Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Sunbringer was a great follow up to Godkiller, especially since it picked up right where we were left at the end of the first book. It definitely had a slower start, but once you made it past that, the tempo was good, and kept me engaged the whole time. I love the unique world that Ms. Kaner has built for us readers, and loved every second spent in it.

This was definitely one of my most highly anticipated reads for the spring 2024 season. “Godkiller” was one of those great books where I went in with very little knowledge or expectation when I started it and then was blown away by just how much I loved it! It also ended not on a cliffhanger, per se, but on a fairly big action sequences with our characters stumbling to find new ways forward after their initial goals and their plans that were, sometimes quite literally, blown out of the water. So how does this one stand up? Let’s dive in!

I’ll say right from the start that I don’t think this book was quite the high that was “Godkiller.” However, I think that would have been a very high bar to reach, and the goals that needed to be met in this story to lead to the ultimate conclusion in the third book (didn’t know there was going to be a third book until very recently!) also necessitated some of these stumbling blocks. There are a lot of moving pieces, most especially the characters themselves who have to quite literally move from one place to another over a large chunk of space. And, of course, there were some important character beats that had to be hit properly to continue them all along their series-long arcs.

As far as the characters go, Inara largely takes center stage in this book (a bit to my disappointment, as Kissen remains by favorite of the three by far). Her story is very interesting in that she’s a child character, and the book doesn’t shy away from presenting her this way. She can be stubborn, irrational, and sometimes thoughtless about the repercussions of her choices. But she’s also endearing and a girl on the verge of womanhood who finds herself in a disrupted world with very few people on whom she can rely. I also appreciated the fact that the book acknowledged the more tenuous relationship between Inara and Elo. Kissen was the glue that held this group together, and without her, we quickly see these two’s bonds begin to stretch when presented with their differing goals.

Elo’s story was fairly straight-forward, and of the three, felt a bit wayward. He has a clear plot line, but even though action is happening on the page, I felt like the reader was left spinning their wheels during much of his page time. Through him, we also spent a lot of time getting to know various other side characters who, frankly, I just didn’t care about. Worse, the book didn’t really give me reason to care about them; their stories were very must restricted to the minor events of this book, only to, by the end, feel fairly meaningless with regards to the greater story of the trilogy as a whole.

Kissen, of course, was wonderful. She’s simply a more charismatic lead character than Elo or Inara, someone who is fun to read about, pure and simple. Again, however, much of her story felt a bit aimless, especially in the first half. It’s not until the last thirty percent of the book that it becomes clear where her storyline is even going. Once it does, I liked the challenges that Kissen faced when having to re-evaluate her worldview and her role in the future conflict.

As you may have pieced together from these three character explanations, my biggest disappointment for this book was the simple fact that our main three characters spend practically no time together. I’m not sure if Kissen even exchanges any words with Elo?? It’s fairly extreme as far as character separations go, especially for a sequel of a book that had such a strong team dynamic at the center of its story.

That said, while many of my quibbles came down to what felt like “second book syndrome,” I still ended the book on an extremely high note. The story took a few switches that I truly didn’t expect, and the grand scale conflict ahead seems turbulent and morally complicated, the best kind! We had a few important reveals, and I enjoyed the important challenges that our three main characters faced with regards to their views of this world and what the future would look like. They all started in one place, but by the end, each has been significantly challenged to broaden their understanding of what is going on and who they are.

Overall, I think this was a solid sequel. I was disappointed by the lack of time the characters spent together, but I also see the important character beats that they all hit through these more separate adventures. There’s also a great conflict set up at the end that promises a very dynamic and exciting conclusion to the trilogy. Fans of the first book will likely enjoy this one, and I think it’s well worth it just to see where it all goes from here!

Rating 8: A bit of a stumble from the near-perfection of the first book, but still a solid sequel that promises great things to come!

(Link will go live March 6 on The Library Ladies blog)

Starting this right after the first really helped me stay in it and enjoy this book. Other than that it was a little slower but I was glad to continue the character development from the last book and can’t wait for book three.
How feeling protective of the group with everything they have been thru so far. These books feel inclusive with disabilities and LGBTQ+

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a great and a typical 2nd book. It had great charcter study, world building and quite a cast of characters. I’m excited to read the last book in this trilogy. I hope it turns out to be a great ending for the beloved characters.

Sunbringer starts right where Godkiller leaves off. Though I struggled getting into this, I love the world Hannah Kaner created. It started a little slow, but picks ups. The characters are great, the pace is slow.

