Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with an Uncorrected e-proof of this book.

This is a great end to the series. The author builds up to the big final battle gradually and logically and what happens at the very end has impact and feels well earned. I really enjoyed the whole trilogy, and this is a good payoff of the relationships and a good end to the stories of the characters.

Things I liked:

Anything to do with Kissen. Kissen is a great character and has always been what has drawn me to the series and what makes it sort of unique for me. She's an original person, tough and cynical but not in the way of some "tough lady" fantasy characters where they're just invincible badasses or the kind of character where we're told how amazing they are at what they do but we never see it. Kissen isn't perfect by any means, but she gets by on her wits and her will and I just like everything about her.

The parts of the book with Kissen, Inara, Skedi and Inara's mother Lessa travelling to Irisia to try to win their support for the war are awesome. They're my favorite parts, full of action and dramatic tensions and pirate battles and the wary building of trust between Lessa and Inara and Lessa and Kissen. All of this was done very well, and I enjoyed it a lot. Lessa is also a good character. As much as I would've loved her POV, not having it is even better. She's supposed to be an enigma to them at first, and it made me have even more interest and watching them figure each other out. My only complaint about these interactions is that there weren't enough of them. I would've especially liked more scenes in the last third of the book with Lessa and Kissen. I wanted an epilogue chapter from Kissen's POV, in part because this started with her, and it would've been nice to bring it full circle with how's feeling.

The end of Inara's journey from scared kid who just lost her home and family and was begging a surly stranger for help in the first book, to who she is in this book is done very well, particularly during the parts where she's trying to figure out where she stands with her mother and how she can help with the cause. She makes mistakes and has made mistakes, but she learns from them, and ultimately she's just a kid who is in a position no kid has probably ever been before and it makes sense there'd be some growing pains. I liked seeing her relationship with Skedi settle into what it is in this book after all the turmoil in the last couple as they tried to figure themselves out.

(If the author wanted to write a second trilogy just focusing on the Craiers and Kissen and their lives after all this, I'd read it. I wouldn't even care if there was no action, just their day to day lives, which is to me the mark of a good character, they're interesting enough that you'd watch them just going about their business, god war aside. This whole book could've been about them and I wouldn't have minded).

The battle scenes and action scenes, like those in the rest of the series are great. Clearly written so you know exactly where people are and what is happening when the author wants you to. Sometimes, especially in epic fantasy battles, there's so much going on that it becomes hard to track where everyone is and what they're doing. Whether it was a duel between two people, or a giant battle, you always knew what was going on, and (just as importantly) you never got so bogged down in logistics that the scene lost momentum.

Hseth is a scary ass villain and the priests and worshippers who follow her are scary as well. The author has a fairly nuanced take on the whole issue of faith, how faith can be a great good, but can also drive people to do the most horrible things. Taken to its extreme, faith is terrifying. But it can also provide comfort and hope. Both those sides are represented here in ways that do not bash you over the head with the message the author is trying to get across. This portion of the story was well executed.

I liked the parts of Elo's story where he finished his journey of allowing himself to be who he truly was, of reconnecting with his old friends, with his role as a general who could make a difference, and coming to the realization of all the things he was hiding from. I find Elo himself not to be terribly interesting as a character (he is, at his core, a very upstanding honorable knight, and nothing AT ALL about that changes from the first time we see him to the last; he has an inner arc where he accepts his role, but he kind of stays the same person, which is fine, because I like him well enough, but makes it sort of... not as compelling to read about him). Most of his worries and conflicts are external to himself, and a lot if it is beating himself up over things he either can't control or that he perceives as his fault that aren't (because most of them ARE ARREN'S FAULT).

Anyway, I really enjoyed the story, I really enjoyed the way she ended the series, I thought it was all wrapped up very well, and the thing that happens at the very end did make me cry. The book was also well written, with strong characters and well drawn relationships and the world building continues to be top notch. The twists are good, the surprises, surprising (I thought the last battle's tactics were particularly clever).

I feel like this is a book that could've actually benefitted from being epic fantasy length, with more details about the relationships and showing us more interactions between the characters (by this i mean... more chapters with Kissen, Inara and Skedi)

HOWEVER, here are the things that bugged me... or rather the primary thing that bugged me.

I hate Arren. I hate him. I didn't like spending time in his head. I didn't like that everyone had to forgive him. It even bothered me that he's tormenting himself about trying to be a better man. I get exactly why the author does this. I understand why he's trying to do better, and I appreciate he's not trying to light anyone on fire or plotting to murder his own lords anymore, but the bottom line is EVERYTHING that is happening, the war, Hseth, the burning and sacrifices and blood, it's all his fault. He's the one that facilitated all of it, and he continues to make awful, obviously dangerous and foolish decisions (particularly in terms of who he trusts) in this book. I get that his mother was awful, and that he is desperate for love, I understand that as a character motivation, but I just can't like him.

