Review by edztan15 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
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edztan15
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Review by edztan15 -- We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko" by Matthew Tysz.]
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko is the second installment in the We are Voulhire fantasy series by Matthew Tysz. It continues the adventures of Galen and Rowan, together with their new companion Demetrius, as they search for the secrets of a mysterious rock that they acquired from Alcovia. Galen wants to follow his late uncle’s footsteps in being a great blacksmith, and finding out the secrets of this object will make him closer to achieve that goal. Rowan was Galen’s uncle’s executor, and he decides to stay in Voulhire to help Galen adapt to the Voulhirian life. The two friends seek Demetrius’ help and expertise in learning the nature of this object, and along the way, they find themselves in the middle of a turmoil that is brewing in Voulhire.
It is a crucial time in Virko, a city in Voulhire, as a shift in political structure is about to happen in which Lord Venden Hrelek will handover the kingdom’s governing power to an elected captain, and time is not on his side with his deteriorating condition. His son, Hans, who also goes by the name of Folcro, is indifferent to this event, but he seems to have a more sinister plan in mind that he wants to unleash given the right circumstance.
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko has a chock-full of intriguing characters that the readers will either love or hate. The positive aspects of this book’s predecessor continued on this one. The character development is so well-done, and I could say that this is the aspect of the book that I loved most. I’m a fan of the fantasy genre, and usually, the appeal of the genre to me is its plot and world-building aspects. The book certainly nailed these two aspects, but what surprised me the most is that I got more invested in its characters than I would normally do with a fantasy book. You can even take away the plot and world-building, and I would still enjoy this book. I loved the thought-processes of the characters and their witty banter with each other. Although Hans seems to have a darker side in him, he is my favorite character in the series so far. I can relate to his introspection, and I admired his philosophies and passion.
My criticisms for the book are just minor ones and do not take away from enjoying the story. Like the first book, there is a shift in narration that some readers might find jarring. Whenever the chapter focuses on Galen, the narration is in first-person with Galen telling the story, otherwise, the narration is told in third-person. The book makes up for it by labeling each chapter with the name of whoever the focal point of that chapter is, and that helps in setting the reader’s expectation. The other criticism that I have is that there were open-ended plotlines in the first book that I wish to get clarity from this one, but unfortunately, were still not addressed. Without giving away spoilers, I’ll just say that I’m a little bit unsatisfied with how the Hillport incident from the first book was addressed on this one.
Looking at the bigger picture, the negative aspects do not greatly affect the quality of the book for me. I will still give We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko 4 out of 4 stars. The editing on this one is also outstanding like its predecessor, and I only found a few errors that do not detract from the reading experience. There are subjects in the book that are distressing and are more suited for a mature audience such as graphic violence (including against animals), talks of rape, and usage of profanities. In my opinion, this book excels at its character development compared to the first one, so this can be enjoyed not only by the fans of the fantasy genre but also those who just love a good character-driven story. As for me, I will continue my journey in Voulhire in the third book.
******
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko is the second installment in the We are Voulhire fantasy series by Matthew Tysz. It continues the adventures of Galen and Rowan, together with their new companion Demetrius, as they search for the secrets of a mysterious rock that they acquired from Alcovia. Galen wants to follow his late uncle’s footsteps in being a great blacksmith, and finding out the secrets of this object will make him closer to achieve that goal. Rowan was Galen’s uncle’s executor, and he decides to stay in Voulhire to help Galen adapt to the Voulhirian life. The two friends seek Demetrius’ help and expertise in learning the nature of this object, and along the way, they find themselves in the middle of a turmoil that is brewing in Voulhire.
It is a crucial time in Virko, a city in Voulhire, as a shift in political structure is about to happen in which Lord Venden Hrelek will handover the kingdom’s governing power to an elected captain, and time is not on his side with his deteriorating condition. His son, Hans, who also goes by the name of Folcro, is indifferent to this event, but he seems to have a more sinister plan in mind that he wants to unleash given the right circumstance.
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko has a chock-full of intriguing characters that the readers will either love or hate. The positive aspects of this book’s predecessor continued on this one. The character development is so well-done, and I could say that this is the aspect of the book that I loved most. I’m a fan of the fantasy genre, and usually, the appeal of the genre to me is its plot and world-building aspects. The book certainly nailed these two aspects, but what surprised me the most is that I got more invested in its characters than I would normally do with a fantasy book. You can even take away the plot and world-building, and I would still enjoy this book. I loved the thought-processes of the characters and their witty banter with each other. Although Hans seems to have a darker side in him, he is my favorite character in the series so far. I can relate to his introspection, and I admired his philosophies and passion.
This quote from the book and one of Hans’ philosophies hits home hard for me, and this is why he is my favorite. There are multiple plotlines in this book, and as with the first one, some of these plotlines won’t have their resolutions at the end, but this is expected with this kind of magnitude of storytelling. The world-building in the book is done in a way that it is not too dense for a casual reader, yet still effective and will still be appreciated by those who are into epic fantasy stories.He didn't want what everybody else had. He didn't even want what everybody else wanted. What Hans desired was to possess what everybody else lacked the wisdom to desire.
My criticisms for the book are just minor ones and do not take away from enjoying the story. Like the first book, there is a shift in narration that some readers might find jarring. Whenever the chapter focuses on Galen, the narration is in first-person with Galen telling the story, otherwise, the narration is told in third-person. The book makes up for it by labeling each chapter with the name of whoever the focal point of that chapter is, and that helps in setting the reader’s expectation. The other criticism that I have is that there were open-ended plotlines in the first book that I wish to get clarity from this one, but unfortunately, were still not addressed. Without giving away spoilers, I’ll just say that I’m a little bit unsatisfied with how the Hillport incident from the first book was addressed on this one.
Looking at the bigger picture, the negative aspects do not greatly affect the quality of the book for me. I will still give We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko 4 out of 4 stars. The editing on this one is also outstanding like its predecessor, and I only found a few errors that do not detract from the reading experience. There are subjects in the book that are distressing and are more suited for a mature audience such as graphic violence (including against animals), talks of rape, and usage of profanities. In my opinion, this book excels at its character development compared to the first one, so this can be enjoyed not only by the fans of the fantasy genre but also those who just love a good character-driven story. As for me, I will continue my journey in Voulhire in the third book.
******
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Sex Business Tokyo by Alta Eva Bourne
