Godkiller is set in the aftermath of a God War, where our characters are trying to survive in a dark and gritty world where gods and monsters roam. It reminded me very much of The Witcher, was this a source of inspiration to you? What other aspects influenced your worldbuilding? Godkiller delivers an impressive fantasy world, the way the gods are presented is unique, and, as previously mentioned, the fact that the mythology and history are delivered at a steady pace hints that this series has a lot more of its secrets yet to reveal. Kaner’s debut reads similar to one of Sapkowski’s short stories or the stand-alone Season of Storms in that it’s self-contained, follows a few main characters on an adventure, and that it feels like we’re only witnessing a small yet exciting part of what’s going on in a massive, vivid world. Other than the MC, the other characters perspectives did not interest me much at all. As Inara is a younger girl, it is told from a younger perspective and I found it slightly irritating to read. However, I am curious about where her journey may go. Hannah Kaner is a Northumbrian writer living in Scotland. She works as a senior digital consultant in Edinburgh, delivering digital healthcare, tools, and services for the public sector. She has a first-class degree in English from Pembroke College, Cambridge, and a Masters of Science with distinction from the University of Edinburgh. She is inspired by world mythologies, angry women, speculative fiction and the stories we tell ourselves about being human.

Each person's colours were different, bright, manipulable. Skedi could tell a liar from a lover, a joker from a fraud.” Whilst reading Godkiller, we follow four different points of view. Two of them are reluctant legends in their own fields, both were active and influential throughout the god war, and are now just generally plodding along. They find themselves in a position that is similar to how Ringil begins in The Steel Remains. Kissen is the titular Godkiller and her occupation is pretty self-explanatory. She doesn’t like gods much and will kill them for a fee. Elogast is currently a baker, yet his previous occupation was as one of the King’s most trusted Knights. We also follow Inara, a young noble lady who the majority of the nobility don’t seem to know exists, and finally her bonded god companion Skedi, the god of white lies. Our story follows Kissen, a godkiller. Kissen’s childhood was filled with tragedy, one which has left her with scars that will never fully heal. Haunted by memories and filled with a constant simmering anger, Kissen devotes her life to killing gods, and she’s pretty damn good at it. Yet when she chances upon a young noble child in a tavern, she sets forth on a quest to free her from a god Kissen cannot kill. Inara Craier is bound to Skediceth, the god of white lies, and should they try to part from one another they would both die. Kissen cannot allow another child to die at the hands of a god. Then there is Elogast, once the King’s knight who fought to destroy shrines and kill gods in the great God War, yet in the horrific aftermath Elo put down his sword and to escape his nightmares turned his hand to baking. Elo longs for a quiet, simple life, but when King Arren, once his closest friend, sends him on a mission to save his life and the kingdom, he is forced to return to the city of gods, Blenraden, the city he helped bring to ruin.Godkiller by Hannah Kaner is a dark, gritty and highly immersive debut. This is a tale where gods and mortals collide, where myth and legends are brought to life, where having faith could get you killed. The power of belief is strong, worship can bring peace to many but believing in Gods can be deadly. To seek a God’s favour, to have their light shine upon you, is to pay a high price.

Kissen is a breath of fresh air in today’s fantasy landscape. While the character still displays some tropey traits such as being orphaned at a young age, and consequently being a self-reliant, mulishly stubborn, hides-her-heart-behind-high-walls protagonist, she is also hella queer, knows how to fight and fights well!! ( let’s not talk about those FMC that are either too overpowered and naturally gifted at literally every single thing they do or, while said to be a great warrior, actually aren’t), disabled (the disability rep in this novel was outstanding), and the brains to know when a situation is outside her capabilities. All in all, Kissen felt very well-rounded, and I enjoyed reading her POV. Hannah loves the histories and mythologies shared through our cultural histories, the stories we tell ourselves about being human. She also likes s Hannah has her heart in Scotland and her roots in the north of England. I had this book in my TBR for a while, then I saw a premise that went “You’re not welcome here, godkiller.” and I knew I had to read it. And thank gods I did because it was awesome. It was literally like The Witcher, without the misogyny of course. I guess that’s one of the reasons I loved it so much. (I quit reading The Witcher series at the fourth book because as a woman, the author’s view of women made me very uncomfortable.) 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.ACTUAL REVIEW: After initially struggling with the first few chapters of this novel, I’m happy to say it managed to convince me to keep reading to the point where I finished the last 60% in one go. Consider me SAT. 🧎🏼‍♀️ Tempted to say dragon, but everyone wants a dragon these days. I’m going to go with a huffing great griffin. A big, vicious, epic catbird. Kissen is a god killer; her entire family was sacrificed to a god when she was a child, and she was spared only because her father made a deal with a god. She has sworn to kill every god. One day, she encounters a young noble girl with a god linked to her. Kissen cannot kill the god without harming the girl. When the girl's family is assassinated, they embark on a journey to find a god who can help them break the link. but at least, at the very least, he now had someone to fight alongside, though he would not in a thousand years have suspected it would be a god, a godkiller, and a child.

