying the story. The characters were so real and complex. Kissen was definitely my favorite characters and a wonderful disability rep. I highly recommend this one to fantasy lovers!

Thank you to the author, the publishers, and netgalley for this alc in exchange for an honest review.

Ahoy there mateys! This book completely floated me boat.  I loved the characters.  I loved the world building.  I loved the plot.  The prologue was an immersive and harrowing introduction to the character of Kissen (the godkiller) and also of how the gods in the world work (scarily). 

Kissen grows up to be the godkiller and she is the snarky, truthful, strong-willed type that I love.  Another pov is that of Inara, a young noble, who is bound to a young god named Skedi.  The third pov is that of ex-knight turned baker named Elogast who lives in torment from his past.  Of course, all of these characters' paths eventually intertwine.

I loved that all four of the characters deal with tragedy.  Kissen has a prosthetic leg, a lost family, and a new found family to fight for.  Inara is trapped on the manor with a mother she loves but one she knows is keeping secrets from her.  Elogast suffers from PTSD and can't escape his memories of the war and pushes everyone away.  Even Skedi, the god, is terrified of dying and doesn't remember his past.

The plot has a bit of an old-fashioned feel with a journey and quest-of-sorts.  The way the gods work highly interested me and I particularly enjoyed finding out the details of the previous god war.  Kissen dealing with the gods and providing insight into how they worked was a highlight.  Inara grew on me.  Skedi (a god of white lies) made me grumpy but eventually redeems himself.  I loved how the book ended.  It can be read as an open-ended finale to a standalone just fine.  But I am glad that another book set in this world is currently in the works.  Arrr!

This was such an interesting book. I haven't read many books that deal with the nature of divinity in fantasy and the idea that gods gain strength through worship so I found following Kissen's quest so interesting, especially when she meets Skedi. I liked that the core group followed characters that were in different age ranges and parts of life because it complicated the group dynamics and made for a lot of unforced humor. I struggled a bit with the pacing of the story and the beginning felt a bit disjointed but it sped up as the characters came together and I'm interested to see where the story goes moving forward.

When Kissen was young, her family was sacrificed by her village and burned for the fire god. Now, she makes a living killing gods.

I've been wanting to read Godkiller before I even knew what it was about. Who could resist this cover?! I'm glad I enjoyed the book as much as I love the cover though because that makes it even more satisfying to get.

Godkiller is a fascinating story about gods, what they want, the weight of sacrifices they ask for, and what desperate people are willing to do to gain a god's favor. I loved the characters in this book. Kissen and Inara gave me strong reluctant guardian / ward vibes (think Joe and Ellie from The Last of Us), there's a conflicted knight turned baker, and a small god of white lies tangled in it all.

Godkiller has great queer and disability rep, found family, and exploration of godhood in fantasy. I breezed through this one and already wish I had the sequel in my hands.

* ARC courtesy of NetGalley - thank you for the opportunity to give my honest opinion! *

The first thing I want to rave about is the worldbuilding in Godkiller. I love the idea of the Gods no longer being something consistently worshiped, and instead wiped out with any remaining shrines/cults having to make their offerings in secret to give them any power. And let's face it - Kissen's title of "Godkiller" is just overall badass! It's a breath of fresh air from a sea of characters being chosen by gods, the offspring of gods, or re/incarnations of gods.

The pacing of the story itself dragged in parts for me. The prologue was a punch to the gut, but then the beginning of the story slowed down a lot as our main cast got introduced and the pieces of everything started drifting into place. The middle itself dragged a lot and I nearly didn't finish the book several times just because my interest would wander, but then the end was like the prologue - it grabbed me by the shoulders, threw me against the wall, and yelled at me for almost being a coward.

I wouldn't say I was obsessed with the book overall. It was fine, just maybe lacking a certain spark (whether it be from the characters or the writing itself) to really draw me in. But I'm interested to see what happens in the next installment!