Sunbringer

January 29, 2024
The tension escalates in a brewing war between gods and humans in the entertaining second installment of Kaner’s Fallen Gods Trilogy (after Godkiller). After sacrificing herself to save her friends from peril at the end of book one, godkiller Kissen is given one more chance at life through the mercy of Osidisen, god of the sea. He warns her that Hseth, god of fire, has risen again and is waging war, and she must spread the word to her people before it’s too late. Meanwhile, orphaned Inara Craier and her companion Skediceth, the god of white lies, return to Lesscia with their protector, retired knight Elogast. Believing Kissen is dead, they force themselves to move on so that her death is not in vain: Elogast swears to take down his former best friend Arren, a power-hungry king who is under Hseth’s influence, while Inara and Skedi embark on a dangerous mission to discover more about their mysterious bond and their true identities. Though the sequel is not as fast-paced as its predecessor, readers who were hooked by the first book will be satisfied by the action sequences and antics of the wily, unpredictable gods whose mere whims alter the course of the characters’ destinies. This sets things up nicely for the grand finale. Agent: Ginger Clark, Ginger Clark Literary.

February 1, 2024

After the internationally best-selling Godkiller, which stars professional godkiller Kissen and launches a trilogy, Kaner returns with more mayhem in Sunbringer. Prepub Alert.

Copyright 2023 Library Journal

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 9, 2024
The Fallen Gods trilogy continues with more stories of gods and the people out to kill them (after Godkiller, 2023). King Arren rebounds from near-death to being worshiped as a god by his supporters, to the disappointment of Elogast, who is determined to be the one to stop Arren from his violent despotism once and for all. Meanwhile, Kissen is presumed dead after becoming a godkiller, but finds herself alive by the coast, tasked with making sure the fire god Hseth doesn't have an opportunity to come back stronger than ever. And Inara, the young girl with liar god Skedi at her side, is forced to come-of-age as she reckons with her place in the battle coming closer to her door. Kaner's world is richly built, based on Celtic mythology, and her short chapters and driven characters power the novel to its end. While dragging at times, Sunbringer is full of twists and dread, and ends explosively in a way that will make readers crave the third book and series conclusion.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from February 15, 2024
In a world where old gods can pass away, new divinities may be born. Hseth, the fire god whose cult murdered Kissen's family in Godkiller (2023), is no more. However, problems continue to mount for the intrepid young warriors who managed to kill her. The orphaned Inara and her minor-god companion, Skedi, persevere on a seemingly unending search for answers--she to the questions surrounding her paternity, he to an illustrious past he cannot recall. In the aftermath of the climactic battle, King Arren has chosen a path that his best friend, Elo the baker-knight, cannot bring himself to follow, and Elo must reckon with the ramifications of turning his back on his liege. Just as Arren stokes the fires of his own illicit cult--with himself as figurehead--a resistance movement to save what remains of the world's outlawed gods begins to heat up. Unable to come to terms with Elo's desire to keep her away from the dangers of war, Inara makes a rash decision that ultimately sets the stage for mass unrest shortly before Arren's victory tour arrives at their doorstep. Meanwhile, a presumed-dead Kissen fights her way back from the shores of the god who saved her life, only to find herself at odds with her friends' and family's goals. You see, Elo, Inara, and the rest have forgotten one very simple rule: Dead gods can always come back. Tested alliances fuel this tightly plotted found-family thrill ride. The worldbuilding is complex, but the reader never feels bogged down beneath its weight. As with the previous installment, queerness and disability are woven into the fabric of the narrative; Kissen and her sisters are queer and disabled, a prominent secondary character is transgender, and several tertiary couples are gay and lesbian. Although the pacing does become a little too frenetic in the novel's final chapters, as the point of view switches rapidly among protagonists, Kaner has penned another page-turner in this projected trilogy. A bold series continuation from a fantasy author to watch.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.