Scan barcode
A review by eswinbanks
Godkiller by Hannah Kaner
4.0
A solid debut with a particularly intriguing premise. Humanity going to war with the gods is always going to be a cool premise; especially when it involves Witcher-esque trained killers whose sole purpose it is to hunt gods. Hannah Kaner definitely delivers here. Whilst the book does have its flaws, I was pretty entertained for the majority of the book.
Godkiller starts off with an explosive prologue setting the pace for what is sure to be a captivating story. This continues with the books early chapters, featuring strong pacing and wicked plot beats. Kaner has a lovely writing style and the mythology penned in this world is rich and vibrant.
Unfortunately there are some flaws. After the books wicked opening few chapters, the plot stagnates for a good 50 pages or so where very little happens, both plot wise and character wise. That said, it does pick up quickly after this with the pacing returning to its previous highs culminating in an excellent climax of events during the narratives closing act.
For the most part, the character work is solid. I was instantly drawn to Inara and Skedi, and I thought their growth of relationship was beautiful. It took me a while to grow an attachment to Kissen and Elo, but by the halfway point I was attached.
Godkiller definitely suffers via its length. I feel like the book would have benefitted from an extra 100/200 pages so Kaner could fully flesh out the world building and some character relationships - mainly that of Elo and Arren. I found it hard to resonate with Elo’s arc early on because of how intrinsically it’s tied to his friendship with Arren, considering we only get a chapter of the two together. If Godkiller had those extra pages, Kaner could have expanded on their friendship to greater effect, which would have made that arc much stronger. I also think the series would benefit from a prequel novella detailing the original war with the gods as well as Elo and Arren’s experience with the war.
All in all, I was impressed with Godkiller despite my criticisms. It’s a really good book. It’s just held back in certain ways from being a great book. The story was deeply captivating, Skedi and Inara were adorable, and the series premise has heaps of potential. I definitely view this as a setup book, and now the stage has been set I have particularly high hopes for Sunbringer.
Godkiller starts off with an explosive prologue setting the pace for what is sure to be a captivating story. This continues with the books early chapters, featuring strong pacing and wicked plot beats. Kaner has a lovely writing style and the mythology penned in this world is rich and vibrant.
Unfortunately there are some flaws. After the books wicked opening few chapters, the plot stagnates for a good 50 pages or so where very little happens, both plot wise and character wise. That said, it does pick up quickly after this with the pacing returning to its previous highs culminating in an excellent climax of events during the narratives closing act.
For the most part, the character work is solid. I was instantly drawn to Inara and Skedi, and I thought their growth of relationship was beautiful. It took me a while to grow an attachment to Kissen and Elo, but by the halfway point I was attached.
Godkiller definitely suffers via its length. I feel like the book would have benefitted from an extra 100/200 pages so Kaner could fully flesh out the world building and some character relationships - mainly that of Elo and Arren. I found it hard to resonate with Elo’s arc early on because of how intrinsically it’s tied to his friendship with Arren, considering we only get a chapter of the two together. If Godkiller had those extra pages, Kaner could have expanded on their friendship to greater effect, which would have made that arc much stronger. I also think the series would benefit from a prequel novella detailing the original war with the gods as well as Elo and Arren’s experience with the war.
All in all, I was impressed with Godkiller despite my criticisms. It’s a really good book. It’s just held back in certain ways from being a great book. The story was deeply captivating, Skedi and Inara were adorable, and the series premise has heaps of potential. I definitely view this as a setup book, and now the stage has been set I have particularly high hopes for Sunbringer.