I really enjoyed this one! It was well-paced, with compelling characters and genuine moral ambiguity. So many books these days will be advertised as having "morally grey characters" and it's almost never really true, so I was thrilled that that's not the case here. There are no easy answers in this book, and the most unsympathetic characters are still very human. There are a couple of twists I DID NOT see coming--props to this book for actually being able to surprise my jaded reader self.

The worldbuilding was layered and intriguing, and I'm interested to see the wider scope of things in future books. This one leaves off on a pretty significant cliffhanger, and I will definitely be picking up the sequel to where it goes!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bindery for the opportunity to read this eARC!

WOW! I just wow. Nothing I say about Cry, Voidbringer will do it any justice. All I can say is preorder this book, put it on top of your TBR, and enjoy getting lost in this world.

4.5/5 stars

Whoa this book!

In this epic fantasy we follow the interconnected lives of a soldier, a royal advisor, and a child with magical powers with the potential of changing the outcome of the ongoing war as they do what they can to survive in a system of oppression, each facing impossible scenarios where they are forced to make terrible choices.

The storytelling was masterful, with a mixture of third and first person narratives for different characters to help bring out their personalities in each chapter, and the plot was fast-paced and kept me on my toes at all times.

This was a fantastic debut with an impressive and well developed world that will make you feel the feels and leave you wanting more.

Thank you Bindery and NetGalley for this eARC in return for my honest review.

"Cry Void Bringer" plunges into a morally complex world where survival clashes with the burgeoning responsibility for another. The synopsis paints a grim picture of Ashvi, a kingdom desperate enough to tear children from their homes in a bid to reclaim its former glory. In this broken system, we meet Hammer, a soldier hardened by war and focused solely on self-preservation – a stark reflection of the brutal realities she's endured.
The arrival of Viridian, a child wielding immense and unpredictable power, acts as the catalyst for Hammer's transformation. The synopsis deftly sets up this pivotal shift, hinting at the profound impact Viridian has on Hammer's carefully constructed defenses. The queen's desperate ambition to weaponize Viridian adds a layer of chilling urgency, forcing Hammer to confront the very system that molded her into a survivor.
The central conflict – Hammer's desire to protect Viridian against the queen's machinations – promises a compelling exploration of loyalty, sacrifice, and the cost of liberation. The nuance introduced by the colonized cities' potential resistance to the queen's "liberation" adds a welcome layer of political intrigue and raises questions about the true meaning of freedom.

I wasn’t prepared for Cry, Voidbringer to hit as hard as it did. I went in expecting dark fantasy, but what I got was something a lot deeper—something that stayed with me long after I finished.

The worldbuilding is some of the best I’ve seen in a long time. It feels fully realized without ever overwhelming you with details. Everything you need to understand about the gods, the cities, and the broken systems people are trapped in, you learn through survival moments, not exposition. It’s a brutal world, but it’s also stunning in how carefully it’s built.

The book starts with Hammer, a jaded soldier who’s been surviving for so long she’s almost forgotten what anything else feels like. The beginning is a little slower as it follows her younger years and how she ended up where she is, but once the story picks up—with the introduction of Viridian and the impossible choices that follow—it becomes impossible to put down.

Hammer, Viridian, Naias, and Khall are some of the most complicated, believable characters I’ve read in a long time. None of them are easily heroic, and every choice they make feels both inevitable and heartbreaking. Viridian is caught between being a child who deserves protection and a weapon everyone else wants to control, and that conflict sits at the heart of the story. Watching Hammer slowly, painfully start to care again wrecked me.

This isn’t an easy book. It’s violent, both physically and emotionally. It digs into colonialism, survival, complicity, and grief in ways that never feel cheap or easy. But there’s also something stubbornly hopeful underneath it all—a quiet belief that survival and healing are still possible, even when the world has taken almost everything.

Cry, Voidbringer is one of the best books I’ve read in years. Elaine Ho’s writing is sharp, devastating, and full of heart. I’ll be thinking about these characters—and everything they fought for—for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

i cannot recommend this book enough, and i must stress the importance of actually taking in what it is saying. although, the text itself will directly address you and make you understand so the only way someone could miss the messages portrayed is willful ignorance.

amongst the stories of corruption, oppression, war, grief, loneliness, betrayal, colonialism, tyranny... there is also a story of hope, and of love, and of power in resistance. There's found family, and moments of true humanity, and a deeply rich fantasy world that just keeps impressive right to the very end.

unfortunately for me, this is in fact the first in a series and so ends on a cliffhanger. it would not be the first ARC i have read a long time before release that i finished already desperate for the next book but this is definitely the worst.

i can't wait to buy this when it is released in October.

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is heavy. It is brutal. There are gory moments.
But the violence that lingers most is the emotional kind.
Still, there is light here. There is connection. There is tenderness in the cracks. And there is an insistence, quiet and unwavering, that healing is not only possible, but worth reaching for even if it hurts

This was beautiful, the last third had me gripping my kindle, unable to put it down. i loved the twists, the rage, the heartbreak, all of it. i can't wait to see the hype this book will get when its released.

Thank you to #netgalley for providing an e-arc of this book! Cry, Voidbringer releases on October 25, 2025.

Y'all this book. THIS BOOK. I have been SHAKEN to my very core. I was stunned speechless. I was screaming and crying. I love a good found family story and this book delivered just that - then ripped it away from me along with my heart. The void it left me, if you will...

The fact that the character CONFRONTS the readers about their judgments. I physically recoiled.

As a book lover, I will never stop reading and supporting authors from Palestine, Sudan, the DRC, the so-called Xin Jiang region, and any places that are being occupied and exploited. That said, I must admit the fact that books have also been used as not just mere distracting entertainment but also propaganda by the empires. The fact that certain (yt) authors have no qualms writing about the justice of violently resisting an evil empire yet refuse to acknowledge, let alone support real life resistance (looking at you Brandon Sanderson). The fact that readers can read these books and fail to take absolutely anything away from them. Reading and supporting marginalized authors are important but they can't be the only things we do. They are not enough to stop the exploitation, occupations and genocides.

Bleak tales like Cry, Voidbringer should never be treated as just entertainment, one that people read and go "aw that was so sad but so moving" and then forget all about. They must become reminders that we need to keep resisting in our own ways, towards a liberated future for all of us.

Wow. I don’t have the right words to do this book justice. Cry, Voidbringer is not for the weak. It is gritty, it is heartbreaking, and it is INCREDIBLE. I have no idea where Elaine Ho pulled this from in her brain but I really hope she has a lot more where this came from. Perhaps the best fantasy I’ve read in quite awhile.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bindery for the opportunity to read this eARC!

Thank you to Elaine Ho, Bindery books, and Netgalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I want to start this review apologising as I won't be able to describe what this book did to me, but I'll try my best, I promise.

First of all, let's talk about characters. One of my favourite things or reasons I asked for this Arc is that the main points of view are from women. What I wasn't expecting was how well constructed they would be, how you can see their true self without any filter. You may not love all of them and, even then, find yourself understanding how they did end up in their positions and how they made their decisions. You get to know their souls. Even when I thought that a decision was wrong, there was a voice in my head telling me: this is how it should be. There wasn’t a single page where anyone felt out of character. And don't even let me start with the character arcs!

I won't lie. This is not an easy read. This book feels real; raw and cruel as it is. I spent many hours crying through the pages. It gives you perspective about humanity, how war works, and how it affects differently depending on your positioning. The novel makes you see the ugliness in people but also their beauty. How, even in the hardest of the hearts, there is kindest but also how there is destruction in the softest ones.

There are not many books that can change a reader, but I consider "Cry, Voidbringer" has changed me.

Also, I want to acknowledge Elaine Ho's voice, her writing, her mind. “How?” That is all I can say. How can someone plan this whole perfection?
As a reader, it felt like seeing thousands of domino pieces waiting to fall down at the right moment and not being able to stop them from falling into place. Every time a decision or action a character takes makes a direct impact on a future event, you can't see it coming. It is like a spiderweb taken to another level.

Someone may now realise I haven't explained a single thing about the actual content of the book, but in this case, I have the feeling that even the smallest information would be a spoiler. What I'll say instead is that I am for sure following Elaine closely. I don't know what she is writing next, but I can promise that I will be reading it.

