I’ll be honest, I’ve put off writing this review for a bit. On reflection, this trilogy has been a challenging experience. Mostly because the first book hit it out of the park for me, and now each subsequent book has been a step further and further away from that high. While this book does stick the landing of the overall plot itself, it wasn’t enough to temper my disappointment with various other aspects of the story.

But let’s start with the good. Like the two books before it, this one capitalizes on the intricate world-building that has been created over the course of the trilogy. There’s been excellent exploration of themes regarding religion, devotion, and the extremes to which individuals can be driven to under the influence of strong ideologies. This one continued in these veins. And, like I said, while it takes a while to get everything and everyone in place, the final confrontation and climax of the trilogy hits well.

The pacing is also fairly slow throughout. But this is true for the first two books as well, so readers should essentially expect a similar reading experience to those stories. Personally, I think the slower pacing works for the sort of story being drawn here. Never does this series claim to be an action-packed romp. But instead, it’s very character-based, and, as such, spends a lot of time in various characters’ heads exploring their personal arcs.

Now, unfortunately, we get to my complaints. First off, from the start I’ve mentioned that delicate balance that has been struck between the shared POVs. In the first book, all three POV characters were strong enough to make this approach work well. And, as they all spent the majority of their time together, these different POVs didn’t take us away from the two other characters, allowing the reader to still spend time with them all. In the second book, one of my complaints had to do with the lessening impact of these various POVs. Inara remained mostly the same, but Elo’s story took a massive dip, with much of his subplot feeling tacked on. And, in a strange turn, the excellence of Kissen’s chapters only served to further undermine the story, as it began to feel as if any chapters focused on the other two dragged even more than they should have in comparison.

Well, here, where I had so many hopes now that our main trio were finally reunited, this problem has only been expanded upon. Not only do they get immediately broken up into various groups again and sent off in different directions, but the story added in TWO more POVs. And, honestly, I couldn’t have cared less about Arren or Hestra! Not only did these chapters feel as if they were taking up precious page space from the characters I actually cared about, but in Arren’s case, the entire project behind him was DOA.

I get that the author thought that this added POV for him was necessary to attempt to make him a sympathetic character, but frankly, it was too little too late. I couldn’t simply sweep under the rug all of the actions I’d seen from this character in the first two books. Perhaps if these chapters were attempting to simply lighten opinions on him some, it would have worked. But to attempt to re-create him as a romantic interest for Elo? NO THANK YOU! I was so upset by this switch. Not only did it feel like the excellent dynamic that was created between Elo and Kissen was swept under the rug for no apparent reason (and frankly, this is the kind of stuff that just makes me furious because it makes me feel as if the author set me up for disappointment from the start), but Elo’s entire story has played out in him coming to realize what he deserves and what he doesn’t. What he absolutely doesn’t deserve is to end up with a character like Arren, who treated him so poorly and, frankly, betrayed him to a point that even if forgiveness could happen, romantic love certainly shouldn’t.

And it was more of the same for Kissen. Yes, her natural charisma as a character carried this new relationship further than my total disinterest in Elo’s relationship. But still. This felt like a late-game switch that simply wasn’t necessary and wasn’t set up to succeed. We had two entire books with plenty of other lore and action that needed to be resolved in the rather short page count of this last book. To attempt to wrap all of that up while also adding in two new relationships that only really appear in this last book? Something’s got to give, and it was with these romances.

It’s hard to be objective with this book. Once I saw where things were going with these new romances, I was so frustrated with the trilogy as a whole that I had a hard time focusing in on the rest of what the story was trying to accomplish. There was a solid ending, and one that pulled at the heartstrings in some meaningful ways. But what I loved best about this series were the three main characters. And as the trilogy wore on, it felt like more and more, that’s where the story struggled. Readers who are perhaps less invested in the main trio as a core group may enjoy this more than me. And that said, I do enjoy this author’s style of writing, so I’ll definitely check out what comes next (though, I’ll be honest, if it’s another series, I might wait for it to complete before starting up, so I know what I’m getting into. I really hate having the rug pulled out from under me, and it’s one of the few grievances that I have a hard time forgiving in authors.)

Rating 7: For me, personally, this was probably a 6. But as I know that I got caught up in my feelings, I’d say that on a whole, this one was still a solid conclusion to the trilogy, just not as good as the first book.

Link will go live on The Library Ladies on March 28

I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

So I started out this journey not loving Godkiller, I liked it enough to continue the story and loved Sunbringer. Faithbreaker fell flat for me. I thought Kissen’s new love interest was an odd pairing and I didn’t like the sacrifices that needed to be made towards the end. I also thought the war was too plot heavy and wished we didn’t spend the entire time fighting.

Also, I’m 3 books in and still don’t know what Veiga means

DNF at 19%. I really wanted to know how this series ended. The characters and plot were so unique. But I couldn’t get past the pacing issues that continued from book two. It made it really difficult to track or even enjoy the great plot because the pacing was so off and the book really dragged.

Note - I do not post reviews of books I did not finish.

I love the characters in this series so much. Kaner excels at writing personal relationships and developing complex characters. I think the worldbuilding is also excellent (this book adds some swashbuckling pirates!). Some of the politics of the story got a little lost to me, but the conclusion of this trilogy is truly epic. I bought my own personal copies of the series so I could re-read.

The Fallen Gods trilogy ends in a hectic clash of fire god v. fire god, as Elo, Skedi, Kissen and Inara try to find a way to survive the onslaught of Hseth and her supplicants.

The God War has come again. Hseth has been reborn as a god of war, and the Talicians continue to press forward, threatening everything that matters to Kissen, Elo, Skedi and Inara. To survive they'll have to gather allies, and find a way to put down the reborn fire god, and keep her there. But that's easier said than done in a country at war, with few allies, and fewer gods willing to aid in the fight.

Faithbreaker is the final installment in the Fallen Gods Trilogy and it delivers a powerful ending to a brazen trilogy full of love & loss, hate & heart, war & betrayal. It's time to finish the war between the Gods, and find a way forward for human, god, and demi-god alike, and if the heroes don't succeed...only the long broken shadow of Hseth will survive.

Man oh man did I love this trilogy! The third book managed to beautifully tie up every story thread in a way that felt true to the story and the characters, delivering a bitter sweet ending that made me wanna cry happy tears. This is a trilogy I'll be rereading for years.

The final book of the Fallen Gods trilogy is a triumph!

Elo reluctantly steps back into his role as knight commander while Kissen, Inara, and Skedi sail the seas in search of allies to help defend Middren from Hseth and her cruel army. This book flawlessly weaves epic plotlines with more intimate, character-based writing.

One one hand, this is a war book: tenuous alliances, long strategy sessions, and armies clashing in violent battle. But this is also a book about love: familial love, romantic love, unconditional love, and lost love. To be clear, this isn't a romance. It's an exploration of what we will do for love… and of what we will sacrifice for it.

This is one of the most satisfying conclusions to a series I've ever read. I laughed, I cried, I gasped, and I felt my heart break. Fans of this series are going to love every page of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Faithbreaker is the final chapter of Hannah Kaner’s Fallen Gods trilogy. This was an overall enjoyable read - better than Sunbringer, but not as good as Godkiller.

One thing I absolutely LOVE about these books is their diverse cast of characters, all of whom seem to be written realistically. I have yet to encounter a more inclusive world within the epic fantasy genre than the one Hannah Kaner has created in this series. That alone makes this entire trilogy a must-read!

There were some beautiful, vivid scenes in the first couple of chapters. I could easily visualize the intricate illustrations that might accompany these moments. This was something I loved about Godkiller that was sorely lacking in Sunbringer.

The pacing started out slow, downright dragged in the middle, and felt very rushed at the end. Not much of consequence seemed to happen throughout most of the middle of the book. Elo’s chapters in particular were hard to get through, with unnecessarily long, drawn-out descriptions of various battlefield tactics and the like. Every time the action started to pick up it ended abruptly and we were hurried along to the next character’s POV. Inara’s story was the most engaging overall, but a couple of the plot lines that felt pretty crucial to the story were left feeling unfinished/unresolved.

The romances between the characters were…weird. At some point during book 2 Kissen seems to become hyper-fixated on everyone’s sex appeal and this continues into book 3. Both of the romantic relationships that developed in this book could easily have been left out entirely as they did nothing to drive the plot and were just spicy enough to feel awkward and out of place.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the first two in the series. The characters are too precious to leave behind without getting some closure, and despite its flaws, Faithbreaker does manage to provide a satisfying conclusion to the series!

Bless this trilogy! It has fantastic world building without spending chapters and chapters describing the cobblestones of a street. With Faithbreaker, the trilogy was nicely wrapped up with a mostly satisfying ending. I preferred the first two books (I blame the entrance to a new world for that one), but it was an overall very enjoyable read.

This is a great series with really great characters and world building. I liked the ending but I did feel like the pacing was pretty off. This trilogy is definitely a good one to dive into!

Hannah Kaner has managed to make each book in this trilogy better than the previous one. I was so excited to get this through NetGalley because I loved the first two books in this series.

Faithbreaker picks up where we left off, but it becomes intense quickly and will keep you on the edge of your seat as the action takes off. There is not a single thing about this book, and this series, that I did not absolutely love! The characters are great, and the mythology surrounding the world and the gods they worship was fascinating and original.

I really hope that Hannah Kaner keeps blessing us with her talent with more books.

4.75 rounded up
Kissen, Inara, and our favorite little god Skedi are on a quest to find allies in the war while Elogast stays behind with Arren to fight the invasion.

This is a stunning conclusion to the Fallen Gods trilogy. There's treachery, war, more of the world exploration, and a battle of faith. While I loved Kissen and Elo together in previous books, I actually really enjoyed that they returned to mostly platonic status in this one. I don't agree with Elo's choice, but I understood it, while I wholeheartedly support Kissen's.

I love the disability representation and the queer normative world.

