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Fallen Gods #3
Faithbreaker
War has come. The fire god Hseth is leading an unstoppable army south, consuming everything in her path. Middren’s only hope of survival is to unify allies and old foes against a common enemy.
Elo navigates an uneasy alliance with Arren; his friend, his enemy, and his king. Now they each must decide how much they're willing to sacrifice to turn the tides of war.
Meanwhile, Inara joins her mother on their ship, the Silverswift, to seek aid. Still grappling with her powers, Inara must reconcile who she is and where she belongs, while Skediceth has to question if their bond will be enough to keep them safe.
Kissen has no allegiance to the old ways of Middren. But, as she tries to find her family, she is forced to question what, and whose, future she is fighting for.
Elo navigates an uneasy alliance with Arren; his friend, his enemy, and his king. Now they each must decide how much they're willing to sacrifice to turn the tides of war.
Meanwhile, Inara joins her mother on their ship, the Silverswift, to seek aid. Still grappling with her powers, Inara must reconcile who she is and where she belongs, while Skediceth has to question if their bond will be enough to keep them safe.
Kissen has no allegiance to the old ways of Middren. But, as she tries to find her family, she is forced to question what, and whose, future she is fighting for.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2025
1001 people are currently reading
20916 people want to read
About the author
Hannah Kaner
7 books2,081 followersHannah has her heart in Scotland and her roots in the north of England.
Hannah’s trade has always been story telling. From creating and unravelling mysteries in Northumberland with her mates, to annoying the hell out of her supervisors at the University of Cambridge by insisting on comparing Terry Pratchett to Charles Dickens, and studying narrative theory in video games.
They grudgingly (or joyfully?) gave her a 1st Class degree in English.
She puts the desire to communicate and challenge into her work in the technology sector, specialising in creating digital tools for hard to reach communities.
Hannah loves the histories and mythologies shared through our cultural histories, the stories we tell ourselves about being human. She also likes stabby swords and angry women.
Hannah’s trade has always been story telling. From creating and unravelling mysteries in Northumberland with her mates, to annoying the hell out of her supervisors at the University of Cambridge by insisting on comparing Terry Pratchett to Charles Dickens, and studying narrative theory in video games.
They grudgingly (or joyfully?) gave her a 1st Class degree in English.
She puts the desire to communicate and challenge into her work in the technology sector, specialising in creating digital tools for hard to reach communities.
Hannah loves the histories and mythologies shared through our cultural histories, the stories we tell ourselves about being human. She also likes stabby swords and angry women.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,441 reviews
April 29, 2025
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Rating: 5 stars
'Faithbreaker' brilliantly combines heart, action, and political intrigue in an epic, high-stakes finale.
Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Storyline: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Main character(s): 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Secondary characters: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Romance: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Narration & Audio: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The story picks up with an intense start that immediately plunged me back into the fascinating world while seamlessly recapping previous events. Returning to the fierce and compelling main characters was the highlight for me, and I basked in their adorable, found family dynamic. Their motives, fears, flaws, and growth were presented so well that it made it impossible not to be invested in their personal journeys.
"Fear and power make people do stupid things"
Kissen redeemed herself as my favourite character, and I could not get enough of her straight-talking, clever and caring personality. Her authentic disability representation adds to the considerable representation showcased by the character cast. Inara remained as fierce and stubborn as ever, diving headfirst into complex situations. However, her insecurities and journey of self-discovery made her relatable, and this is the same for Skediceth. Elo also has a nice arc as he grapples with an emotional rollercoaster of grief and frustration.
Kaner's smooth, vivid writing brought the character-driven storyline to life, and multiple points of view masterfully revealed the epic scope of all the moving pieces. Kit Griffiths' narration, along with the audio effects, made the listening experience even more immersive. The perfect balance is struck between the characters' journeys and the political intrigue, ensuring I was hooked from start to finish. Even the climax was satisfying despite some convenient and bittersweet moments.
"Only a coward abandons the mess they made."
Complex themes like power, grief, faith, and sacrifice are seamlessly woven into the action-packed narrative, which does not shy away from the brutality of war. On top of this, an impressive blend of previous and new secondary characters enhances the main characters' journeys and allows for two minor romantic subplots. While I wasn't entirely convinced by one dynamic, I still devoured the cute moments the romances provided.
See my other reviews for Hannah Kaner:
Fallen Gods series:
1. Godkiller
2. Sunbringer
You can also find more of my thoughts and discussion questions on my blog!
Rating: 5 stars
'Faithbreaker' brilliantly combines heart, action, and political intrigue in an epic, high-stakes finale.
Cover: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Writing: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Storyline: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Main character(s): 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Secondary characters: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Romance: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Narration & Audio: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
The story picks up with an intense start that immediately plunged me back into the fascinating world while seamlessly recapping previous events. Returning to the fierce and compelling main characters was the highlight for me, and I basked in their adorable, found family dynamic. Their motives, fears, flaws, and growth were presented so well that it made it impossible not to be invested in their personal journeys.
"Fear and power make people do stupid things"
Kissen redeemed herself as my favourite character, and I could not get enough of her straight-talking, clever and caring personality. Her authentic disability representation adds to the considerable representation showcased by the character cast. Inara remained as fierce and stubborn as ever, diving headfirst into complex situations. However, her insecurities and journey of self-discovery made her relatable, and this is the same for Skediceth. Elo also has a nice arc as he grapples with an emotional rollercoaster of grief and frustration.
Kaner's smooth, vivid writing brought the character-driven storyline to life, and multiple points of view masterfully revealed the epic scope of all the moving pieces. Kit Griffiths' narration, along with the audio effects, made the listening experience even more immersive. The perfect balance is struck between the characters' journeys and the political intrigue, ensuring I was hooked from start to finish. Even the climax was satisfying despite some convenient and bittersweet moments.
"Only a coward abandons the mess they made."
Complex themes like power, grief, faith, and sacrifice are seamlessly woven into the action-packed narrative, which does not shy away from the brutality of war. On top of this, an impressive blend of previous and new secondary characters enhances the main characters' journeys and allows for two minor romantic subplots. While I wasn't entirely convinced by one dynamic, I still devoured the cute moments the romances provided.
See my other reviews for Hannah Kaner:
Fallen Gods series:
1. Godkiller
2. Sunbringer
You can also find more of my thoughts and discussion questions on my blog!
August 27, 2025
3.75 stars
In some ways, this was the epic finale I hoped for.
The stakes were super high with the enemy at the gate. The characters really had to put aside their differences and start working together to find a way to survive this war. I was never sure how this would end, who would survive and who wouldn’t, and that made for an engaging read.
As the last book in this series, the whole story basically revolved around the all-out war against Hseth and her allies. Which brought with it a lot of strategy talks, negotiating and fighting. Coupled with the group splitting up again, it got a bit tedious to read at times. I just wanted them together for this last book, because that’s when the story really shines imo. But for most of it they went on their separate quests, so that was a bit disappointing for me.
As with the whole series, there were several POVs to read from. And whenever I read from a lot of POVs that all follow somewhat different storylines, I find myself liking one of these way more than all the others. And this was the case here too. Kissen has been my favourite from the very beginning, and I enjoyed reading her POV and storyline with Lessa and Inara the most. It was just much more interesting to me than the rest. I think that might be the reason why I struggled to get through the first half of this book, it just kind of dragged on for me. Fortunately, the pacing was better in the second half.
The ending really packed a punch. At that point I was fully invested again and scared to see where the author would take it.
Overall I think it’s an amazing series. It combines such rich world building, wonderful and really diverse characters and a solid plot. It’s well crafted and well written, and I loved these characters.
Definitely one of the best fantasy series I’ve read in a while.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
___
I love this series, can’t wait to see how it ends ✨🤭💗
In some ways, this was the epic finale I hoped for.
The stakes were super high with the enemy at the gate. The characters really had to put aside their differences and start working together to find a way to survive this war. I was never sure how this would end, who would survive and who wouldn’t, and that made for an engaging read.
As the last book in this series, the whole story basically revolved around the all-out war against Hseth and her allies. Which brought with it a lot of strategy talks, negotiating and fighting. Coupled with the group splitting up again, it got a bit tedious to read at times. I just wanted them together for this last book, because that’s when the story really shines imo. But for most of it they went on their separate quests, so that was a bit disappointing for me.
As with the whole series, there were several POVs to read from. And whenever I read from a lot of POVs that all follow somewhat different storylines, I find myself liking one of these way more than all the others. And this was the case here too. Kissen has been my favourite from the very beginning, and I enjoyed reading her POV and storyline with Lessa and Inara the most. It was just much more interesting to me than the rest. I think that might be the reason why I struggled to get through the first half of this book, it just kind of dragged on for me. Fortunately, the pacing was better in the second half.
The ending really packed a punch. At that point I was fully invested again and scared to see where the author would take it.
Overall I think it’s an amazing series. It combines such rich world building, wonderful and really diverse characters and a solid plot. It’s well crafted and well written, and I loved these characters.
Definitely one of the best fantasy series I’ve read in a while.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.
___
I love this series, can’t wait to see how it ends ✨🤭💗
March 22, 2025
4.5 ☆
”It’s all pretend, power. It’s make believe and storytelling. Some people just make better stories.”
- THE EMOTIONAL DAMAGE FROM THIS ?! BYE.
i have had an up and down experience with this trilogy, but when i tell you that this conclusion was everything i could’ve wanted.. no lies are being told. this was one of the most epic conclusions to a series that I’ve read in a long time and the author is NOT afraid to up the stakes to astronomical levels and put her characters and the readers through it. i wish the characters didn’t spend a lot of the book separated (had the same complaint with book 2), but it helped that everyone got their own pov. i think the aftermath of this war made me reconsider how unforgiving these situations really are. i actually love when authors don’t take the easy route with an escape plan, no matter how bittersweet the outcome may be.
“Fireheart. Sunbringer. Faith triumphant.”
i still have the same favorites: Kissen, Elo and Skedi. Elo’s side romance and the yearning / emotional maturity that he had was just.. beautiful. Skedi is my fav chaotic god, the love he has for Inara as she’s been his companion throughout his tumultuous existence as a god who has lost his followers .. if i was a crier in books? I’d be BAWLING. I always found Arren annoying, but i wasn’t expecting the character development he got in here, every single person in this book left an impact in one way or another. Kissen’s last line at the end of the book killed me, seriously. please go read this series if you haven’t already, i loved books 1 and 3 so much!
⇢ many thanks to NetGalley, the author, Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc, all opinions are my own.
”It’s all pretend, power. It’s make believe and storytelling. Some people just make better stories.”
- THE EMOTIONAL DAMAGE FROM THIS ?! BYE.
i have had an up and down experience with this trilogy, but when i tell you that this conclusion was everything i could’ve wanted.. no lies are being told. this was one of the most epic conclusions to a series that I’ve read in a long time and the author is NOT afraid to up the stakes to astronomical levels and put her characters and the readers through it. i wish the characters didn’t spend a lot of the book separated (had the same complaint with book 2), but it helped that everyone got their own pov. i think the aftermath of this war made me reconsider how unforgiving these situations really are. i actually love when authors don’t take the easy route with an escape plan, no matter how bittersweet the outcome may be.
“Fireheart. Sunbringer. Faith triumphant.”
i still have the same favorites: Kissen, Elo and Skedi. Elo’s side romance and the yearning / emotional maturity that he had was just.. beautiful. Skedi is my fav chaotic god, the love he has for Inara as she’s been his companion throughout his tumultuous existence as a god who has lost his followers .. if i was a crier in books? I’d be BAWLING. I always found Arren annoying, but i wasn’t expecting the character development he got in here, every single person in this book left an impact in one way or another. Kissen’s last line at the end of the book killed me, seriously. please go read this series if you haven’t already, i loved books 1 and 3 so much!