And this means that all the time spent in his head, and listening to Elo think about him I just... didn't feel engaged it. I didn't care whether he lived or died except as it affected the characters I actually liked. I didn't care what happened to him in the end. I would've rather all the battle scenes and scenes from their end of the war had been from either Elo's POV or someone else's. Perhaps it's irrational, and I don't get the impression that the author wants us to forgive him, but every time it switched to his POV or Elo tormented himself over how much he'd changed I just rolled my eyes and thought "get me out of this guy's head".

Others will most likely not mind as much, but I didn't like him through two books when he was the villain, and I hate him even more now. This is the problem with trying to make the guy who was murdering and burning people into someone who is trying to be good. It happens a lot in fiction, and it has to be handled carefully. It helps if he learns from his mistakes and stops doing stupid things but Arren really doesn't.

Luckily, there are alternating chapters, and it's not hard to just speed through them to someone else's POV, but it's another book of watching this guy make very stupid decisions and then other people having to pay for them (in this case, his entire country). I almost feel like I'd have been happier with him dying at the end of the last one.

So harsh as it may be the book gets a 1/2 star off for making me live in this guy's head for even as much as it did.

The other 1/2 star I took off in my head is something that involves SPOILERS, so please stop reading here if you don't want spoilers.




Kissen's beloved horse, Legs, who has survived some SHIT in the first two books, ends up dying in a sort of stupid meaningless way, and the only reason it appears to happen is so that Elo can have one more thing to feel sad about. I get that Legs is a horse, so it's not like this is the most important thing ever, but when something happens in a book, I want it to make sense. Yes, I understand that in real life, things don't have to make sense, that senseless tragedy happens all the time, however, this is a book. The author has control of how things happen and why.

Elo just lost a ton of his friends, watched his former squire die, watched one of his old friends' husband die in his arms... why exactly does he *need* further tragedy except to give him a link back to Kissen and to beat himself up for breaking a promise to her (and what's even dumber is Kissen, because she is Kissen, doesn't even blame him or give him a hard time). Why does it even need to happen at all? Especially because the poor horse burns to death.

It also doesn't make a lot of sense logistically. Why exactly was Legs anywhere near the battle front. Elo goes around talking about how he's not a war horse and gives him to a little noble girl to take care of (I kind of get why he rode Legs to the front, because he's a connection to Kissen), but they knew the battle was coming for a few days. The nobles had all moved back to the rear, why wasn't Legs with the noble girl, who had probably moved away from the fighting? Why was he even in a position to be burned to death on the front line. This is never explained and just adds to the feeling that it was only done to make Elo even MORE tormented, which was unnecessary. Elo has been tormented the whole time. He doesn't need any help being stoic and sad.

Anyway, this annoys me in part because I really liked Legs and think it's annoying that Kissen loses a horse she's loved for years, and partly because in a book where the author is so good with her logistics and making sure we know where everyone is and sets up everything so well, it just seems like a pointless tragedy when there are plenty of other tragedies to choose from.

I mean, even Arren's death in the very end is set up well, and he gets exactly what he deserves. He dies as he lived, making stupid decisions based on trusting people who he thinks love him without thinking through the consequences. In fact, he almost loses the last fight at the end because of not noticing when people are about to betray him because all he cares about is how much they profess to love him. (Man, I really don't like him lol)

Horse rant ended haha.

Despite these issues, I highly recommend this book and this trilogy.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for this review!
This is the last book in the Fallen Gods trilogy and it will absolutely break your heart and mend it back together. I actually can't get over one of the things that happened, even though there was a ton of foreshadowing. I chose to live in denial. © The character development and worldbuilding was probably some of the best that l've ever read.
Overall, this was a really good trilogy that I feel had the perfect mix of politics, romance, and fantasy.

For the love of god, prepare yourself before you read this book. I thought, after two full books by Hannah Kaner, I knew what to expect. I was wrong. Dear god, was I wrong.

In the conclusion to her Fallen Gods trilogy, the author created a masterpiece, weaving together the threads of the first two into a stunning climax that - no exaggeration - blew me away. She managed to bring in all the players who made the first two books what they were (plus some delightful new ones) and merge them into a sweeping narrative that surprises nearly as much as it delivers.

My wife teases me over how often and early I predict where a story is going. I can say with full honesty and zero malice that Hannah Kaner blew me away. I broke down in tears when it was over, and I do believe that is the first time any book has accomplished such a feat. In my opinion, this trilogy has earned itself and its author a seat among the legends of narrative.

Not too bad. A good triliogy, the ending was a little predictable and a little YA for my tastes, but ultimately it was a fun and thrilling read. Fast paced with some good character work.

