In a broken system, do you save yourself or fight for the people you love?
With the godspower waning, the queen of Ashvi has had to find another way to bolster her fight against her imperialist oppressors. The solution: wrenching children of other cultures from their homes and conscripting them into service.
Hammer was one of those children. Now, she's a jaded soldier waging Ashvi's perpetual war, thinking only of her own survival. But when she accidentally rescues Viridian, a child with rare and potentially devastating powers, her priorities shift. The girl appears to be the answer to the queen's prayers--the perfect weapon to restore her kingdom's ancient borders, even if the colonized cities they reconquer don't want her version of liberation. Can Hammer protect Viridian from the system that broke her . . . before the girl's power is unleashed on the world?
Cry, Voidbringer is a gripping saga of how far one will go for freedom and control--and how easily it can all be taken away.
About the Author :
Elaine Ho is an award-winning Asian American illustrator and author. She bounces between the US and Singapore, belonging to both and neither. Ho's work primarily explores themes of identity and home, while also being drawn to the broken and the beautiful. She received a degree in psychology before pivoting into art full time. Find her work at artofelaineho.com.
Review :
"Elaine Ho's Cry, Voidbringer is a sweeping, powerful story that achieves what fantasy does best: explore timely themes against a speculative backdrop. Elaine Ho's rich and vivid storytelling ensnares the reader from the very first page and challenges them to reflect on humanity, oppression, and corruption."--N. E. Davenport, author of The Blood Gift Duology
"A brutally honest tale that holds not just its characters but its readers accountable for their role in the rise of tyranny. Elaine Ho's raw, unflinching storytelling coils around your chest and squeezes. Cry, Voidbringer is unlike anything I have ever read before."--R. A. Basu, author of To Bargain with Mortals
"Devastatingly compelling and vivid." --Thilde Kold Holdt, author of The Hanged God Trilogy
"An unsparing look at cycles of violence, this intimate epic fantasy from debut author Ho racks up a body count worthy of Game of Thrones by pitting two oppressed groups against each other...Illustrator Ho makes the leap to author with a political thought experiment in the ways that power bends even the best impulses into expedient replicas of old methods of tyranny...It's a brutal but impressive start."--Publishers Weekly
"Absolutely blown away. This is exceptional storytelling--so immersive and heart-wrenching with incredible world-building. The world needs this story."--Krystal Lang (@krystallotuslang)
"The ending blew my socks off and something I had contemplated days after finishing. This author has certainly opened my eyes to dark fantasy, and I will admit, I am a huge fan."--The Gloss