⇢ many thanks to NetGalley, the author, Avon and Harper Voyager for the arc, all opinions are my own.
Want to read
July 5, 2024THE SCREAM I SCRUMPT
March 10, 2025
! Spoilers ahead for Godkiller and Sunbringer !
I really wish that not every fantasy series had to come to a war finale, but this was a good ending to a good series anyway. It fixed most of the problems I had with book 2, but especially the way how all the characters were split up and/or thought each other dead. They're not all in the same place this time either, but they're more grouped up than before. War has reached the kingdom of Middren once again, and while Kissen, Inara and Skediceth travel to other countries to find allies, Elogast reluctantly joins Arren and becomes the general of his army. Elo's POV has always been my least favorite and I felt much the same this time. His POV is the war POV now, full of council meetings and battles, and that's just not the strength of these books in my opinion. I wish this series took a different route entirely and didn't lead to another war, especially since the last war just ended shortly before the events of book 1. So yeah, every time it was Elo's or Arren's turn I wasn't as excited. But I liked that these two were finally in the same place, because it was about time they figured their relationship out. The parts from Kissen, Inara and Skedi were all great, though. I liked the pirate vibes when they were sailing around, and the glimpse into other cultures that came with their travels. I also liked how these characters and their relationships were further developed. It was great to see how Inara and her mother were getting closer after they mourned each others death without really knowing each other in the first place. Kissen and Lessa's relationship was nice too and thank god that Kissen and Elo's relationship was ended right away. It was a good choice to address that their love was not romantic, and it made way for far better pairings (a win for the queers all around). But my favorite character was Skedi, of course. He really grew into his role of a god, and it was genuinely so beautiful to see how people recognized and prayed to him. This offered an interesting look on faith, how it can be earned but also lost, and that's a well-chosen theme for a series about big and small gods. I had my ups and downs with this trilogy, but the ending even managed to make me tear up a little. A few chapters taking place after the war or a longer epilogue would have been nice though, but I overall think fondly of this series.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and HarperVoyager for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
I really wish that not every fantasy series had to come to a war finale, but this was a good ending to a good series anyway. It fixed most of the problems I had with book 2, but especially the way how all the characters were split up and/or thought each other dead. They're not all in the same place this time either, but they're more grouped up than before. War has reached the kingdom of Middren once again, and while Kissen, Inara and Skediceth travel to other countries to find allies, Elogast reluctantly joins Arren and becomes the general of his army. Elo's POV has always been my least favorite and I felt much the same this time. His POV is the war POV now, full of council meetings and battles, and that's just not the strength of these books in my opinion. I wish this series took a different route entirely and didn't lead to another war, especially since the last war just ended shortly before the events of book 1. So yeah, every time it was Elo's or Arren's turn I wasn't as excited. But I liked that these two were finally in the same place, because it was about time they figured their relationship out. The parts from Kissen, Inara and Skedi were all great, though. I liked the pirate vibes when they were sailing around, and the glimpse into other cultures that came with their travels. I also liked how these characters and their relationships were further developed. It was great to see how Inara and her mother were getting closer after they mourned each others death without really knowing each other in the first place. Kissen and Lessa's relationship was nice too and thank god that Kissen and Elo's relationship was ended right away. It was a good choice to address that their love was not romantic, and it made way for far better pairings (a win for the queers all around). But my favorite character was Skedi, of course. He really grew into his role of a god, and it was genuinely so beautiful to see how people recognized and prayed to him. This offered an interesting look on faith, how it can be earned but also lost, and that's a well-chosen theme for a series about big and small gods. I had my ups and downs with this trilogy, but the ending even managed to make me tear up a little. A few chapters taking place after the war or a longer epilogue would have been nice though, but I overall think fondly of this series.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and HarperVoyager for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
March 11, 2025
Faithbreaker
by Hannah Kaner
Fallen Gods #3
Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: April 1, 2025
Avon/Harper Voyager
Ages: 17+
The country of Middren is preparing for war, brought by the fire god Hseth and her priests who sacrifice those wounded in battle, friend and foe alike, at the feet of the Goddess' giant fire shrine they bring with, burning everything in their path.
Elo is at the king's side, who was once his friend, then enemy. But he knows standing by the king helps unite the people of Middren, for faith is also a weapon.
Kissen, Inara, and the little god of white lies, Skediceth, travel on Inara's mother's ship searching for allies, both human and god, against Hseth.
This is the last book in the Fallen Gods series and is a good conclusion. There is closure that makes sense. And while I like the story, it was lacking. It feels as if so much was left out about the gods, the people of the world, the world itself, and the main characters. I feel it was too much centered on getting to the war/climax and not enough about the characters' turmoil about knowing how likely they, their friends, and their families were going to die in a very painful way.
Worst though, the story moved along at a slow pace, at times dragging me along as I forced myself to read. I really think more about the gods, especially the ones who were spoken about/to, would have added depth to the world.
There is violence that is bloody and disturbing, plus there is adult content. It's not quite porn, but it pushes the border so that makes this book suitable for readers seventeen and older.
2 Stars
by Hannah Kaner
Fallen Gods #3
Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: April 1, 2025
Avon/Harper Voyager
Ages: 17+
The country of Middren is preparing for war, brought by the fire god Hseth and her priests who sacrifice those wounded in battle, friend and foe alike, at the feet of the Goddess' giant fire shrine they bring with, burning everything in their path.
Elo is at the king's side, who was once his friend, then enemy. But he knows standing by the king helps unite the people of Middren, for faith is also a weapon.
Kissen, Inara, and the little god of white lies, Skediceth, travel on Inara's mother's ship searching for allies, both human and god, against Hseth.
This is the last book in the Fallen Gods series and is a good conclusion. There is closure that makes sense. And while I like the story, it was lacking. It feels as if so much was left out about the gods, the people of the world, the world itself, and the main characters. I feel it was too much centered on getting to the war/climax and not enough about the characters' turmoil about knowing how likely they, their friends, and their families were going to die in a very painful way.
Worst though, the story moved along at a slow pace, at times dragging me along as I forced myself to read. I really think more about the gods, especially the ones who were spoken about/to, would have added depth to the world.
There is violence that is bloody and disturbing, plus there is adult content. It's not quite porn, but it pushes the border so that makes this book suitable for readers seventeen and older.
2 Stars
August 22, 2025
Summary of my review
The last installment of the series was packed with action and grief. I was able to see how the characters developed throughout their mission on sea, especially how Skedi found courage to speak up and stop making himself small and how Lessa, Inara and Kissen managed to put their differences aside for an important mission. My favourite relationship dynamic was with Inara and Skedi who still cared and loved eachother just like in the previous book. I disliked how the pacing sometimes felt off and how the point of view changed too fast in the end. The description being cut too short sometimes made me unable to just being in a moment for a while before being thrown out of it again. A certain romance began, which I couldn't approve of as this would throw all the relationships with the other characters off and felt unnecessary to the plot as well. The ending felt like a plot twist that I never asked for and I felt angry and sad for what happened. In the epilogue though I realised that it was important for the story and the ending impact to convey a message that left me thinking about it even after I finished the book.
Anyone who likes high fantasy with a mix of mythology (no background knowledge needed) and is fine with reading about LGBT+ romance (it's minor) would probably enjoy this book series.
The Review
I was so excited to read the last installment of the series, I even wanted to have an ARC of it, but unfortunately it wasn't available in my country. But here I am reading it finally!
Throughout the book I felt so many different things. At first I wasn't that drawn into the story, the beginning was rather slow, to be honest, but then when the battle finally started I felt the tension, as I had the feeling like an important character might die at any moment and the other characters also tried their very best to fight against the Talicians and Hseth, which made me also hope that they will win. I was sure that in the end they will win as the book never gave me the feeling like it will have a bad ending where the evil wins, but I sometimes felt like I might be too sure of it. A part I felt like it didn't fit into the story was a certain romance that started blossoming. My reason for not liking it is that this romance would bring all the previous relationships into chaos if the romance was meant to be serious and I just couldn't but feel that it was also just not fitting to the story to add this romance there. I was glad that they could talk everything out and start being friends, but out of nowhere they started loving eachother and I couldn't but think how it would (negatively) affect Inara and therefore disliked the romance. The ending is something I can't really describe. I was utterly sad as my favourite character didn't deserve what happened, but at the same time it left and conveyed a strong message with this ending, which wouldn't have been possible with a different character.
I really liked about the book the dynamic between Skediceth and Inara once more. I feel like each new book of the series brings them more and more together and they are never forgotten when the author writes the next book. As I said once before, I really love the relationship between these two as they trust and love eachother so deeply.
It's also cute seeing how Skedi reacts when he gets special attention and an offering from not just Inara but other people who started liking him. (Yes, I talk about his cute little dance he performed 'cause he was overjoyed). Skediceth had a major character development throughout the three books (even Kissen admitted that). He used to be just like all the other Gods — Greedy of power and of offerings. But he changed so much and is able to not feel (that) jealous anymore when a different God than him gets an offering and he truly shows his gratitude now when someone decided to give him an offering. He never asks for one and is waiting patiently for someone to give him an totem on their own will. In the second book, Skedi did a major mistake that broke the trust of Inara and Kissen but he learnt out of his mistake and changed to the better. Skedi was seen as untrustworthy as he is the God of white lies, which made it hard for him to be on friendly terms with someone other than Inara, but he chose to become more honest and helpful to the people around him and soothe their fear with newfound hope. I already liked Skediceth since the first book as I had great trust in him turning out to be better than the other Gods, not that greedy for power and actually caring about relationships. My hopes and trust in him were not in vain as he turned out to be just like I predicted and I'm very happy about this.
Inara is still a young girl but she grew less fearful over the books and showed forgiveness for the ones that hurt her, making her able to understand better how to form and built relationships and not being dependent on anyone anymore. She might became a bit impulsive, but I think that has to do with her still being a child and needing to find out what works best for her. Even as she became more impulsive, she still had a plan in her mind and was determined to help everyone out as best as she could. She is a very caring character who is sometimes forgetting to take care of herself as well. As any other child she doesn't want to be left out and is acting like she is already old enough to do specific things, bringing her self into danger, but Skedi is always there to help her out in need and is protecting her. Inara has still a long way to go and needing to understand the world and herself better, but so far she is a great character that wasn't just an annoying child that can't stop herself.
Arren and Elogast were both a bit different in this book apart from the others. Arren changed a lot but more in a way that felt inconsistent and just an excuse to make him become more of a good character unless like the last book where he was portrayed as bad and manipulative towards Elogast. Even if Arren tried to make everything good again, the things he did in the past couldn't be made undone and it felt unrealistic that he changed his mind, almost like it was just another power strategy of his. Elogast wasn't that much with the rest of the characters like previously but was more around Arren. Elogast didn't really have any character development as far as I'm concerned. He just seemed like a character who went two steps backwards instead of forward.
Kissen became less annoying as I disliked how she tried to hide her real feelings, cursing all the time, not connecting to the other characters and acting a bit too arrogant. Fortunately, except for the cursing, she learnt how to show her true feelings and also connected way better than in the start with the other characters. She didn't feel that annoying anymore as she truly cared now about the people she was with and showed it more openly.
