Publication Date: May 2018 from Headline
Source: Netgalley
The birds are flying. The birds are flocking. The birds know where to find her.
One man is driven by a Voice that isn’t his. It’s killing his sanity and wrestling with it over and over like a jackal with a bone. He has one goal.
To find the girl with a Voice like his own. She has no one to defend her now. The hunt is on.
But in an Inn by the sea, a boy with no tongue and no Voice gathers his warriors. Albus must find Lacey … before the Other does. And finish the work his sister, Ruby began.
So the first thing to say is, if you have not yet read DEFENDER then go do it now. Or at least schedule a day or so with no interruptions to do so sometime before May ’18 so we are ALL ready for Hunted. Those of you who have read Defender already – batten down the hatches people, you’ll need all your emotional stamina for the purely brilliant follow up that I guarantee will have you muttering into some kind of alcoholic beverage when you finish it, wishing that book 3 would just magically appear. *Glances around* No? DAMMIT.
Anyway – let’s talk about The Voices book 2 AKA Hunted and the one I just put down (it’s morning but the alcoholic beverage will definitely come later) and now cannot even think about without grumbling about annoying author types who think it is ok to mess with your head and make you weep. I think to give away nearly any plot detail would be to spoil it so I’ll be careful – suffice to say there are several strands to this tale that all come together in the end in a hugely nail biting finale that will have you tearing your hair out. The mythology deepens, the voices get louder and every step of the way you are alongside those amazing, eclectic and beautifully drawn characters that steal away little pieces of your soul every time bad things happen.
The writing is incredible, immersive, descriptive, all the good things that make the story unfold in your head like watching a movie – there is huge depth of perception here that I haven’t seen since early King – who I’m sure is an inspiration. This voice (yes I did that) however is unique and clever and simply stunning in it’s impact upon the reader. The plotting is divine – the tension ramps up slowly but surely until you’ve almost edged off the chair, then BAM you are hit with at least two jaw dropping moments, a fist pump the air moment plus all the rest – Finally, some of you will understand the compliment I’m about to pay here, an ending that affected me more than the ending of Golden Son by Pierce Brown did. Yes you heard me.
So what else is there to say? Erm read this? Read Defender? Said that already I think.
Masterful writing, intuitive character building, a world of reading anguish in the best possible way – G X Todd is a huge huge talent. Highly Recommended. HIGHLY.
#HearTheVoices
Happy Reading!
