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adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual content, Death of parent
Minor: Animal death
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book. . . how do I put into words how much I adore this book. I am baffled that I had not heard about this book sooner given the absolutely amazing disability/chronic pain rep to be found within it. Not just the side characters, no, but the main characters too. I was floored. And it wasn't just one type of disability experience, but people that had different disabled experiences. Found within the pages there's great mental health rep and LGQBTIA+ rep too. On top of this are a variety of well-written characters, including the side characters who feel beautifully fleshed out, and the brilliant unveiling of a fascinating world. I could not stop reading this book and want more. So much so I'm re-reading it this month(April) on audiobook just so I can read the sequel sooner as my ebook hold still has like 7 weeks to go cause people are realizing what I did: this book is amazing.
Anyways, while I wanted to write a more involved review, I forgot I hadn't gotten around to it so instead this babbling mess of me gushing at 3am is the best I can do. I'll write something better at a later date.
Anyways, while I wanted to write a more involved review, I forgot I hadn't gotten around to it so instead this babbling mess of me gushing at 3am is the best I can do. I'll write something better at a later date.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting
Minor: Alcohol
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Eating disorder
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of my favorite things in GODKILLER is that all of the characters change in very significant ways, prompted by their interactions with each other, but no one changes into any other character's ideal. They bend without breaking, they fit in with each other on the road without wholly molding to one another. Inara is a little girl with a god, Skediceth, living inside her. She seeks out a godkiller to try and find a way to free Skediceth from her, to let them both live separately, no longer intertwined. Kissen, a godkiller, seems to have already changed enough by not killing Skediceth when she meets him, but as they journey together it becomes apparent that being a godkiller doesn't actually mean that she kills every god she meets. Instead, Kissen kills the ones who are making life worse for people, the ones she's paid to kill. Elogast is on a mission from his best friend and king, Arren, to go to a city whose gods he tried to kill, to get one of them to become the king's new heart. Publicly, the king wants all the gods dead, or at least no longer worshipped, so Elogast must keep this mission secret, for the sake of the king. All four of them and up in the same pilgrimage caravan, traveling together with a few others, braving the dangers of the road and the patrolling knights. Skediceth is a god of white lies, untruths that are meant to mitigate harm and make things feel better, even if reality doesn't change because of them. Because he's a god, he's able to affect how lies are perceived, how readily they are believed. This makes things much easier as they travel, deflecting questions and averting gazes, making some trouble never manifest at all.
There's a narrative focus on the way all of the characters have been marked by the gods, changed by them, for good or ill. Kissen has a prosthetic leg fashioned from leather and metal, replacing the flesh leg she lost as a child when the other villagers tried to sacrifice her family to a fire god. She uses the prosthesis when the situation calls for two legs (as travelling and fighting tend to do). Most discussion of her legs is logistical, such as when she's cut in the leg while fighting and just needs to repair or replace the prosthesis, instead of having been injured in her flesh. I like the matter-of-fact handling of it. While there was someone in her past who exploited her and other children like her, the narrative only briefly discusses that time of her life. Now, she has two legs, it's just that the lower part of one of them can detach from the rest of her.
As the first book in the series, Godkiller feels very complete, able to stand alone. It invites a sequel with the way that it changes the situations of the main characters by the end, and I want to know what they do next. It's more open than a standalone without giving me a cliffhanger, which is perfect. The main characters are all very different with competing motivations that have all placed them together for now, but they don't know if they can trust each other. The worldbuilding and characterization work together seamlessly to make an engaging story that isn't afraid to have a slow burn in the middle. Most of it takes place during this pilgrimage, complemented by a much slower story pace. It helps to create a sense of time, that this journey really does take a while, one measured in days or perhaps weeks though not months.
There's a narrative focus on the way all of the characters have been marked by the gods, changed by them, for good or ill. Kissen has a prosthetic leg fashioned from leather and metal, replacing the flesh leg she lost as a child when the other villagers tried to sacrifice her family to a fire god. She uses the prosthesis when the situation calls for two legs (as travelling and fighting tend to do). Most discussion of her legs is logistical, such as when she's cut in the leg while fighting and just needs to repair or replace the prosthesis, instead of having been injured in her flesh. I like the matter-of-fact handling of it. While there was someone in her past who exploited her and other children like her, the narrative only briefly discusses that time of her life. Now, she has two legs, it's just that the lower part of one of them can detach from the rest of her.
As the first book in the series, Godkiller feels very complete, able to stand alone. It invites a sequel with the way that it changes the situations of the main characters by the end, and I want to know what they do next. It's more open than a standalone without giving me a cliffhanger, which is perfect. The main characters are all very different with competing motivations that have all placed them together for now, but they don't know if they can trust each other. The worldbuilding and characterization work together seamlessly to make an engaging story that isn't afraid to have a slow burn in the middle. Most of it takes place during this pilgrimage, complemented by a much slower story pace. It helps to create a sense of time, that this journey really does take a while, one measured in days or perhaps weeks though not months.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Ableism, Self harm, Sexual content, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Slavery, Excrement, Trafficking
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This really just did not keep my attention.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Religious bigotry
Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
animal death: hunting
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's a classic fantasy adventure story.
Kissen and Elo were interesting main characters. I liked the depiction of sign language in the story. There were a few twists in the story that kept me on my toes.
Overall, it is a very enjoyable story!
Kissen and Elo were interesting main characters. I liked the depiction of sign language in the story. There were a few twists in the story that kept me on my toes.
Overall, it is a very enjoyable story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, War
a fun dnd style high fantasy story with interesting world-building. I loved that we got so much diversity and disability representation, the book was queer and had a physically disabled main character and characters using sign language.
