Review by Heidadela -- We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko

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Heidadela
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Review by Heidadela -- We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko

Post by Heidadela »

[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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Lord Venden is the founder and sovereign of Virko, the fast-growing, southern industrial city of Voulhire. This city is not too old so it is missing in the tapestry map hanging in the throne room of Voulhire dynasty. Hitherto, Lord Venden had discovered Rendenhide, an abandoned manor in the former Auburn Plains, which later became Virken plains. No one knew what had happened to the previous occupants of Rendenhide. Unaware of the prevailing unusual occupancy, Lord Venden had turned it into a home and built an industrial city around it, the city of Virko. Fast forward, Lord Venden is dying of the illness that had previously killed his wife, Lady Velonia. He summons the government of Voulhire to take over the sovereignty of Virko instead of allowing his son, Hans Hrelek to inherit the lordship. What life choices had Hans made in his adulthood which made his father to take the sovereignty of Virko away from him? How does Hans, whose other name is Folcro, respond to this ‘supposed’ humiliation? What part would Galen and his friends play in the story?

We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz is the second book in the Voulhire series. The general subject matter is ‘choices.’ The main themes are power, magic, evil, homosexuality and corruption. The book is organized and developed topically. It contains 32 attention-grabbing chapters. There is a map of Voulhire dynasty at the beginning of the book, which introduces the reader to the territory of Voulhire. This helps the reader to imaginatively see the dynasty of Voulhire, hence enhancing their reading experience. This aspect intrigued me a lot because it makes the fictional world of Voulhire believable.

The characters of the book are true to the story, interesting and dynamic. Each of them is unique in their own way. Galen is the main character. Considerably, his chapters are written from his point of view while the rest of the chapters are written from the author’s point of view. The dialogues are unique to each character. For instance, Galen’s dialogues portray him as a humble, emotional, virtuous man while the dialogues of Meldorath portray him as a conservative, ambitious man, who makes no haste to achieve his goals, but rather takes his time to plan before striking.

The language indicates an author who is in control of his words. The book is laden with literary devices which make it timeless. There is expansive meaning, creatively hidden within the sentences. For instance, the author tries to inform the reader about Rowan’s distorted sexual inclination without telling us outright that he is gay. Matthew Tysz keeps dropping a hint here and another there, through Rowan, Demetrius and Galen’s conversations.

I most like the author’s harmonization of the book setting, the characters and their dialogues. The author has artistically blended the three to complement one another, hence producing a story that is well-balanced. Considerably, I could relate the behaviour of the characters to their situational position as well as connect dialogues to characters without having to search for ‘who uttered what.’ Apparently, I did not like anything least because the entire book is outstanding. The book is professionally edited. All the same, I came across very few errors, some of which are excusable. There are several profanities in the dialogues and erotic content of homosexual nature.

We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko is suitable for readers who love adventure. However, if one is soft-hearted, there are some scenes which may upset due to their ruthless drama. I will also recommend the book to readers who seek to improve their vocabulary and literary skills. The book is a broad literary masterpiece. Indeed, it is a book one could read again and again, finding something new with each reread. I will not rate the book 3 stars because the author has presented the story in a way that brings it entirely to life. The conflict is intense and the creativity in it is commendable. Additionally, the errors within are too few to deserve the deduction of a star. Therefore, I rate We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz 4 out of 4 stars.

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We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
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Rayah Raouf
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Post by Rayah Raouf »

Great review! I also enjoyed this book! I like how you mentioned how the author harmonized the book setting, characters, and dialogue. It's such a lovely way to put it. Hopefully, you get to continue the series. I will be looking out for your reviews on them :)
Memories are dangerous things. You turn them over and over, until you know every touch and corner, but still you'll find an edge to cut you.― Mark Lawrence, Prince of Thorns
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Mariana Figueira
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Post by Mariana Figueira »

Amazing review. I've enjoyed the series too, but I think this book has been my least favorite one.
"No two persons ever read the same book" Edmund Wilson
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Naaya123
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Latest Review: We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz

Post by Naaya123 »

I finally had the courage to start this series and I absolutely love it so far. Thank you for the honest review!
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DANAWEB
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Post by DANAWEB »

This is a action and adventure fiction with fantasy element attached to it. Your review is very detailed and enjoyable.
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Nicholus Schroeder
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Post by Nicholus Schroeder »

Glad that people are still reading books from the Voulhire series, they really do deserve all the attention.

Great review!
Heidadela
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Post by Heidadela »

RayRuff wrote: 12 May 2021, 06:57 Great review! I also enjoyed this book! I like how you mentioned how the author harmonized the book setting, characters, and dialogue. It's such a lovely way to put it. Hopefully, you get to continue the series. I will be looking out for your reviews on them :)
Thanks a lot RayRuff. Your comment is very encouraging.
Heidadela
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Post by Heidadela »

MarianaFigueira wrote: 12 May 2021, 15:06 Amazing review. I've enjoyed the series too, but I think this book has been my least favorite one.
I guess I know why it's your least favourite. All the same, it is an amazing collection. I am looking forward to reading your reviews. Thanks a lot for stopping by.
Heidadela
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Post by Heidadela »

Naaya123 wrote: 12 May 2021, 19:27 I finally had the courage to start this series and I absolutely love it so far. Thank you for the honest review!
Welcome to the Voulhire club! Thanks for your comment
Heidadela
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Post by Heidadela »

DANAWEB wrote: 16 May 2021, 03:12 This is a action and adventure fiction with fantasy element attached to it. Your review is very detailed and enjoyable.
Thanks for your uplifting comment. I am glad you stopped by.
Heidadela
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Post by Heidadela »

Nicholus Schroeder wrote: 16 May 2021, 06:25 Glad that people are still reading books from the Voulhire series, they really do deserve all the attention.

Great review!
You are right, they do. Thanks a lot for passing by.
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