Review by Ndiviwe -- We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
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Ndiviwe
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Review by Ndiviwe -- 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 by Matthew Tysz is the second installment of six books and is categorized under the fantasy sci-fi genre of literature. Galen Bray continues his explorative adventure of Voulhire, his new home, which leads him deeper into the kingdom. An opportunity to acquire iron for Magnum Caelum arises in the economic power-house of Voulhire, Virko. This fast-paced city's specialty is industrial development and has innumerable factories that produce a plethora of goods for the city and the kingdom. Virko is undergoing a royal incursion, which will result in the sovereignty being stripped of their power and control of the city, its economy, direction, and authority. The city's sickly lord and founder, Venden, is the initiator of this transition and has taken charge of the enterprise to end feudalism and lead the city to a new age of enlightened governance driven by capitalism. Lord Venden's son Hans, popularly known as Folcro, has a different plan for the city, a dark and sinister plan that sets Galen, his friends, and city folk on a dangerous deadly course that leads to the demise of Virko.
Once again Tysz has out-down himself when it comes to character development, his characters are outstanding and vivid. The protagonist, Galen, continues to portray desirable traits, and now attributes of protectiveness and loyalty begin to manifest, which compel the reader to adore Galen more in this second installment. He begins to explore parts of himself he was not aware existed and continues to be integrated into Voulhirian society. We are introduced to a plethora of new characters in this installment and the most important of these characters is Kayden and Folcro. The character I liked the most is Kayden. I love how he developed and evolved from a confused boy to a man with a vision and a dream for the city he grew up in. Virko and Folcro do not deserve his kindness and selflessness. I was completely shocked by the plot twist and change in personality in Kayden at the end but I understand the triggering initiator of this change.
The novel is written from multiple points of view, which I enjoyed immensely. This allowed the reader to see the story from different angles and opinions. My favorite point of view in this second installment has to be the third person point of view. This point of view included Kayden and Folcro's story and their turned sour friendship. I also enjoyed the author's word choice and writing style, which were both very clear, creative, and concise. They also aligned perfectly with the storyline, set, and the time the author depicted as the time in which the story is taking place. I highly relished the way the author moved between past and present when telling Kayden and Folcro's story. I appreciated the back-story, which allows the reader to gain some insight into their relationship and the core issues underlying their friendship.
The set and the people in this installment are completely different from the first installment. Virko is completely different from all the other places Galen has visited, such as Yamon Soul and Magnum Caelum, two small quiet, and calm towns. It exposed Galen to a different side of Voulhire whose people are driven by money, power, greed, and status. With this side of Voulhire revealed, I am curious as to how this is going to affect Galen's opinion of his new home. The citizens of Virko have rejected faith and perform very little magic, which makes their society incomplete and unstable, in my opinion. I believe Virko's inevitable demise might have been prevented if their society was balanced and included magic and faith. I don’t think Galen would have learned much from Virko and its people because he shows an inclined interest in magic, God, and faith. But, I believe it was a great growth and learning curve for him.
I love supernatural novels, so this new supernatural aspect of the story was immensely intriguing to me. What I liked the most about the book were the encounters between Demetrius, Galen, and Rowan and the demon, Sod. These encounters were intense even the atmosphere thickened, and almost chokes you. It was during these instances that proved to me that this group of friends is set to do great things in the following installments. Their fierceness, loyalty to each other, care for one another and others, and their ability the give themselves fully to a cause without looking to get anything in return will take them to great heights. What else I found intriguing were the bits of Meldorath and his plans for the next stage of his quest for vengeance.
I rate We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz a four out four stars because Tysz does not disappoint at all in this installment. I give this book the maximum rating because I found no spelling or grammatical errors and the writing was concise, clear, and very creative. The characters and storyline were developed superbly well, so the book deserved the maximum rating. There is not much to dislike about the book except for the time it takes the author to build the story and reach the climax, but the vivid action of the fight scenes was worth the wait and anticipation. The book contains profane, but nothing vulgar. Matthew's greatest strength is on display in this installment. His ability to establish worlds, develop characters and story-lines, and build suspense is unmatched. I recommend the novel to readers who are committed to the We are Voulhire franchise. I also recommend it to an audience who enjoy adventure-filled fantasy sci-fi novels and paranormal lovers will love this installment.
