Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2023
Godkiller is the first book in the series of the same name following an unlikely band as they make their way to the land the gods. Kissen’s entire family was killed as a sacrifice to the gods and she is the only survivor making her way by killing gods that are rising up. Inara is just a child but somehow the God of Lies has been attached to her and they are looking for a way to find a shrine for him to move to. Elogast served in the war against the gods that killed or at least diminished many, he is looking for redemption and a way to save his best friend and king.

This is a strange world where some gods are good and some are crazy evil. We even see Skediceth, our little god of lies, get a taste of power and what he tries to do with it for a short time. We can imagine what a larger god may do for the power of some sacrifices. Blenraden was once the city of the gods and our unlikely band all needs to travel there for all of their own reasons. Kissen wants to help the girl that reminds her so much of herself at that age. Inara wants to help her friend find a way to move the bond they share to a shrine. Elogast wants to save his friend from the sure death he will suffer within a months time. They joined a pilgrimage traveling to the cursed city of Blenraden for their own reasons but each will find a reason to rely on and help each other.

***Even when their shrine is gone, their power can linger. A shrine is like the keel of a ship; it holds them together.
Telle beamed and threw her hands up, Yes, exactly. Impressing Telle – that was a first. The keel keeps them balanced between the things that made them: the water it sails on is the people’s love, holding them up. The wind is the spirit, the energy than makes them, giving them power. Without the keel, they fall apart, roll over, are destroyed.***

I enjoyed this story. It is a bit dark as gods can be cruel, but the worldbuilding is done really well. I liked how we learned more of the past war, the gods and the world as we travel with the pilgrims. Inara is at the heart of a deeper plot, she was hidden her father is unknown and her entire family destroyed. Kissen is the only one who may be able to help her find some answers and be restored to her house. Kissen, well lets just say I totally loved her. She has so much anger towards the gods, for good reason, but she still is the person that is going to walk into hell for the people she cares about. Kissen is someone you want to root for after all she has been though and she is a badass, completely earned the title Godkiller and just a lot of fun as a character. Elogast’s past is a little more secret but as a character I enjoyed him as well. He falls into this group easily and while his reasons for going to Blenraden are his own he will help a little girl and a woman determined to save her for as long as he can.

The twist at the end of this was amazing and I did not see it coming. I like it when an author can do that in a story and really sale it. The pacing is good with monsters to fight and obstacles to overcome, once we got the character introductions we were well on our way. While I definitely agreed to read this mostly based on the cover (it is gorgeous) there is so much inside to enjoy. For those of us who like reluctant heroes and broken characters there is plenty to enjoy in this story. I’m looking forward to continuing on with t he journey.

I am absolutely obsessed with this book! I immediately ran and bought a physical copy because I HAVE TO HAVE THIS on my shelf!! This was so magical and fun! One of my favorite books this year!! Thank you so much for the copy! I could not get enough of this book and cannot wait for my physical special edition of this book to arrive!! Definitely going to be in my next recommendations post!

The prologue of this book absolutely hooked me and I thought I was going to crush through this book in one sitting.

Unfortunately the middle of the book didn't have the same pacing as the beginning and the end, and was a bit of a drag at points. That is the only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 - I loved the characters, the concept, and the world-building.

I am not always the biggest fantasy reader but I'm glad I checked this one out and am greatly looking forward to the rest of the series!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the eARC of this title**

I love a bounty hunter story, especially one in a magical world, and especially one that secretly has a heart. The sex scene felt a little out of place for the tone of the rest of the story, but that seems to be expected in most contemporary fantasy stories these days. I am especially interested in learning more about Skediceth in further books in the series.

I adored this!

This was such an interesting and unique premise and a book that truly took my breath away. I found myself feeling all the emotions and I didn’t want the story to end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with eARC of this novel, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I remember when this first came out in the U.K. and I saw so many reviewers talking about it and how amazing it was. While, I can affirm that this is a well-written and constructed debut novel, I don't feel like it is the most amazing debut that I have ever read. It didn't do anything that really surprised or shocked me, but it was solid. I found the world-building somewhat interesting. I liked the middle and end 15%, but the middle 70% dragged for me. Also, I saw the ending a mile away and I'm not a reader that gets satisfaction from that.

I enjoyed the characters pretty well, with Elogast and Skediceth's chapters being my favorite. However, I never really felt attached to any of the characters. I think I was supposed to enjoy Kissen more than I did, but I have to admit that I appreciate the amputee representation that she presents. However, while these main characters were all adults, there was something that felt more juvenile about this book to me. I had to confirm that it was listed as an adult book because it feels more Y.A. to me. So, I guess it could be a cross-over the other way. It does have some sexual content, but it is very tame and the actual act is fade to black.

Overall, I think that this is going to get a lot of attention because of its beautiful cover and the fact that it is a solidly written debut with an interesting premise. I'm not sure if I will continue reading this series, mostly because I need to be invested in characters to really care about a series and I'm not especially. We'll see. I would recommend this to fans of found family, "B.A." female characters, soft knights, and gods.

