Hannah Kaner’s sophomore installment in the Fallen Gods trilogy, Sunbringer, picks up with fire still smoldering from the chaos of Godkiller. Set in a land bruised by the ruinous relationship between gods and humans, Sunbringer dares to deepen the mythic threads introduced earlier while embracing a more ambitious, character-driven story. The novel is not without flaws, but it balances emotional intimacy with epic stakes in a world where faith can forge both monsters and miracles.
This series, beginning with Godkiller and set to conclude with Faithbreaker, now feels fully awakened in its intent. If Godkiller established the rules of a world reeling from divine disobedience, Sunbringer is the tempest that tests them.
The Flame Rekindled: Plot Overview
Where Godkiller traced the reluctant camaraderie of Kissen, Elogast, Inara, and the god Skediceth as they navigated the ruins of a god-haunted land, Sunbringer takes that cast and pushes them into deeper moral murk. The novel opens with fracture and loss—Arren, the once-beloved king and broken friend, wrestles with the return of the hearth god Hestra, while Kissen’s supposed death at the end of Godkiller echoes through the grief of her companions.
But death is not always the end in Kaner’s world.
Kissen survives, battered and defiant, and finds herself entangled in the resurgence of Talician fire-god politics. Meanwhile, Elogast, Inara, and Skedi grapple with rebellion, betrayal, and divine hauntings as they trek toward Lesscia. Across the map, the ever-complicated Arren seeks not merely dominion, but deification.
Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner is a novel of converging paths. Each character is forced to confront not only what they believe about the gods—but what the gods believe about them. While the pacing meanders in some parts, the emotional undercurrents remain taut and immersive.
World-Building: Between Myth and Muscle
Hannah Kaner’s world is an elegant contradiction: full of rust and rot, yet lit with the shimmer of dying gods. Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner intensifies the mythological depth of Godkiller by giving greater voice to divine characters—Hestra, Osidisen, and even the memory of Hseth permeate each scene.
Kaner’s writing style—lyrical but unpretentious—suits the mythic weight of her universe. She balances the grounded reality of smithies, dirt-tracked journeys, and scarred bodies with shimmering moments of otherworldly awe. Particularly striking are the subtle political allegories: faith as power, monarchy as myth, rebellion as heresy.
But perhaps most effective is the way gods themselves reflect human need. They are not omnipotent beings but fractured reflections of the very people who worship—or fear—them.
Characters: Gods, Ghosts, and the Heartbeat of the Novel
Kissen: Still the Soul of the Story
Kissen continues to be the book’s iron spine. Though less front-and-center than in Godkiller, her arc in Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner is deeply introspective. Her survival from the fall is both physical and symbolic—Kissen rises again not as a mere godkiller, but a woman remaking her own story. Her interactions with Osidisen, the sea god of her past, highlight themes of trauma, autonomy, and reluctant faith.
Elogast: The Broken Knight’s Burden
Elo bears the heavy crown of guilt. His journey is painted with anguish as he reckons with what he allowed Arren to become. As the linchpin between loyalty and rebellion, Elo’s character gains more nuance in Sunbringer, and his fatherly care for Inara adds layers of warmth and emotional credibility.
Inara: No Longer Just the Child
Once the wide-eyed noble child, Inara’s evolution into something more powerful—and terrifying—is one of the novel’s most haunting transformations. She’s no longer merely a pawn in divine games. She is becoming a player. Her connection to gods and her slow understanding of her power pose serious questions for Faithbreaker.
Arren: A Sun King or a False Idol?
If Godkiller allowed readers to grieve the friendship between Elo and Arren, Sunbringer demands they choose sides. Arren’s hunger for worship, his vulnerability, his treachery—all create a complex portrait of a man who doesn’t just want to rule, but to be revered. The book’s title—Sunbringer—becomes a prophecy of his own making.
Themes: Divinity, Power, and the Cost of Belief
Kaner doesn’t just explore gods; she interrogates the stories that birth them.
- Faith as Currency – Gods in this world rise not by divine right but through human belief. Sunbringer expands this concept, making it clear that storytelling, ritual, and fear can craft gods from blood and ambition.
- Sacrifice and Choice – Characters are repeatedly forced to make devastating choices. Kissen, Elo, and Inara all face moments where survival means surrendering something dear—truth, love, or power.
- Queerness and Identity – With a cast of LGBTQ+ characters, Kaner never reduces identity to tokenism. In this world, queerness exists naturally—fluid, integrated, and free from trope. That in itself feels radical within epic fantasy.
- Found Family vs. Chosen Myth – What does it mean to be known, truly known, by those you love? And what happens when power makes you unknowable? These questions haunt both Elo and Arren.
Writing Style: Grit, Grace, and Grit Again
Hannah Kaner writes like she’s hammering out each sentence on a forge—sparks fly, emotions heat, and nothing comes unearned.
Her prose is muscular and poetic in equal measure. She doesn’t rely on lavish exposition; instead, she lets character actions and godspeak reveal truths. The dialogue, particularly between Kissen and Osidisen or Inara and Elo, feels raw and lived-in. And the cadence of her chapters—short, character-focused, and emotionally resonant—keeps the story nimble even during slower moments.
That said, the multiple points of view sometimes dilute narrative focus. With so many threads in motion, some moments (particularly in the middle third) lose tension. But by the climactic chapters, Kaner brings the threads together with deft precision.
Critiques: Where the Fire Flickers
Despite its strengths, Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner isn’t a perfect novel. A few points of critique:
- Pacing: The middle section drags slightly. While character development is rich, plot momentum sometimes suffers under emotional introspection.
- Repetitive Internal Struggles: Some character arcs—especially Arren’s guilt and Elo’s grief—circle the same emotional terrain more than necessary.
- Mythos Overload: New gods and politics are introduced rapidly, which can overwhelm readers unfamiliar with the nuances of Godkiller.
Still, these issues feel like embers rather than infernos. They do not diminish the emotional resonance or the scope of Kaner’s vision.
Final Verdict: Sunbringer and the Future of Fallen Gods
Sunbringer is a testament to Hannah Kaner’s growing mastery as a fantasy writer. It expands on the promise of Godkiller by delving deeper into character complexity, divine mythology, and political tension. If the trilogy began with a vengeance-fueled road tale, this middle act is where the world opens wide—and the gods begin to bleed.
With Faithbreaker on the horizon, the series now feels poised for an explosive, heart-rending conclusion.
Series Recap: Where We Stand
- Book 1 – Godkiller: Introduces Kissen, Elogast, Inara, and the god Skediceth in a world devastated by a war on gods. A tight, brutal, and emotionally rich debut.
- Book 2 – Sunbringer: Focuses on fractured loyalties, rising gods, and the dangerous allure of power. More expansive, mythic, and introspective.
- Book 3 – Faithbreaker (Upcoming): Set to complete the trilogy. Expectations are high after the spiritual and political fallout of Sunbringer.
If You Loved This, Try…
- The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon – for political mythmaking and queer fantasy
- She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan – for divine ambition and transformation
- The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri – for gods, rebellion, and fierce women
- The Witch King by H.E. Edgmon – for queer power struggles and magical rebellion
Final Thoughts: The Spark of Storytelling
More than a fantasy novel, Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner is a meditation on stories—those we tell others, and those we whisper into the hearts of gods.
Kaner has proven that Godkiller wasn’t just a striking debut; it was a divine beginning. Sunbringer may not ascend perfectly, but it burns brightly in all the right places.
Highly recommended for readers who love their fantasy both ferocious and intimate.