Fascinating story about the relationship between people and gods. You have people out to kill all Gods, a king who wants to be a God, and weary godkillers seeing a benefit in the gods at last. Amongst all of it a girl with strange powers over Gods. This is an epic story spanning several books. I can see it spanning into different arcs as well. I found the action to be fast paced, the transitions between many characters smooth and the story exciting. I recommend this story for fantasy lovers who appreciate LGBTQ+ characters and societies.

I received an E-Arc in exchange for my honest review. Thank you HarperVoyager!

I really liked this, though I think it suffers the typical problems of book two in a trilogy. I can see where we’re going, but we’re not getting there in this book.
What I did love is the character development. Inara and Skedi really shine here. I also really enjoyed the background characters like Telle and Yatho being fleshed out a little more.

It was so good to be back in Middren.

Sunbringer picks up immediately after Godkiller's cliffhanger ending, as we follow our crews' next steps: Kissen's journey to reunite with her friends, Elo's confrontation with his changing loyalties, Inara's evolving powers and search for her heritage, and Skedi's growth as an individual and a friend. We get to spend more time in Lesscia, and meet several new gods and goddesses along the way.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and found myself racing through it. The ending sets us up for an epic third book, as our ragtag group is left facing a terrifying, unexpected threat to all of Middren.

I love these characters and this world, and the amazing queer and disability representation included. Sunbringer was full of character development, especially Skediceth, which was lovely to read. My only struggle with this one was the pacing - my same struggle with Godkiller but something I thought was significantly improved in this second book. I'm anxiously looking forward to the third book now, and more time with Kissen and the rest of the crew!

If you enjoyed Godkiller you will love this one, out March 12, 2024.

Thank you @netgalley and @harpervoyagerus for my digital ARC!

Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner is an epic fantasy and the second of a trilogy that continues the adventures of godkiller, Kissen; orphaned noble, Inara, and her little god, Skediceth; and Elogast, former knight of the king. I adored the first book, Godkiller, and was so excited to read this next book.

It absolutely met every expectation and more. My e-reader said it would take me over 6 hours to get through, and it did, but hours slipped by as I had a hard time putting the book down. I was always itching to turn the next page, to find out what happened next. The author did a phenomenal job weaving in parts of the first story that had impact on this second one, and I appreciated having the information to connect pieces myself.

I love the depth of the world Kaner built with Middren and the surrounding countries. This book, more than the first, gives the sense of how large the world is and how small the characters in it. It felt like true epic fantasy in that sense, even if we’re just looking into these individual lives and people doing their best to survive. The characterization is phenomenal and the characters continue to be deep, interesting and flawed. Even the secondary characters, such as Yatho, Telle, Canovan, and some new faces, pulled at my heartstrings.

I cannot express how much I loved reading this book and am so looking forward to the final book next year. With Sunbringer, Kaner has solidified herself as one of my favorite authors. I can’t wait to see what the next book holds for Middren and all these characters I’ve come to love.

Favorite quote:
"She had never understood it, why humans chose, again and again, gods who abused their love, who demanded their pain."

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for allowing me to read this book as an ARC so I could give an honest review.

The book is starts off a little slow but really enjoyed the development of the other characters of the party
I love Skedi and Inara as a pair and can't wait for them to be the ultimate power! Kissen is a badass and thought how she is kind of off on her own side quest was a good idea to help tie in later. I also thought the ending to this book was really well done and I am stoked to get more from this series.

Another excellent story from Kaner! I really enjoy the world she has created as well as the characters that seem so real because they aren't all perfect. I'm looking forward to the next book.

I dropped everything to read this and it did not disappoint. Sunbringer was just as propulsive as Godkiller and successfully develops our characters to make them all the more dynamic. Skedi and Ina’s relationship was particularly endearing as they challenge their limits and quite literally grow up. Like with many trilogy middle books this is clearly a building and stage setting story. While it remains engaging in its own right, I did find myself anxious to “get the band back together” and cannot wait for the final installment.

Thank you to HarperVoyager and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for this honest review.

I enjoyed Sunbringer a lot more than I did Godkiller. The second installment in the Fallen Gods triology was a fast paced read that hooked me in from the beginning! I typically don’t enjoy multi POV books, but I liked this one as all the characters were separated and experiencing different things. I also really enjoyed that the author added in the POV of Arren in this book. I also enjoyed seeing Inara really come into her own this book.
Sunbringer picks off right where Godkiller ends-Elo, Inara, Skedi, Kissen, and even Legs are all trying to return to life and figure out the next steps after the god Hsetra was killed by Kissen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper voyager for the ARC.