This was the perfect continuation to Godkiller and Sunbringer. It was an incredible wrap up of the series and I can't wait to see what Hannah does next!

4.5 stars—Well, I was a sobbing mess at the end of this. Wonderful prose as usual. The characters all underwent their own transformation/understanding of self which helped close the novel nicely. I did have difficulty finding my rhythm until about 60% in—there was nothing wrong, but this is usually my experience with multi-POV novels. Just as things are getting good, I’m torn away from the action. Yet I binged the final 40% of this book in one sitting!

Aside from the world building, intrigue, and relationships, what I loved most about this series are the characters and their evolution throughout the books. In Godkiller, each character was introduced to us with their own list of ideas they believed to be absolute truths and yet, by the end, they have accepted that many things can be true at once. A small god of white lies who is capable of great things, a demigod who embraces both her power and humanity, a veiga who comes to care for a god, our baker-knight who is both things and so much more, and a god-king who, despite it all, has always only wanted the love of one person. We witnessed them struggle, grow, and at times fail which lent much not only to the plot but to our connection to them. And though I was wary of the direction Kaner was taking Elogast’s love life and the implications this would have in the story, I think this was perhaps one of the plot points I appreciate most now that I have completed the book. It was messy and painful (and made me side-eye Elo for a minute, I must be honest), but it was also something his character needed in order to more forward and, honestly, an experienced he deserved to have for the short time he was able to.

Though this book was heavy on politics and war strategy, there was still the adventure, danger, and found-family building moments which made me fall in love with Godkiller in the first place—now with a heaping dose of emotional damage thrown in. Overall, I truly enjoyed this series. I’ll miss the world, the gods, and most of all Kissen—though maybe we will be blessed with a future installment in this universe at some point?

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever read a series so unique, so original, that you just couldn’t get enough of it?

For me, that series in 2024 was The Fallen Gods by Hannah Kaner.

Full disclosure: I stalked NetGalley, hoping to score an ARC of Faithbreaker. When I finally got the approval, I may or may not have done a happy dance. And trust me, I was not disappointed.

From the very first page, I was right back in the rhythm of Kaner’s storytelling. It was like reconnecting with old friends as I jumped back into the world of Middren. Each POV felt familiar, especially Kissen and Skedi, who have always been my favorites.

The storyline? Fantastic. As always, there was a perfect mix of action and humor. I found it a little more straightforward than the previous books, probably because all the different plotlines are building toward the big climax.

But “straightforward” doesn’t mean lacking depth. There’s a major focus on relationships—how they evolve, the power of forgiveness and acceptance—and the influence humans have on religion, especially when we twist it to fit our own needs.

And the ending… I made the mistake of finishing it at work and had to take a minute to pull myself together after the last page. J

My only complaint? I wish it were longer. Not because it was lacking, but because I just wanted more time with these characters and this world. That’s why I’ll definitely read it again and again, and pick up anything else Kaner writes without a second thought.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I can't say enough about this series! I hope more people pick it up. Not only are the covers BEAUTIFUL, the story is strong. Love how the main characters are real and respond to trauma appropriately. I HIGHLY recommend this!

An absolutely incredible ending for the series. Although...losing Legs was really unexpected.

Overall I think the ending for each character made sense, and inspired a combination of grief and hopefulness.

After the ending of Sunbringer, I expected this book to pick up the pace. It stayed true to the pacing of the first two; slow for the first half and more exciting as it gets closer to the end. There was a world-ending war going on, after all.
I did enjoy the character development and was brought to tears by the scene where Lessa lets Inara see how much she loves her. I thought the mother-daughter dynamic was very well done. I will not, however, forgive the author for *that* death, and when you read the book, you'll know the one. It was entirely unnecessary, and I kept expecting him to show up at the very end, having somehow miraculously survived.
The ending was perfect for this story. Heartfelt and heartbreaking, but left with a little hope.

An incredible and heartbreaking ending to this trilogy full of hope and desperation. I had a feeling it would end like that, and it still hurt even with the foreshadowing. It can be quite confusing with an assortment of POVs in books, but Faithbreaker was not one of those for me. The perspectives of all these characters, Kissen, Inara, Skedisceth, Elogast, Arren, and even Hestra, brings so much more to this conclusion of the trilogy. If you enjoyed Godkiller and Sunbringer, this final book will leave you speechless and heartbroken all at the same time. Just a beautiful conclusion to this trilogy.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

I knew the ending would break my heart, yet I wept anyway. I will always appreciate this series for its characters that tug at your heartstrings. The found family in this series is truly one of my favorites. I’ve loved watching the characters grow. I will always praise the story’s diversity and inclusivity. There is a wide variety of representations from different disabilities, race, gender, and sexuality. Despite this being the finale to a series, I did find that it had a slower start for me. I wasn’t truly hooked till after the 40 percent mark. I much preferred inara/skedi/kissen’s perspectives/part of the story opposed to the other’s perspectives. For me, I felt like there might have been one or two too many pov’s. Due to my preference in perspectives, the battle scenes felt lengthy and drawn out. Despite my personal preferences and issues with pacing, this was still a wonderful finale to a beloved series. The ending broke me. I definitely wished for a better ending. That being said, it delivered an impactful and emotional conclusion.

