Book Review: Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Fantasy

Series: Book 1 of Godkiller

Publisher: HarperVoyager (September 12, 2023)

Length: 304 pages

Author Information: Website

Ever since it hit shelves earlier this year across the pond, I have been growing more intrigued by the premise and positive response towards Godkiller by Hannah Kaner. This fall, I finally got the chance to check out the novel for myself, and upon finishing it, I have to say I’m in complete accordance with the praise. Transporting readers to a world of gods and monsters, this bewitching debut is the first book of a brand-new fantasy trilogy worth exploring.

The story opens upon a distressing scene: a young girl named Kissen is a witness to the fiery death of her entire family, after her village offered them up as a sacrifice to a fire god to show their new allegiance. Despite losing her leg in the horrible destruction, she managed to survive but only because her father, with his dying breath, made a bargain with the sea god that he serves. Many years later, both the physical and mental scars of this event weigh heavily on Kissen, even as they fuel her anger towards all manner of deities, major or minor. It also helps that she has made career out of killing gods, serving as a veiga authorized by King Arren, who has made all forms of god-worship illegal ever since his recent ascension to the throne.

But Arren is also hiding a secret. Despite his edict, he owes his very survival to a god, whose power is now failing. He reaches out to his old friend and retired knight Elogast, who is now a baker, to ask him to travel to the land of Blenraden where gods are still widely worshipped in the hopes that he can find one who can save him.

Meanwhile, in a town fulfilling a contract, Kissen meets up with a young girl named Inara who has need of some advice from a veiga. The elusive daughter of a noblewoman, Inara has a mysterious connection with a squirrel-sized “god of white lies” called Skediceth who apparently has no shrine—which is a strange phenomenon indeed. Initially reluctant to help, Kissen’s path is nonetheless made for her when a sudden attack on Inara’s home leaves the girl with nowhere else to go but in the care of the godkiller. Together, Kissen, Inara and Skedi must also journey to Blenraden where there may find some way to sever the link that’s trapping girl and god together.

On the road, our traveling party meets up with others making the pilgrimage, including Elo, and as they say, the rest is history. The plot that follows is fast-paced and exciting, driven by a number of harrowing events including numerous attacks on our questing party. For yes, Godkiller has a structure that greatly resembles the quest narrative, and like most quest narratives, there’s also much entertainment derived from watching the story’s disparate characters gradually develop their interpersonal relationships. What makes it even better is that everyone has a secret, and almost all of them conflict.

First, we have Kissen and Elo, both serving King Arren and committed to killing gods but for different reasons, completely unaware of the other’s history or motivations for the pilgrimage. Cold-hearted Kissen also has little reason to help Inara and the tiny god attached to her, but somehow the girl can bring out a softer, protective side in her. Then we have Skedi, who doesn’t trust Kissen, but doesn’t know Elo enough to know the danger involved either. Yet it’s the god’s relationship with Inara that fascinated me the most. Skedi is terrified of dying, taking comfort in the most familiar thing, which is Inara, who is also alone and scared. Fear, however, makes both people and gods do dumb things, and with the trust between them being so new and tenuous, any conflict can set off a crisis.

I also loved the world of Godkiller. Rich and imaginative, it was clearly an idea Kaner spent a lot of time developing, and it’s certainly a world I would like to revisit. The ending was dramatic and eruptive, while leaving things open enough for a sequel filled with endless possibilities. I’m looking forward to the next book to dive right in.