Godkiller is the story of a woman who profits off killing gods coming across a young girl who has a god connected to her. When she is sought out to help separate them she finds her boundaries pushed and her past reawakened. This story had such amazing world building, but the best part was the characters themselves. Kissen, Elogast, Skedi, and Inara grew and developed throughout the story which made me excited to follow each of them on their quests.

Worth the hype! Godkiller was such a sensation in the small BookTok space I occupied and it is well worth that praise and so much more. The magic, the mayhem and the general awesomeness of this book was unmatched.

I finished reading GODKILLER over the weekend and it’s a new favorite of mine now. I was reading a digital arc, but when it released I went to grab it and finish the physical copy because I was enjoying it so much!

It was an amazing read with four POVs about an unexpected group who has to travel to a city of gods in order to help a young girl who is bound to a god of white lies. 👀 Intrigued yet?

This book has it all!
🖤warring gods & godkillers
🖤political intrigue
🖤the perfect dash of romance
🖤a “roadtrip”
🖤found family
🖤queer & disability rep
🖤grumpy warrior adopts child in need

There were so many things to love about Godkiller, I could honestly rave about it all day. The worldbuilding was incredible and the characters stole my heart. Their ragtag group was so memorable and the conflict between gods and humans was so fascinating! I can’t wait for the sequel to come out.

Plus, look at that cover!! 😍

TL;DR REVIEW:

Godkiller is a well-written, well-built start of a new fantasy series with characters you’ll love and worldbuilding you’ll swoon over. I definitely recommend it!

For you if: You love a sword-wielding butch bisexual woman (and fantasy in general, tbh).

FULL REVIEW:

I’d heard plenty of exciting buzz around Godkiller, so when Harper Voyager sent me a review copy (thank you!), it jumped right to the top of my list. Happy to report this is a super-solid fantasy read with a whole new cast of characters to fall in love with!

Godkiller is set in a world where there are many gods, major and minor — all it takes is for people to begin praying to one in order for it to be born. The story takes place several years after a major war between the now-king and the gods, and in order to keep them under control, godkillers like Kissen (your new favorite sword-wielding butch who also, I might add, does it all on her prosthetic leg) are on the king’s payroll and practicing faith is illegal. We have four main characters — Kissen, a high-born girl named Inara, a minor god attached to her lifeforce named Skedi, and a former-war-hero-turned-baker named Elogast.

There is so much to dig about this book, including its robust worldbuilding — the good kind done well, not the overwhelming kind that slows you down. I also love a book that takes place a few years after the big war is over, a sort of “where are they now” feeling that shows that happily ever after is more complicated than we think. And I loved the prosthesis rep, the sapphic rep, all the rep!

My only (small) complaint is that I actually think this could have been longer. There was a little bit of tidiness that felt sort of commercialized to me, but I would have been happy to spend 50-100 more pages with this crew, easily. And so all that to say, I can’t wait for book two!



CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Fire/fire injury; Death of a parent and grief; Violence, war, and death

A big thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for providing an eARC and advance audio book in exchange for an honest review.

A new fantasy that I will forever be suggesting and obsessing over.

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner is a fantasy book set in the kingdom of Middren, where Gods are forbidden. Formed by human desires and fed by their worship, there are countless gods in the world—but after a great war, the new king outlawed them and now pays “godkillers” to destroy any who try to rise from the shadows.0
As a child, Kissen saw her family murdered by a fire god. Now, she makes a living killing them and enjoys it. But all this changes when Kissen is tasked with helping a young noble girl with a god problem. The child’s soul is bonded to a tiny god of white lies, and Kissen can’t kill it without ending the girl’s life too.Joined by a disillusioned knight on a secret quest, the unlikely group must travel to the ruined city of Blenraden, where the last of the wild gods reside, to each beg a favor. Pursued by assassins and demons, and in the midst of burgeoning civil war, they will all face a reckoning. Something is rotting at the heart of their world, and they are the only ones who can stop it.

I absolutely loved and devoured this book, and I will forever be recommending it to whoever wishes to listen. READ THIS BOOK!

As of the beginning of writing this I'm still not sure what rating I want to give, so maybe I'll figure it out by the end. I wanted to love Godkiller (look at that cover!) but I have very mixed feelings about it. Pitched as perfect for fans of Witcher and Gideon the Ninth... I have questions. Witcher I kind of get as a comp title, though I think think that might set up the wrong expectations. There are some loose similarities. As for Gideon, I think it's a terrible comparison. The only similarity is that both books have queer women with swords.

This ended up being a journey story, which can be a hard sell for me. A knight turned baker, a lady Godkiller, and a little girl attached to a small god end up thrown together on a dangerous journey to a forbidden city. The prologue grabbed my attention immediately and there were elements of the story that liked. The complexities of gods and faith as something with great potential for both good and evil is interesting.

I liked the characters well enough, but I wanted more from them. I was never invested enough to really care about this romantic subplot, and we never get enough information to really get why Elo is so loyal to his childhood BFF.

