Review by Cazrichmond -- We are Voulhire: The Fires of V...

Post by **Caroline Anne Richmond** » 16 Aug 2020, 14:27

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

4 out of 4 stars

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Galen, Rowan and Demetrius carry on their adventure in the second instalment of the saga We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko. The sequel written by Matthew Tysz begins in the industrious town of Virko. Virko is the most productive city in Voulhire, where industry is the only discipline and magic is not revered.

Lord Venden Hrelek, an immigrant to Voulhire used family wealth to purchase the estate, Rendenhide and built the city of Virko around it. Within five years it became the most prosperous city in Voulhire. On his death bed, he makes a last request to King Wilhelm. He asks for a royal incursion and an end to sovereignty, favouring a capitalist approach under the supervision of Captain Mendus.

Galen, Rowan and Demetrius make their way to Virko. The mayor of Magnem Caelum asks them to go and seek an arrangement for Virko to provide steel in exchange for food. They visit Lord Venden and agree on an arrangement for Virko to provide steel based on a favour being granted.

Lord Venden’s son, Hans, or Folcro as his friends refer to him, is tangled up in dark magic. Rendenhide was built by a dark priest who did things inside the house to bait and bind a demon to it, this demon is now bound to Folcro. Lord Venden’s dying wish is for the Rendenhide to be cleansed of the demon, whilst Folcro plans to use the demon in a play for power against the royal incursion.

Meanwhile, in Yemen Soul a doctor discovers a virus with scientific and magical properties. This virus is man-made and enables the one who created it to see and read the thoughts of every person the virus touches. This virus is a useful tool for the powerful magi Lord Meldorath, who is plotting his next moves with the help and advice from his mentor Alabaster De Lousette.

I eagerly read this second instalment and was excited to carry on this fantastic journey. The majority of the characters are new to the reader with only a few of the characters introduced in the first book. Some time is spent introducing the new characters, their history and purpose within the story and this made the book feel a little slow-paced at times. Also, more attention was given to the new characters than the lead characters of whom I had hoped to learn a little more about. As this is part of a collection of books, this one spent a lot of time laying out storylines and developing characters much like the first book, leaving much more to develop in upcoming instalments.

There are many surprises and unexpected twists and turns, including several gruesome and gory elements. The book certainly has a much darker feel than the first, especially with the addition of demons and dark magic. I found it to be a very interesting concept that capitalism is controlled by dark people and the author uses demons as a great metaphor for this.

I enjoyed the darker side of this book, being a horror fan, I felt the book dabbled in this genre, building up tension and suspense and creating horrifying and gruesome imagery. The characters are also very interesting and complex with a mixture of personalities on the spectrum between good and evil. I did notice that the characters were mainly men and hope that some great female characters will be introduced in future books.

A common theme of the characters is that they are “slanted”. This term meaning gay in Voulhire. Many of the male characters are gay and have issues with suppressing their true feelings and desires and have to keep up appearances for the sake of their reputations. The author brings a touch of sadness and loss with this issue as the characters deny themselves what could truly make them happy.

The book contains more adult themes than the first one with detailed descriptions of murder, rape and dark magic that include provocative language. This makes the book a heavier read and moves away from the fantasy genre. This book fits more into an action/horror category which may not appeal to readers hoping for something more in keeping with fantasy. It is only suitable for adults and some caution is given for readers who are easily offended with violence, horror and provocative conversation and language.

I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I didn’t find any spelling or grammar mistakes, so I believe it has been professionally edited. I didn’t want to put this book down and enjoyed the darker elements. A real adventure with demons, death, dark magic and delightful characters. I can’t begin to imagine where instalment number three will take me.

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We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
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MuthoniMuriithi · Post by **MuthoniMuriithi** » 21 Aug 2020, 13:55

This is a thrilling book. Am not surprised you gave it four stars. Nice review.

rahilshajahan · Post by **rahilshajahan** » 21 Aug 2020, 16:22

This book is the heat among reviewers nowadays. I'm looking forward to reading it. I am rooting for Meldorath right now; let fate land the virus in his hands, and boy, it is gonna be fireworks! Awesome review btw!

Post by **Caroline Anne Richmond** » 21 Aug 2020, 17:57

Thank you both for your kind comments! I also believe we have a lot more to come from Lord Meldorath!

Vic Chimezie · Post by **Vic Chimezie** » 21 Aug 2020, 23:50

All the books in this series seem to be interesting. Thank you for your detailed review and recommendation.

Honest-reviewer · Post by **Honest-reviewer** » 22 Aug 2020, 09:37

This is a wonderful book. The author has included many intriguing elements in it. Great review!

Doziesixtus · Post by **Doziesixtus** » 23 Aug 2020, 03:09

It's funny you called it "Yemen" Soul

. I wish Folcro would realize the catastrophy he could bring to Virko. Your review covered a lot of grounds. Thanks Cazrichmond for this nice piece.

Adanna Inya · Post by **Adanna Inya** » 25 Aug 2020, 02:56

I'm reading it at the moment and I hope to enjoy it. This is a detailed and insightful review.

Kanda_theGreat · Post by **Kanda_theGreat** » 25 Aug 2020, 06:15

I was equally fascinated by the extent at which suspense reigned in most of the sub-plots. Thank you for the descriptive review.

Post by **Caroline Anne Richmond** » 01 Sep 2020, 05:50

Thank you for all your lovely comments

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Claire Riddle · Post by **Claire Riddle** » 03 Sep 2020, 01:26

I'm reading the book right now and thanks for the detailed review!

Post by **Caroline Anne Richmond** » 06 Sep 2020, 12:05

MuthoniMuriithi wrote: ↑21 Aug 2020, 13:55 This is a thrilling book. Am not surprised you gave it four stars. Nice review.

Thank you for your kind comments.

Post by **Caroline Anne Richmond** » 06 Sep 2020, 12:06

rahilshajahan wrote: ↑21 Aug 2020, 16:22 This book is the heat among reviewers nowadays. I'm looking forward to reading it. I am rooting for Meldorath right now; let fate land the virus in his hands, and boy, it is gonna be fireworks! Awesome review btw!

Thank you for your kind comments. Such a great series with awesome characters, I’m loving Lord Meldorath too.