I recieved an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an absolute treat it was to read Godkiller! I requested it essentially soley based on the great cover, and apparently I should always be judging books by their covers. I was beyond pleasantly surprised to find that Godkiller had fantastic queer, PoC, and disabled rep, loveable characters, inventive worldbuilding, a great narrative and delved into some of my favourite themes. There's just so much to adore about this book.

Much has been said of the worldbuilding, and the magic system the gods function on. I loved all of this, especially how Kaner's gorgeous prose depicted the gods. One thing I personally really enjoyed is how genuinely alive the world felt- recent historical effects had rammifications that impacted the characters on a concrete (or abstract) basis. Kaner masterfully delivers lore without ever veering into exposition dump territory by actually weaving the history into the fabric of the everyday.

Despite Godkiller's short length, it was easy to get invested in the lead characters, all of whom are compelling and nuanced. I'd struggle to pick a favourite from the four main PoVs, and I definitely don't have a least favourite: I enjoyed spending time with each and every one of them. Kissen does emerge as a little bit of a favourite though: it's extremely refreshing to see the lone, rough around the edges, monster-hunter archetype embodied by a queer, disabled woman. The character relationships were also very well-portrayed: I was entirely convinced by their dynamics and developments.

Though Godkiller has plenty of action and stakes, this is very much a character-driven story. The plot itself was fairly standard fantasy fare, but that's not to its detriment: each character's motivations were complex and urgent enough that it still felt fresh, and there are some incredible set-pieces that really take your breath away.

I wavered on whether to give this book five stars, and I think it only missed that mark by a hair's breadth for me. A few twists and turns in the plot were a little predictable for me- but then, I read a lot of books like this- and while I enjoyed every moment of reading it, I *could* put it down. Occasionally I had issues keep less intersting side-characters straight in my head, though our protagonists were very richly developed. I'm very conscious that this is a debut, however, and I think the series could easily get even better. This is still an exceptional read, however, and I would highly reccommend it to fantasy fans, or to those looking to get into fantasy- I think it could be a great starting point.