Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

Pages:304

Published: 19/01/23 (HB)

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Genre: Fantasy

Kissen’s family were killed by zealots of a fire god. Now, she makes a living killing gods, and enjoys it. That is until she finds a god she cannot kill: Skedi, a god of white lies, has somehow bound himself to a young noble, and they are both on the run from unknown assassins.

Joined by a disillusioned knight on a secret quest, they must travel to the ruined city of Blenraden, where the last of the wild gods reside, to each beg a favour.

Pursued by demons, and in the midst of burgeoning civil war, they will all face a reckoning – something is rotting at the heart of their world, and only they can be the ones to stop it.

I must admit I pre-ordered this book on a whim!  I read the synopsis, and it sounded ok, it was fantasy, it wasn’t overly long, and it had a pretty cover, that was my decision made.  A couple of months after pre-ordering, I was glad to see that those that had obtained an early copy were sounding its praises…..once I opened the pages and entered the door to this world, I can see why, I too was infatuated with this book!

 ‘You are not welcome here, godkiller ‘

To begin with, I was deeply regretful that other books kept stopping the progress I was making with Godkiller, I normally only read one book at a time, unless it’s one of those non fiction help books, and then I tend to dive in and out of it.   I decided to make a start on Godkiller, but once I had read a few chapters, I had to read my point horror book of the month, I knew this would only take a couple of days, but it took a little while to get back into Godkiller again….Then my daughter threw a copy of The Promised Neverland at me, and this again caused distraction. 
I had to really concentrate to get back into this book.  I am definitely not allowing myself to do this again, it caused the beginning to be disrupted, and I felt very discombobulated  with my reading, and it really didn’t suit this book.   Once I decided to sit down and read a good chunk of the book, I found myself washed away into this wonderful world of Gods, and fantasy creatures, of knights, and assassins, and deserted villages.  

The characters are well fleshed out, and you become easily attached to them.  The story is brilliant, something a little different to other fantasy books I have read-even though it’s about a group of travellers on a quest together.  

All I can say is thank goodness this is part of a series, I definitely haven’t had enough of these wonderful characters, and I can’t wait to return to this world and see what happens next.  

I gave this book 4.5 stars…though now seeing how highly I am praising it, I wonder if it truly deserves five stars, and I am almost certain it will end up on my fav’s of 2023 list.  Did I already ask….when is the next book coming out?

Have you read Godkiller yet?  Kissen is waiting to tell you her story.

Thanks for stopping by!

A Year of Brandon Sanderson: February…Steelheart

A year of Brandon Sanderson!

February: Steelheart

Here we are again, it’s February already, which means it’s the second month of my Year of Brandon Sanderson challenge.  For February I decided to start The Reakoners Series, which begins with a book called Steelheart.  It’s difficult to place this book, it’s super heroes, sci-fi, dystopian, action, adventure!! The list is endless!  

Basically, without giving away too much, the world has been taken over by epics, and we are based in one city, where a very powerful epic has taken over, and turned the city to steel.  The main character’s ambition in life is to find out everything he can about epics, and put an end to Steelheart, due to an event in his life.  He joins the Reakoners, and shares his knowledge with them, and this is their story.

I enjoyed this story so much that I decided to purchase a little novella called Mitosis, which I have also read.  I can’t seem to get enough of this world!! 

At the beginning of the story, I found things a little slow, though I loved the writing style-I found myself feeling as if I was there.  I think because the book is the first in the series, it had a lot to explain, and lay down, though it was done very well.  The pace really picked up halfway through, and I loved the action scenes!! I am sure this book would make an amazing movie!!

I gave this book a very strong four stars.  Mitosis would have received five stars, but it is such a short book, I took a star off, unfortunately, half the book was the star of Firefight (the 2nd novel), and I felt this was a little bit naughty of the publishers.

I am also really happy to say that whilst visiting my Oxfam bookshop today, I found they had the 2nd and 3rd Reakoners novels-of course I had to buy them!!!  