As mentioned above the pacing felt a bit off for me, but I liked how it built up the tension for the final battle at the end. At first I didn't like how Inara, Skedi, Kissen and Lessa were on a ship all the time travelling from town/city to the other, especially as all their offerings and requests were turned down by the Gods they seeked help for the war against Hseth but then I started to kinda like it anyway as it showed the development between characters in between their mission to find allies. They didn't just fight the battle against Hseth, the God of fire but also against one another. Kissen and Lessa couldn't stand eachother. Inara and Lessa barely talked to eachother. Skediceth was trying to find courage in showing himself to not just Inara and her friends but to all people they met while they travelled. The whole mission with finding allies wasn't that interesting to me, but I was able to see how these four started changing and developing. I had moments where I felt joy for Skediceth and also felt relieved for what happened between Inara and Lessa. Skedi used to hide himself in the pockets of Inara as he was afraid to get killed by other people when they found out who he was, but his new found courage helped the other characters out on their mission to find allies for the battle against Hseth. Him raising his voice and making himself being in the spotlight for the sake of his friends and to destroy Hseth was such an important part of his development. (+ the archivist named Solom also helped him a lot of feeling like he shouldn't make himself smaller but show his greatness).
I usually prefer to see the battle instead of reading a description of it (yes, for action I prefer films and series), but I tried reading it while listening to music that was designed for battles/war and it kinda helped me getting into it more. Also, couple of characters dying in the middle of this helped make it more tense as well.
There were some things I didn't like. For starters, a certain romance just starting to begin where I think shouldn't have been a start, from the first place. Also, the pacing sometimes as it felt like it got exciting but then it stopped too soon as the point of view just got changed or the description of it just felt too short and could have been longer to actually stay in the moment and not be pulled out of it out of nowhere. Near the end the point of view changed a lot and the chapters were really short, where I started to wonder if it was always necessary to show the same moment in many different perspectives instead of just one.
The ending is hard to describe how I felt about it. I was sad and angry for what happened as I couldn't believe it. It felt like a plot twist that I didn't ask for and I felt betrayed. But the message the ending conveyed was so strong and impactful that I understood it better and decided to like it despite my grief.
Now that I finished the book I can say confidently who I would recommend this to. I think that anyone who likes fantasy with a mix of mythology would enjoy this book series. The good thing is, one doesn't need to have any knowledge of mythology to understand this story. The only thing one should be prepared for is that it's high fantasy and that the languages and names for places are sometimes hard to keep track of, but nevertheless it's not overwhelming the reader. Another aspect the book features which seems to blossom the strongest in this final installment is the LGBT+ romance. It is definitely not a major plot and is more in the background, but one should still consider beforehand if they feel like they can read about love that isn't heterosexual. My favourite aspect of this story are the dynamics between the characters and how they develop on their own but also with their relationships with other characters.
Overall, the final book of the installment left me wondering how impactful and how great the influence of Gods truly are. After all, I connected to Skediceth deeply and ask myself now how I would react if I live in a world where not only Gods are prayed to but actually exist. The ending can be interpreted as something philosophical, based on mythology and I do wonder how the world would look like if we humans would see the Gods we send our prayers to. How would we react? Just like in the book?
The ending of the book was great and I can say that I'm glad that I gave this book series a chance. I felt like it wasn't a waste of time reading the three books.
StoryGraph review + content warnings
—————————————————————
Oct 07, 2024
Update: THE COVER IS HERE!!! I'm in love with it.
Skedi will always be my favourite character and he is once again on a cover, so happy for him!
I'm getting withdrawal symptoms
I want this book NOW
The last installment of the series was packed with action and grief. I was able to see how the characters developed throughout their mission on sea, especially how Skedi found courage to speak up and stop making himself small and how Lessa, Inara and Kissen managed to put their differences aside for an important mission. My favourite relationship dynamic was with Inara and Skedi who still cared and loved eachother just like in the previous book. I disliked how the pacing sometimes felt off and how the point of view changed too fast in the end. The description being cut too short sometimes made me unable to just being in a moment for a while before being thrown out of it again. A certain romance began, which I couldn't approve of as this would throw all the relationships with the other characters off and felt unnecessary to the plot as well. The ending felt like a plot twist that I never asked for and I felt angry and sad for what happened. In the epilogue though I realised that it was important for the story and the ending impact to convey a message that left me thinking about it even after I finished the book.
Anyone who likes high fantasy with a mix of mythology (no background knowledge needed) and is fine with reading about LGBT+ romance (it's minor) would probably enjoy this book series.
‘Fireheart, lightbringer
Bravest king of kings
Sacrificer, god breaker
Victory he brings’
The Review
I was so excited to read the last installment of the series, I even wanted to have an ARC of it, but unfortunately it wasn't available in my country. But here I am reading it finally!
Throughout the book I felt so many different things. At first I wasn't that drawn into the story, the beginning was rather slow, to be honest, but then when the battle finally started I felt the tension, as I had the feeling like an important character might die at any moment and the other characters also tried their very best to fight against the Talicians and Hseth, which made me also hope that they will win. I was sure that in the end they will win as the book never gave me the feeling like it will have a bad ending where the evil wins, but I sometimes felt like I might be too sure of it. A part I felt like it didn't fit into the story was a certain romance that started blossoming. My reason for not liking it is that this romance would bring all the previous relationships into chaos if the romance was meant to be serious and I just couldn't but feel that it was also just not fitting to the story to add this romance there. I was glad that they could talk everything out and start being friends, but out of nowhere they started loving eachother and I couldn't but think how it would (negatively) affect Inara and therefore disliked the romance. The ending is something I can't really describe. I was utterly sad as my favourite character didn't deserve what happened, but at the same time it left and conveyed a strong message with this ending, which wouldn't have been possible with a different character.
I really liked about the book the dynamic between Skediceth and Inara once more. I feel like each new book of the series brings them more and more together and they are never forgotten when the author writes the next book. As I said once before, I really love the relationship between these two as they trust and love eachother so deeply.
It's also cute seeing how Skedi reacts when he gets special attention and an offering from not just Inara but other people who started liking him. (Yes, I talk about his cute little dance he performed 'cause he was overjoyed). Skediceth had a major character development throughout the three books (even Kissen admitted that). He used to be just like all the other Gods — Greedy of power and of offerings. But he changed so much and is able to not feel (that) jealous anymore when a different God than him gets an offering and he truly shows his gratitude now when someone decided to give him an offering. He never asks for one and is waiting patiently for someone to give him an totem on their own will. In the second book, Skedi did a major mistake that broke the trust of Inara and Kissen but he learnt out of his mistake and changed to the better. Skedi was seen as untrustworthy as he is the God of white lies, which made it hard for him to be on friendly terms with someone other than Inara, but he chose to become more honest and helpful to the people around him and soothe their fear with newfound hope. I already liked Skediceth since the first book as I had great trust in him turning out to be better than the other Gods, not that greedy for power and actually caring about relationships. My hopes and trust in him were not in vain as he turned out to be just like I predicted and I'm very happy about this.
Inara is still a young girl but she grew less fearful over the books and showed forgiveness for the ones that hurt her, making her able to understand better how to form and built relationships and not being dependent on anyone anymore. She might became a bit impulsive, but I think that has to do with her still being a child and needing to find out what works best for her. Even as she became more impulsive, she still had a plan in her mind and was determined to help everyone out as best as she could. She is a very caring character who is sometimes forgetting to take care of herself as well. As any other child she doesn't want to be left out and is acting like she is already old enough to do specific things, bringing her self into danger, but Skedi is always there to help her out in need and is protecting her. Inara has still a long way to go and needing to understand the world and herself better, but so far she is a great character that wasn't just an annoying child that can't stop herself.
Arren and Elogast were both a bit different in this book apart from the others. Arren changed a lot but more in a way that felt inconsistent and just an excuse to make him become more of a good character unless like the last book where he was portrayed as bad and manipulative towards Elogast. Even if Arren tried to make everything good again, the things he did in the past couldn't be made undone and it felt unrealistic that he changed his mind, almost like it was just another power strategy of his. Elogast wasn't that much with the rest of the characters like previously but was more around Arren. Elogast didn't really have any character development as far as I'm concerned. He just seemed like a character who went two steps backwards instead of forward.
Kissen became less annoying as I disliked how she tried to hide her real feelings, cursing all the time, not connecting to the other characters and acting a bit too arrogant. Fortunately, except for the cursing, she learnt how to show her true feelings and also connected way better than in the start with the other characters. She didn't feel that annoying anymore as she truly cared now about the people she was with and showed it more openly.
As mentioned above the pacing felt a bit off for me, but I liked how it built up the tension for the final battle at the end. At first I didn't like how Inara, Skedi, Kissen and Lessa were on a ship all the time travelling from town/city to the other, especially as all their offerings and requests were turned down by the Gods they seeked help for the war against Hseth but then I started to kinda like it anyway as it showed the development between characters in between their mission to find allies. They didn't just fight the battle against Hseth, the God of fire but also against one another. Kissen and Lessa couldn't stand eachother. Inara and Lessa barely talked to eachother. Skediceth was trying to find courage in showing himself to not just Inara and her friends but to all people they met while they travelled. The whole mission with finding allies wasn't that interesting to me, but I was able to see how these four started changing and developing. I had moments where I felt joy for Skediceth and also felt relieved for what happened between Inara and Lessa. Skedi used to hide himself in the pockets of Inara as he was afraid to get killed by other people when they found out who he was, but his new found courage helped the other characters out on their mission to find allies for the battle against Hseth. Him raising his voice and making himself being in the spotlight for the sake of his friends and to destroy Hseth was such an important part of his development. (+ the archivist named Solom also helped him a lot of feeling like he shouldn't make himself smaller but show his greatness).
I usually prefer to see the battle instead of reading a description of it (yes, for action I prefer films and series), but I tried reading it while listening to music that was designed for battles/war and it kinda helped me getting into it more. Also, couple of characters dying in the middle of this helped make it more tense as well.
There were some things I didn't like. For starters, a certain romance just starting to begin where I think shouldn't have been a start, from the first place. Also, the pacing sometimes as it felt like it got exciting but then it stopped too soon as the point of view just got changed or the description of it just felt too short and could have been longer to actually stay in the moment and not be pulled out of it out of nowhere. Near the end the point of view changed a lot and the chapters were really short, where I started to wonder if it was always necessary to show the same moment in many different perspectives instead of just one.
The ending is hard to describe how I felt about it. I was sad and angry for what happened as I couldn't believe it. It felt like a plot twist that I didn't ask for and I felt betrayed. But the message the ending conveyed was so strong and impactful that I understood it better and decided to like it despite my grief.
Now that I finished the book I can say confidently who I would recommend this to. I think that anyone who likes fantasy with a mix of mythology would enjoy this book series. The good thing is, one doesn't need to have any knowledge of mythology to understand this story. The only thing one should be prepared for is that it's high fantasy and that the languages and names for places are sometimes hard to keep track of, but nevertheless it's not overwhelming the reader. Another aspect the book features which seems to blossom the strongest in this final installment is the LGBT+ romance. It is definitely not a major plot and is more in the background, but one should still consider beforehand if they feel like they can read about love that isn't heterosexual. My favourite aspect of this story are the dynamics between the characters and how they develop on their own but also with their relationships with other characters.
Overall, the final book of the installment left me wondering how impactful and how great the influence of Gods truly are. After all, I connected to Skediceth deeply and ask myself now how I would react if I live in a world where not only Gods are prayed to but actually exist. The ending can be interpreted as something philosophical, based on mythology and I do wonder how the world would look like if we humans would see the Gods we send our prayers to. How would we react? Just like in the book?
The ending of the book was great and I can say that I'm glad that I gave this book series a chance. I felt like it wasn't a waste of time reading the three books.
‘To safest haven
Through heartfelt lies,
To brighten hopes,
And bless our skies.’
StoryGraph review + content warnings
—————————————————————
Oct 07, 2024
Update: THE COVER IS HERE!!! I'm in love with it.
Skedi will always be my favourite character and he is once again on a cover, so happy for him!
I'm getting withdrawal symptoms
I want this book NOW
November 24, 2025
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Overall, if you have read the other two books of the series you should understand the world and what our characters are up against. This should be satisfying conclusion the story with some possible hopes for a book in the future, perhaps when Inara is older, at least that is my hope. I would like to see what this new world show to us at the end would grow into later.
Small rant, possibly medium sized and just my opinions (probably unpopular but that is fine)
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Fallen Gods series has a unique world littered with Gods. Humans bring them strength. Their sacrifices, prayers, shrines and offerings build up some gods to be stronger than others. One god has been rebranded to form a god reborn. She is fire, death pain and sacrifice and her servants are taring though the land of Middren, killing their enemies and feeding her power with human sacrifice. A found family is doing everything they can to stop Hseth, the fire god of pain, from taking over their kingdom and destroying all other gods in Faithbreaker, the conclusion to this trilogy.
The story is told from multiple PoVs carrying the reader through the feelings and motivations of the main characters of the story. Some unexpected and uneasy alliances need to be made against a stronger foe, at least for now. Kissen and Anara must put aside some of their distrust for the Sunbringer and use him and his followers against a bigger threat. Elogast is torn between the boy Arren, he used to know and grew up with, and the Man/God, Sunbringer, who tried to sacrifice him. But, for love of his home he will help in this war and lead the armies in hopes of surviving this threat.
One of the things I loved about Godkiller, the first book of the series, was the found family created between Kissen, Elogast, Anara and Skediceth. They all were from such different places in life, but the bonds built between them all burned bright. The struggle I had with Faithbreaker, is that the characters I loved seeing together were all separated and working on different aspects of building the army to fight in the war. While this set up added to the drama and fast pacing at the end, in the beginning it made the book a little difficult to get into as it was moving really slowly. I also cared about one PoV more than the others and sometimes became impatient with getting back to the part of the story I cared about.
The last 10-15% of the book was non-stop and action packed. It was everything I really wanted for the ending to the story, minus some of the thrown in sexual relationship aspects. The drama of the war and the fight was nail-biting and heartbreaking, everything I expected it to be. The rest of the book all seemed like it was just in a holding pattern to get us to the end. There are some interesting interactions as Inara travels to meet her father in hopes of gathering a few gods to their cause. Kissen and Inara PoV's and storyline were the most captivating to me and the parts of the story I liked best. The relationship between Kissen and the girl attached to the god of lies is my favorite of the series. Kissen is mentor, substitute mother, sister and friend all in one and I enjoy the dynamic interactions they have together. I missed Elogast being with them as he was the tenderness and voice of mercy for them.
Faithbreaker will give the reader a strong conclusion to the story. It didn't hold the magic for me that Godkiller did and part of that was all the extra time pushed on the romantic relationships. It was like Hannah Kaner was trying to jump on the Romantasy bandwagon in this final book, instead of focusing more on the greater plotting, in my probably unpopular opinion. I didn't like any of the new romantic points of interest brought into this final book as I liked the relationship between Kissen and Elogast. The addition of romantic entanglements that were presented were not something I was interested in nor did they make a lot of sense to me based on the history between the characters, but I will probably be in the minority here and I will accept that. However, a character that either tried to kill you or sacrifice you in a previous book doesn't seem like someone you'd want to hook up with, just saying.
"You can't save him, you know," said Skedi. "You can't undo the things he's done. To Inara. To you."
Overall, if you have read the other two books of the series you should understand the world and what our characters are up against. This should be satisfying conclusion the story with some possible hopes for a book in the future, perhaps when Inara is older, at least that is my hope. I would like to see what this new world show to us at the end would grow into later.
Small rant, possibly medium sized and just my opinions (probably unpopular but that is fine)
June 12, 2025
4.5/5
Gods are never lost if there is someone who still believes in them.
I absolutely adore this world and these blazing, brilliant characters. They are full of such vibrant life, bursting with joys and fears and everything that makes them human; they are complicated and messy, and I couldn't think them more perfect if I tried.
I have loved being beside these characters every step of their journeys, loved traversing lands I never thought we would see, loved watching the growth bloom inside them and begin to spill out. It's been an incredible adventure and I'm so upset that it's now over. I hate endings! I desperately want all my favourite characters to come back to me.
I adored Kissen from the very first moment of this series. She is all gruff exterior, she is bright in spite of the flames that have hollowed her, she is full of unfathomable amounts of love—much of which she did not know could be found within her. She is a joy to read about. It was her clawing anger that first enamoured me, but it was the warmth and tenderness of her touch that truly made her a character that stuck with me.
Elogast is also incredible, shaped by war and battle, but made of far softer hands. His strength lies in his gentleness. He is a character broken, one who continues to be hammered at and shattered, but one who never loses what makes him human. He never loses his kindness, even as his bones grow weary.
Inara is another one of my favourites (all these characters are so brilliant, it's hard not to adore them all), she has definitely grown the most from the beginning of the series. She is no longer the naive child she once was, no longer confused and afraid. She has entirely become her own person, full of wild whims and dangerous instincts, alight with power and purpose. She has been moulded by the people she has met along the way; she has Kissen's stubbornness and her fight, she has Elo's cleverness and insight, she has Skedi's heart. She is still growing, she is still young, but she is never alone. She's a hurricane of possibility and I adored watching who she became throughout these wonderful books.
Skedi is a fascinating character to follow. His and Inara's relationship expanded and warped and evolved as they themselves grew and changed, but it was always one of purest love. Together, they learned each winding pathway of a world they had never dreamed. Together, they fought and flew and discovered who they truly were. Together, they found a home, they made one within each other. They make two of the unlikeliest heroes, a young girl and a small god, but it is their endless love that forges them their own safe haven.
The characters are absolutely fantastic, but they are only one part of a vast and sprawling world. It is a world full of gods; little gods and lost gods, powerful gods and vengeful ones. All manner of gods come to be in this world, taking all manner of forms. All that anyone has ever prayed to exists in these lands. And it is here that this series shines so, it is here that we strike true to the heart of its themes.
People make gods, and, for better or worse, gods make people is one of my favourite quotes and sentiments of this series. Gods are constructed by the belief people hold in them, they are tied to this world, given power only by the faith people wield. They are torn down and rebuilt, they are given roots and places to hold onto, they are lost to time and faltering memory, they are found anew. Gods are what people make of them.
I have found this conversation and thematic narrative incredibly compelling as I've seen it bend and spiral all throughout this series, but this final book added even more to it that I adored. In this book we see even more so that gods are the ones made in the image of people, that human anger and rage feed a god just so, that pain and suffering are the only things to whet a god's appetite if that is all it has ever feasted on. A god of sanctuary, once ancient and full of the wildness of winds, becomes a creature of prosperity when the humans who seek it out change the elements that make them feel safe. A god of fire, once flaming and furious, as old and sharp-witted as the flame that never wants to die, is reborn a young creature of vengeance, blazing violently until it gutters out.
Faith is a thing ever-changing, sharpened as a weapon, used as a tool, kept secret and sacred as an oath, hidden, exulted in; something to be feared, envied, broken, stolen, loved. This series unravels all these threads expertly. And even a small god can change the world, if enough people believe. Even small lives are worth something.
I hate finishing series because I hate leaving the worlds of all my favourite stories behind. But I'm ever so glad to have read it. I adore this series and will definitely be reading it all over again, it's such a beautiful journey. I did in fact cry, it got me right at the end! What a phenomenal series. I can't wait to continue reading Kaner's works, I'm very excited for what she'll write next.
Gods are never lost if there is someone who still believes in them.
I absolutely adore this world and these blazing, brilliant characters. They are full of such vibrant life, bursting with joys and fears and everything that makes them human; they are complicated and messy, and I couldn't think them more perfect if I tried.
I have loved being beside these characters every step of their journeys, loved traversing lands I never thought we would see, loved watching the growth bloom inside them and begin to spill out. It's been an incredible adventure and I'm so upset that it's now over. I hate endings! I desperately want all my favourite characters to come back to me.
I adored Kissen from the very first moment of this series. She is all gruff exterior, she is bright in spite of the flames that have hollowed her, she is full of unfathomable amounts of love—much of which she did not know could be found within her. She is a joy to read about. It was her clawing anger that first enamoured me, but it was the warmth and tenderness of her touch that truly made her a character that stuck with me.
Elogast is also incredible, shaped by war and battle, but made of far softer hands. His strength lies in his gentleness. He is a character broken, one who continues to be hammered at and shattered, but one who never loses what makes him human. He never loses his kindness, even as his bones grow weary.
Inara is another one of my favourites (all these characters are so brilliant, it's hard not to adore them all), she has definitely grown the most from the beginning of the series. She is no longer the naive child she once was, no longer confused and afraid. She has entirely become her own person, full of wild whims and dangerous instincts, alight with power and purpose. She has been moulded by the people she has met along the way; she has Kissen's stubbornness and her fight, she has Elo's cleverness and insight, she has Skedi's heart. She is still growing, she is still young, but she is never alone. She's a hurricane of possibility and I adored watching who she became throughout these wonderful books.
Skedi is a fascinating character to follow. His and Inara's relationship expanded and warped and evolved as they themselves grew and changed, but it was always one of purest love. Together, they learned each winding pathway of a world they had never dreamed. Together, they fought and flew and discovered who they truly were. Together, they found a home, they made one within each other. They make two of the unlikeliest heroes, a young girl and a small god, but it is their endless love that forges them their own safe haven.
The characters are absolutely fantastic, but they are only one part of a vast and sprawling world. It is a world full of gods; little gods and lost gods, powerful gods and vengeful ones. All manner of gods come to be in this world, taking all manner of forms. All that anyone has ever prayed to exists in these lands. And it is here that this series shines so, it is here that we strike true to the heart of its themes.
People make gods, and, for better or worse, gods make people is one of my favourite quotes and sentiments of this series. Gods are constructed by the belief people hold in them, they are tied to this world, given power only by the faith people wield. They are torn down and rebuilt, they are given roots and places to hold onto, they are lost to time and faltering memory, they are found anew. Gods are what people make of them.
I have found this conversation and thematic narrative incredibly compelling as I've seen it bend and spiral all throughout this series, but this final book added even more to it that I adored. In this book we see even more so that gods are the ones made in the image of people, that human anger and rage feed a god just so, that pain and suffering are the only things to whet a god's appetite if that is all it has ever feasted on. A god of sanctuary, once ancient and full of the wildness of winds, becomes a creature of prosperity when the humans who seek it out change the elements that make them feel safe. A god of fire, once flaming and furious, as old and sharp-witted as the flame that never wants to die, is reborn a young creature of vengeance, blazing violently until it gutters out.
Faith is a thing ever-changing, sharpened as a weapon, used as a tool, kept secret and sacred as an oath, hidden, exulted in; something to be feared, envied, broken, stolen, loved. This series unravels all these threads expertly. And even a small god can change the world, if enough people believe. Even small lives are worth something.
