Release Date: January 19th 2023
Publisher: HarperVoyager
Pages: 304
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 5/5 stars
Synopsis
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.
Review
Godkiller is a compelling and hard to put down fantasy tale that follows the Godkiller Kissen as she stumbles upon a young girl who has become connected to the god of white lies. Kissen cannot kill the god without harming the girl and so embark on a quest to help separate the two. On the journey, they meet Elo, a baker on a quest of his own. Will the three survive the quest long enough to find the answers they seek?
I loved every second of this book! It features a really fascinating world with intricate world building. I really enjoyed learning about the gods and magic in this story and was so impressed with the amount of detail and history. The world was so intriguing and I can’t wait to see where Kaner takes things in book two. The story is well-paced, there’s plenty of action to keep the reader on the edge of their seat but also plenty of time to get to know the characters and the magic. Godkiller felt like such a unique take on the fantasy tale and I definitely found myself hungry for more. Godkiller is a book that’s hard to look away from and I ended up reading the last hundred pages in a single sitting as I just had to know how it was all going to end.
Godkiller has a fantastic cast of characters and I grew quite attached to all of them. They are well crafted, each dealing with their own secrets and determined to do what’s right. Kissen is such a badass protagonist and she was probably my favourite, but I loved Elo, Ina and Skedi too. The relationship between Ina and Skedi is a really fascinating aspect of the tale, they’re bonded together and desperate to find out about their pasts, but as the story progresses their relationship begins to change and it was so compelling to read about. Godkiller is my first five star read of 2023 and it is one impressive debut. If you’re looking for an epic fantasy adventure that you won’t want to look away from, Godkiller is definitely a must read!
The Stolen Heir was one of my most anticipated releases for 2023. The Cruel Prince trilogy is one of my favourite YA series of all time and I was really excited to return to the world of Elfhame. The story is full of magic and adventure, but for me, I didn’t fall in love with it quite as much as I did The Cruel Prince.
Set in Norway in 1662, The Witches of Vardø is a beautifully told historical fiction tale about a group of women accused of witchcraft. When Zigri starts an affair with the merchant’s son, she is denounced as a witch and taken to the island of Vardø to await trial. Her daughter Ingeborg is determined to rescue her from a terrible fate, so joins forces with Maren, the daughter of the infamous witch Liren Sand. Will the two girls be able to save Zigri and the other women accused of witchcraft? Those in the witches hole are not the only women captive on the island. Noblewoman Anna Rhodius has been sent to Vardø in disgrace. She has lost everything, but what will she do to regain the King’s favour and return to her previous life of privilege?
The Skyward series is the first full series I’ve picked up from Brandon Sanderson and I’ve really been enjoying this epic space story. I was really intrigued by this series of novellas set in the Skyward world and featuring some of Spensa’s crew. In each of the three novellas, we follow someone different – FM in Sunreach, Alanik in ReDawn and Jorgen in Evershore. This collection is a great opportunity to see the characters from a different perspective and learn even more about the world of Skyward Flight.
The DI Adam Fawley series is without a doubt my favourite police procedural series. Everything about this series is so well done and Hope to Die is another terrific installment. In Hope to Die we follow Fawley and the team as they are called to investigate a shooting at a remote farmhouse. Shootings don’t happen often and there are a few things about the scene that don’t seem quite right. As the team dig deeper they soon discover that this was far from a burglary gone wrong and may have connections to one of the country’s most infamous crimes.
As a reader I’m not someone who reads crime thrillers very often, however C. L. Taylor is without a doubt one of my auto-buy authors. Her latest release follows Olivia Sutherland who was convicted of plotting to murder her husband. Olivia swears she is innocent and now she has finally been released from prison, she’s determined to do everything she can to fix her relationship with her daughter and clear her name. But will she be able to uncover the truth about her husband in time and how far will he go to protect his secrets?
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson was one of my favourite reads of 2021 so I was incredibly excited for her newest release, House of Hunger. This dark horror story follows a young woman named Marion, who lives in the slums of Prane. She hates her job as a maid and struggles to make ends meet with her sick brother living at home. When she happens upon an advert for a bloodmaid she decides to apply for the position – a life of luxury in exchange for the noble lords of the north drinking her blood. Marion finds herself indentured to Lisavet, the Countess of the House of Hunger. Lisavet is quickly taken with Marion, and Marion finds herself quickly falling for her new mistress. As Marion attempts to find her way in this new elite world, she soon discovers that the secrets of the house of hunger might be even more disturbing than she could possibly have imagined.
This absolutely stunning book captured my attention right from the very beginning. I was completely hooked and did not want to put it down. The story follows half-goddess Baba Yaga, who mostly keeps to herself in the woods, helping those who seek her out. When her old friend Anastasia comes seeking her desperate for help, she knows she cannot hide in the shadows anymore but must embark on an epic adventure to protect Russia from Tsar Ivan the Terrible.
The Stars Undying is an epic space opera debut that follows Altagracia, a young princess that lost everything when her twin sister claimed the crown. With no choice but to go on the run, Gracia soon runs into Matheus Ceirran, the deadly Commander of the Empire of Ceiao. Gracia knows Ceirran could be her ticket to reclaiming her birthright, but only if she can win him over first.
Widdershins is a beautiful, thought-provoking tale inspired by true events. The story follows two main characters – Jane Chandler who is learning how to be a healer, using herbs and lore to cure the sick. Meanwhile, John Sharpe has endured a hard childhood – his mother died during his birth and his father blames him for this. After enduring vicious beatings from his father he is sent to stay with his Uncle, a pastor. He finds purpose in becoming a witch-finder and rooting out all trace of witchcraft.
Sunwise is the second installment in Helen Steadman’s Widdershins series, focusing on the witch trials in England and Scotland. Following on from the events in book one, the story follows Jane as her lover Tom returns to find her married to the worst person imaginable. She’s stuck in an impossible situation, still trying to cope with the loss of her mother at the hands of John Sharpe and find a way to protect her daughter. As Tom tries to find a way for them to be together, Jane knows the witchfinder is still out there and John will stop at nothing to rid the world of witches and their magic.
The Bibliophile Chronicles 