Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

304 pages

Fiction/Fantasy/Action & Adventure 

Release Date: September 12, 2023

5/5*

Formats available: Coming Soon 

“Kissen kills gods for a living, and she enjoys it. That is until she finds a god she cannot kill: Skediceth, god of white lies, who is connected to a little noble girl on the run.
Elogast fought in the god war, and helped purge the city of a thousand shrines before laying down his sword. A mysterious request from the King sends him racing back to the city he destroyed.
On the way he meets a godkiller, a little girl and a littler god, who cannot find out about his quest”

This was the top of my list for most anticipated releases this year! I don’t know how Hannah Kaner took this epic story and condensed it into 304 pages. There are four main character viewpoints without the bulk of information four viewpoints brings; the plot here is equally as important as character development creating a great balance.

Action begins immediately in the start of this novel and I was thrown into a world where people were suddenly at war with their gods and the losses are instantly piled up; for a long time I didn’t know what side I needed to be on. There are so many intense morally grey moments and questions. Who do I feel bad for? What do I think about this god of lies and this child, these diverse characters? What do you do when you have the law on your side but do not have the love of the people? In this intense and violent world, all this emotional devastation combines with a dash of political intrigue to create an amazing tale of wounded people finding wounded people so that they can simply feel accepted in this world full of confusion and caste. I also really loved the friendship dynamics that are revealed and also the representation of disabled characters. Kaner choosing her characters as she did really added to my experience and also helped me feel as if these characters were real people.

I really hope you pick up this book and read this adventure. Godkiller is the first book in a series Kaner will be continuing.

For more book recommendations please tune in to Off the Books with B&S Podcast on any of your preferred podcasting platforms; new episodes air every other Thursday.

Bethann

The Measure by Nikki Erlick

352 pages

Science Fiction

5/5*

Available: Book, CD Book, Libby eBook, Libby eAudiobook, Hoopla eAudiobook, Hoopla eBook, Playaway, Large Print

It seems like any other day. You wake up, pour a cup of coffee, and head out. 

But today, when you open your front door, waiting for you is a small wooden box. This box holds your fate inside: the answer to the exact number of years you will live. 

From suburban doorsteps to desert tents, every person on every continent receives the same box. In an instant, the world is thrust into a collective frenzy. Where did these boxes come from? What do they mean? Is there truth to what they promise?

As society comes together and pulls apart, everyone faces the same shocking choice: Do they wish to know how long they’ll live? And, if so, what will they do with that knowledge?

The Measure charts the dawn of this new world through an unforgettable cast of characters whose decisions and fates interweave with one another: best friends whose dreams are forever entwined, pen pals finding refuge in the unknown, a couple who thought they didn’t have to rush, a doctor who cannot save himself, and a politician whose box becomes the powder keg that ultimately changes everything.

Rent’s “Seasons of Love” famously asks us how we measure a year. Is it just 525,600 minutes? Or is it more than that; is it the small moments of our lives, is it the journey we are undertaking, or the love that brings us together?

When everyone in the world is suddenly faced with the knowledge of how long they will live, there are more questions than answers. How the boxes got there is really the least of anyone’s concerns when faced with sudden mortality. Should one open one’s box? How do we treat each other knowing that our time together is going to be shorter than we had planned? It’s wonderful to read a novel that explores these (and other) questions about what life means and who we share it with.

We classify this book as Science Fiction, but if that isn’t usually your genre, don’t shy away. This book is more than its genre and is perfect for anyone looking for a book of love and loss.

(The Kokomo-Howard County Public Library has announced “The Measure” by Nikki Erlick as the 2023 Howard County Reads book.

The Howard County Reads program was founded in 2004 to foster a sense of community through page-turning togetherness. It is an annual community-wide reading program sponsored by the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library and the Indiana University Kokomo Library. Each year, library staff members and community members collaborate to choose a title.

“The Measure,” released in 2022 as Erlick’s debut novel, instantly soared to the top of the New York Times Bestseller list and has received widespread acclaim. In the novel, everyone on earth who is 22 or older mysteriously receives a small wooden box with a length of string that depicts exactly how long they have left to live.

Erlick will visit Kokomo from 7 to 8 p.m. Oct. 12 at IUK’s Kresge Hall. Copies of “The Measure” will be available for purchase during the event, and Erlick will sign copies at the end.

Tickets to this event are free but required. Tickets will be available starting Sept. 11 at any KHCPL location and the IUK library.)

Justin

Ascendant by Michael Miller (Songs of Chaos #1)

554 pages

High Fantasy

5/5*

Formats available: Book 

“Holt Cook was never meant to be a dragon rider. He has always served the Order Hall of the Crag dutifully, keeping their kitchen pots clean.
Until he discovers a dark secret: dragons do not tolerate weakness among their kin, killing the young they deem flawed. Moved by pity, Holt defies the Order, rescues a doomed egg and vows to protect the blind dragon within.
But the Scourge is rising. Undead hordes roam the land, spreading the blight and leaving destruction in their wake. The dragon riders are being slaughtered and betrayal lurks in the shadows.
Holt has one chance to survive. He must cultivate the mysterious power of his dragon's magical core. A unique energy which may tip the balance in the battles to come, and prove to the world that a servant is worthy after all.”

What draws me to fantasy? Neil Gaiman recently said it best in his interview with Phil Moreheart on ilovelibraries.org,

“You know, you start out reading, and you're reading books about mermaids; you're reading Snow White; you're reading about the Pied Piper of Hamelin and so forth. You read The Wind in the Willows. You read Alice in Wonderland. And you want more of whatever that is, that feeling of wonder, that feeling of escape, that feeling of being able to get away from this world and visit others.”

Reading, for me, is an experience that creates deep connections. I love being invested in people and in worlds that grow with me as a reader and transform as I do. When a book makes me deeply attached to it, it has accomplished the ultimate thing for me. Ascendant by Michael Miller is a story of bonds, deep connections, and life. You could categorize this as a coming of age, high fantasy world building with an intricate magic system, or simply as a dragon story. I categorize it as PERFECTION.

I wish so deeply that I had this series in my hands when I was so smitten with Eragon by Christopher Paolini because this story does what that could never do for me; it moves me and makes me feel. I also deeply wish that this story wasn’t compared to The Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros because it deserves its own separate platform of praise away from that book. (You can all throw tomatoes at me for being the sole human that does not like or hype The Fourth Wing.) Run and grab this book as fast as you can if you are ready for an action ride that also breaks your soul in the best way possible. Grab this up for the dragons. Grab this for the magic. Grab this for the tears and for the thrill ride. Grab this and root for the guy who’s just like you and me. Grab this and enter a brand new world.

I am more than happy that I found this book and this amazingly talented author. I know that you will not be disappointed! Just go ahead so you can add another five star and top book of all time to your completed list this year!

For more book recommendations please tune in to Off the Books with B&S Podcast on any of your preferred podcasting platforms; new episodes air every other Thursday.

Bethann

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

338 pages

Thriller

4.1/5*

Available Formats: Physical Book

“Welcome to the family,” Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…

Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tiny room on the top floor.

I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.

I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out… and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late.

But I reassure myself: the Winchesters don’t know who I really am.

They don’t know what I’m capable of…

An unbelievably twisty read that will have you glued to the pages late into the night. Anyone who loves The Woman in the Window, The Wife Between Us and The Girl on the Train won’t be able to put this down!

Frieda McFadden has become increasingly popular, especially in the Book Tok community, and I can say that I really enjoyed The Housemaid. There are quite a few trigger warnings, so before you read be sure to look those up! My boss suggested this book to me, and all I can say is that I saw nothing coming and my jaw is still on the floor. This book was filled with suspense, psychological terror, and of course mystery. The Housemaid starts out with Millie Calloway, a woman with a criminal past who is living in her car while trying to make ends meet. She snags an interview with the Nina Winchester, a very wealthy woman living with her husband and daughter in Long Island, and the interview goes surprisingly well for a girl with a criminal past. Next thing we know, Millie is offered the job as well…you guessed it…a housemaid in the Winchester home!

            It all seems perfect and amazing right from the beginning, but then Nina Winchester starts showing her true colors and a bit of a split personality, which begs the question “Who really is Nina Winchester?”. Although some of what was happening throughout the book was a bit predictable, I still found myself glued to the pages and wanting to keep reading more. The ending has a very surprising twist (or two…or three) that I did not see coming, which leads us right into book two, The Housemaid’s Secret (yes, please read these in order).

            The Housemaid reminded me a lot of a recent book that I picked up called Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak, so if you have read Hidden Pictures, you will love this book. If you are a lover of Freida McFadden or just thrillers in general and have yet to pick up The Housemaid, I highly suggest that you do! Overall, I give this book a 4.1/5!

For more book recommendations please tune in to Off the Books with B&S Podcast on any of your preferred podcasting platforms; new episodes air every other Thursday.

Samantha