Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5!

I loved Godkiller, and so I was super excited for Sunbringer, and Kaner definitely delivered. While the first half of the book felt a little slower (in part, I think, because Kissen, Inara, and Elo are split up), I was thoroughly engrossed in the story and the world that Kaner has built. As always, I love the way Kaner approaches gods and how they function in this world. I love that Sunbringer built upon them, and even though I missed seeing the gang together, I really loved the new directions this took.

I especially loved seeing Inara’s character development and the parts of the world we experience through her point of view, but I do wish we got to see a little bit more from Kissen. Still, I thought everyone grew in interesting ways in this installment and I was invested in each storyline, so that’s still a win. Despite its slower pace and the fact the POVs take place all across the world, Sunbringer was still a very satisfying read and I’m looking forward to the last book.

I greatly enjoyed this sequel. This is such an original story and idea from what I feel like I normally read in fantasy. And I read a LOT of fantasy!

Really excited to find out what happens next!

How did I not know there was going to be another book after this? I love this story so much. Found family will always be one of my favorite tropes and I love how Kaner continues to tie that in the story.

I really wish I didn't have to wait for another book, but that's just how good this series is.

I enjoyed Godkiller more but this was still an enjoyable story. Sad that everyone was separate for the majority of this book.

Thank you to HarperVoyager and NetGalley for the ARC! *minor spoilers*

This story continues to intrigue me with every book. You’re invested in every character that Kaner writes. You’re rooting for them and want them to succeed. During parts of Sunbringer, I sobbed. Truly. Kaner has such a way with words. She mystifies you with vivid imagery and descriptive, impactful characters. This story is absolutely captivating and makes you believe in this world's politics.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙥𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚. Kissen has become one of my favorite female leads. Both in Godkiller and this novel, we see so much growth in her character development. While this is a fantasy setting, I found myself relating to Kissen’s character. Inara and Skedi both felt like they did complete 360s in the best way.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙛 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙨. By the end of this story, I'm refreshing Kaner's social media to hear when the next book drops. Very well done and can honestly say I did not see some of those twists coming.

I will say I wasn’t fully engrossed throughout this entire story. I found myself putting it down and not feeling the urge to pick it back up immediately, but I was always happy when I did pick it back up. Overall, some chapters were just a tad slower then others.

‘𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙙𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧,’ 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝙆𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙣 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙡𝙮, 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙜 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙨. ‘𝙄 𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙬?’ ‘𝙎𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚,’ 𝙨𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝘼𝙖𝙣. ‘𝙎𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙙. 𝙁𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚.’

"𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣: 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙠𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙩, 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩, 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙩. 𝙋𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙩."

I'll be honest, I preferred Godkiller to Sunbringer. I knew there would need to be a book to bring everyone back together again, but I missed the dynamic between characters.

2 ⭐️ DNF @ 60% - *Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy*

Okay I wanted to love this series so much. Godkiller had such a good potential to be epic and then ultimately I did feel a little bored through most of it even though the opening and ending both were strong, the middle lacked for me.

Unfortunately Sunbringer did not start out as strong as Godkiller did for me, the beginning felt very slow and lacked any real action or movement of the plot. It just felt like a lot of people talking about things for a long time. And the writing of the book isn’t bad by any means but I’m also just finding that it’s not sparking my interest at all. When I put the book down I don’t find myself wanting to pick it back up. I could go days between picking up the book.

I think Sunrbinger is lacking any more world building that expands on what we learned in Godkiller. Because we are so focused on the characters talking and planning things there isn’t much emphasis on anything other than the characters. And the characters are not interesting enough to me at this point to carry the story. I can’t quite put my finger on why? I think perhaps the characters are feeling a little flat to me. Like we got this outline of them in Godkiller and the outline seemed interesting at first but for a second book in a series to not flesh them out more and make them feel real or relatable or have something interesting to bring to the table now it is getting a little boring reading about them.

There is also a random romance subplot that… feels really out of place and unnecessary. It’s actually not adding ANYTHING to the story, and the world itself feels so one dimensional I couldn’t picture anything about the setting if I tried.

Oh and at one point one of the main characters was listening to someone pee in a bush and also farting. So that was really out of place and also unnecessary because it didn’t bring anything to that scene that held any importance whatsoever.

