Reviews with content warning for Death - Godkiller

“Gods are not always the enemy; even your godkiller knows that. People make gods, and, for better or worse, gods make people. We show each other for what we truly are. Yearning beings, desperate for love, power, safety.”

➽ Godkiller was an interesting Fantasy debut, but didn't quite live up to my expectations. The story follows Kissen, who makes a living killing gods after a fire god wiped out her entire family. Initially, I thought this book would be told solely through her POV, but she's joined by a young noble girl called Inara who is bound to the god of white lies Skedi and a retired knight-turned-baker. Their dynamic was very interesting and I liked Kissen, as she's a tough character with a hidden soft spot! I also appreciated that the story included her disability (she's got a prosthetic leg because of the injuries she received from the fire god). Skedi was by far the most interesting character, as he's a minor god, but bound to a human. He cares for Inara in his own way, but still can't shake his desire to be worshipped.

➽ I liked the premise and the world was certainly very intriguing. Gods used to be revered and people prayed at their shrines for a chance to get a blessing. The gods range from powerful elemental beings to smaller gods like Skedi, whose domain is white lies. However, the gods were driven back by the current king and worshipping them has been forbidden. Some people still practice in secret, but gods need shrines to exist and have been mostly replaced everywhere in the country. Godkillers like Kissen take down the gods that reappear, as they're dependent on faith and can't be completely vanquished. I found the world very interesting and I liked the different perspectives on the gods. Some of them e.g. the fertility goddess bestowed important blessings that people can no longer access. However, gods can also be vicious and selfish, as they love being revered and might even use humans as sacrifices.

➽ Unfortunately, the story was so slow and the character didn't make up for it. With 300 pages, this book is on the shorter side for Fantasy, but it still dragged. The beginning and ending were more action-packed, but everything else felt much slower. This is a journey-based book so there was a lot of travelling to Blenraden, the story all characters need to go to. I feel like the story could have added more exciting subplots and explored Kissen's duty as a Godkiller. I felt like I didn't get to know the characters as well as I liked, as there was a lot of telling. The multiple POVs were detrimental in this book, as I wish the focus had stayed on Kissen. I didn't fully fall in love with the characters and some aspects like the romantic subplot didn't grip me at all. I don't think I'll read the sequel, especially as I heard it's even slower than this book.

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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

4.5

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I was worried that it would be a more grim fantasy story with a lot of violence and pain, maybe like Ashes of the Sun by Django Wexler. There are definitely dark elements and high stakes, but the characters are really charming and easy to invest in. There is always a running theme that finding and caring for people is good, even though sometimes there are betrayals and mistakes. There were a couple turns the plot took that were refreshing compared to where I expected the story to go. A lot of plot was crammed in here. It felt much longer than it was, in the best way. The audiobook narration was pretty good as well. I'm definitely looking forward to more from this series.

Content Warnings