Author: Hannah Kaner
Source: DRC via NetGalley (Avon and Harper Voyager, Harper Voyager) in exchange for an honest review.
Publication Date: September 12, 2023
Synopsis: Goodreads
Purchase Link: Amazon

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Why did I choose to read this book?

I was scrolling through the “Most Requested Books” area of NetGalley when this ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS COVER caught my eye. When I read the description and found (1) payback/revenge storyline, (2) consequences of a past war against the gods???, and (3) mysterious/brooding knight I was in 100% and I am so thankful that my request was granted.

What is this book about? (Synopsis: Goodreads)

Ultimately this book is about exploring themes of obligation, guilt, duty, and choice/freedom. Kissen (the godkiller) does her job as a way of asserting that she doesn’t need any help from anyone and that she wants to kill gods because of what a god did to her and her family when she was a child. She appears to be free, but she’s just running from inevitability. The noble girl Kissen is helping is chained to a small god and neither of them know why. The knight is chained by his duty to his king and their past involvement in the god war. Everybody is in guilty/revenge jail and that drives the plot. I would suggest that this book is about how all the characters make progress toward their own versions of freedom from burdens they did not ask for.

What is notable about this story?

I cared about everyone in this book. I cared about what was happening to them. I got angry when bad things happened to them. I wanted them to find peace, revenge, whatever it took for them to be happy. I read this book very quickly, not because it was short but because I couldn’t bear to be away from the characters for too long; I had to know what happened next.

This was what I would call a gripping tale. 100% fascinating: the worldbuilding, the magic systems, the gods, the history, the politics, EVERYTHING.

Was anything not so great?

This isn’t so much a critique as it is a question. Is there a kind of god in this universe that could be considered helpful and good at all stages of development? We see the world of the gods mostly through Kissen’s eyes, and as a god killer it’s not ever in a positive light. Her attitude changes as she interacts with Skedi (the tiny god bound to the young noble girl) but I think the question still stands. If even Skedi grows to a powerful form, is it possible for him to still be good? Or would even he eventually demand more sacrifices/offerings than are possible/humane? Being left with this big of a question at the end of a first book is disappointing but acceptable, as long as it eventually gets answered.

What’s the verdict?

5 stars on Goodreads – if you’re a fan of fantasy and knights and gods and weird creatures and revenge this one is a GO BUY IT RIGHT NOW TRUST ME IT’S WORTH IT!!!