I am so enjoying my Year of reading Brandon Sanderson,
I can see he is going to become a new favourite author.

Thanks for stopping by, and until
I blog again, keep reading.

The School For Good Mothers

The School for Good Mothers

Pages:336

Published: 03/03/22 (HB)

Publisher: Cornerstone

Genre: Dystopian

Frida Liu had fed and changed her toddler Harriet. She had a work deadline – an article to finish, a job hanging by a thread, a file she’d left in the office. She would go get it. Harriet would be fine. But then the neighbours heard her crying.

Soon, the state will decide that Frida is not fit to care for her daughter. That she must be re-trained. That bad mothers everywhere will be re-educated. Will their mistakes cost them everything?

When I seen that this book was recommended for those that enjoyed The Handmaid’s Tale, I was very inquisitive.  The Handmaid’s tale is a favourite of mine, and I was intrigued to know more.  This book follows a middle aged Mum, who unfortunately makes a mistake that will cost her dearly-she leaves her daughter alone, whilst going to the office to collect some documents.  From here on the story follows her as she is forced to attend a school, to learn parenting skills, if she stands any chance of having her 18 month old back in her life.  

I really felt for our main character, though I don’t want to say too much and give the story away.  I know from reading other reviews that some people are disappointed with the ending of this book, I wasn’t one of them, though if I had written it myself, I would have chosen a different ending for our main character.

Yes, I think if you enjoyed The Handmaid’s Tale you will enjoy this, it’s an interesting read, with a lot of emotion throughout-which works well with the story.  The school is a lonely,  sad place, which the author projects very well. It has a chilling, creepy vibe, and you could perhaps imagine something like this coming to life.

I think everyone will have different opinions about the ending.

I gave this book 4 stars, as I know it will stay with me, and make me think-though I don’t know if I will read it again, as it’s more impactful on its first read.

Thanks for stopping by, and until I blog again, keep reading. 

Review Time! Main Character Energy!

Review Time!

Main Character Energy by Jordan Paramor.

Pages: 188

Published: 5/1/23

Publisher: Wren & Rook/Hachette Children’s Group

Available from Waterstones, Amazon, etc.

Firstly, I’d like to thank Hachette Children’s Group for sending me a copy of Main Character Energy to review.  I was excited to be sent a copy of this book, I recently picked up a few self help books, although I am yet to read them.  As a child/teenager I used to very much enjoy this style of book.

I suffer with anxiety, and over-thinking.  I have always been a major worrier, so I was hoping this may give me some tips to take away into life with me, though I knew this would be more geared towards YA readers.

My initial impressions were positive, when the book arrived I loved the front cover, and the dinky presentation of this little hardback book, inside and out the illustrations were wonderful-very bright and positive. 

I gave this book my full focus, and annotated as I read-which is something I don’t do enough of.

The book is very positive, explaining how we can put ourselves first, and create a more positive feel to life.  It gives some great activities to do and think about.  Some of the activities teenage me would have loved, advice on how to create a cottage-core bedroom, and wardrobe-how to make yourself feel great with your daily routines etc.  It explains a lot about mental health, and how to replace negative thoughts, and how to practise mindfulness.  It also gives recommendations for going forward, such as keeping a journal etc.  I do love how the book gives the readers so much advice-and how easily a lot of these can be accomplished. 

The only thing I personally did not vibe with, was the mention of celebrities, but I know this interests a lot of people, teenagers included, and of course this is where the book is aimed.  This would be my only criticism. 

I think this is a wonderful book for young adults to read, if they feel they need some Main Character Energy in their life, and it would be a great one to pass onto friends as well.  I think it would be a great book to refer back, on the days where you are feeling a little low.

I give this book, in my own opinion, as an adult reader 4 out of 5 stars.  I think teenage me would have awarded this book with 4.5.

Thanks again to Hachette Children’s Group for sending me a copy of this book. This review in my own thoughts and opinions.

Thanks for stopping by, and until I blog again, keep reading.