I hate finishing series because I hate leaving the worlds of all my favourite stories behind. But I'm ever so glad to have read it. I adore this series and will definitely be reading it all over again, it's such a beautiful journey. I did in fact cry, it got me right at the end! What a phenomenal series. I can't wait to continue reading Kaner's works, I'm very excited for what she'll write next.
February 5, 2025
“What is faith if not an offering in return for love? What have you offered lately for others, that is not for yourself? Who do you trust, other than yourself?”
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
➳ 4.5
Hannah Kaner has written a finale that is magical, hopeful, devastating, and really satisfying.
There's something inherently magical about reaching the conclusion to a series and being brutally hit in the face with the emotional equivalent of a frying pan, as you're forced to confront that you cared a bit more for these characters than you'd initially realized.
Not that that's what happened here, or anything. (cue distant sobbing)
To be clear: I have enjoyed every book in this trilogy. I knew I cared about the characters to some degree, but even in my review for Sunbringer I stated that they were my biggest issue and that I struggled to connect with them. So imagine my surprise when I reached the last 25% of this book and felt myself begin to TEAR UP?
I always struggle to review conclusions without spoilers (especially when they're arcs) so I offer my emotions as the best review I can give. As someone that reads quite a bit, it feels worth noting every single time a book reaches my emotions and I suddenly want everyone to read it.
This is one of those books. I finished this book last night and started to cry again when I thought about a specific line today. (Who is this emotionally intelligent, vulnerable queen?)
On a technical note, I will say that I felt the pacing was off (especially for the first half of the book) and that the romantic tension was just not there for me? However, the first one rectified in the second half and the latter was such a small portion of the book that it didn't really have much bearing on my overall appreciation of the story.
Overall, please read this trilogy (and this book when it comes out.) It's got a beautifully nostalgic found-family fantasy feel, whilst being effortlessly inclusive and delving into themes of faith/faithlessness, healing, vulnerability, and the lure of power.
I love this book so much and I look forward to whatever Hannah Kaner writes from here.
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
➳ 4.5
Hannah Kaner has written a finale that is magical, hopeful, devastating, and really satisfying.
There's something inherently magical about reaching the conclusion to a series and being brutally hit in the face with the emotional equivalent of a frying pan, as you're forced to confront that you cared a bit more for these characters than you'd initially realized.
Not that that's what happened here, or anything. (cue distant sobbing)
To be clear: I have enjoyed every book in this trilogy. I knew I cared about the characters to some degree, but even in my review for Sunbringer I stated that they were my biggest issue and that I struggled to connect with them. So imagine my surprise when I reached the last 25% of this book and felt myself begin to TEAR UP?
I always struggle to review conclusions without spoilers (especially when they're arcs) so I offer my emotions as the best review I can give. As someone that reads quite a bit, it feels worth noting every single time a book reaches my emotions and I suddenly want everyone to read it.
This is one of those books. I finished this book last night and started to cry again when I thought about a specific line today. (Who is this emotionally intelligent, vulnerable queen?)
On a technical note, I will say that I felt the pacing was off (especially for the first half of the book) and that the romantic tension was just not there for me? However, the first one rectified in the second half and the latter was such a small portion of the book that it didn't really have much bearing on my overall appreciation of the story.
Overall, please read this trilogy (and this book when it comes out.) It's got a beautifully nostalgic found-family fantasy feel, whilst being effortlessly inclusive and delving into themes of faith/faithlessness, healing, vulnerability, and the lure of power.
I love this book so much and I look forward to whatever Hannah Kaner writes from here.
June 23, 2025
The strongest of the series, Faithbreaker had a good pace throughout. There were so many brilliant characters who I was really invested in, and I was gripped. Complex lives, emotions, and issues all intertwined. Brilliant LGBT+ and disability representation.
March 21, 2025
Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of this book. Sadly this book did not live up to the first two books and I dnfed it at 50% of the way through. This feels like a different story from the first two books. I absolutely loved book 1 and 2 and I was so excited to see how everything was going to wrap up. I enjoyed the characters, Skedi, Kissen, Elo and Inara. They were growing as characters and were making a good team together. But in book 3 it feels like the author didn't know where to take the story.
This series started off with Inara and Skedi trying to figure out who they are and why they are connected and Elo was trying to save King Arren. Book two has Elo trying to stop King Arren since he is working with the gods Hseth and Hestra, and Kissen is learning about how Hseth is a bigger threat than they thought.
Book 3 now has Elo working again with Arren as well as those who were opposed to Arren to face the threat of Hseth. Kissen does not really know what she wants to do and Inara is just harboring emotions and feelings which randomly explode. Plus the main team is split up again. I was mainly interested in this story for the aspect of the gods and their involvement. Book 2 had a lot of the gods involvement and I really enjoyed it, but this book there has been little to none. And it seems like the story does not know if it wants to support the gods or destroy them. People want to destroy all the gods but they are ready to worship Arren as a god--who is also harboring a god... but in book 2 the gods were fighting against Arren... nothing really makes sense anymore. It seems as though the story's focus of the gods and how they fit into the world has been changed in this book, and instead the focus now is on sexual relationships and forgetting which side to support...
I dnf'ed for the reason above (the story is no longer making sense) and for the reason of the switch of focus from the gods to relationships of the characters. At first there was a relationship between Elo and Kissen, which was a side point (it was not the main focus of the story) but now all I read about is Kissen's feelings for Lessa and Arren's feelings for Elo... I did not read this for the relationships and I am disappointed this book has turned its focus to this.
Maybe it gets better in the second half, I have seen reviews that have said it does. But I personally cannot read anymore about Elo/Arren and Kissen/Lessa, and I personally do not care who wins in the end anymore. This book is just not for me. I am sad because I really enjoyed the other two and just because I did not like the change of focus does not mean others will not.
This series started off with Inara and Skedi trying to figure out who they are and why they are connected and Elo was trying to save King Arren. Book two has Elo trying to stop King Arren since he is working with the gods Hseth and Hestra, and Kissen is learning about how Hseth is a bigger threat than they thought.
Book 3 now has Elo working again with Arren as well as those who were opposed to Arren to face the threat of Hseth. Kissen does not really know what she wants to do and Inara is just harboring emotions and feelings which randomly explode. Plus the main team is split up again. I was mainly interested in this story for the aspect of the gods and their involvement. Book 2 had a lot of the gods involvement and I really enjoyed it, but this book there has been little to none. And it seems like the story does not know if it wants to support the gods or destroy them. People want to destroy all the gods but they are ready to worship Arren as a god--who is also harboring a god... but in book 2 the gods were fighting against Arren... nothing really makes sense anymore. It seems as though the story's focus of the gods and how they fit into the world has been changed in this book, and instead the focus now is on sexual relationships and forgetting which side to support...
I dnf'ed for the reason above (the story is no longer making sense) and for the reason of the switch of focus from the gods to relationships of the characters. At first there was a relationship between Elo and Kissen, which was a side point (it was not the main focus of the story) but now all I read about is Kissen's feelings for Lessa and Arren's feelings for Elo... I did not read this for the relationships and I am disappointed this book has turned its focus to this.
Maybe it gets better in the second half, I have seen reviews that have said it does. But I personally cannot read anymore about Elo/Arren and Kissen/Lessa, and I personally do not care who wins in the end anymore. This book is just not for me. I am sad because I really enjoyed the other two and just because I did not like the change of focus does not mean others will not.
April 3, 2025
I really enjoyed this entire series. Hannah Kaner is a wonderful fantasy author, and I really can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
I’ve gotten to know the main characters and cheered them on in their individual journeys. (Inara’s growth throughout the series is my favorite). The side characters are always interesting, and every interaction builds upon others beautifully. Each god we meet is unique and fascinating. The worldbuilding is AMAZING, and the author should seriously write a book on how to worldbuild.
Kudos to a fantastic series, Ms. Kaner. You’re an auto-buy author for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an early copy. I am writing this review voluntarily.
I’ve gotten to know the main characters and cheered them on in their individual journeys. (Inara’s growth throughout the series is my favorite). The side characters are always interesting, and every interaction builds upon others beautifully. Each god we meet is unique and fascinating. The worldbuilding is AMAZING, and the author should seriously write a book on how to worldbuild.
Kudos to a fantastic series, Ms. Kaner. You’re an auto-buy author for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an early copy. I am writing this review voluntarily.
September 7, 2025
J’ai pleuré donc ça mérite un 4,5 ⭐️
November 26, 2025
Kissen and Elogast have to part again as the war is here, and Elogast feels it's his duty to face the enemy with the current king, Arren. Inara and Skedi find out that Inara's mother, Lessa, is alive. Elo and Arren, along with Arren's army, try to come up with a plan to win this war. Kissen wants to find her sisters and travels together with Inara, Skedi, and Lessa to the neighbouring country, Irisia. Lessa wants to convince Irisia to fight with Middren against Talicia and hopes to win this war. Fire god, Hseth, and her army are more powerful than ever. Would Middren survive Hseth's fire?
I enjoyed Godkiller. The rep was really good, and the world was intriguing. I didn't mind Sunbringer as it was still enjoyable. But I couldn't enjoy this. There were so many times when I had nearly given up, but I persevered because I really wanted to see it through. I expected not to like it after reading the ending of the second book, as I could see where this was going, at least romance-wise, but it still broke my heart when I read it.
Elo has a tough task in front of him. Not only is he facing the enemy, but he is also facing friends turned foe turned allies again, and not everyone is keen on listening to Elo. Kissen is travelling on Lessa's ship, and not everyone likes Kissen, so she has to constantly watch her back. Inara and Skedi are trying to figure out their connection. When some secrets come to light, things make a little more sense, and Inara finds out just how different she is.
The writing was okay. The plot was non-existent. The pacing has been slow throughout the entire series, but in this book, it was snail-paced slow. This lacked urgency. The stakes never felt high. I was told that the stakes are high again and again, but the way the plot moved, I never felt it. We keep circling around the same thing, but it doesn't get going until the last eighty pages or so. I expected the plot to be chock-full of all the different gods, their powers, and their mythologies, but all I got were two, maybe three crumbs scattered too far and wide.
It still follows the different POVs. We also get a far more Arren's POV, which I could have done without. I know Arren's POV was supposed to redeem him, but it did nothing of the sort for me. Elo and Kissen are still my favourites. I still didn't much like Inara. Skedi was okay.
There are some new characters, including Inara's mother, Lessa. Sure, there's some back story about Lessa, which was supposed to be a tear-jerker, and was supposed to let me know why Lessa ignored Inara all her life. It didn't move me. In fact, it made me even madder. And there's this part where Lessa accuses Kissen of stealing Inara from her. As if Kissen knew of Inara's existence all along and plotted to steal Inara from Lessa, who completely and absolutely ignored Inara all her life. If Lessa was suuuccchh a good mother, then why didn't she go to check on Inara after the fire? Yeah, I hated Lessa. Hated her. She was so full of herself, holier than thou. Hated how much the plot revolved around her, which brings me to my next point.
I loved the slow-burn romance in the first book. There was no romance in the second book, which I did miss, but no big deal. This whole book felt like a ploy to get Lessa and Kissen to spend time together and convince me that they have chemistry. They don't. The other part of the book was for Elo and Arren to spend time together. Don't get me wrong, Elo and Arren did have chemistry at the start of the first book. But after everything that's gone down between them, it was so wrong for the author to push Elo with a toxic, abusive, and manipulative person like Arren. Elo deserved all the love, happiness, and kindness in the world, but not with Arren. Elo and Kissen spent a very brief time together, but they felt so natural together. Elo was done so so dirty by everyone in this.