******
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 installment of six books and is categorized under the fantasy sci-fi genre of literature. Galen Bray continues his explorative adventure of Voulhire, his new home, which leads him deeper into the kingdom. An opportunity to acquire iron for Magnum Caelum arises in the economic power-house of Voulhire, Virko. This fast-paced city's specialty is industrial development and has innumerable factories that produce a plethora of goods for the city and the kingdom. Virko is undergoing a royal incursion, which will result in the sovereignty being stripped of their power and control of the city, its economy, direction, and authority. The city's sickly lord and founder, Venden, is the initiator of this transition and has taken charge of the enterprise to end feudalism and lead the city to a new age of enlightened governance driven by capitalism. Lord Venden's son Hans, popularly known as Folcro, has a different plan for the city, a dark and sinister plan that sets Galen, his friends, and city folk on a dangerous deadly course that leads to the demise of Virko.
Once again Tysz has out-down himself when it comes to character development, his characters are outstanding and vivid. The protagonist, Galen, continues to portray desirable traits, and now attributes of protectiveness and loyalty begin to manifest, which compel the reader to adore Galen more in this second installment. He begins to explore parts of himself he was not aware existed and continues to be integrated into Voulhirian society. We are introduced to a plethora of new characters in this installment and the most important of these characters is Kayden and Folcro. The character I liked the most is Kayden. I love how he developed and evolved from a confused boy to a man with a vision and a dream for the city he grew up in. Virko and Folcro do not deserve his kindness and selflessness. I was completely shocked by the plot twist and change in personality in Kayden at the end but I understand the triggering initiator of this change.
The novel is written from multiple points of view, which I enjoyed immensely. This allowed the reader to see the story from different angles and opinions. My favorite point of view in this second installment has to be the third person point of view. This point of view included Kayden and Folcro's story and their turned sour friendship. I also enjoyed the author's word choice and writing style, which were both very clear, creative, and concise. They also aligned perfectly with the storyline, set, and the time the author depicted as the time in which the story is taking place. I highly relished the way the author moved between past and present when telling Kayden and Folcro's story. I appreciated the back-story, which allows the reader to gain some insight into their relationship and the core issues underlying their friendship.
The set and the people in this installment are completely different from the first installment. Virko is completely different from all the other places Galen has visited, such as Yamon Soul and Magnum Caelum, two small quiet, and calm towns. It exposed Galen to a different side of Voulhire whose people are driven by money, power, greed, and status. With this side of Voulhire revealed, I am curious as to how this is going to affect Galen's opinion of his new home. The citizens of Virko have rejected faith and perform very little magic, which makes their society incomplete and unstable, in my opinion. I believe Virko's inevitable demise might have been prevented if their society was balanced and included magic and faith. I don’t think Galen would have learned much from Virko and its people because he shows an inclined interest in magic, God, and faith. But, I believe it was a great growth and learning curve for him.
I love supernatural novels, so this new supernatural aspect of the story was immensely intriguing to me. What I liked the most about the book were the encounters between Demetrius, Galen, and Rowan and the demon, Sod. These encounters were intense even the atmosphere thickened, and almost chokes you. It was during these instances that proved to me that this group of friends is set to do great things in the following installments. Their fierceness, loyalty to each other, care for one another and others, and their ability the give themselves fully to a cause without looking to get anything in return will take them to great heights. What else I found intriguing were the bits of Meldorath and his plans for the next stage of his quest for vengeance.
I rate We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz a four out four stars because Tysz does not disappoint at all in this installment. I give this book the maximum rating because I found no spelling or grammatical errors and the writing was concise, clear, and very creative. The characters and storyline were developed superbly well, so the book deserved the maximum rating. There is not much to dislike about the book except for the time it takes the author to build the story and reach the climax, but the vivid action of the fight scenes was worth the wait and anticipation. The book contains profane, but nothing vulgar. Matthew's greatest strength is on display in this installment. His ability to establish worlds, develop characters and story-lines, and build suspense is unmatched. I recommend the novel to readers who are committed to the We are Voulhire franchise. I also recommend it to an audience who enjoy adventure-filled fantasy sci-fi novels and paranormal lovers will love this installment.
******
We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Money Faucet by Joe Calderwood
