Sunbringer

Only lost half a star because it’s not a finished trilogy and so I am not satisfied with the ending. When book three drops, I am certain this will go up.

The imagery: incredible. The action: incredible. The suspense/tension: incredible. The twists and turns in this were well written, and the struggle each character faced was believable. I liked this more than Godkiller. Where this book falls short for me (like with Godkiller) I was not as emotionally attached to the characters as I was hoping to be by book two. It’s very plot-driven in my opinion. On top of that, the redundancies in this were a bit annoying. Kaner would set up a revelation throughout a chapter and write it really well, and then the last sentence in the chapter would be “and this is what happened” or “and this character feels this” or “and this character is this.” It feels like she doesn’t trust her readers enough to get what she’s putting down, and that was frustrating for me.

I struggled with the pacing in the first two thirds of this book but it also could be due to being in a book slump. Last third was easy to fly through. Definitely enjoyed some POVs better than others but it’s also hard to find books where I like all of them, might be a me problem. Ended leaving me wanting more and eager for the next book and it’s one of my favorite worlds.

This takes up where Godkiller ended. Elo and Ina are having to come to terms with the loss of Kissen and begin their epic journey homewards. Concurrently Kissen has survived her fall into the sea and now has to do the unthinkable and NOT kill the bad guy!

Book two is less about finding a new family and more about dealing with loss, grief and learning that friends can became enemies and enemies your strongest allies. Inara, Skediceth and Elo develop much more in this book as they don't have Kissen to wrangle them together.

Slower paced and less set piece battles this time around, which makes room for much more character development and growth but it didn't lag and there was enough action to keep me happy. I love all things mythology and this has enough basis in British/European god pantheons that I felt that I already knew the gods that appear throughout the books. I also enjoyed meeting all the small gods which reminded me so much of Terry Pratchett's DiscWorld.

I really enjoy books that help you navigate the mire of real world politics and religion in a safe, fictional setting. I may not be LGBTQIA+ myself but I thought the representation was amazingly well done. The world just accepts ALL relationships between consenting adults.

Can't wait for book 3!

Sunbringer continues straight after the events of Godkiller. While the basic plot of Godkiller is highlighted in this book, if it's been a while since you read the first book, I recommend a reread before going in.

Otherwise, it feels wonderful to be back with these characters, following the same feel and pace as the first book, with a dramatic revelation at the end keeping you gripped for the third book in the trilogy!

I feel like we discovered so much more about the characters as individuals through this book, probably from the main characters not spending much time together through the timeline of Sunbringer.

I also enjoyed the extra POV found within Sunbringer, and I really loved spending more time with Kissen's family, discovering more of their traits, personalities, and relationships.

Sunbringer was a wonderful continuation  to the story and world of Godkiller. Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Voyager, and Hannah Kaner for this eARC in exchange for a review.