Cry, Voidbringer is a book I’m never going to get out of my head. I loved every second of this book and its characters, all a narrative for tyranny that we need now more than ever. Elaine Ho has become not only an auto-read author for me, but an auto-buy. This book was masterfully written, lulling you into a false sense of calm before ripping your heart apart.

The book opens to us meeting Hammer, a Faceless solider who was conscripted to another nations army when she was a child. During a job with another Faceless, Crescent (they are not permitted their own names, only the name of their weapons) they steal a godchild named Viridian. The three of them become inseparable, becoming a small family in short amount of time. And then Viri’s power awakens and nothing is ever the same again.

This book’s world building is a master class on how to make it feel fully fleshed out without becoming tedious. In cases where it does feel like a fully realized world, most books can leave readers feeling confused, mixing up the different names of places or gods or even the characters. And yet, with this book featuring a number of names for the same characters, I was never confused through it which proves just how much care went into crafting this book. Same goes for how the characters are crafted. Every character was fully realized and not a single one was one dimensional. They were not wholly good or bad, showing just how human they really are. Khall is a naive queen new to the throne, but becomes twisted and abusive as her fear overtakes her. Naias has been a weapon her life and only sees the world as another battle she has to conquer, which makes her twist her love for Khall. Hammer has a hard exterior but a soft heart for those she loves, but when pushed her anger over what life has dealt her is all encompassing.

This book is queer normative, which I loved a lot. There was also depictions of disability.

I cannot state however how dark this book can get and I highly recommend looking up trigger warnings for this book. This includes: racism, abuse, violence, war, death, gore, child soldiers, murder, PTSD episodes, children stolen from their families, trauma, grief, and more.

This book is highly original and takes place in a fresh fantasy world that I haven’t seen before. The writing is rich and colorful, and the characters are just as complex. It was a ride to go through with them and I was always excited for what was to come next for them. Overall I highly recommend, as this is a wonderful story.

This book….was a ride. I read it in the span of three days (cause work 😩) and I loved it so much. It’s heartbreakingly beautiful.

We are introduced to Hammer, an enslaved warrior, who is on a mission. She doesn’t want to be there but she has no choice. She has no say in her life at all. But during this mission she and another member of the “faceless” fighters uncover and rescue a child, but not just any child. Viridian is a god child, one who will manifest powers from the god that chooses to tie their soul to them.

From this meeting the fates of Hammer and Viridian are sealed and we are lead on a journey of oppression, love, war, grief and betrayal. This was such an emotional experience that it just hurts my heart for the characters in this story.

What I sampled was intriguing, fascinating, and made me want more. Since this is an ARC, there are some formatting issues on my ereader that prevent me from being able to read this work in full currently.

That being said, I am beyond excited for the release of this book! The portion I sampled I heavily enjoyed. The writing style was unique yet easy to follow and the plot line pulled me in.

Thank you so much for allowing me to sample this eARC (I received a free eARC). I am leaving this honest feedback voluntarily.

This was an excellent read!

The fantasy world was definitely original, reminding me of the Eastern world with nomadic tribes, and I loved how different point of views were explored (warriors, children, rulers). All the voices were clearly recognizable and original, and even though I am not a big fan of first person narration, I think the choice of having only Viri and her child's point of view in first person was brilliant... and heartbreaking. The Faceless warriors were also such a great concept!

Also, Hammer/Elera. I was craving a ruthless female warrior character that hates caring for people until... Well. Her character development was amazing and felt so natural.
The end caught me by surprise, and I mean... what a cliffhanger!
I will definitely be looking forward to book 2!

There was so much happening and I cannot wait for more by this author. Incredible. Highly recommend. Also, the writing style was spectacular.

This book follows multiple perspectives as a backwater kingdom tries to take back its old territory.
This book is great at establishing a foundation family that both shows the strong bond lonely people can make together but the fallout and hurt they can cause each other.
There was a lot to love about this book. It never made one kingdom or ruler out to be the good guy. They all were corrupt in different ways. Even the Iskanti, who were a nomadic people of matriarchal tribes were becoming more militant as their children continued to be kidnapped. Most of them also did not take back in the children kidnapped to be soldiers. We spent most of our time focused on the power and limitations of the people who wanted to change their lives and the way they were ruled over.
My only issues with the book were that I desperately wanted a map especially as the book went on and different characters started traveling. I also wished I had a greater understanding of the history of the world.

