Review by John Owen -- We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko

[John Owen]

[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko" by Matthew Tysz.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz is the second book in the We are Voulhire series. Lord Venden, the lord of Virko, has plans to turn Virko into a Capitalist state, contrary to the feudal state it had been. At the same time Venden's health deteriorates and as many expect, his son, Hans Hrelek, also known as Folcro, would be the next lord under the new regime. However, that is not the case. The king has his fears, just as Folcro has his plans. Galen Bray's journey to lord Venden to look for iron strikes us with a rude shock of what has been hidden in the dark for long, and maybe we should wait for more surprises.

The very first thing that I loved was how well this second book perfectly blends with the first. In the first book, We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies, which I also reviewed (the review is available through the link viewtopic.php?f=21&t=180445), lord Eldus, who was appointed the lord of Hillport, was killed with half the town's population by the Riva Rohavi, and that crashes Galen Bray's hopes to get iron for his forging business. In this book, he has to look elsewhere, and the search brings him to Virko, and finally to lord Venden. This visit, as we will later learn in the book, unveils mysterious mysteries. To me, the author has done exceptionally well with the continuation of the story, though this book can be read as a stand-alone book (if you don't care to know what happened in the previous book.)

I also laud the way the author built and sustained suspense. In the beginning, we are introduced to Folcro as a mage who stops some soldiers from raping a woman. What surprised me was that he killed all the other soldiers, including their horses, and spared only one. Why would he do that? In this scene, he is more of a good mage. However as the story unfolded, I was surprised that Folcro was Venden's son, Hans Hrelek, who was mistaken as shy and introverted. As the story continues, more and more surprises about Folcro emerge. What would keep someone on edge than this?

However, I hate how violently the book began. Some soldiers wanted to defile a woman and they stripped her naked, taunted and abused her. Folcro intervened, but the scene turned bloody and violent. He used magic to tie horses and the soldiers up a tree, breaking them into mincemeat as he did that. I strongly felt the scene could have come later. I also didn't like how Rowan described the lady that opened the door for them when they went to see lord Venden on page 38. He said that "the wench was hotter than damnation." The author could have done better finding a replacement for "wench".

I immensely enjoyed the book just like I did the first. I also appreciate how well it was continued, the suspense, and good character development. I, therefore, rate it 4 out of 4 stars. It was also exceptionally edited to me as I didn't notice any errors or typos.

The book is perfect for people who love fantasy stories but it contains violent scenes, including scenes of rape. I also think it will be more enjoyable if you read the previous book first.

******
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Mariana Figueira]

This book is intense! I think it's my least favorite one out of the series though. Thanks for the wonderful review.

[John Owen]

This book is intense! I think it's my least favorite one out of the series though. Thanks for the wonderful review.

Thanks. Which book are you in in the series?

[TheMazeRunner]

I would love to read this part, too. This book series is interesting. Amazing review!

[Precious Naiti]

It is good to see that Matthew Tysz does not disappoint with this series. I read the first book and i can move on to the next one with joy. Thanks for the review.

[John Owen]

I would love to read this part, too. This book series is interesting. Amazing review!

It's an amazing series to read, I'm on the 3rd book.
Thanks for commenting.

[John Owen]

It is good to see that Matthew Tysz does not disappoint with this series. I read the first book and i can move on to the next one with joy. Thanks for the review.

I agree. For me, I'll read the series to the last book.
Thanks for your comment.

[Holly Fleming]

It's encouraging to hear that this book is exceptionally edited and engaging. However, I'm concerned that female characters are likely poorly developed based on your description. Thank you for this insightful review!

[John Owen]

It's encouraging to hear that this book is exceptionally edited and engaging. However, I'm concerned that female characters are likely poorly developed based on your description. Thank you for this insightful review!

It is true there aren't many strong female characters in the story but I love the book as it is. Thanks for commenting

[MayorE]

Lord Eldus was killed? That's sad. I have read the first book of the series and I must say, I can't wait to get hold of this second one. Nice review

[John Owen]

Lord Eldus was killed? That's sad. I have read the first book of the series and I must say, I can't wait to get hold of this second one. Nice review

Oh yes! He was killed with his whole family and only his son Marshus survived. I'm now waiting to read the fourth book. Thanks for commenting.

[Raluca_Mihaila]

Despite the violence, the books are amazing! Folcro is such an interesting character, full of contradictions. Nice review! I am looking forward to read your opinion about the next one, as it is my favorite from the series.

[Sou Hi]

Thanks for your informative review. I've got to say Matthew never fails to surprise the readers. All of the available books of the series contain some twists that you may not expect. Along with the humor, they make the series one of my favorites.

[John Owen]

Despite the violence, the books are amazing! Folcro is such an interesting character, full of contradictions. Nice review! I am looking forward to read your opinion about the next one, as it is my favorite from the series.

And mysterious too. The review should be available soon if it is published. I do hope to finish this series.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

[John Owen]

Thanks for your informative review. I've got to say Matthew never fails to surprise the readers. All of the available books of the series contain some twists that you may not expect. Along with the humor, they make the series one of my favorites.

I agree . Tysz's books are filled with surprises in each episode.
Thanks for commenting.