I will admit, this book is a whole lot of not much. You can see everything ramping up and the world expanding, but I feel like this book suffers from second-book syndrome. It wasn't as action-packed and fast-paced as Godkiller was.

Maybe because my favorite character, Kissen, basically gets side-lined the entire plot, I can't say that this was the best sequel to the wonder of Godkiller.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVoyager for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

It is always so much harder to write a review for a book that I adored than for one I had feedback on— just because I have so much less to say, but I feel like the work still deserves to have its praises sung. As with “Godkiller,” “Sunbringer,” was a masterpiece— of storytelling, of world building, of writing, all of it. I wish I had read it faster, and enjoyed this wild ride all in one sitting (like I probably will when I reread it) and I wish I had read it slower, because now the wait for the final installment will be torturous. I know I will be thinking about these characters and their story long after it comes to a close. Kissen, Inara, Skedi, and Elogast (and Kelt) all have a special place in my heart, and their story is not one to be missed.

"Return to the world of Godkiller in this thrilling sequel to the #1 internationally bestselling fantasy debut.

When Middren falls to the gods, your kind will be the first to die.

Gods are forbidden in the kingdom of Middren - but now they are stirring, whispering of war. Godkiller Kissen sacrificed herself to vanquish the fire god Hseth, who murdered her family and endangered her friends. But gods cannot be destroyed so easily, and Hseth's power threatens to reform with even greater strength and a thirst for vengeance. As tensions rise throughout the land, the kingdom needs its Godkiller more than ever.

Still reeling from the loss of Kissen, young noble Inara and her little god of white lies, Skedi, have set out to discover more about the true nature of their bond. As the divide between gods and humans widens, Inara and Skedi will uncover secrets that could determine the fate of the war to come.

Meanwhile, Elogast, no longer a loyal knight of King Arren, has been tasked with killing the man he once called friend. The king vowed to eradicate all gods throughout the land, but has now entered into an unholy pact with the most dangerous of them all. And where his heart once beat, a god now burns..."

Seriously, I have such cover lust for this series.

Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Voyager for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Godkiller was one of my favorite books of last year and I was SO EXCITED when I got the approval email from NetGalley for Sunbringer!!!

Sunbringer picks up where the events in Godkiller left off and we follow our ragtag group of heroes in separate narrative chapters as they embark on their respective journeys. I loved getting to interact with individual characters more and the author did an amazing job with the world building. We learn so much more about gods big and small which I found to be fascinating. I love the magic system in this series and how intertwined magic and gods are and how one man is willing to fight a war to bring one back. It gave me major Game of Thrones vibes when a certain faction of the Faith of the Seven is given a ridiculous amount of power.

The middle part of the book was a little too slow for me, but the last 30% FLEW!! There are TWISTS, unlikely alliances, and a great setup for the final book in the trilogy. I physically gasped, jaw dropped, and sat up ramrod straight at one point (no spoilers here but IT’S WILD!!!!)

If you enjoyed Godkiller, you will absolutely enjoy Sunbringer!!

4.5 rounded about to 5!

You’ve heard of second book syndrome right? Well the second book in the fallen gods trilogy certainly didn’t suffer from that. I must admit it has been awhile since I read the first book, Godkiller, so it was a little slow for me to get into. After about 15 percent in it really started to pick up and just kept going from there. Hannah Kaner writes her characters so well. While the book contains 5 perspectives, it never feels too much. Each character has their own voice and you truly feel for them. You ache when they ache. You laugh when they laugh. The found family in this is wonderful as well as the character development. Inara and Skedi’s story arc is my favorite and they both have grown so much since the first book. I love them both so dearly. Kissen was put through the wringer once again but by now we know how stubborn our girl is and that she will always persevere. Elo and Arren’s story is so complex and I’m anxious to see what becomes of them. The world has gotten bigger and at times more confusing but that did not deter me from the enjoyment of the book. I can’t wait for the finale!

This book was such a fun and amazing read I loved every second of it and couldn't put it down! I absolutely loved the first book so much and I've been so excited to read this it did not disappoint at all

This book is the sequel to Godkiller, a book that I really enjoyed. It is an excellent sequel. The story is evolving nicely. The characters continue to be memorable and complex. The twist at the end is especially good. I do think it would be wise to read Godkiller first.
Thanks to NetGalley for an eGalley of this title.