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wordsareworlds's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I saw a quote from Kaner that said that at its core, this book is a quest. Which is exactly the same as its surface and the end of that quest does not exist in this book.
I was hoping for a book that had a lot more going on with the commentary on the relationships between the characters, and the society as a whole and Kaner's unique approach to gods here. I wanted more on every level, and instead what I got was simplistic characterizations with a ton of repetition and no reflection on how characters get from point to point emotionally on their Epic Quest.
For all that Godkiller is much more character focused than action action oriented, Kaner fails to give those characters enough layers to hold the weight of page count. Instead we're subjected to the most awkward and author-forced romance between two characters, which I have the sneaking suspicion was only included to satisfy the "but is there spice" question. The overall worldbuilding does not hold up to even a cursory glance, and there was "redemption" moment for Skeddy that only works if you forget the core of his and Inara's relationship is that their lives are linked so if she dies, he dies. Him saving her life with that in play absolutely does not balance him manipulating her with his powers for years and then literally taking over her body against her will . The plot itself is by-the-numbers, and the major twist at the end will not be a surprise to anyone who has ever read a fantasy book ever.
On the other hand, there's Kissen. Kissen is the absolute epitome of my own personality and the brand of character I play in ttrpgs. I love her. She's standoffish but desperately wants to have her (found) family close and safe, she throws herself into violence with a wild abandon that is not always backed up by her skill level, but is by her will. The depiction of her disability and physical pain felt incredibly well done. She deserved a better book, but yes I will subject myself to book 2 just to read more about her.
Read this if you want to read about Kissen and can turn your brain off for pretty much the entire rest of the book. Otherwise just pick up one of the many other, better fantasy books that include characters going on a quest to save themselves but end up finding out they have to save everyone.
I was hoping for a book that had a lot more going on with the commentary on the relationships between the characters, and the society as a whole and Kaner's unique approach to gods here. I wanted more on every level, and instead what I got was simplistic characterizations with a ton of repetition and no reflection on how characters get from point to point emotionally on their Epic Quest.
For all that Godkiller is much more character focused than action action oriented, Kaner fails to give those characters enough layers to hold the weight of page count. Instead we're subjected to the most awkward and author-forced romance between two characters, which I have the sneaking suspicion was only included to satisfy the "but is there spice" question. The overall worldbuilding does not hold up to even a cursory glance, and there was "redemption" moment for Skeddy that only works if you forget the core of his and Inara's relationship
On the other hand, there's Kissen. Kissen is the absolute epitome of my own personality and the brand of character I play in ttrpgs. I love her. She's standoffish but desperately wants to have her (found) family close and safe, she throws herself into violence with a wild abandon that is not always backed up by her skill level, but is by her will. The depiction of her disability and physical pain felt incredibly well done. She deserved a better book, but yes I will subject myself to book 2 just to read more about her.
Read this if you want to read about Kissen and can turn your brain off for pretty much the entire rest of the book. Otherwise just pick up one of the many other, better fantasy books that include characters going on a quest to save themselves but end up finding out they have to save everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, War, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Moderate: Self harm
quitegood's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I did like this book, and I'm curious to see it continue, its just that I had issue with certain bit of the narrative's structure and with how the themes were executed, and to discuss them will require spoiler, so the non-spoiler version is; good but not great, falls short in places, am interested in the sequel.
So the twist where it turns out Arren is evil does not work because Arren has showed up once at the book's beginning, so finding out he's actually been corrupted by the god who saved him carries very little weight. We're meant to feel as heartbroken as Elo, to know the man he loved has truly gone, but we can't because we don't know who Arren was. Secondly, I love the theme of overcoming hardship and disability, and living to just live, not because you need purpose. But I wish it hadn't been loaded into the final 20% of the book. I know Kissen and Elo are very private characters, but you could have had small moments peppered through out the journey. These are nitpicks, I'm aware, but in that spirit, why'd they have to fuck? I get it, I'm ace, but bloody hell you normies think with your genitals too much!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, War, Gore, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
jmatsumura's review against another edition
adventurous
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
5.0
World building. More Innara.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, War, and Religious bigotry
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
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: Gore, Religious bigotry, Blood, Death, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Murder, Child death, Death of parent, and Confinement
Moderate: Ableism, Self harm, Sexual content, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Excrement, Trafficking, Animal death, Child abuse, and Slavery
picaresquedreamer's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Violence, Child death, Murder, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, Blood, War, and Sexual content
Minor: Ableism and Child abuse
takarakei's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This really just did not keep my attention.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
animal death: huntingpandorasxbox's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War
looseleafellie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
5.0
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: Violence and Death
Moderate: Animal death and Religious bigotry
tkatt20's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
4.5
I picked this book up on a whim and I ended up being genuinely surprised by how much I liked it! I was a little worried after reading some of the other reviews that I would also find that it was too slow paced and that the amount of characters were overwhelming, but I actually feel the opposite about it. It was a tad on the slow side in the beginning, but after finishing it I feel like it was necessary to really set up the world and the story without being overwhelming. Even when it did lag a bit, the last 20% more than makes up for it and actually solidified that this was a much better book than i was giving it credit for. Plus, a majority of the characters that were introduced I can absolutely forsee making a huge difference in the rest of this series as it continues. Other than that, the writing was amazing, there was great representation, and I love love loved the characters. So, take my recommendation and read this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Blood, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Death, and Gore
Moderate: War and Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual content and Religious bigotry
hardbackhoarder's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Self harm, War, Panic attacks/disorders, and Police brutality