A review by natashaleighton_
Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Hannah Kaner’s deliciously explosive and utterly enchanting, dark fantasy was a fast paced and fiercely addictive debut; full of gods,demons, disillusioned knights and god killing mercenaries with hearts of gold that ensnared me from the first page and left me breathless with excitement! 

It follows Kissen whose family was murdered by zealots of a fire god, now makes a living killing gods and enjoys it, that is until she finds a god she can’t kill and the young girl, Inara that it has somehow attached itself to. 

Joined by the former knight commander; Kissen, the young noble and the god of white lies all journey towards the ruined city of Blenraden (where the last of the wild gods reside) to each beg a favour.

But with a bloody civil war on the horizon and shadowy demons in pursuit, Kissen and Co. face untold danger for something is rotting at the heart of the kingdom—and only they can stop it…

This was such an action packed, whirlwind of a book and I loved every well plotted and exquisitely detailed second of it! 

The world building was a huge part of what I loved most, it’s exhilaratingly atmospheric and threaded with uncertainty. I loved how vividly detailed the lore surrounding the dwindling gods were and how intrinsically linked their (and the world’s) magic was to the worship and offerings of desperate people, torn between their faith and the king’s new laws. 

I also loved Kissen, who was such a fierce, and tenacious character whose gruff, standoffish exterior hides a deep well of compassion and protectiveness for her loved ones. She can be impulsive at times which does lead to some not so stellar results, but her ability to own up to them, learn and move on was something that really impressed me. As did her Geralt levels of attitude and badass-ness (and the matching feistiness of her horse, Legs also gives Roach competition for fave fictional horse of all time.)

Elo was likewise a really intriguing character, his endearing Jaskier/Dandelion level of goodness and self sacrificing personality make it impossible not to love him (not to mention his skills in baking and occasional renditions of bawdy military songs), plus his relationship dynamics and banter with Kissen was perfect.

I can’t talk about endearing characters and not mention the adorable-ness of Inara (the young noble) and Skedi, the little god bound to her. The bond they share was a genuinely sweet highlight for the most part and I liked that (alongside Kissen and Elo) we also got to experience both of their POVs—though Skedi’s did surprise me a little! If you loved Lyra and Pan from Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, then you’re most likely going to adore these two.

The disability rep was really good (Kissen has a prosthesis) and it was really refreshing to see the representation in a main (and incredibly pivotal to the narrative) character too as opposed to just a minor or supporting character. 

Overall, a phenomenally strong and enjoyable debut from Hannah Kaner which ends on a satisfying, though slightly cliffhanger-y ending. I’m definitely excited to see where the rest of the series takes us—and desperately hoping the wait won’t be too long! 

Also, a massive thank you to Harper Voyager for the wonderful Proof. 
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