Sunbringer has simply never heard of second book syndrome. Kaner builds masterfully on the work of Godkiller here, expanding on everything- on the world, on the characters, and on the themes she approaches with nuance and clarity. Her prose remains gorgeous and evocative- I was so transported to this beautiful and terrible world- and her characters compelling, complex, and extremely loveable. I know other reviewers were disappointed by the characters' separation, but I found their various desires to reunite a fantastic fuel to the fire, and found it to be equally fascinating to watch them develop in isolation. I also think it's worth noting the care with which Kaner is tackling some immensely difficult topics- the depictions of war and oppression here were at times difficult for me to get through, but I think this was a huge strength. She never loses the human element or cost in favour of falling into the fantasy trope of giving the reader some flashy spectacle, which would undermine the themes here terribly. That said, the denouement feels quite justifiably huge and harrowing- a very worthy close to this novel. I gasped aloud more than once, and I think the setup for the finale could not be more ideal- Kaner consistently takes the story in the direction that, in my opinion, is the most interesting, rather than settling for obvious resolutions. I could not be more eager to get my hands on the final book in the series. 

I discussed this book, along with Godkiller, on SFF podcast The Hidden Bookcase. For my full thoughts, visit: https://open.spotify.com/episode/074RB262Sq7Tl04lm2J7zO?si=e25cd87cd814463a