Review: Voidbreaker (The Keepers #3) by David Dalglish

Rating: 10/10

Synopsis

Monsters have retaken the capital city of Londheim and claimed it for themselves. Humanity, fearful of being pushed out for good, has reacted with violence and destruction, and peace between the two races seems all but impossible. Devin will need to bring all his skills to bear in order to find a solution. But the greatest threat to humanity’s safety may well be closer than he expects. Because his sister is the most powerful priestess the world has ever seen… and she’s fighting for the monsters.

The fate of all races, human and magical, rests in their hands, and the only person standing in their way is each other. 

Review

Some reviews are more difficult to write than others. For me, this is not usually because I did not like a book (good reviews are often harder to write than bad ones), but the actual truth of the matter that it is just harder to explain the reasons for liking or disliking some books more than it is for others. Certain books make it easy to gush about them; something about them brings the words out like a tide. That is exactly how I feel about Voidbreaker: there is so much to say about it I can barely contain the words. It is utterly gushable.

Let’s start with this: Voidbreaker is out of control. The Keepers series has always been action-packed. From the first page to the last, it has not let up. I remember reading Soulkeeper (the first book in the series) and thinking how cool the magic and the monsters were. It was such an entertaining book that I was not sure how it could get much better (read my review of Soulkeeper here). Book 2, Ravencaller, upped the ante as the plot goes, but I did not rate is as highly because the shine wore off from the first book slightly without any other big reveals to take its place (my Ravencaller review can be found here). While still incredibly well-written and entertaining, the “Wow!” factor was not as present in Ravencaller as it had been in Soulkeeper. The good news: in Voidbreaker, author David Dalglish brings the heat back with twists and turns, surprises, and absolute chaos.

And boy do I love the chaos.

To say that the characters power up would be an understatement. For some of the characters, we are talking Final Form Frieza power levels. What I find so interesting about this is that it was easily forecast for some characters, but not so much for others. And, yet, some I expected to be given God-like treatment never receive it. In this way, Dalglish keeps me guessing throughout all the way through, an aspect of the book that I thoroughly enjoy.

Even with this book being very character-driven, there is much to say about the plot, too. Monsters, magic, and mayhem have been the tagline I have been using – but let’s go ahead and add Gods to that, too, shall we? The Keepers series has been building up to the events in this book all along, and the tension could not be higher coming in. Voidbreaker only contributes to that crescendo, keeping readers on edge until the very end. And what an ending it is! To say the series ends with a bang would be an understatement. Dalglish is an expert at pay off, and those skills are clearly demonstrated in this series.

And so, to the The Keepers series I say: “I am utterly sad to see you go, but boy did I love watching you leave.” Voidbreaker is everything I hoped it would be and more. The perfect rating I have given the book reflects that fact. As much as I tried, I just could not find a flaw. It is a phenomenal finale to what has turned out to be one of my favorite fantasy series. If you are a fan of The Keepers, my bet is you will love this book, too. If you have yet to begin this series, I suggest you do. It gets my highest recommendation.