Content warnings for animal death because, ugh, that hurt! The ending had me in tears, and I wouldn't have it any other way. A painfully beautiful journey, and I will absolutely read the author's next works!

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

I very much enjoy a high stakes book and this grabbed my attention and pulled me in.

'Faithbreaker' is a the conclusion to the 'Fallen Gods' trilogy and I was not disappointed. The stakes are high, the characters are tested, and the payoff is immensely satisfying.

A stunning conclusion to one of my new favorite series. I laughed, I cried, I look forward to seeing more from this author (and possibly in this world?)!

A stunning conclusion to an epic trilogy.
I definitely thought this was the best book of the trilogy. Kaner has grown into her writing voice, and she tackles battles, relationships and strife deftly.
The characters we know and love from the first two books are stronger than ever. The main four are so vivid on the page, but there are a few delightful new faces that delighted me during reading this.
I expected there to be some pain reading this, but I ended the book in tears. A bittersweet ending to a wonderful series. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to whatever Kaner writes next.

thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review!

this is really like a 2 but I'm being generous because I've been in a reading slump lately.

anyway yeah there was something about the pacing of the last two books in this series that was, to be honest, terrible. I can't pinpoint what it was, but it was legitimately hard to focus on them and I never wanted to be reading them. again, this goes for both this book and the last one, which I thought was much better, but I really think that's the crux of the issue. it made me barely care about characters that I LOVED in the original book. :(

but I also think that, while the characters were still beautifully characterized, they lost a lot of their spark when they started traveling so separately. as if to really emphasize to the reader that these characters won't be spending a lot of time together, this book opens with Kissen and Elo sleeping together, but the book telling you over and over that it was platonic and didn't mean it had any deeper feelings. fine, they don't have to end up together romantically. but then a lot of this book is dedicated to having Kissen and Elo find new romantic partners, and honestly one of them was fine and the other one I didn't like at all. I feel like I'm coming off like some Kissen/Elo diehard here, but I am not, and it was simply a strange choice to have them have sex and then be like REMEMBER THIS DOESNT MEAN ANYTHING.

idk. plot-wise I ended up pretty happy with at least the last 10% - though a couple of major plot developments didn't really have time to settle, now that I think about it. but it was a big slog to get there. and I do still love these characters but they split up so definitively that it didn't feel emotionally satisfying at the end because there was no big catharsis of them together.

I'm genuinely kind of upset writing this review because I think Godkiller was so so so good and I was so beyond hyped to see what the rest of this trilogy had to offer. but book 2 wasn't nearly as good and this book is the trilogy going out with a whimper. :(

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

I have read the first 2 books on my own and not as ARC’s. I loved the first 2 books but gave them 3-star ratings, waiting to see where the series went.

The author’s world-building is impeccable and the lore behind the gods and the nations is excellent.

I felt a connection to and liked many of the characters, and there were some I respected as they were written but did not connect with them. There were so many things I liked about these novels and very few I did not.

I rated this at 4 stars reflecting on how I feel the series should be rated. Having read the final installment, I would likely view it as 4 stars for the first book, 3.5 for the second and 3.5 for this final book. To be fair, my rating reflects my preference for this type of fantasy book. Many of the elements of this style of fantasy are not my favorite.

Having said all of that, these are some of the best-written books I have read with some extremely creative writing, world-building and some great characters. The messages conveyed through all 3 books about love, protection and family (no matter the makeup of the family) resonate and find substance in each of the novels.

What an incredible conclusion to this trilogy! The last book of a series always makes me nervous because I don’t want to be disappointed. I definitely wasn’t with this one!! I loved reading all the different POVs. Can’t wait for the next series from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the Advanced Reader Copy. This entire trilogy has my heart. Hannah Kaner ripped said heart to pieces at some points during this book. I laughed. I cried. I was on the edge of my seat. I was truly feeling all the emotions. This book, along with the rest of the trilogy, felt like taking a journey with characters that became friends. I cannot recommend this trilogy more. It will always have a spot reserved on my favorites shelf.

for this to be the final installment of fallen gods left me… wanting. and i know i say this a lot with most of my reads but pacing!!! pacing is so important especially in fantasy books. this should’ve been a wrap up of books 1&2 with a pretty little bow on top but once again, i struggled. nothing about this really stood out to me and i found myself looking at my progress more often than i normally do and this is not what i want when i’m reading.
unfortunately this trilogy just didn’t hit for me. the romantic interactions were awkward and there wasn’t enough character work to make it impactful. i wasn’t sure if i was meant to feel for any of them. i didn’t really have a connection with anyone.
looking back at my reviews of the other 2 books, this was a decent enough trilogy but i don’t think it’s something i’d be willing to reread. bonus points tho for the beautiful covers ♡

This final book did a great job of wrapping up this trilogy. Fallen Gods is a really fun intro to fantasy I think. They’re easy reads with very cool world building and lore, and characters that are lease to like..and hate. There’s a lot of good representation and mild fade ti black romance scenes. I thought Faithbreaker ended a little abruptly and would have liked a longer final battle scene but all in all I enjoyed it as much as the rest of the series.