It’s a very vigorous, violent, and fraught climax, let’s just say. And recalls, satisfyingly and unexpectedly, elements from the prologue. Hannah loves the histories and mythologies shared through our cultural histories, the stories we tell ourselves about being human. She also likes stabby swords and angry women.

Some were snarky and sassy, others empathetic and vulnerable. Their differences made them a motley crew and all the more beloved, to me, because of it. There were many exciting discoveries to be made about who they really were or what events had arisen in their pasts to make them the individuals they were in the book's present day and I really enjoyed exploring these aspects as their current mission also played out. Gods are forbidden in the kingdom of Middren. Formed by human desires and fed by their worship, there are countless gods in the world—but after a great war, the new king outlawed them and now pays “godkillers” to destroy any who try to rise from the shadows. As a child, Kissen saw her family murdered by a fire god. Now, she makes a living killing them and enjoys it. But all this changes when Kissen is tasked with helping a young noble girl with a god problem. The child’s soul is bonded to a tiny god of white lies, and Kissen can’t kill it without ending the girl’s life too. I found Kaner’s portrayal of Gods captivating throughout. These are not invisible gods which the people blindly pray to, oh no, these gods can be summoned, they can physically manifest, and they can be bargained with. Kaner takes great care to show two sides: one where gods offer comfort and hope to those facing desperate times, and one where gods feed off people’s pain and their suffering, and greedily lust to grow more powerful through their prayers. Thus showing why gods of old and new fought against each other and divided the lands between those who still held belief and those who feared the gods. Ok, we have to mention how gorgeous your cover is, the artwork is stunning! How involved in the process were you? Was there a particular aesthetic you hoped they’d portray?

On the pilgrim road, among other pilgrims, they each have their secrets. But with demon-like constructs in pursuit of at least one of them, keeping their secrets from each other turns out to be the least of their problems, especially when circumstances separate them from the other pilgrims—the real pilgrims—of their small travelling group. They have to figure out if they can afford to trust each other: a hard choice, when one of them is a godkiller, one of them’s a god, and one is a former knight who might be expected to look askance at either. Add to that Inara discovering that she has very unusual powers all of her own, intimations of civil war in Middren, and and the tension can only rise.Regarding what to expect, Godkiller includes an LGBTQ+ lead, main characters who struggle with mental illness, a point of view character who has a prosthetic leg, other important disabled characters, and this world's equivalent of sign language. All of these aspects fit seamlessly and enhance the story and the characters around them. We also have incredible set pieces, romance, betrayals, showdowns, curses, tragic loss, demons, and an amazing ending. Little statements and seemingly unimportant details come to be of the utmost importance later on, so Godkiller is absolutely a rewarding novel for those that pay attention. Kissen for example, as I figured out her story, how she survived and what it took for these gods to grant wishes, I realised she would have to have lost a limb, or an ear, or an eye as part of that survival. Engrossing worldbuilding, appealing characters, and a sense of humor make this a winning entry in the Sanderson canon. 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. Kissen is a perfect main character, a perfect driving force throughout this story. She’s a veiga, a godkiller, in a world brimming with gods of old and new. She has ghosts that haunt her, the flames of her past contending with the brightness of the future beneath the ever-watching eye of the sun. She has a purpose in her life that directs her across this wide world, but all that changes when she meets Inara.