The world-building is interesting, but the book is SO SLOW for being less than 300 pages! We frequently interrupt the action for random asides giving world info or backstory that may be relevant or not to what's happening. (this is similar to Witcher, but it's also one of the most frustrating things about the series so I'm not sure that's a positive) As much as there were questions I wanted answers to and I was interested to see where things went, I struggled to remain attentive and this book too me way longer to read than it should have given the length. I definitely would not call it a page-turner. And the ending is interesting, but not as satisfying as I was hoping given how plodding the journey to get there could be. We're left with some big questions that have been there throughout the book and I'm not sure I have the patience to see if we finally get answers in book 2 if it's going to be as slow as this was.

But for all that, this isn't a BAD book. The world is reasonably interesting, so is the plot. The characters are fine for a debut, the prose is also perfectly fine if nothing to write home about. There are the bones of something here that could have really captured my imagination and there are moments in the book that rise to the occasion, but I think that potential just makes it feel all the more painfully mediocre. I had very high hopes, and so maybe that's on me. But it was fine. I think some people will really enjoy it. It's also worth saying that there is disability rep in this book, which I think is great to see. Again- elements of this I wanted to love so I'm rounding up but it just wasn't quite what I hoped. I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Godkiller delivers an impressive fantasy world, the way the gods are presented is unique, and, as previously mentioned, the fact that the mythology and history are delivered at a steady pace hints that this series has a lot more of its secrets yet to reveal. Kaner's debut reads similar to one of Sapkowski's short stories or the stand-alone Season of Storms in that it's self-contained, follows a few main characters on an adventure, and that it feels like we're only witnessing a small yet exciting part of what's going on in a massive, vivid world.

At around 300 pages, it's quite a short read for epic fantasy and I truly hope that Kaner builds on this credible platform that showcases great potential. My only minor complaint is that due to Godkiller's short length, some of the exchanges and events seem a bit too neat and coincidental. In light of this point, I'd personally like the series' next entry to expand, include more point-of-view characters. 4.5 stars

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.

God killer is set an a world where there are thousands of gods. We follow our main character Kissen who, after a traumatic childhood, grows to make a living, killing gods. That is until she comes across the god who she cannot kill. This God, Skedi, is attached to a young noble girl, who have unknown assassins after them. Kissen must embark on a journey across the country to the City of Blenraden to find a way to separate Skedi from the girl. Now responsible for a young girl, who reminds her of her past, Kissen must fight to keep them all alive, and begrudgingly make an alliance with an ex-knight.

This book captures your attention from the prologue, where you are immediately thrown into a tragedy. Hannah Kaner’s writing is beautiful and descriptive. From the moment that you’re introduced to our main character, Kissen, you’re given a female lead who is strong, smart, and stubborn. We are also given a main character who has a disability that is not seen as a weakness just a part of who she is and we are shown how is she has come to accept her disability and thrive in her world. Kissen is hard and rough around the edges, but understandably, so given her past. The growth that you get to experience with watching Kissen soften and gain affection for the young noble girl that she’s responsible for is beautiful. She is definitely a main character that not everyone is going to love immediately.

This book does not have heavy world building. You’re more given the world building slowly throughout the book as the characters are traveling. The way that you’re given the Magic system is very similar throughout the book where it’s a little pieces of the magic system explained as you read. this book focuses more on the characters and their backgrounds and their growth. I think that this book is a perfect fantasy read for people who can’t handle or don’t enjoy lots of world building and over complicated magic systems. This book would also be really great for readers who are just starting to get into fantasy books.

I really appreciated the representation that is given throughout this book. There is disability rep, deaf rep, LGBTQ rep, and POC characters. Well, not all of this representation is dived into very deeply, it is written into this world as something that just exist. For example, the LGBTQ representation, there are queer couples and queer characters throughout the book but it is not necessarily a plot point of the book. there is one. I did take issue with one little part in the story where we are informed that the main character who is bisexual or pansexual (it is never specified how she identifies) states that she prefers to sleep with women because it doesn’t put her at risk of becoming frightened. I felt like this could’ve been left out and that it wasn’t necessary to add in there. Queer women can just prefer to sleep with women and it could have nothing to do with pregnancy. One of the pieces of representation that I did really love is within the deaf representation, the characters use sign language as their means of communication.

Overall, I think that this book was a lot of fun. It really captures your attention from the beginning, and the characters are enjoyable on their own and together. I do think that the pacing at times was a little slow, but the way it is written it is still enjoyable to keep going, and hold your attention. This is written in multiple POV, and there are times where the internal monologues of the characters and the dialogue between the characters don’t quite match. That being said, I still very much enjoyed reading each POV, especially because the characters are so unique and their ages and backgrounds give you as the reader different viewpoints of the journey and situations.

This is the first book in a trilogy and does leave on a cliffhanger. But I cannot wait to pick up the sequel when it comes out. This was a four star read for me. thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books and Harper Voyager US for this ARC.