Book: Cry, Voidbringer by Elaine Ho
Reviewed by Andareadstoomuch
Rating: 5/5
WOW. This book starts right in the thick of the action. It’s heart-pounding and does not let up for a second. This is a book about power, corruption, and the erosion of innocence told through multiple viewpoints. Hammer, a solider without a name or face, who fights for the nation she was captured by. Naias, once a Faceless like Hammer, but trying to find a way to make change through the new ruler and her bed despite being considered a “lesser” being. And Viridian. A godchild taken by one clan for slavery and then by another, only to be forced into serving a petty queen for her powers to kill. She’s 12.
This book doesn’t blink. It doesn’t flinch. It doesn’t look away at the hard parts. It’s raw and brutal. It has moments of hope. It has moments of utter despair. It’s not an easy read, but it should be an essential one. There’s beauty in the brutality, in the way it lays everything out and asks you to really see the effects of war and tyranny. I don’t know what to say to make you read this except for this quote:
“Tyranny doesn’t happen in the blink of an eye. It is a slow descent, helped by the complicity of those who think they have no power.”
Don’t blink. Don't flinch. Don’t turn away.
Cry, Voidbringer hits shelves October 28. Thank you to Bindery Books | Left Unread for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.