I will say the one positive thing that I enjoyed about this book was that one of the main characters has a physical disability and it does not stop her IN THE LEAST BIT from being a Godkiller and getting things done. The representation feels like it was done with care and that is a great addition to the story because it emphasizes that the character has strong will and determination despite her physical disability and she doesn’t let it stop her. She works within her limitations and abilities. Unfortunately I wish we did get more in depth with her personality and learned more about her by now after a book and a half but I haven’t gotten there yet.

“All that mattered was the story. The myths that made gods, brought them to life in their shrines. Stories bind hope and love to make it faith.”

Sunbringer is the follow up to one of my favorite books of last year, Godkiller. And while I didn't love this one as much, it was still a wonderful read and a great set up for the epic world.

Sunbringer is one of the coolest fantasy settings I've ever seen. Gods of all sizes roam the world, created by and sustained by the humans that worship them. We have gods of war and fire and knowledge - arguably huge human concepts. But humans give meaning to the smallest of things, and create gods of lost sandals and roses. It's a beautiful concept to acknowledge that even our tenderest moments will mean something.

Following up after the events of book 1, Kissen, Elogast and Inara are all on their separate paths, while trying to fight for the justice they want to see in the world - a way to make the place a little kinder for Inara and other children. I MISSED them being all together though - that was the charm of godkiller, and while their separation made sense here I still wanted their banter and love.

Speaking of saving the world - I love how Inara is a central character even as a child. So much of this book revolves around familial bonds and having a child as the MC drives that home. There's this push and pull between them wanting to protect her and her desire to do more. It's her fight as much as anyone's and she wants to be useful, but they just want her to be SAFE. That's the real love of a parent.

I found the pacing to be a bit slower in this book, but it had me reaching desperately by the end with a few plot twists that I didn't see coming. Sunbringer will always have a special place in my heart - and I can't wait for book 3 especially with them all reunited.

rep// disability rep, wlw, mlm, trans, Bi MC

cw// death, torture, sacrifices, loss of limb, murder, war

Thank you to the publisher for my copy!

I really liked the first book and so I was a bit disappointed that I didn't love this one as much. Part of it could have been that I was in a reading slump, the other is that I read Godkiller 6 months ago. I remembered the characters well enough, but the politics was really hard to try to wrap my head back around. The pacing wasn't my favorite. It was annoying when one characters perspective/chapter only lasted a couple pages and then we were jumped to a different character. Not a ton happens in this book, it is mostly setting up for book 3. I am still very excited to see how this series wraps up, especially now that the characters are back together again.

This month I was in a bit of a reading slump, so I wasn't able to finish this book before it was released, but Thank you Netgalley for the Arc from Avon and Harper Voyager.

Sunbringer picks up right after the end of Godkiller with our three (3) MC more or less on separate tracks, which was an immediate disappointment as the dynamic between them was so great in the first book that I missed it. However, where the first book was more or less about Kissen the God killer, this book seemed to put Inara (and her sidekick god Skedi) front and center and it was nice to see the character growth there. And while the big reveal here was more or less predicable, it developed naturally enough to still be entertaining and allowed the reader to explore a bit more about the relationship between Ina and her tiny god (and some background) that begins to explain what is going on there. Ina’s interaction with the lesser gods of Lesscia provided most of the world building here. Unfortunately, Kissen was nearly MIA here, with her own journey that was mildly entertaining as she interacts with some of the old god heavy hitters to provide the reader with some important datapoint needed to carry the plot … such as the redemption Arc of the King after such a brutal betrayal in the previous encounter (and frankly a not very convincing plotline). Elo is still Elo … crashing around like a bull in a china shop leading up to another rather confusing and not quite as satisfying ending (maybe he will get more play in the next installment … and perhaps some redemption for himself as well).

While there was not as much world building in this book, it did extend it with Kissen’s adventures (although this was still pretty shallow IMO) and the storyline centered around Lesscia with Ina, Elo and the dissidents (including Kissen’s family) that did the heavy lifting. However, it was a really slow start and it seemed more like pieces were moving primarily to setup the next book and not toward any satisfactory plot conflict resolution … perhaps this was a factor of the middle book syndrome … or perhaps it was because I so enjoyed the first book, but this was seed to be just a little less … still great, but not quite as awesome as I expected.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the e-arc!
One of my most anticipated books of 2024! I have been waiting for the series to continue, and it is finally here. One of my absolute favorite things about this book is the world and magic is unbelievable. There is so much detail throughout the entire story that really just makes the world come alive without being overbearing. The combination of characters is fantastic with Elogast's righteousness, Kissen's kickass attitude, and Inara's curiosity. They make for such an interesting bunch and kinda give D&D vibes.
This book definitely leans more into the plot and world than the first book, which I would say focuses more on building up the characters. Can't wait for the third book!

