Review by frogbonsly76 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires of ...
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frogbonsly76
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- Latest Review: We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz
Review by frogbonsly76 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires of ...
[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko" by Matthew Tysz.]
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz is the second book in this fantasy adventure series. We once again join Galen Bray and his companions as the dark mysteries and secrets within Voulhire boil to the surface.
This book focuses primarily on the city of Virko and its political struggle to embrace capitalism over feudalism. While the majority of the elite seem to favor a regime change, there are a select few scheming to tear down this social revolution. Galen and his friends are caught in the middle of this power struggle when they come to Virko to secure a supply of iron for Magnum Caelum. The question is, will they be able to make a difference in this conflict?
At the same time, Meldorath's jailbreak and conquest of Hillport have gone mostly unnoticed until the Eodi and Yamon Soul begin investigating some strange magical occurrences from the ruined city. But, will the protectors of Voulhire catch on to their greatest threat in time to stop his plans?
This book improves on the groundwork that was laid out by the first one. It feels more focused on a few key areas of the world instead of taking the reader all over the place. This is definitely a good thing, as it feels more like a complete story than its predecessor.
The new characters introduced in this book, such as Folcro, Kayden, and Sod were a breath of fresh air and had far more depth and nuance than the characters in the first book. Even Demetrius got the chance to shine far more, although the rest of the returning cast sadly remained as weak as they were in the first book.
I still feel as though Galen is out of place in this book. The fact that he is the only character whose story is told in the first person makes me think he is supposed to be the protagonist. However, in his own chapters, he is outshined by his companions who do far more to advance the plot.
The worldbuilding is still fantastic in these books, but I believe the narrative is held back by the bleakness of the story and the one-sidedness of the battles. In any good conflict, there must be an ebb and flow of which side has the advantage. If one side continually dominates over the other it can be a bit boring.
In the end, I think this is an excellent continuation of this saga, and I am excited to read more. But, because half the cast still feels barely fleshed out, and the conflict is a bit too one-sided, I still have to give it 3 out of 4 stars
******
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz is the second book in this fantasy adventure series. We once again join Galen Bray and his companions as the dark mysteries and secrets within Voulhire boil to the surface.
This book focuses primarily on the city of Virko and its political struggle to embrace capitalism over feudalism. While the majority of the elite seem to favor a regime change, there are a select few scheming to tear down this social revolution. Galen and his friends are caught in the middle of this power struggle when they come to Virko to secure a supply of iron for Magnum Caelum. The question is, will they be able to make a difference in this conflict?
At the same time, Meldorath's jailbreak and conquest of Hillport have gone mostly unnoticed until the Eodi and Yamon Soul begin investigating some strange magical occurrences from the ruined city. But, will the protectors of Voulhire catch on to their greatest threat in time to stop his plans?
This book improves on the groundwork that was laid out by the first one. It feels more focused on a few key areas of the world instead of taking the reader all over the place. This is definitely a good thing, as it feels more like a complete story than its predecessor.
The new characters introduced in this book, such as Folcro, Kayden, and Sod were a breath of fresh air and had far more depth and nuance than the characters in the first book. Even Demetrius got the chance to shine far more, although the rest of the returning cast sadly remained as weak as they were in the first book.
I still feel as though Galen is out of place in this book. The fact that he is the only character whose story is told in the first person makes me think he is supposed to be the protagonist. However, in his own chapters, he is outshined by his companions who do far more to advance the plot.
The worldbuilding is still fantastic in these books, but I believe the narrative is held back by the bleakness of the story and the one-sidedness of the battles. In any good conflict, there must be an ebb and flow of which side has the advantage. If one side continually dominates over the other it can be a bit boring.
In the end, I think this is an excellent continuation of this saga, and I am excited to read more. But, because half the cast still feels barely fleshed out, and the conflict is a bit too one-sided, I still have to give it 3 out of 4 stars
******
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz
