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Review by lavenderbooks20 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires ...

Posted: 22 Sep 2020, 01:03
by Justine Ocsebio
[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko" by Matthew Tysz.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Galen Bray, a refugee from The Land of The Princes, has finally found a home in Voulhire and is now running his uncle’s forgery. Magnum Caelum, the town from which he lives in, doesn’t have enough supply of iron to support his craft. Upon learning of iron availability at Virko, Galen embarks on a journey with his two friends, Rowan and Demetrius.

The developed city of Virko is changing its system of government from feudalism to capitalism. The ailing Lord Venden accepts Galen’s request in return for a favor. His only son, Folcro, has been dabbling into dark magic upon discovering its existence in their basement room. As a result, Lord Venden asks Galen and the company to rid the room of the demon, and prevent his son from falling into darkness.

We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko is the second installment in the We are Voulhire series by Matthew Tysz. Similar to the last book, the narrative shifts between the first person to the third person. Each chapter is clearly labeled, which makes it easier to keep track of who’s perspective it is.

I liked how this book kept me at the edge of my seat. In comparison to the previous book, the pacing was a lot faster in this one. The writing was fitting to the ancient settings. The character development still wasn’t apparent, especially with the main character, Galen. He hasn’t done anything significant yet, which was understandable given that this book was only the second in the series.

I disliked the lack of diversity in this book. For one, I have noticed that there isn’t a single strong female character. On the rare occasions that the book mentions a female entity, it is either in the form of a victimized citizen or some nobleman’s wife. Yes, they live in a traditional society, but I don’t think it is impossible to show diversity in here. Additionally, with a more diverse set of characters, we will be able to see interesting differences in perspectives, motivations, and power plays.

For the intricacy of the plot, and the flawless writing and editing, I assign this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I hope to see improvement with those issues I have mentioned further in the series. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and adventure. If you’re interested, you have to read the previous installment first to be able to understand this one. Moreover, this text is not suitable for children because it contains plenty of vulgar languages, sexual references, and violent scenes.

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We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
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Re: Review by lavenderbooks20 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires ...

Posted: 24 Sep 2020, 04:44
by Kevivas03
It is great to discover that the story continues from where it left off, but still it seems the second book in the series leaves readers hanging again. I read the first book and did not like it at all. Thank you for enlightening me on the second installment.

Re: Review by lavenderbooks20 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires ...

Posted: 24 Sep 2020, 06:00
by rahilshajahan
Lavender, you will witness diversity soon enough. The books after this brings in more awesome and diverse characters. Thanks for a detailed review!

Re: Review by lavenderbooks20 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires ...

Posted: 24 Sep 2020, 07:51
by Justine Ocsebio
Kevivas03 wrote: 24 Sep 2020, 04:44 It is great to discover that the story continues from where it left off, but still it seems the second book in the series leaves readers hanging again. I read the first book and did not like it at all. Thank you for enlightening me on the second installment.
I understand that this book may not be everyone’s cup of tea. I myself struggled to get into this at first. Anyway, thanks for your comment!

Re: Review by lavenderbooks20 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires ...

Posted: 24 Sep 2020, 07:52
by Justine Ocsebio
rahilshajahan wrote: 24 Sep 2020, 06:00 Lavender, you will witness diversity soon enough. The books after this brings in more awesome and diverse characters. Thanks for a detailed review!
Oh, that’s a good thing. Now I’m looking forward to read the next book. Thank you for this comment!

Re: Review by lavenderbooks20 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires ...

Posted: 24 Sep 2020, 08:16
by Ellylion
You will meet strong females starting from the book 4 (my favorite girl stars in book 6) :) Young Beth is getting interesting too as the story unfolds. Thanks for a great review!

Re: Review by lavenderbooks20 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires ...

Posted: 24 Sep 2020, 10:01
by Rashida10
This book seems to keep nearly all its audience at the edges of their seats. You chose a good book.

Re: Review by lavenderbooks20 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires ...

Posted: 24 Sep 2020, 11:37
by Erandi Ekanayake
I have just reviewed the first book in the series, and I found the first book itself is very amazing. Hope to read the second book as well. Also, it's nice to hear that this series is getting more interesting later. Thanks for your great review! Hope you will enjoy the rest of the books, too.

Re: Review by lavenderbooks20 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires ...

Posted: 24 Sep 2020, 12:18
by Phelicia Gloria
This my best book of the series, Matthew Tysz continues to leave his readers on suspense. I enjoyed reading your review

Re: Review by lavenderbooks20 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires ...

Posted: 24 Sep 2020, 20:43
by Justine Ocsebio
Ellylion wrote: 24 Sep 2020, 08:16 You will meet strong females starting from the book 4 (my favorite girl stars in book 6) :) Young Beth is getting interesting too as the story unfolds. Thanks for a great review!
I’m looking forward to that. Thanks for the comment!

Re: Review by lavenderbooks20 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires ...

Posted: 24 Sep 2020, 20:44
by Justine Ocsebio
Rashida10 wrote: 24 Sep 2020, 10:01 This book seems to keep nearly all its audience at the edges of their seats. You chose a good book.
It is indeed a thrilling read. Thanks for stopping by!

Re: Review by lavenderbooks20 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires ...

Posted: 24 Sep 2020, 20:45
by Justine Ocsebio
Erandi Ekanayake wrote: 24 Sep 2020, 11:37 I have just reviewed the first book in the series, and I found the first book itself is very amazing. Hope to read the second book as well. Also, it's nice to hear that this series is getting more interesting later. Thanks for your great review! Hope you will enjoy the rest of the books, too.
Thanks for your wonderful comment!

Re: Review by lavenderbooks20 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires ...

Posted: 24 Sep 2020, 20:45
by Justine Ocsebio
Phelicia Gloria wrote: 24 Sep 2020, 12:18 This my best book of the series, Matthew Tysz continues to leave his readers on suspense. I enjoyed reading your review
Thank you for your comment!

Re: Review by lavenderbooks20 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires ...

Posted: 25 Sep 2020, 02:50
by xsquare
I just read this book myself, and I have to agree with all of your points – especially the part about the lack of strong female characters! I don't know if you've read the first book, but that was my gripe with it as well. I also thought the characters weren't that well-developed, but then again, as you said, it's only the second book. Thanks for the great review!

Re: Review by lavenderbooks20 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires ...

Posted: 25 Sep 2020, 09:23
by Eutoc
Not until you mentioned it, it didn't occur to me that the book lacked strong female characters. I hope the author would be less chauvinistic in the books to come. Thanks you Lavender for a detailed review.