First, I had to read God killer before this one, and OMG the mythology. I am obsessed with the visuals you get from the world building and from the beautiful illustrations as well.

I've loved Godkiller since I read it last year, so it's no surprise I picked up the sequel. I loved meeting old and new gods/goddesses and seeing each character grow. Inara really shined, and I think she might tie with Skedi for my favorite character (I still love them all, though!). There were several twists that were shocking, and I'm looking forward to the conclusion of the trilogy — 2025 can't come soon enough!

I loved everything about this, from the characters to the setting, to the writing style. Absolutely fantastic.

Hannah Kaner gripped me with the first book in this series, Godkiller, and Sunbringer did not disappoint. Review contains Spoilers!!

The world building is incredible without being difficult to digest. I love the descriptions of gods, the smells of each one, and it feels like you can immerse yourself in this read. Kissen, Inara, Skedi, and Elogast continue in their adventures to take on the Sunbringer. Kissen is one of my favorite characters this year, and I love her give no F%*Ks attitude.
The perfect story of found family and how to navigate growth struggles, the book made me cry at the end with Kissen's description and recall of Inara. I can't wait for the final book in this trilogy to see how Hannah Kaner wraps up the story. I am so invested!

I think the book was a great follow up to the first novel, but suffered a bit in pacing. However overall it was great and I would recommend for people to keep reading the series

(I’m not going to do a summary for this one, because GR doesn’t have one and I don’t want to give any spoilers)

This was a strong sequel to Godkiller. The characters were still compelling, and I enjoyed the growth and development that continued for them during this read. My main disappointment was that in book one, I really liked the interactions between Kissen and the other characters; it was one of my favorite aspects. That’s not really present in this one (for good reason), but was still a little disappointing.

The plot of this one begins to take on epic proportions, and of course, book three is set up to be even more epic. However, the characters and the setting didn’t get lost in the rising scale of the plot. I did find there were a few points in this book when the plot lagged a bit, but as I enjoyed the characters and worldbuilding, I mostly didn’t mind. I think this was partially because it’s setting the scene for book three and there was some necessary setup for that.

Overall, this was a compelling sequel that stayed strong. If you like fantasy with approachable characters and unique gods, then this is a must read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for blessing me with a copy of this read. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I just finished reading SUNBRINGER this weekend and absolutely loved it. GODKILLER was a favorite of mine last year and the sequel did not disappoint!! I think the book did a phenomenal job of further developing our main characters, especially emotionally, as they all begin deciding what they truly want and how they’ll go about getting it.

While the first book took Kissen, Inara, Skediceth, and Elogast on an almost road-trip kind of journey, book two had (most) of our heroes in one place, trying to fortify the city of Lesscia before the king arrives. At the same time, we learn about an impending invasion and what it might mean for a broken country on the brink of civil war.

Inara learns a ton more about her abilities and her origin. Kissen delves further into her calling as a (very) reluctant chosen one. And Elo must come face to face with the man he once called brother—who betrayed him.

It was utterly epic from start to finish. This book is fantasy at its best in my opinion. The worldbuilding and magic system was so beautifully executed and the twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat! And after that ending?? I can’t wait to read book three. It can’t come soon enough!!

“𝕐𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕚𝕤 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕟𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕, 𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝕠𝕟𝕖, …𝔼𝕧𝕖𝕟 𝕘𝕠𝕕𝕤 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕚𝕣 𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕕𝕚𝕖.”

Often the second book in a series falls short and I’m happy to report that Sunbringer did NOT disappoint! I actually really enjoyed the journey with Elo, Inara and Kissen. For most of the book the characters are separated but I think it worked well because it allowed us to see who they are when they are without each other.

Kissen remains my favorite character but Skedi actually was a close second! He’s such a sweet boi. Elo was very noble and determined but he is clearly not very good at considering the people who care about him. Both Arren and Ina needed him at different times in their lives and both times he was so blind. Now Arren is an idiot and he was an adult so I don’t forgive him for shit. But Ina is a kid and she really needed that stability. Elo might be right but what was the cost to Inara?

The ending was bananas in the best way and I can’t wait for the third (and hopefully final) book!

Epic fantasy, brilliant world building. High stakes action with well written and well developed characters. This novel is an immersive page turning read.