Name: Godkiller (Godkiller, Book 1)
Rating: 3.925675675675676 (74 reviews)
ISBN: 9780008521486

Hannah Kaner

‘GODKILLER will have you in its grasp from the first pages’ Samantha Shannon, bestselling author of PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE ‘Full of fire, each page scalding, Hannah Kaner's GODKILLER is an explosive debut that will leave you reeling’ Saara El-Arifi, Sunday Times bestselling author of THE FINAL STRIFE

Godkiller (Godkiller, Book 1)

Kissen kills gods for a living, and she enjoys it. That is until she finds a god she cannot kill: Skediceth, god of white lies, who is connected to a little noble girl on the run.

Elogast fought in the god war, and helped purge the city of a thousand shrines before laying down his sword. A mysterious request from the King sends him racing back to the city he destroyed.

On the way he meets a godkiller, a little girl and a littler god, who cannot find out about his quest.

Godkiller #1

Godkiller

This was a slow burn at first, I wasn’t sure I would get hooked, but I’m very intrigued by the world and its power dynamics, and I adore all the main characters.

Katy Watkins

A very Witcher-esque book filled with some of my favourite things: found family, a travelling group, some badass fighting and an epic backdrop that makes the intimate and personal so much more vivid. I really enjoyed the world building in this book - tight editing and good prose. 

Giulia

This novel was a journey in that when I met Kissen (and her extremely unserious name and her family's also completely unserious names) I was absolutely prepared to dislike this. Then the novel built itself up by adding the other P.O.V.s and by maintaining a focused and well paced plot. And then at the end, the last 10-15% felt very lacking in creativity - there were simply so many more interesting things that Kaner could have done with the setup (or she could have spent more time building up the setup for the ending she wanted).

But I guess it is about to be expected when each of the characters themselves are very trope-heavy - the kind where the author does not spend too much time fleshing them out since we are already familiar with the conventions of each of the archetypes. I looked up whether there were any notes on the author's inspiration since I strongly suspected that she had strong anime / manga background. The only anime listed I have seen was "Princess Mononoke" (the disrespect to "Noragami"!) but I did see a healthy list of classic fantasy novels which explains a lot.

However, the ensemble cast strike a good balance between them - both in terms of plot lines / P.O.V.s and in terms of dynamic - which invites a lot more investment from the reader than I would have originally anticipated. I did also enjoy the world building of the novel, particularly on the nearly scientific system of interacting with the gods (though the novel seems to shy away from exploring how religion can be yielded in order to rule, which can introduce a much more interesting and layered element to the story).

And in spite of everything, I have to compliment Kit Griffiths - the narrator of the audiobook who truly acted their socks off.

This novel was a journey in that when I met Kissen (and her extremely unserious name and her family's also completely unserious names) I was absolutely prepared to dislike this. Then the novel built itself up by adding the other P.O.V.s and by maintaining a focused and well paced plot. And then at the end, the last 10-15% felt very lacking in creativity - there were simply so many more interesting things that Kaner could have done with the setup (or she could have spent more time building up the setup for the ending she wanted).

But I guess it is about to be expected when each of the characters themselves are very trope-heavy - the kind where the author does not spend too much time fleshing them out since we are already familiar with the conventions of each of the archetypes. I looked up whether there were any notes on the author's inspiration since I strongly suspected that she had strong anime / manga background. The only anime listed I have seen was "Princess Mononoke" (the disrespect to "Noragami"!) but I did see a healthy list of classic fantasy novels which explains a lot.

However, the ensemble cast strike a good balance between them - both in terms of plot lines / P.O.V.s and in terms of dynamic - which invites a lot more investment from the reader than I would have originally anticipated. I did also enjoy the world building of the novel, particularly on the nearly scientific system of interacting with the gods (though the novel seems to shy away from exploring how religion can be yielded in order to rule, which can introduce a much more interesting and layered element to the story).

And in spite of everything, I have to compliment Kit Griffiths - the narrator of the audiobook who truly acted their socks off.

This is exactly the type of fantasy I like so it was easy for me to get into. I like multiple POV. I like weird complicated but seldom used magic. systems and expansive unfolding worlds. The whole thing to me just sort of unbuttoned like an RPG and I felt like I was just playing different characters on the map. When I added this to my library holds it was because I read a review about iti saying it was a standalone fiction debut and I had been blowing through series all year and I thought "ok good I need something standalone" and by the time I got it it was listed as "Godkiller #1" so I guess more to come which is good because I was a fan. But I also can see how it could not be for everyone. I think it really hit me at the right time. I had been playing a ton of tavern SIMs and Zelda and it clicked right into place in my brain.

Apiecalypse Jen

Kaner knows how to weave a story. The premise of this was incredible, and the plot unraveled at a good pace. All of the characters are well rounded and full of life, and their struggles are crafted well. The only reason I’m not rating higher is because I didn’t feel emotionally attached to the characters until about 60% into the story, and so I wasn’t emotionally invested in the story until then. That aside, I’m on the edge of my seat for the next book. 

Floofyflower

After witnessing her family sacrificed by zealots of a fire god, Kissen makes a living out of killing gods, under the King's new edict. Until she meets a god she cannot kill, Skediceth, a god of white lies, who has somehow bound himself to a young noble girl, Inara. The unlikely trio are soon joined by a Knight on his own secret quest, and find themselves on a journey to the ruined city of Blenraden, where the last of the wild gods reside, in order to each beg a favour.

Godkiller is a dark, gritty, and truly immersive debut! It gripped me from the first page and refused to let go, I could not put this book down!

The characters are all fearlessly flawed and wholesomely heartfelt. They take hold of your hand and guide your heart through the pages. I loved them all for their own little foibles and hidden charms.

This world is brutal and unforgiving. It is a world where gods and monsters collide, one where myths and legends come to life, and where having any kind of faith will get you killed. 

It's a story of courage, survival, and faith, with an explosive ending and an unexpected twist, which left me on the edge of my seat, trying to anticipate what will happen next.

The sequel is more of a need than a want at this point.

Victoria Justice

After witnessing her family sacrificed by zealots of a fire god, Kissen makes a living out of killing gods, under the King's new edict. Until she meets a god she cannot kill, Skediceth, a god of white lies, who has somehow bound himself to a young noble girl, Inara. The unlikely trio are soon joined by a Knight on his own secret quest, and find themselves on a journey to the ruined city of Blenraden, where the last of the wild gods reside, in order to each beg a favour.

Godkiller is a dark, gritty, and truly immersive debut! It gripped me from the first page and refused to let go, I could not put this book down!

The characters are all fearlessly flawed and wholesomely heartfelt. They take hold of your hand and guide your heart through the pages. I loved them all for their own little foibles and hidden charms.

This world is brutal and unforgiving. It is a world where gods and monsters collide, one where myths and legends come to life, and where having any kind of faith will get you killed. 

It's a story of courage, survival, and faith, with an explosive ending and an unexpected twist, which left me on the edge of my seat, trying to anticipate what will happen next.

The sequel is more of a need than a want at this point.

Not because it’s long. Not because I’m a slow reader. I actually read 32 other books in between starting this book and finishing it - that is how much I basically never wanted to pick this one up.

And it’s well written! That’s the baffling thing. There’s nothing wrong with the prose. I think the problems are pacing and structural.

The first half of the book moves at a snail’s pace. Pages and pages will go by with nothing substantial happening. It improves in the second half, but the most common experience I had with the first half was starting to read and then waking up when my iPad hit my face.

Structurally, I think the decision to have four point of view characters was a mistake. Epic fantasy has adopted this method of storytelling in order to tell broad, sweeping tales that encompass whole continents or worlds. This is a small scale story about a few characters and a journey - a journey for which they are largely all together. Constantly switching perspectives removed all suspense from the first half. Who is this mysterious baker who carries a sword? He’s a former knight commander on an errand for the king - we know, because we already spent several chapters with him.

There are twists in this story regardless, but the shifting perspectives don’t create them. That structure felt unnecessary and actively hindering to the enjoyment of the first half of the book.

The second half was much better, especially when they got to the city they were aiming for, but a book that’s less than 300 pages long and is so tortuous to read that it takes a fast reader six weeks is a hard sell.

Wonko the Sane

It took me 6 weeks to read this book.

Not because it’s long. Not because I’m a slow reader. I actually read 32 other books in between starting this book and finishing it - that is how much I basically never wanted to pick this one up.

And it’s well written! That’s the baffling thing. There’s nothing wrong with the prose. I think the problems are pacing and structural.

The first half of the book moves at a snail’s pace. Pages and pages will go by with nothing substantial happening. It improves in the second half, but the most common experience I had with the first half was starting to read and then waking up when my iPad hit my face.

Structurally, I think the decision to have four point of view characters was a mistake. Epic fantasy has adopted this method of storytelling in order to tell broad, sweeping tales that encompass whole continents or worlds. This is a small scale story about a few characters and a journey - a journey for which they are largely all together. Constantly switching perspectives removed all suspense from the first half. Who is this mysterious baker who carries a sword? He’s a former knight commander on an errand for the king - we know, because we already spent several chapters with him.

There are twists in this story regardless, but the shifting perspectives don’t create them. That structure felt unnecessary and actively hindering to the enjoyment of the first half of the book.

The second half was much better, especially when they got to the city they were aiming for, but a book that’s less than 300 pages long and is so tortuous to read that it takes a fast reader six weeks is a hard sell.

2.5 ⭐️

While it took me entirely too long to finish for being a book I thoroughly enjoyed, I had a wonderful time with this one. Found family at its finest and ya girl definitely cried a few times towards the end. I have a feeling that the second one is going to hit that 5-star mark for me with the setup that we have. 

Godkiller (Godkiller, Book 1)

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