Reviews tagging 'War'

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

142 reviews

sn8man's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and War

Minor: Physical abuse and Trafficking

aggressive_nostalgia's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Trafficking, Religious bigotry, and War

Minor: Ableism

gothbunnny's review

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? Yes

5.0

I would give this book six stars if I could

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Child abuse and War

no_evil_star's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death and Panic attacks/disorders

estock36's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

3.75

Loved the action scenes when they were present! I wish I liked the characters more. They were definitely multi layered. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Classism

reddeddy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Torture, and Pregnancy

xcelxdx's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

Been meaning to pick this book up for ages but was slightly apprehensive I would be disappointed due to the (quiet-ish) hype for this book. Wow I am so glad I picked it up. It was surprisingly easy for a fantasy book to enter the world. The characters were exciting (once I figured out how many POVs there were). The plot twist at the end was both predictable and not which is always great. I loved getting to know the characters and watching them learn to trust and love each other over the course of the book. I think every page was justified in furthering the characters or plot of the book and I was not able to put it down once I got to the last 30-50 pages. The multi POVs became a good storytelling took especially here. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next and unravelling more of the secrets/plotting.

I was wondering why kissen still had a gods boon from presumably osidisen as I thought she was saved by his promise. What an unexpected and convenient surprise that she’d saved it up. I wonder if Hseth was truly killed by the sea god, Kissen seems to think so but is it so easy to kill wild fire? At least if she comes back it should be a reduced form. Strange how after so much destruction it was not so complicated an end

Seeing each of the four characters’ different perspectives on the complicated relationships between gods and humans; worshippers, non-believers, and god killers was thought provoking. Where would I fall if I lived in this workd, is it so easy to resist temptation of a gods promise. How far would each of us go for it

people in this book went horrifically far

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual content, Trafficking, and Grief

rhi_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Animal death and Sexual content

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War

Moderate: Self harm

thewillowwood's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

hear me out: this is basically if the Witcher books were actually good. sorry not sorry. this book slayed, looking forward to reading the next instalment.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail