Review by megan433 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
Posted: 27 Aug 2020, 16:30
[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko" by Matthew Tysz.]
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko written by Matthew Tysz is the second book in the We are Voulhire series. The novel starts directly where the first book left off, with Galen, Rowan, and Demetrius, back at Galen’s forge. The mayor stops by and asks for them to visit the industrial hub of Voulhire, Virko, to see if they can get more iron so that they can start boosting up the economy of the small of Magnum Caelum through the forge. Meanwhile, in Virko, Lord Hrelek is slowly dying, and his son, Hans Hrelek, is getting ready to become the next lord of Virko. But Hans is hiding a dark secret within the walls of his home and is prepared to do whatever it takes to take control over his city and his old childhood friend.
Tysz does an excellent job of not only continuing the story where he left off in the first book but building upon the world he already created. We are not only going back to the places and areas that we have visited before, but Tysz is continuing to add to the world, giving it more complexities then we may have thought initially. Virko is significantly different than places Galen has been before. The citizens and the various lords and wealthy citizens see Virko as the business hub of Voulhire. They want to break away from old traditions and go in a new direction into more of a capitalist society. Especially since many citizens have not liked the way that King Wilhelm has been forcing his ideology over their city. They want to try and become independent. Compared to the first novel where the readers only notice a few characters that are actively plotting against King Wilhelm, it’s interesting to see that this unrest does not just lie with Meldorath and his followers, but everyday citizens. It creates more layers to the narrative that are continuing to build up the friction within the country.
The source of tension in the novel is not only the growth of Meldorath’s power and influence but between the church and the dark forces that lie all over Voulhire. Hans, otherwise known as Folcro, has decided that he no longer wants his city or himself to be influenced by a king who has no clue what their home or how their people act. Folcro was taught by his mother to see all sides of a situation and make your decision based on what you know. He believes that he knows how to govern Voulhire, and it’s not by the Eiodi or the church. Many people of Virko want the church to stay out of their lives and business opportunities because it just holds them back from accomplishing their own goals. This subtle war that is going on with the church is escalating the fact that Voulhire is not as put together and peaceful as someone like Galen assumes that it is.
I also liked the fact that while Galen is still the primary character that we are following, but the new characters that are introduced to play large roles throughout the narrative but will continue to play large parts. One of them being Folcro and the other being Kayden. The relationship between the two of them is complicated. They where friends in their youth, but something drove them apart, and Folcro has never really seemed to get over it. Kayden, on the other hand, has tried his best to put distance between the two of them and become the lord that everyone expects him to be. But as the tragedies keep piling around him, we see Kayden begin to change from the friendly lord that welcomed Demetrius into his home change into someone that readers would not expect.
Also, the addition of these new characters was a way for Tysz to continue to build his world and continue on the ideas that he started in the first novel. But, he still allowed a lot of things to remain a mystery, primarily how the magic works in this world. It was built upon a little bit more, saying that many people can use magic, but it takes an extreme amount of concentration and adrenaline to produce it if you have not trained in it. I’m still not one hundred percent sure how the magic works, and I’m interested to see how that plays out in the next installment of the series. Tysz is doing a great job in keeping me wanting to read the next book and see what mysteries are solved and the new ones that will appear.
I am still enjoying the series and am excited to see what is going to happen next. There were very few editing mistakes, so it seemed to me to be done by a professional. There were some language and graphic descriptions, so It’s more suitable for an older audience. I would give We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko a rating of 4 out of 4 stars . I loved the politics of this novel and the depth it is giving to the world of Voulhire, and I can not wait until the next installment.
******
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko written by Matthew Tysz is the second book in the We are Voulhire series. The novel starts directly where the first book left off, with Galen, Rowan, and Demetrius, back at Galen’s forge. The mayor stops by and asks for them to visit the industrial hub of Voulhire, Virko, to see if they can get more iron so that they can start boosting up the economy of the small of Magnum Caelum through the forge. Meanwhile, in Virko, Lord Hrelek is slowly dying, and his son, Hans Hrelek, is getting ready to become the next lord of Virko. But Hans is hiding a dark secret within the walls of his home and is prepared to do whatever it takes to take control over his city and his old childhood friend.
Tysz does an excellent job of not only continuing the story where he left off in the first book but building upon the world he already created. We are not only going back to the places and areas that we have visited before, but Tysz is continuing to add to the world, giving it more complexities then we may have thought initially. Virko is significantly different than places Galen has been before. The citizens and the various lords and wealthy citizens see Virko as the business hub of Voulhire. They want to break away from old traditions and go in a new direction into more of a capitalist society. Especially since many citizens have not liked the way that King Wilhelm has been forcing his ideology over their city. They want to try and become independent. Compared to the first novel where the readers only notice a few characters that are actively plotting against King Wilhelm, it’s interesting to see that this unrest does not just lie with Meldorath and his followers, but everyday citizens. It creates more layers to the narrative that are continuing to build up the friction within the country.
The source of tension in the novel is not only the growth of Meldorath’s power and influence but between the church and the dark forces that lie all over Voulhire. Hans, otherwise known as Folcro, has decided that he no longer wants his city or himself to be influenced by a king who has no clue what their home or how their people act. Folcro was taught by his mother to see all sides of a situation and make your decision based on what you know. He believes that he knows how to govern Voulhire, and it’s not by the Eiodi or the church. Many people of Virko want the church to stay out of their lives and business opportunities because it just holds them back from accomplishing their own goals. This subtle war that is going on with the church is escalating the fact that Voulhire is not as put together and peaceful as someone like Galen assumes that it is.
I also liked the fact that while Galen is still the primary character that we are following, but the new characters that are introduced to play large roles throughout the narrative but will continue to play large parts. One of them being Folcro and the other being Kayden. The relationship between the two of them is complicated. They where friends in their youth, but something drove them apart, and Folcro has never really seemed to get over it. Kayden, on the other hand, has tried his best to put distance between the two of them and become the lord that everyone expects him to be. But as the tragedies keep piling around him, we see Kayden begin to change from the friendly lord that welcomed Demetrius into his home change into someone that readers would not expect.
Also, the addition of these new characters was a way for Tysz to continue to build his world and continue on the ideas that he started in the first novel. But, he still allowed a lot of things to remain a mystery, primarily how the magic works in this world. It was built upon a little bit more, saying that many people can use magic, but it takes an extreme amount of concentration and adrenaline to produce it if you have not trained in it. I’m still not one hundred percent sure how the magic works, and I’m interested to see how that plays out in the next installment of the series. Tysz is doing a great job in keeping me wanting to read the next book and see what mysteries are solved and the new ones that will appear.
I am still enjoying the series and am excited to see what is going to happen next. There were very few editing mistakes, so it seemed to me to be done by a professional. There were some language and graphic descriptions, so It’s more suitable for an older audience. I would give We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko a rating of 4 out of 4 stars . I loved the politics of this novel and the depth it is giving to the world of Voulhire, and I can not wait until the next installment.
******
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon