June 12, 2023
Kaner thrusts readers into a grisly world of treacherous gods in her enthralling debut and fantasy trilogy launch. After Kissen witnesses a fire god murder her family, her hatred for all deities and thirst for revenge lead to a career as a veiga, or god killer. She has a reputation for being callous, but when Inara Craier, a young, recently orphaned noble girl, seeks Kissen’s help in finding a way to nonfatally sever the mystical bond between her and Skediceth, a “squirrel-sized” god of white lies who, unusually for this world, doesn’t have a shrine, Kissen reluctantly agrees to help, escorting the duo to Blenraden, the city of shrines. Meanwhile, the king is secretly dying, and his best friend, retired knight Elogast, vows to travel to Blenraden to find a god who will save him. Along the way, he meets Kissen, Inara, and Skediceth, and all warily agree to travel together. The road to Blenraden is perilous, and the unpredictable gods who live there are worse, but the unlikely allies have little choice but to seek the deities’ aid. Kaner’s bewitching world forms an ideal backdrop to the adventures of her dynamic and appealing cast. This marks Kaner as a writer to watch. Agent: Ginger Clark, Ginger Clark Literary.