4.25 stars...first off thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC. This is the final book in the Fallen God's series and I enjoyed it. It had all my favorite characters and some new faces. I thought the author ended this series well. Tied up loose ends and broke my heart in some parts. This was heavy on the politics/wartimes. Lots of swordplay...betrayal, faith,loyalty, love, and some m/m, f/f romancy bits. This was quite the adventure and I would recommend it it to readers who enjoy stories entailing God's, and fighting for your future.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC in exchange for a review.

This is the final book in a series that I had high hopes for starting out, while in the first book I saw some promise, I can happily say that the series does get better, both in story development and writing style. Unlike some final books in a series, Faithbreaker brings everything to a good ending place, where many of the characters stories and plot points have been wrapped up nicely in a way that I think many fans of the series will be happy with.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. This is the final book in the Fallen Gods Trilogy and I was very excited to get to it. Prior books are 5 stars and we had a lot riding on the story but this book was absolute perfection. I love the cast of this, getting to know new friends and seeing old ones grow. I could not have predicted the way this would end and wow, I’m blown away. I cried. I loved it all.

A perfect end to the fallen gods Trilogy.

This book packs a punch from page 1. Once again we start right back into the thick of it with adventure, relationships, defeats, victories, sacrifices and offerings to the gods.

Lessa, Kissen, Inara and Sketti venture to find allies to aid Middren. Elo finds himself reliving his past as he is once again fighting along side Arryn as they fight to keep Hseth and her followers from progressing in their conquest.

I loved that we got to explore more of the world, meet more gods and see their personalities and views of humans.

I loved the war plotting and strategy with Elo, and his and Kissens relationship even when they had Lessa and Arryn too.

I had to keep reminding myself how young Inara was because she is such a badass and I would LOVE to read about her in the future.

“For the first time in her life, the godkiller wept for the death of a god.” Was such a perfect line to end the book.

Public review will be posted closer to release date.

I guess one way to force me to finish a series I absolutely adore is to give me an ARC of it.

I love Kissen, Elogast, and Inara. My main 3 but I was so surprised how other characters in this series earned my endearment after EVERYTHING they did in the first book.
I loved the world, the writing style. Everything was absolute perfection. And the ending 😭.

Going down as my all time favorite series. 5 stars for the EVERYTHING.

I actually had to wait a day to write this review because my first feeling after finishing this book was one of profound melancholy. Over the course of this series, I've grown to love these characters and their relationships so much that it hurt a bit that it was finally over and I wouldn't get to see them again. My second feeling is a bit more complicated and more like a few different feelings rolled into one.

For starters, I actually think all the character progressions in this series wrapped up satisfyingly in the finale. None of the characters were the same as when they started and the growth they'd experienced, particularly in this book, felt both true to the world and how the author had set up those growths in the first book. That's not to say some of those growths weren't painful, but what's growing without a little pain every now and then?

I think, for me, there was one thing that held this back from being a 5 star read: it wasn't quite long enough to be satisfying. In general, these books are far shorter than the scope of the world would typically lead you to believe. And truthfully that didn't bother me as much when it came to the first two books. However, the finale has been built up so, so much that the way it ended felt far too abrupt. The transition from the last chapter to the epilogue was honestly quite jarring. I wanted a little bit more introspection in between--particularly from both Kissen and Elogast--about the end of all they'd worked towards. Really, just two more chapters, I think, and I'd have been much more content with the ending.

Regardless, I've loved this series so, so much. The exploration of the power of faith and how that can provide strength to people in the darkest of times, but also how it can be dangerous and destructive when gone into blindly was just so well done. In this book in particular, I loved the way the author illustrated how people often rewrite the histories of their gods to suit their own goals, often molding the gods into their own image. This series has also shown that faith isn't a bad thing, so long as it's not used to hurt other people. Because people need faith in something--be it gods or something more substantial--to keep from feeling lost, particularly in times of crisis. It feels particularly relevant of late and, in my opinion, was very well done.

I will honestly miss these characters so much. I definitely look forward to reading whatever the author writes next.

For a final book this really completed the series and made it all wrap up nicely while still including so much plot and emotions

I love this series, and this third book was one of my most highly anticipated this year, so I was thrilled to get an ARC! It did not disappoint. Gods, fantasy, prophecy - it was such a good time.

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.