The time that should have been spent on the actual plot with gods was spent elsewhere. And after everything, things went down way too easily and quickly. Yes, there is a conclusion, but this book felt removed from the first two books, that it doesn't feel like much of a conclusion at all. The execution was horrible. I expected a better ending than this predictable, easy, and convenient outcome.
I tried. I wanted to love this, but sadly, this frustrated and disappointed me to no end. The only good thing I can say about this is that I finished reading it.
2 stars
I enjoyed Godkiller. The rep was really good, and the world was intriguing. I didn't mind Sunbringer as it was still enjoyable. But I couldn't enjoy this. There were so many times when I had nearly given up, but I persevered because I really wanted to see it through. I expected not to like it after reading the ending of the second book, as I could see where this was going, at least romance-wise, but it still broke my heart when I read it.
Elo has a tough task in front of him. Not only is he facing the enemy, but he is also facing friends turned foe turned allies again, and not everyone is keen on listening to Elo. Kissen is travelling on Lessa's ship, and not everyone likes Kissen, so she has to constantly watch her back. Inara and Skedi are trying to figure out their connection. When some secrets come to light, things make a little more sense, and Inara finds out just how different she is.
The writing was okay. The plot was non-existent. The pacing has been slow throughout the entire series, but in this book, it was snail-paced slow. This lacked urgency. The stakes never felt high. I was told that the stakes are high again and again, but the way the plot moved, I never felt it. We keep circling around the same thing, but it doesn't get going until the last eighty pages or so. I expected the plot to be chock-full of all the different gods, their powers, and their mythologies, but all I got were two, maybe three crumbs scattered too far and wide.
It still follows the different POVs. We also get a far more Arren's POV, which I could have done without. I know Arren's POV was supposed to redeem him, but it did nothing of the sort for me. Elo and Kissen are still my favourites. I still didn't much like Inara. Skedi was okay.
There are some new characters, including Inara's mother, Lessa. Sure, there's some back story about Lessa, which was supposed to be a tear-jerker, and was supposed to let me know why Lessa ignored Inara all her life. It didn't move me. In fact, it made me even madder. And there's this part where Lessa accuses Kissen of stealing Inara from her. As if Kissen knew of Inara's existence all along and plotted to steal Inara from Lessa, who completely and absolutely ignored Inara all her life. If Lessa was suuuccchh a good mother, then why didn't she go to check on Inara after the fire? Yeah, I hated Lessa. Hated her. She was so full of herself, holier than thou. Hated how much the plot revolved around her, which brings me to my next point.
I loved the slow-burn romance in the first book. There was no romance in the second book, which I did miss, but no big deal. This whole book felt like a ploy to get Lessa and Kissen to spend time together and convince me that they have chemistry. They don't. The other part of the book was for Elo and Arren to spend time together. Don't get me wrong, Elo and Arren did have chemistry at the start of the first book. But after everything that's gone down between them, it was so wrong for the author to push Elo with a toxic, abusive, and manipulative person like Arren. Elo deserved all the love, happiness, and kindness in the world, but not with Arren. Elo and Kissen spent a very brief time together, but they felt so natural together. Elo was done so so dirty by everyone in this.
The time that should have been spent on the actual plot with gods was spent elsewhere. And after everything, things went down way too easily and quickly. Yes, there is a conclusion, but this book felt removed from the first two books, that it doesn't feel like much of a conclusion at all. The execution was horrible. I expected a better ending than this predictable, easy, and convenient outcome.
I tried. I wanted to love this, but sadly, this frustrated and disappointed me to no end. The only good thing I can say about this is that I finished reading it.
2 stars
December 27, 2024
Hannah Kaner didn’t have to do this to me. 😭
The final book in a series is always either incredibly satisfying or a complete let-down; in Faithbreaker's case, it was a fantastic (and devastating) end to a beloved series.
Kissen, Inara, Elo, Arren, and Skediceth all return in this finale, and each character has their point-of-view told throughout the story. Love, triumph, and sacrifice are all major themes throughout the book, and Hannah Kaner did an excellent job at fleshing out the story and its characters in a way that highlighted each person's strengths (and weaknesses). I'm so sad that this series is over.
I'd say more, but I can't without giving major plot points away.
Make sure you have tissues nearby, though, and buckle in for one hell of a fast-paced and captivating finale.
A huge thanks goes to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The final book in a series is always either incredibly satisfying or a complete let-down; in Faithbreaker's case, it was a fantastic (and devastating) end to a beloved series.
Kissen, Inara, Elo, Arren, and Skediceth all return in this finale, and each character has their point-of-view told throughout the story. Love, triumph, and sacrifice are all major themes throughout the book, and Hannah Kaner did an excellent job at fleshing out the story and its characters in a way that highlighted each person's strengths (and weaknesses). I'm so sad that this series is over.
I'd say more, but I can't without giving major plot points away.
Make sure you have tissues nearby, though, and buckle in for one hell of a fast-paced and captivating finale.
A huge thanks goes to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 20, 2025
the ending threw this all the way to 5 stars for me. i love each and everyone of these characters dearly.
January 1, 2025
"Faithbreaker" is the final installment of the Fallen Gods Trilogy. I was ecstatic to receive an arc in exchange for an honest review, as I had been eagerly awaiting the end of this series.
Faithbreaker follows up a bit after Sunbringer, with our main cast of characters all back together again...only for them to be parted once more. This time Arren and Elo work together to fight for Middren, while Lessa, Inara, and Kissen go to their neighboring country in search of allies for the war.
While I enjoyed books 1 and 2, I found the overall pacing of the series quite slow. Although each book is fairly short, they all took a lot longer than anticipated to get through. Book 3 is no different. However, while I was intrigued by book 1 & 2 and did not mind the pacing too much, in this third installment it really hindered my enjoyment. It took me approx 2 weeks to read this short book, when normally my reading speed would be 2-3 days for this length. I found myself falling asleep within 1-2 chapters each night because the book just dragged.
Part of what caused this book to drag for me was the unexpected romantic interactions. I just did not care and did not seem to understand where they came from. Kissen and Elo got along so well and then just decided they were a fling and to be with other people. While I didn't love either of their romantic stories, feeling they came out of nowhere, I could at least get on board with Kissen's. I absolutely COULD NOT fathom why Elo would go into his romantic entanglement.
Another thing that didn't quite compute for me were the few character deaths that happen throughout the story. They should be sad, but instead I felt each one passed by quite quickly without much emotion from any of the characters.
That being said, I think if you enjoyed books 1-2, you will at least get a satisfying conclusion. Something I think the author does really well is creating an inclusive world. There is so much LGBTQ and disabled representation.
Overall, I think if you enjoyed the first 2 books in the series you should absolutely read this! The conclusion was great and the story wrapped up nicely. For me it was just the pacing and romance that detracted from my overall enjoyment, leading me to rate the book 3/5 stars.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Faithbreaker follows up a bit after Sunbringer, with our main cast of characters all back together again...only for them to be parted once more. This time Arren and Elo work together to fight for Middren, while Lessa, Inara, and Kissen go to their neighboring country in search of allies for the war.
While I enjoyed books 1 and 2, I found the overall pacing of the series quite slow. Although each book is fairly short, they all took a lot longer than anticipated to get through. Book 3 is no different. However, while I was intrigued by book 1 & 2 and did not mind the pacing too much, in this third installment it really hindered my enjoyment. It took me approx 2 weeks to read this short book, when normally my reading speed would be 2-3 days for this length. I found myself falling asleep within 1-2 chapters each night because the book just dragged.
Part of what caused this book to drag for me was the unexpected romantic interactions. I just did not care and did not seem to understand where they came from. Kissen and Elo got along so well and then just decided they were a fling and to be with other people. While I didn't love either of their romantic stories, feeling they came out of nowhere, I could at least get on board with Kissen's. I absolutely COULD NOT fathom why Elo would go into his romantic entanglement.
Another thing that didn't quite compute for me were the few character deaths that happen throughout the story. They should be sad, but instead I felt each one passed by quite quickly without much emotion from any of the characters.
That being said, I think if you enjoyed books 1-2, you will at least get a satisfying conclusion. Something I think the author does really well is creating an inclusive world. There is so much LGBTQ and disabled representation.
Overall, I think if you enjoyed the first 2 books in the series you should absolutely read this! The conclusion was great and the story wrapped up nicely. For me it was just the pacing and romance that detracted from my overall enjoyment, leading me to rate the book 3/5 stars.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 21, 2025
The moment I knew I would love this trilogy:
"I love you," he said, and threw her to the sea.🌊 (Godkiller, book 1.)
The moment when this trilogy wrecked me:
I love you, he said. And he flew into the flame.🔥 (Faithbreaker, book 3.)
My Thoughts:
Brb, crying from emotional damage due to how much I love this series, the characters, and this world.🐰🦌🦅 Hannah Kaner has delicately built such a fantastic realm--brick by brick, river by river, god by god. The idea of godkillers, or veiga, immediately enticed me when I decided to start this trilogy. A world where gods cannot exist or have power unless they are given offerings and faith was so intriguing. But it was THE UTTER AUDACITY of Kaner to write such a fantastic storyline and fully fleshed out characters, that had me sticking around.
Book 1, Godkiller, was hands-down one of my favorite reads of 2024. It is a 5⭐ book through and through. The characters and world building are unequivocally top-tier for me. Book 2, Sunbringer, suffered from a bit of 'middle book syndrome', but ended strong. The world building and character development gave the story its brawn, while the plot is what suffered, with awkward pacing and fluff.
This book, however, was fast paced from the get-go. There are innumerable battle sequences which kept me immersed in the story.⚔️🐎 World building continued to be exemplary, another positive of this series that I have now come to expect from Hannah Kaner.🌎 What I struggled with, though, were the unnecessary romantic relationships formed in this book. I felt that they took away from the plot and had me, at times, wanting to skip chunks to get to the meat of the story. I wish that more focus had been placed on Inara and Skedi. Instead, I got a whole lot of Elo & Arren drama and Kissen & Lessa angst. And as far as I'm concerned, Arren can suck my balls.🫐 I don't believe that he deserved any form of a redemption arc, if you even want to call it that...
Despite my issues with Faithbreaker, I still do truly love this trilogy.🖤 I love how this story ended. I adore Skedi, Inara, Kissen, and Elo. Such fantastic characters with such great LGBTQIA+ and disability representation. 👏🏼
⭐⭐⭐.75/5
"I love you," he said, and threw her to the sea.🌊 (Godkiller, book 1.)
The moment when this trilogy wrecked me:
I love you, he said. And he flew into the flame.🔥 (Faithbreaker, book 3.)
My Thoughts:
Brb, crying from emotional damage due to how much I love this series, the characters, and this world.🐰🦌🦅 Hannah Kaner has delicately built such a fantastic realm--brick by brick, river by river, god by god. The idea of godkillers, or veiga, immediately enticed me when I decided to start this trilogy. A world where gods cannot exist or have power unless they are given offerings and faith was so intriguing. But it was THE UTTER AUDACITY of Kaner to write such a fantastic storyline and fully fleshed out characters, that had me sticking around.
Book 1, Godkiller, was hands-down one of my favorite reads of 2024. It is a 5⭐ book through and through. The characters and world building are unequivocally top-tier for me. Book 2, Sunbringer, suffered from a bit of 'middle book syndrome', but ended strong. The world building and character development gave the story its brawn, while the plot is what suffered, with awkward pacing and fluff.
