A review by dragoninwinterfell
Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

It has been a long time since I've read a book with such an immersive world with such strong world building. 

Godkiller has an exceptionally violent start as one of the three protagonists, Kissen, loses her whole family and a leg as sacrifices to a god. Cut to her as an adult where she has taken on the profession of a godkiller, which is essentially a Witcher taking on contracts to kill gods who are causing problems. I love the fascinating way Hannah Kaner presented gods as as reliant on the worship of humans who they help, while also monstrous beings who torment humans. The religious component added an interesting complication that isn't present in most monster hunter stories since there are those who worship the gods, giving them strength and power. 

Kissen's contentious relationship with gods is made all the more complicated when Inara, a noble girl with an inexplicable bond to a god, come to her for help. As they embark on a quest to safely unbind Inara from her god, they meet a baker knight, Elogast, who is on his own quest to save the king by imploring the aid of a god. 

Each of the three develop interesting relationships with each other while having their own independent motivations in the quests that don't perfectly align with each other. I liked their found family dynamics a lot. Though I do wish they had developed it more before the climax. As much as I liked the relationships, I can't say the intensity of all of them were fully earned. 

Even with that complaint, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, im fully invested in the world and characters, and I look forward to starting the sequel.