I read GODKILLER and SUNBRINGER back to back, and it’s a solid fantasy series - good not great. The writing is a little muddied at times, which had me confused about how this world and god system works. I do think SUNBRINGER is stronger than the first book in this regard. And I’ve really come to love the characters - especially young Inara. Definitely will continue with this series as I’m intrigued where things are going to go from here!

As I ended up dnfing the first book godkiller, I will not be reviewing the second book. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity and will still be recommending to my audience. Thank you!

Sunbringer is the second installment to The Fallen Gods trilogy. While a solid read, expect middle book syndrome from this one and it won't disappoint. Given how the pacing was in Godkiller, I was not totally surprised that the first half of the book dragged a bit. I didn't really mind as I'd already fallen in love with the characters from the first book, and there IS a lot to set up considering how Godkiller ended. The world building and characters are just as rich and complex in Sunbringer as they were in Godkiller. I was, however, disappointed with how little Kissen was in this book, as she was my favorite from Godkiller, but I know we'll see much more of her in the third. I did enjoy learning more about Inara and Skedi and their complex relationship. The twists revealed in the latter half of the book make the slower first part well worth it. I will definitely be picking up the third book.

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sunbringer is the sequel to Godkiller and the second of a trilogy in the same series. I ended up reading Godkiller right before reading this book and thought it was okay. In starting this one, I realized that I just was not a fan of the story or world. I DNF'd at around 25%. I was reading another fantasy series at the same time that is really similar, so I feel like I burnt out on the genre and this series took the brunt of it. I would maybe revisit at another time, but I think that it's just not for me. Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the eARC of this book, my thoughts are my own!

I enjoy the authors prose and world building, but this felt like a middle book. It set up all the pieces for the finale and I am looking forward to book 3.

Loved the first book but the sequel was slightly less impressive. The characters spent too much time apart and there were fewer opportunities for the relationship dynamics that made the previous installment so interesting. Sunbringer felt like a bridge book, though many new developments further the overall series plotline. I still enjoyed this book a lot and am looking forward to the next one.

"Why does it always come to this? ... That power changes and knowledge burns."

4/5 stars

Review (Spoilers included)

I absolutely adored Godkiller and was so excited for Sunbringer. Picking right up where Godkiller left off, we follow our splintered found family of tortured ex-military-turned-baker Elogast, hidden child Inara with an unusual attachment to gods, her small god of white lies Skediceth, and presumed dead viega (godkiller) Kissen.

Unlike Godkiller, it took me a while to get into this book. I can't quite place what was so different this time around. Was it that my favorite found family was split up for so long? The writing style remained consistent and I appreciate how concise Kaner keeps her storytelling. She has a great way of involving small details and beautiful imagery without bogging down the storyline and keeping pace. But once I got into it, I really got into it.

The main characters all grew so much in this book that it was painful to see Ina make hard choices, surprising that Skedi would say no to her lies, Kissen ally with gods, and Elo fall back into old habits. It kept the story fresh and exciting, which is where a lot of sophomore books can fall short. She also does one of my new favorite things, which is normalizing queerness and queer identities. No one questions the presence or personhood of a trans character, and bisexuality isn't dissected into waves of jealousy or infidelity, as it often is in media. Disability is also taken into great consideration from various fronts, and none are treated like a shortcoming (unless your metal prosthetic leg is warped and broken and your phantom limb is giving you a bitch of a time).

I especially appreciate Kaner's use of color. Human emotions being seen visually isn't an entirely new concept, but I loved the new turns and nuances she gave to them. Instead of keeping "red is power and anger and hate" she would pull in various textures, connections to real-world objects, and make them tangible. Everything about this series is so creative, and I love it.

So despite my own shortcomings, the lowest I could ever give this book is a 4., It's so well done and entrancing and I encourage anyone reading this to pick up Godkiller and dive in. You won't regret it.

Just like Godkiller, I absolutely loved this one. It was an awesome continuation of the first book. It blew my expectations out the park. I will definitely be reading more from this author.


Thank you for this arc!

Okay - I want to read GodKiller!!
Even without reading the first I am in love with this series and it's characters. I enjoyed it very much

Received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion

I loved the world Kanner built, but the beginning 3/4 of this book really dragged for me. I feel like the prep for the characters to reunite took far too long and I found myself less invested in each character’s individual journey. I felt the ending was well done and satisfying, and will be a great set up for the last book in the trilogy. Overall I enjoyed, but not as much as the first book. I will be reading the third when it comes out!

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for an advanced reader copy of this book.

Kaner had a lot to live up to and she did it! Engaging, new, and fantastical, this sequel is a slow build but so incredibly worth it. It so beautifully builds on Godkiller and brings a reader that much closer to the story. I loved this book

I had no idea this would be longer than 2 books so imagine my surprise!

This doesn't hold up to Godkiller, in my opinion, but it's a solid sequel and it sets up book 3 nicely. We get more character development, entertaining action, good tension, more worldbuilding, and a good twist. The pace is slower, so I think this could've been executed better, but overall, I'm waiting for book 3.

Sunbringer 2⭐️2.75🌶️

Fantasy Romance
Multi POV
Disabled FMC
Fire injury
Gods/goddesses
🏳️‍🌈 normative society
Disabled rep
Revenge
Journey
Cliffhanger
Intricate world building

Unfortunately this is a series I will not be continuing. I found the first book to be disjointed and suffering from pacing issues. The second book was more of the same, leading to second book syndrome.

Slower pacing and again, not much plot happening until the very end of the book made reading this something I forced myself to do.

The representation is really great, but not having the plot and pacing to back it up makes me sad.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon, Harper Voyager for an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thia was an epic adventure to follow up Godkiller. Arren, now the Sunbringer, is working to become a god... right? Figuring out truth from lies, loyalty from fanaticism, and who to trust, Inara, Elogast, Kissen, and Skedi continue their search for one another through the threat of war. This one wasn't as good as Godkiller, but I still enjoyed it.

I don't know what or how, but I was on the edge the entire time I read Sunbringer. I have been waiting for this book ever since the cliffhanger in the first book. So much has happened in the first book that I didn't know where this book was going to start. And I have to say that I have a lot of feelings regarding the book. 

I won't go into much detail because it will spoil the book. So I am going to keep it vague for a bit. Be warned that it might contain spoilers. 

Let's talk about my feelings about Sunbringer.

1. I am loving that we start right away from what happened in the first book. There wasn't much of a time jump, so there won't be any confusion regarding the book pace.

2. There were a bit too many individual character chapters. I know, I know. We all love different perspectives, especially in fantasy books. But there were so many in this book that it was a bit hard to keep track. 

3. Some of the characters didn't interest me as much. And I wish we didn't have their chapters or them at all.

4. I am loving that a certain character ain't taking no prisoners at all. I love the attitude. That's what we need in this book.

5. The last few chapters! What the hell was that?! Like someone explained to me, Someone?

6. I need book 3 in my hands, please and thank you.

An EXCELLENT sequel to one of my favorite books from last year. We get to see more of the characters readers grew to love in the first book, but we also get to meet interesting new characters in this story. So compelling, so captivating, so much fun to read. I'm already eagerly waiting for the next book. It's really an accomplishment to keep me hungry for a series, but Kaner has really done it with this one!

Sunbringer is a solid sequel to the much-loved Godkiller, although it does have a bit of second-book syndrome. That said, it definitely set us up for an epic third book.

This one is much slower paced than Godkiller — it took me 13 days to finish it, despite its reasonable 400 pages, because I kept picking up other books too. But I wasn’t mad at it. There’s plenty of character development (despite our MCs being separated for 99% of the story), especially for Inara. There’s also lots of information discovery and at least one twist I didn’t see coming.

All in all, I’m looking forward to the third book when we get all our characters back together, fighting toward the same end. It’s gonna be good!

DNF at 28% due to general lack of interest. I did try to continue, but I was just completely uninterested. Book one had a great opening to draw the reader in. Unfortunately, book two just didn't engage me in the same way.

There is something special about this story. I like the immersion a reader experiences not only due to the thorough character description but also the world-building. For some, it is boring. For me, it was everything I needed to have a perfect story. I had a blast. The characters move. They travel from one point to another. Meet other people. Gods are equally vicious and mysterious as helpful and loveable. There is not black and white but many shades of gray. For that only, I will wait endlessly if needed for the third part.

Sunbringer, and its predecessor Godkiller, are one of the more unique books I’ve seen in the fantasy genre today. The concepts, the world building, and the characters stand apart from many. The way Hannah Kaner writes is almost song like, magical in the best kind of way. She loads a lot of emotions into her words and it shows.
I enjoyed Sunbringer. Godkiller definitely stood out to me far more, but I think that was just because it was so different and unique. I enjoyed where the story went and was surprised at some of the turns the novel took.