Wow! What an epic read…. Lots of strong female leads, magic, politics, love and war. Fantastic book. Thank you to the author, please write more. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Thank you to Bindery Books and Left Unread for the digital ARC of Cry, Voidbringer by Elaine Ho.

Some books entertain. Some inform. But once in a long while, a book comes along that reconstructs you from the inside out. It does not just invite you into its world, it drags you into its marrow and demands that you look, truly look, at what it means to hope in the face of annihilation. What it means to be complicit, to survive, to love, to lose, and to keep breathing anyway.

Cry, Voidbringer is that book.

This debut novel is nothing short of breathtaking. It is literary alchemy. It is ferocious and tender, intimate and epic, unflinching and achingly human. It is a fantasy novel, yes, but calling it that alone feels reductive. It is also political. It is deeply emotional. It is mythic. It is real in the ways that matter most.

Elaine Ho explores the rot of colonialism, not as an abstract idea, but as something embedded into the daily lives, choices, and compromises of people trying to survive inside systems designed to crush them. The story asks a brutal question: what happens when those who have been broken by empire become its enforcers? There are no tidy answers here. Instead, we are given flawed, exhausted people making impossible decisions that are just as understandable as they are devastating.

Hammer is a marvel of character work. She is hardened by trauma and dulled by routine. She is someone who has long given up on hope. Watching the smallest ember of her compassion reignite as she protects Viridian, who is both a child and a symbol, fragile and frighteningly powerful, is one of the most emotionally nuanced arcs I have read in years. And Viridian herself? She is a child shaped by violence and hunger, who refuses to let the world define her completely. She tries to hold onto her softness even as the world punishes her for it. Her chapters cracked me wide open.

And then there is Naias. She is a former faceless who now holds the illusion of power in a structure still built to break people like her. Her chapters are quiet and surgical. Her arc is a meditation on survival under empire. It shows how empire shapes you, how it hardens you, how it convinces you that you have overcome it even as it continues to consume you. The way she moves through the world is a masterclass in character complexity.

The structure of this book is as bold as its themes. The narrative voice shifts fluidly throughout the story and it is done with clear intention, each change drawing the reader deeper into a specific emotional space. These shifts create a kaleidoscopic effect that makes the story feel more alive, more intimate, more human. You don’t just read this story. You experience it. It breathes on your neck. It whispers in your ear. The second-person passages especially feel like being seen in your most vulnerable state.

Let’s talk about the worldbuilding. There is no info dump, no front-loading of lore. You are dropped into a world that is brutal and beautiful, and it demands your attention. Slowly, through character choices and moments of survival, the picture becomes clear. The world feels fully realized without ever feeling overwritten.

This book is heavy. It is brutal. There are gory moments. But the violence that lingers most is the emotional kind. Still, there is light here. There is connection. There is tenderness in the cracks. And there is an insistence, quiet and unwavering, that healing is not only possible, but worth reaching for even if it hurts.

By the end, I was not the same person. I had cried, whispered no to myself, gasped aloud, and clutched my chest through scenes that shattered me. And I was grateful for every moment. This book is a reckoning. It is a song for the lost and the wounded. For the ones who are still fighting. For the ones who need to believe they are worth saving.

This is not just a five-star book. This is a masterpiece. It is the kind of debut that will be taught and talked about for years to come. It sits comfortably on the same shelf as the works of Octavia Butler and N.K. Jemisin. Elaine Ho has written something extraordinary, and I count myself incredibly lucky to have read it early.

Elaine Ho, thank you.

thank you net galley for allowing me to read this early!!

this book was phenomenal. the characters were so complex, drawing you in yet pushing you away at the same time. it’s so refreshing to have such complex characters, characters you root for, and characters that make you want to scream at them.

this was beautiful, the last third had me gripping my kindle, unable to put it down. i loved the twists, the rage, the heartbreak, all of it. i can’t wait to see the hype this book will get when it’s released

the unchecked power was amazing, the hierarchy of these kingdoms symbolic to so much more