This book, however, was fast paced from the get-go. There are innumerable battle sequences which kept me immersed in the story.⚔️🐎 World building continued to be exemplary, another positive of this series that I have now come to expect from Hannah Kaner.🌎 What I struggled with, though, were the unnecessary romantic relationships formed in this book. I felt that they took away from the plot and had me, at times, wanting to skip chunks to get to the meat of the story. I wish that more focus had been placed on Inara and Skedi. Instead, I got a whole lot of Elo & Arren drama and Kissen & Lessa angst. And as far as I'm concerned, Arren can suck my balls.🫐 I don't believe that he deserved any form of a redemption arc, if you even want to call it that...
Despite my issues with Faithbreaker, I still do truly love this trilogy.🖤 I love how this story ended. I adore Skedi, Inara, Kissen, and Elo. Such fantastic characters with such great LGBTQIA+ and disability representation. 👏🏼
⭐⭐⭐.75/5
March 6, 2025
No one speak to me for 5-7 business days!
I am a broken shell of a human! 😭
Official Review:
Themes & Sparks:
final book of a trilogy, war between gods and humans, found familiy, female pirates, political intrigues and scheming, bisexual romances, grief, loss, gods and shrines
Thank you so much to Harper Reach for sending me this early copy.
Faithbreaker is the final book in the Fallen Gods trilogy by Hannah Kaner and right from page one, it continued to include everything that was so great about the previous two book. From the brilliant atmosphere and setting, which I always like to describe as “classical medieval tavern style fantasy”, to the great world building surrounding the gods, Hannah Kaner made sure to not only keep these elements up to a high standard but also extended them in Faithbreaker. Thus, we embarked on a journey across the sea to explore new lands and cultures and through that dealt with old friends and new enemies. It was also the perfect devise to introduce teasers of a bisexual enemies to lovers romance, which was probably one of my favourite plotlines in the book (the initial denial…ugh just brilliant).
Faithbreaker also redeemed my initial dissatisfaction with Sunbringer, since it made me appreciate and view it more as a bridge book. Hence, one could immediately tell that this was a final book, as it immediately started with an accumulation of all the things that happened plot and character wise in Sunbringer and are now at stake. Therefore, making Faithbreaker a very captivating novel.
In addition to having a great political and action plot, Faithbreaker also made sure to wrap up character arcs in a satisfying, emotional and true to character way. I really liked exploring how our characters regained trust or dealt with being confronted with battles of both physical and mental form. Especially, Inara´s internal struggle and eventual understanding of who and what she is, was something that I genuinely enjoyed seeing being discussed in more depth.
Overall, Faithbreaker was a conclusion that did justice to this trilogy and I´m really looking forward to reading more of Hannah Kaner´s work in the future.
I am a broken shell of a human! 😭
Official Review:
Themes & Sparks:
final book of a trilogy, war between gods and humans, found familiy, female pirates, political intrigues and scheming, bisexual romances, grief, loss, gods and shrines
Thank you so much to Harper Reach for sending me this early copy.
Faithbreaker is the final book in the Fallen Gods trilogy by Hannah Kaner and right from page one, it continued to include everything that was so great about the previous two book. From the brilliant atmosphere and setting, which I always like to describe as “classical medieval tavern style fantasy”, to the great world building surrounding the gods, Hannah Kaner made sure to not only keep these elements up to a high standard but also extended them in Faithbreaker. Thus, we embarked on a journey across the sea to explore new lands and cultures and through that dealt with old friends and new enemies. It was also the perfect devise to introduce teasers of a bisexual enemies to lovers romance, which was probably one of my favourite plotlines in the book (the initial denial…ugh just brilliant).
Faithbreaker also redeemed my initial dissatisfaction with Sunbringer, since it made me appreciate and view it more as a bridge book. Hence, one could immediately tell that this was a final book, as it immediately started with an accumulation of all the things that happened plot and character wise in Sunbringer and are now at stake. Therefore, making Faithbreaker a very captivating novel.
In addition to having a great political and action plot, Faithbreaker also made sure to wrap up character arcs in a satisfying, emotional and true to character way. I really liked exploring how our characters regained trust or dealt with being confronted with battles of both physical and mental form. Especially, Inara´s internal struggle and eventual understanding of who and what she is, was something that I genuinely enjoyed seeing being discussed in more depth.
Overall, Faithbreaker was a conclusion that did justice to this trilogy and I´m really looking forward to reading more of Hannah Kaner´s work in the future.
April 9, 2025
After trying to process my feelings, it is with a heavy heart that I'm downrating it to 2.
I'm devastated by the finale of this trilogy. It's been one of my recent favorites to follow and I fell in love with the ensemble cast and Kaner's writing over the first two installments. I'm incredibly biased in saying that my favorite dynamics have been between Skedi and Inara, and Elo and Arren, so I feel like the pacing of book 3 and the events that happened here simply weren't a match with what I was hoping for.
I'm so sorry for being vague here, but I'm doing my best to not spoil MAJOR things in this book. 🤣
On one hand, the trajectories of the characters and the arcs made sense on a technical term, but there were many things that I wish happened in the final installment that I can't help but feel like comparing it to Game of Thrones Season 8, which is horribly mean, I know.
There were many things to enjoy in book 3 for sure, as I did blaze through this in two sittings. Unfortunately, the author and I had different ideas with how we wanted to see the characters and what we wanted to see in this book, and therefore, again, I am heartbroken and devastated. I feel Kaner didn't really give me any breathing room to deal with the emotions before the final page. 😂
I don't mind huge sweeping events like what we find here, but I feel they were poorly executed and therefore ruined my experience. There seemed to be a lot of time and emphasis focused on specific things that I feel could have been used to explore other things instead. Some characters were finally introduced and yet were not used to their potential in this installment that it almost felt like there could have been a fourth book instead. Part of me is copium that we will get one, lmaoo.
I received a review copy for free via Netgalley, and am voluntarily leaving my honest thoughts. Many thanks to HarperVoyager for the opportunity!
-----------
I am distraught.
2.5 rounded up. FULL RTC LMAO.
I'm devastated by the finale of this trilogy. It's been one of my recent favorites to follow and I fell in love with the ensemble cast and Kaner's writing over the first two installments. I'm incredibly biased in saying that my favorite dynamics have been between Skedi and Inara, and Elo and Arren, so I feel like the pacing of book 3 and the events that happened here simply weren't a match with what I was hoping for.
I'm so sorry for being vague here, but I'm doing my best to not spoil MAJOR things in this book. 🤣
On one hand, the trajectories of the characters and the arcs made sense on a technical term, but there were many things that I wish happened in the final installment that I can't help but feel like comparing it to Game of Thrones Season 8, which is horribly mean, I know.
There were many things to enjoy in book 3 for sure, as I did blaze through this in two sittings. Unfortunately, the author and I had different ideas with how we wanted to see the characters and what we wanted to see in this book, and therefore, again, I am heartbroken and devastated. I feel Kaner didn't really give me any breathing room to deal with the emotions before the final page. 😂
I don't mind huge sweeping events like what we find here, but I feel they were poorly executed and therefore ruined my experience. There seemed to be a lot of time and emphasis focused on specific things that I feel could have been used to explore other things instead. Some characters were finally introduced and yet were not used to their potential in this installment that it almost felt like there could have been a fourth book instead. Part of me is copium that we will get one, lmaoo.
I received a review copy for free via Netgalley, and am voluntarily leaving my honest thoughts. Many thanks to HarperVoyager for the opportunity!
-----------
I am distraught.
2.5 rounded up. FULL RTC LMAO.
September 29, 2025
Oh no my boy
March 29, 2025
emotionally destroyed me. the world Hannah Kaner has created, her characters with all their love and faults, I never wanted it to end.
easily one of my all time favorite fantasy series❤️
easily one of my all time favorite fantasy series❤️
August 5, 2025
This was a great finale to the trilogy although it dragged a little at times. I just love all these characters, especially Kissen and Skedi. So, seeing them in danger was not fun, but I appreciated that you could really feel the stakes. The descriptions of war were intentionally horrifying and at times hard to read. But in an epic fantasy that is to be expected.
Overall, this has great worldbuilding and strong characters. The plot was sometimes lagging a bit, but Kaner always brought it back.
Overall, this has great worldbuilding and strong characters. The plot was sometimes lagging a bit, but Kaner always brought it back.
April 15, 2025
I do not understand this drastic fall..... 😶🫣
I absolutely loved Godkiller and Sunbringer the first two of the fallen gods trilogy, epic adventure with endearing characters, an amazing trio with a special mention to Kissen please see my previous review for more détails and why I loved them. 💕✨
But here in this final instalment I struggled a lot, it was unbearable 😮💨
First, I had trouble to get back to the world, I did not remember how the last one ended, I had lost track of everything, the stakes, the Alliance...it was really uncomfortable. Even the slow pacing I liked before was really annoying and a nuisance here. Worst, our favorite trio is mostly away from eachothers and some POV are useless.
Secondly, I deeply disliked Lessa, Inara's mother full of herself,...and so on, I did not appreciate her personality, her so called honor branded as a badge to impress people around. She was so cringe to me that I almost expected her to betrayal everyone at each pages cause she seems so fake and unreliable to me....
Moreover, on the down sides : too many side characters, Elo's point of views disappointed and way too focus on battle we lost the various layers of his personality, his love/hate relationship with Arren repetitive and boring finished to put me off the story. 👎😵
Well, it was a huge disappointment, I expected so much more : different gods, new challenges, an epic and masteful ending and not this very predictable one, with the obvious sacrifices lacking so much of raw emotions...the endless battles and confrontations and the very convenient subtext.
I gave 5 stars to the previous ones and I am sorry but I have to be honest this barely reach 2 stars ⭐⭐ for the nice and compelling wording as always and the very fond memories and discovery of this world depicted in Godkiller => Kissen, Elo and Inara first encounters, found family vibes and aventures 🥹
The trilogy is in broad terms very good and pleasant, with diverse characters, but could have been so much more and an amazing one without Faithbreaker.
I absolutely loved Godkiller and Sunbringer the first two of the fallen gods trilogy, epic adventure with endearing characters, an amazing trio with a special mention to Kissen please see my previous review for more détails and why I loved them. 💕✨
But here in this final instalment I struggled a lot, it was unbearable 😮💨
First, I had trouble to get back to the world, I did not remember how the last one ended, I had lost track of everything, the stakes, the Alliance...it was really uncomfortable. Even the slow pacing I liked before was really annoying and a nuisance here. Worst, our favorite trio is mostly away from eachothers and some POV are useless.
Secondly, I deeply disliked Lessa, Inara's mother full of herself,...and so on, I did not appreciate her personality, her so called honor branded as a badge to impress people around. She was so cringe to me that I almost expected her to betrayal everyone at each pages cause she seems so fake and unreliable to me....
Moreover, on the down sides : too many side characters, Elo's point of views disappointed and way too focus on battle we lost the various layers of his personality, his love/hate relationship with Arren repetitive and boring finished to put me off the story. 👎😵
Well, it was a huge disappointment, I expected so much more : different gods, new challenges, an epic and masteful ending and not this very predictable one, with the obvious sacrifices lacking so much of raw emotions...the endless battles and confrontations and the very convenient subtext.
I gave 5 stars to the previous ones and I am sorry but I have to be honest this barely reach 2 stars ⭐⭐ for the nice and compelling wording as always and the very fond memories and discovery of this world depicted in Godkiller => Kissen, Elo and Inara first encounters, found family vibes and aventures 🥹
The trilogy is in broad terms very good and pleasant, with diverse characters, but could have been so much more and an amazing one without Faithbreaker.
April 3, 2025
4,5⭐️ - Très bonne lecture
Quel final, mes amis, quel final ! Que l'on se comprenne bien, cette trilogie n'est pas un coup de cœur car c'est une lecture se mérite, rarement aisée, mais je pense qu'elle va trouver quand même sa place dans mon cœur.
Tout d'abord, parce que ses personnages sonnent vrais. Tous. Tout le temps. Aucune réaction n'est disproportionnée ou fade, chaque sentiment partagé est d'une finesse incomparable, avec des représentations parfaites du deuil, du traumatisme, de la reconstruction.
Aussi, parce que pour une fois, j'ai trouvé que la fin était complètement parfaite, avec énormément d'émotions et de cohérence. Je pense qu'elle résonnera longtemps en moi.
Enfin, j'ai trouvé ce tome particulièrement brillant dans ses intrigues politiques et guerrières, tout était hyper crédible.
C'est une trilogie qui ne conviendra pas à tous car son rythme est compliqué et ses personnages nombreux, mais vraiment, je suis contente de l'avoir lue.
Quel final, mes amis, quel final ! Que l'on se comprenne bien, cette trilogie n'est pas un coup de cœur car c'est une lecture se mérite, rarement aisée, mais je pense qu'elle va trouver quand même sa place dans mon cœur.
Tout d'abord, parce que ses personnages sonnent vrais. Tous. Tout le temps. Aucune réaction n'est disproportionnée ou fade, chaque sentiment partagé est d'une finesse incomparable, avec des représentations parfaites du deuil, du traumatisme, de la reconstruction.
Aussi, parce que pour une fois, j'ai trouvé que la fin était complètement parfaite, avec énormément d'émotions et de cohérence. Je pense qu'elle résonnera longtemps en moi.
Enfin, j'ai trouvé ce tome particulièrement brillant dans ses intrigues politiques et guerrières, tout était hyper crédible.
C'est une trilogie qui ne conviendra pas à tous car son rythme est compliqué et ses personnages nombreux, mais vraiment, je suis contente de l'avoir lue.
April 23, 2025
got to page 390, feeling extremely confident that i would not cry — 10 pages later and im in tears
absolutely phenomenal trilogy that has quickly become one of my all time favorites; im in too much pain rn to even formulate a coherent review so maybe later ill come back to rave about this book some more 😭
absolutely phenomenal trilogy that has quickly become one of my all time favorites; im in too much pain rn to even formulate a coherent review so maybe later ill come back to rave about this book some more 😭
March 10, 2025
Thank you so much to Harper Voyager for the early review copy which will be treasured forever!
Faithbreaker is the final book in the wonderful Fallen Gods Trilogy and is one of the best finales I’ve read in a while! it’s not very often that the last book in a series ends up being my favourite, but it’s happened here which shows just how well Hannah Kaner stuck the landing.
The build up and twists of Sunbringer were so worth it to see how it all came together to a spectacular finale, and this was the most action packed of the 3 with battle scenes written to perfection. Once again I was in awe of how much Hannah packs into relatively few pages but still keeps the world and characters feeling so very 3-dimensional.
The character development over this series has been absolutely fantastic and I was heavily emotionally invested, MANY tears were shed and I’m so sad to say goodbye. Kissen, Elo, Inara, Skedi I love you all!
It’s hard to review a sequel without spoiling so instead I’m going to convince you to pick up this series if you haven’t already, as it’s become one of my favourites:
⚔️Gritty, medieval inspired world with many cultures
⚔️A unique take on Gods and magic
⚔️Heartfelt and meaningful disability, gender and queer representation that never feels phoned in
⚔️Beautiful found family with humour and camaraderie
⚔️Romantic subplots weaved into the story with SO MUCH YEARNING
⚔️Age-appropriate young female character
⚔️Animal companion
Faithbreaker is the final book in the wonderful Fallen Gods Trilogy and is one of the best finales I’ve read in a while! it’s not very often that the last book in a series ends up being my favourite, but it’s happened here which shows just how well Hannah Kaner stuck the landing.
The build up and twists of Sunbringer were so worth it to see how it all came together to a spectacular finale, and this was the most action packed of the 3 with battle scenes written to perfection. Once again I was in awe of how much Hannah packs into relatively few pages but still keeps the world and characters feeling so very 3-dimensional.
The character development over this series has been absolutely fantastic and I was heavily emotionally invested, MANY tears were shed and I’m so sad to say goodbye. Kissen, Elo, Inara, Skedi I love you all!
It’s hard to review a sequel without spoiling so instead I’m going to convince you to pick up this series if you haven’t already, as it’s become one of my favourites:
⚔️Gritty, medieval inspired world with many cultures
⚔️A unique take on Gods and magic
⚔️Heartfelt and meaningful disability, gender and queer representation that never feels phoned in
⚔️Beautiful found family with humour and camaraderie
⚔️Romantic subplots weaved into the story with SO MUCH YEARNING
⚔️Age-appropriate young female character
⚔️Animal companion
April 1, 2025
Rating: Really Enjoyed It, 4 stars
This was a solid ending to a story I really enjoyed. This installment was definitely stronger than the last in my opinion. It felt more focused and tightly plotted. I really loved the characters that we followed throughout this series, and I thought this was a really, really cool world.
In this one, we follow Kissen, Inara, and Skedi as they go to recruit other nations to Middren's cause, and we follow Elo and Arren on the front lines of the war against Talicia and Hseth. I greatly preferred Kissen, Inara, and Skedi's storyline to Elo's. I love Elo, but the war storyline is never my favorite.
One of my biggest complaints abut Sunbringer was that the characters were all separated, so I didn't get to see that character interaction. However, in this one, I loved that Inara, Kissen, and Skedi were all together. My heart did ache a little bit for Elo at times, but overall it was much better. Like the first two, the plot also moved along at a good place, so even when I was in a section that wasn't as interesting, it quickly passed.
I have read each of these with a chunk of time between them as we waited for the next book to be released, so take my next complaint with a grain of salt. However, I think that part of the reason that I felt a little more distant to the events of this book is that it felt like there was some sort of disconnect between the characters and progression of events where we ended up to the characters and events where we started. I don't know exactly how to put my finger on what it was that bothered me, but there was something that just felt a bit off. I guess it almost felt like there was a piece of the puzze missing from how we progressed from Godkiller to the events of Faithbreaker. Again, I don't know how much of that is due to waiting a year between each volume, but it just didn't feel as cohesive as I'd have liked.
Beyond that slight distance from the characters and events, my biggest issue with this was that there was a death about halfway through that seemed to be primarily for shock value, and I really disliked that. It felt a lot like emotional manipulation. I was so angry I honestly almost didn't finish the book. I had to put it down for the night and come back the next day. That could have been a bit of an overreaction, but it is what it is.
The best part of this series are the bonds that are forged between Skedi, Inara, Kissen, and Elo, and those were on display and quite beautiful in this book. The ending was incredibly beautiful and tragic and cathartic and hopeful. Overall, I do recommend this series as it was a good time overall.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for an eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Faithbreaker releases in the US on 4/1/2025.
Animal Friend Fates
Further spoilery thoughts about the ending:
This was a solid ending to a story I really enjoyed. This installment was definitely stronger than the last in my opinion. It felt more focused and tightly plotted. I really loved the characters that we followed throughout this series, and I thought this was a really, really cool world.
In this one, we follow Kissen, Inara, and Skedi as they go to recruit other nations to Middren's cause, and we follow Elo and Arren on the front lines of the war against Talicia and Hseth. I greatly preferred Kissen, Inara, and Skedi's storyline to Elo's. I love Elo, but the war storyline is never my favorite.
One of my biggest complaints abut Sunbringer was that the characters were all separated, so I didn't get to see that character interaction. However, in this one, I loved that Inara, Kissen, and Skedi were all together. My heart did ache a little bit for Elo at times, but overall it was much better. Like the first two, the plot also moved along at a good place, so even when I was in a section that wasn't as interesting, it quickly passed.
I have read each of these with a chunk of time between them as we waited for the next book to be released, so take my next complaint with a grain of salt. However, I think that part of the reason that I felt a little more distant to the events of this book is that it felt like there was some sort of disconnect between the characters and progression of events where we ended up to the characters and events where we started. I don't know exactly how to put my finger on what it was that bothered me, but there was something that just felt a bit off. I guess it almost felt like there was a piece of the puzze missing from how we progressed from Godkiller to the events of Faithbreaker. Again, I don't know how much of that is due to waiting a year between each volume, but it just didn't feel as cohesive as I'd have liked.
Beyond that slight distance from the characters and events, my biggest issue with this was that there was a death about halfway through that seemed to be primarily for shock value, and I really disliked that. It felt a lot like emotional manipulation. I was so angry I honestly almost didn't finish the book. I had to put it down for the night and come back the next day. That could have been a bit of an overreaction, but it is what it is.
The best part of this series are the bonds that are forged between Skedi, Inara, Kissen, and Elo, and those were on display and quite beautiful in this book. The ending was incredibly beautiful and tragic and cathartic and hopeful. Overall, I do recommend this series as it was a good time overall.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for an eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Faithbreaker releases in the US on 4/1/2025.
Animal Friend Fates
Further spoilery thoughts about the ending:
February 13, 2025
I’m not gonna lie, the ending of this trilogy slaps. (Is that what the kids are saying these days? How out of touch am I? Oh god, moving on.) Seriously, I think this is the best book in the trilogy.
And holy hell, that cover. Drool. Tom Roberts has done a stunning job with this entire trilogy, I think these are some of the most lush and ornately gorgeous fantasy covers in the last few years. Even if I didn’t like the series I’d feel compelled to own them just because of this artwork. Publishers, keep hiring this guy. For real.
I don’t want to give too much away for fear of spoilers, but I will say that if you enjoyed the first two, you won’t be disappointed. The action has ramped up, war has come to the shores of Middren, and all of our characters are going to have to set aside their conflicts and work together, or lose everything. I genuinely teared up at the end, and y’all, I am not a huge crier when I’m reading. You seriously have to move me, and it did.
If I had to come up with any criticism at all, it would just be that I wish we had a slightly longer epilogue. I’ve spent enough time with these characters, and watched them work through some incredibly difficult, traumatic, and growth-inspiring events. I’d like a little bit more time to say goodbye to them.
It really was a very satisfying conclusion to a very unique trilogy, and I’m sad to see it go.
Thank you NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
And holy hell, that cover. Drool. Tom Roberts has done a stunning job with this entire trilogy, I think these are some of the most lush and ornately gorgeous fantasy covers in the last few years. Even if I didn’t like the series I’d feel compelled to own them just because of this artwork. Publishers, keep hiring this guy. For real.
I don’t want to give too much away for fear of spoilers, but I will say that if you enjoyed the first two, you won’t be disappointed. The action has ramped up, war has come to the shores of Middren, and all of our characters are going to have to set aside their conflicts and work together, or lose everything. I genuinely teared up at the end, and y’all, I am not a huge crier when I’m reading. You seriously have to move me, and it did.
If I had to come up with any criticism at all, it would just be that I wish we had a slightly longer epilogue. I’ve spent enough time with these characters, and watched them work through some incredibly difficult, traumatic, and growth-inspiring events. I’d like a little bit more time to say goodbye to them.
It really was a very satisfying conclusion to a very unique trilogy, and I’m sad to see it go.
Thank you NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
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