dexkit10's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, War, Violence, Murder, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Sexual content
hannahbailey's review
adventurous
dark
funny
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
3.5
Brilliantly narrated by Kit Griffiths, the audiobook was an engaging and pleasant listen. Kissen is by far the standout character with her sharp tongue and quick wit. I actually laughed a lot early on with Kissen’s unexpected swearing and general annoyance at everyone around her — that was refreshing!
There’s also great rep — Kissen is an amputee, her friend is deaf and a few characters communicate in sign language.
Whilst an enjoyable read with an interesting world being built as the characters trek through it, I found it lost momentum towards the last third. There was conflict but I found myself less invested than I thought I would be given how much I was enjoying the first 50% or so. I don’t feel like we really got anywhere and the characters didn’t really develop. I did love Kissen, but I was less interested in the other characters — more could’ve been done with them.
Having finished it I feel a bit ambivalent towards it which I suppose isn’t great when finishing a novel 🥲 I’ll be interested to see where the sequel takes these characters as this definitely felt like an intro to something much bigger!
TW: murder, violence, death (of parent), fire, coercion, injury detail, blood
There’s also great rep — Kissen is an amputee, her friend is deaf and a few characters communicate in sign language.
Whilst an enjoyable read with an interesting world being built as the characters trek through it, I found it lost momentum towards the last third. There was conflict but I found myself less invested than I thought I would be given how much I was enjoying the first 50% or so. I don’t feel like we really got anywhere and the characters didn’t really develop. I did love Kissen, but I was less interested in the other characters — more could’ve been done with them.
Having finished it I feel a bit ambivalent towards it which I suppose isn’t great when finishing a novel 🥲 I’ll be interested to see where the sequel takes these characters as this definitely felt like an intro to something much bigger!
TW: murder, violence, death (of parent), fire, coercion, injury detail, blood
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Death, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Violence
_teoeo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, War, Animal death, Death of parent, Police brutality, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Abortion and Trafficking
shannnne's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: War, Murder, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Police brutality, and Abandonment
bluejayreads's review against another edition
4.75
I have heard nothing about this book anywhere – I’m pretty sure I found it through The StoryGraph’s (admittedly pretty great) recommendation algorithm. My library doesn’t even have a copy. But honestly, everybody should know about this book because it’s just so good.
First off, I’m already predisposed to like this concept. If you know anything about me, you know I’m a sucker for interesting, unique, or weird takes on deities and religion. A world where gods are formed out of human desire and sustained by their prayers and offerings, but are also outlawed by the king and hunted down and killed by god-killers, is right up my alley. There are so many fascinating little details, from the details of how a god is created to to the ways gods interact with the humans who give it life and offerings to the process of killing one. I found it fascinating, but even if you don’t, it doesn’t detract at all from the story.
And the story is pretty spectacular too. It starts out with Kissen, who lost her entire family and one of her legs to a god being petty and territorial. Fitted with a pretty cool prosthetic, she now makes a living hunting down and killing gods for coin – a bit like a Witcher if Witchers hunted gods instead of monsters. Then she meets Inara, a kid somehow bound to a small god. On their quest to figure out how to untangle the kid and the god, they join up with Elogast, a former knight on a very illegal quest from the king. Though having four point-of-view characters (Kissen, Inara, Elogast, and Inara’s god) gets annoying at times, it gets less annoying once all four are in the same spot headed in the same direction. And there really isn’t a perspective that could be removed without harming the story as a whole – as irritating as it got in the beginning, this story really does need all four narrators.
I’m not going to comment on the plot much, for a couple reasons. One is that as simple as “go to this city and ask the wild gods how to solve the problem” sounds, the actual reality is significantly more complicated than that. The other is that for as strong as the plot is (and it is very good), it’s the characters that really sang for me in this one. Guilty and disillusioned knight only recently forced to stop hiding from the world and his own feelings; sheltered and scared only child of a noblewoman, uncertain about any of this but determined to be brave; god of little white lies, bound to a single child and desperate for more; and my absolute favorite, strong and broken and furious and violent and loyal and traumatized and all-around spectacular god-killer. The plot is great and the world is spectacular, but in such a way that the characters really shine.
I didn’t know going in that this was first in a series, but I’m very glad it is. The ending left so much open – the whole “burgeoning civil war” thing, whatever the hell the king is up to, how the god got bound to Inara in the first place, why Inara has the weird powers she has, what Kissen is going to do after that ending … And above all, I want to read more. Godkiller just came out, so I’m sure book two will be a long time coming, but I’m looking forward to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Grief, Sexual content, Gore, Animal death, and Death
Minor: Body horror
Mind controldokushoka's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Minor: Animal death, Toxic relationship, War, Death, and Toxic friendship
ramalam98's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
5.0
A surprise 5 stars for me!! I was worried I wouldn't like this, but it has some specific tropes in fantasy books that I really like: found family, D&D style quest/travel, and gods as tangible characters with power tied to worship.
I loved the characters, and loved the diverse representation in terms of disability, queerness and skin colour. I found Inara slightly too 'wise for her age' especially as she's had a very sheltered upbringing but I still loved her as a character. Skedi was great despite his flaws. Kissen my beloved! And Elo... I would love to work in his bakery and be his friend.