The story follows four characters brought together on one quest, Kissen grew up in a coastal town that worshipped the sea god but when the sea was not providing any longer the townspeople sacrificed her and her family to the fire god leaving her badly scarred and missing a leg. Years later she is now a grown woman and has made a life as a god killer, a sort of mercenary hire that kills off local problematic gods since the King has since banned all gods after ~the war~. Meanwhile Inara, has a god problem. She is a young highborn teen who has somehow become attached to a small hare-like god, Skedi, the god of white lies. They seek Kissen's help in becoming detached from each other without killing either Inara or the god. On their journey to the old lands, they end up on a travelling group with Elogast, a former King's knight now turned baker. After a series of unfortunate events in the royal family, his best friend and charge became the King and they went to battle together against the gods, but after the war, Elo quits his post and retires only for the King to come knocking on his door one night to ask for assistance for an old friend, and of course, loyal Elo will do anything for him.
i don't really know why there were POV switches since the characters were mostly all together the whole time, I also felt that the different POVs all had similar sounding voices so it was hard to tell apart. I think maybe it would have been better from an omnipotent 3rd person POV.
I also felt that the plot was maybe not the most interesting story, I was more curious about Kissen's backstory and also the war story. I was more interested in how these character's got here. The plot we got was very obvious
although the story had various queer characters and two of the main characters were bi, ?it somehow felt like queerbaiting? we love bi rep but i feel like lesbian rep is so far and few between and was excited when it seemed the MC was lesbian- I've never been disappointed until now for a character to turn out bi lol. Also the king and Elo seemed really homoerotic just saying...😂
The story follows four characters brought together on one quest, Kissen grew up in a coastal town that worshipped the sea god but when the sea was not providing any longer the townspeople sacrificed her and her family to the fire god leaving her badly scarred and missing a leg. Years later she is now a grown woman and has made a life as a god killer, a sort of mercenary hire that kills off local problematic gods since the King has since banned all gods after ~the war~. Meanwhile Inara, has a god problem. She is a young highborn teen who has somehow become attached to a small hare-like god, Skedi, the god of white lies. They seek Kissen's help in becoming detached from each other without killing either Inara or the god. On their journey to the old lands, they end up on a travelling group with Elogast, a former King's knight now turned baker. After a series of unfortunate events in the royal family, his best friend and charge became the King and they went to battle together against the gods, but after the war, Elo quits his post and retires only for the King to come knocking on his door one night to ask for assistance for an old friend, and of course, loyal Elo will do anything for him.
i don't really know why there were POV switches since the characters were mostly all together the whole time, I also felt that the different POVs all had similar sounding voices so it was hard to tell apart. I think maybe it would have been better from an omnipotent 3rd person POV.
I also felt that the plot was maybe not the most interesting story, I was more curious about Kissen's backstory and also the war story. I was more interested in how these character's got here. The plot we got was very obvious
although the story had various queer characters and two of the main characters were bi, ?it somehow felt like queerbaiting? we love bi rep but i feel like lesbian rep is so far and few between and was excited when it seemed the MC was lesbian- I've never been disappointed until now for a character to turn out bi lol. Also the king and Elo seemed really homoerotic just saying...😂
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
In a fantastical world where the king has outlawed gods, Kissen is a bounty hunter who kills gods for cash. But when she encounters a little girl whose soul is bound to a god of white lies, she must take them on a deadly quest to a city infested with dangerous gods to figure out how to break their bond.
This is a relatively quick fantasy novel, but it packs a ton into its pages! With well-placed details, Kaner makes the world feel lush and realistic. The god lore is super interesting and I loved learning about the different deities that Kissen and her friends encounter. And I always love a dash of mystery!
Kissen is a super enjoyable protagonist — cranky and sweary, but with a heart of gold. All the characters, even the tiny side ones, had well-developed motivations.
The ending is a bit sudden, but it felt right as a good entrance into the sequel. There was a lot more to explore — not just in terms of defeating the villain revealed at the end, but also in terms of digging deeper into the tensions between those who’ve been hurt by the gods and those who deeply want to keep their faith. I’m really interested to see where those themes go in Sunbringer.
If you’re looking for a not-too-chonky fantasy novel with a great world and characters, themes of faith and power, and well-received disabled and queer representation, you should definitely check this out!
Spice level: Brief, non-graphic.
CWs: Violence, gore, amputation, murder, animal death, human sacrifice, PTSD.
This is a relatively quick fantasy novel, but it packs a ton into its pages! With well-placed details, Kaner makes the world feel lush and realistic. The god lore is super interesting and I loved learning about the different deities that Kissen and her friends encounter. And I always love a dash of mystery!
Kissen is a super enjoyable protagonist — cranky and sweary, but with a heart of gold. All the characters, even the tiny side ones, had well-developed motivations.
The ending is a bit sudden, but it felt right as a good entrance into the sequel. There was a lot more to explore — not just in terms of defeating the villain revealed at the end, but also in terms of digging deeper into the tensions between those who’ve been hurt by the gods and those who deeply want to keep their faith. I’m really interested to see where those themes go in Sunbringer.
If you’re looking for a not-too-chonky fantasy novel with a great world and characters, themes of faith and power, and well-received disabled and queer representation, you should definitely check this out!
Spice level: Brief, non-graphic.
CWs: Violence, gore, amputation, murder, animal death, human sacrifice, PTSD.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Religious bigotry
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great disablility representation and people just casually being gay without it making a fuss. Loved the story too and was invested in the characters and their goals.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Animal death, Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Trafficking