The plot was great, possibly a bit too complex at times with many names to keep track of and I'm not entirely sure where Inara's mother fit into all this. But I loved the overall arching plots, and for once really enjoyed the romance!
Overall, while this isn't a perfect book, I absolutely loved it and can't justify lowering the rating. Absolutely recommend and I can't wait for the sequel!
I loved the characters, and loved the diverse representation in terms of disability, queerness and skin colour. I found Inara slightly too 'wise for her age' especially as she's had a very sheltered upbringing but I still loved her as a character. Skedi was great despite his flaws. Kissen my beloved! And Elo... I would love to work in his bakery and be his friend.
The plot was great, possibly a bit too complex at times with many names to keep track of and I'm not entirely sure where Inara's mother fit into all this. But I loved the overall arching plots, and for once really enjoyed the romance!
Overall, while this isn't a perfect book, I absolutely loved it and can't justify lowering the rating. Absolutely recommend and I can't wait for the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: War, Abandonment, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Grief, Child abuse, and Death
marleywrites's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
3.5
The found family 😭 I love them forever 😭
This book had a slow start, but the world building was incredible. Despite the slow exposition, I was invested in the world and characters. Right from the start we see curses and magical bonds and sacrifices. We see remnants of violence and war. This story has such a rich history that I just want to dig into the lore.
I’m intrigued to see what happens with the main characters of this story. I can’t say much more without spoiling anything, but I have a feeling more will be resolved in the next book. If you’re expecting a neat conclusion, this isn’t it, but I promise you will be glued to the book for the last 100 pages. I read the last 80 in less than 2 hours because I was INVESTED‼️
This novel was like a road trip gone wrong. AND YET!! I cared about this book so much by the end. I’m glad I picked it up.
Plus I have the waterstones edition and it’s gorgeous. Although Skedi doesn’t look like how I imagined him on the cover. If that’s him. I wish we could see his hare form. EDIT: he’s on the back cover!!
This book had a slow start, but the world building was incredible. Despite the slow exposition, I was invested in the world and characters. Right from the start we see curses and magical bonds and sacrifices. We see remnants of violence and war. This story has such a rich history that I just want to dig into the lore.
I’m intrigued to see what happens with the main characters of this story. I can’t say much more without spoiling anything, but I have a feeling more will be resolved in the next book. If you’re expecting a neat conclusion, this isn’t it, but I promise you will be glued to the book for the last 100 pages. I read the last 80 in less than 2 hours because I was INVESTED‼️
This novel was like a road trip gone wrong. AND YET!! I cared about this book so much by the end. I’m glad I picked it up.
Plus I have the waterstones edition and it’s gorgeous. Although Skedi doesn’t look like how I imagined him on the cover. If that’s him. I wish we could see his hare form. EDIT: he’s on the back cover!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Blood, Violence, and War
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual content
miles's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
4.5
An absolute banger of a debut novel and first installment in what is likely to be a very exciting new fantasy series with wonderful characters and brilliant world-building.
The novel is written in alternating POV chapters between the four main characters: Kissen, a godkiller and badass extraordinaire who doesn't take shit from anyone; Elogast, a knight turned baker with a fierce and loyal love towards his king and friend; Inara, a young noble who has been dealt a terrible hand in life and is seeking aid; and Skediceth, a shrine-less god who happens to be bound to Inara though neither of them know or understand why. Their paths eventually cross and they set out on a pilgrim together, each for reasons of their own. As often happens when people are stuck together for a prolonged amount of time, they learn to care for and about each other, living and fighting together.
There is much story left to be told since this is only just the beginning, and I cannot wait to see where Kaner takes these amazing characters, but so far it's been an absolute joy. Each character has their flaws and moments that make you want to scream at them and kick them, but that's the fun of a well-rounded, well-written character. I have become fiercely attached to all of them. The gods themselves and the way their powers work in Kaner's world is certainly a fascinating one and I, for one, adore that many of the gods, Skedi included, are a whacky mix of animal parts thrown together - exactly the kind of biblically accurate stuff I love to see.
I am incredibly excited for the next installment of this series!
The novel is written in alternating POV chapters between the four main characters: Kissen, a godkiller and badass extraordinaire who doesn't take shit from anyone; Elogast, a knight turned baker with a fierce and loyal love towards his king and friend; Inara, a young noble who has been dealt a terrible hand in life and is seeking aid; and Skediceth, a shrine-less god who happens to be bound to Inara though neither of them know or understand why. Their paths eventually cross and they set out on a pilgrim together, each for reasons of their own. As often happens when people are stuck together for a prolonged amount of time, they learn to care for and about each other, living and fighting together.
There is much story left to be told since this is only just the beginning, and I cannot wait to see where Kaner takes these amazing characters, but so far it's been an absolute joy. Each character has their flaws and moments that make you want to scream at them and kick them, but that's the fun of a well-rounded, well-written character. I have become fiercely attached to all of them. The gods themselves and the way their powers work in Kaner's world is certainly a fascinating one and I, for one, adore that many of the gods, Skedi included, are a whacky mix of animal parts thrown together - exactly the kind of biblically accurate stuff I love to see.
I am incredibly excited for the next installment of this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Child death, Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Sexual content
themelleh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War, Sexual content, Genocide, and Grief