Review by Maddie Atkinson -- We are Voulhire: The Fires ...

Maddie Atkinson · Post by **Maddie Atkinson** » 03 Jan 2021, 09:24

[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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With Hillport now under the control of Meldorath and the lords of Virko trying to take the power from its founder, Galen and his friends find themselves in adventure, with Galen still in search of his place in a world that is starting to change. The young Lord Hans (or Folcro, as he is fondly known) is not all that he seems as he hides his true intentions towards Virko as he consorts with demons, while his old friend, and lover, Lord Kayden, tries to make the world a better place. Will this be the end of Virko, or a new start for all?

We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko is the second in the series by Matthew Tysz. Like its predecessor, it includes beautiful descriptions of settings that allow you to see the scenery in your mind’s eye. This is one of my favourite things about this book. I also loved that the world of Voulhire has its own science that is parallel to ours. They have the same things we have, such as the atom, but the discovery of it is completely different. This makes the book much more interesting as it allows the reader to understand Tysz’s world but feel like they are discovering something completely new! I also love the creativity of the use of dance. The way in which it is used to express political opinions or to heal people is completely unique, which makes this book even more special. Just like the last book, there are separate narratives and points of view for different characters, with Galen’s being in first person and the rest in third. This makes the book feel more personal as the reader is able to feel the emotion that Galen feels, and see the emotion of the other characters from an entirely different perspective. The narratives all start separately, like the previous book, and eventually come together and start to make sense as one story rather than lots of individual ones. This is such an interesting way to write a book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I can find no negative aspects of this book, so I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. I did find it a little hard to understand at first but as the narratives came together it was easier to make sense of. However, other readers might find it so hard, so I see no reason why this book shouldn’t get the rating I have given it. I could find very few mistakes, so I am confident is saying that this book is exceptionally edited.

I would recommend We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko to anyone who enjoys fantasy novels, or is looking to try out a new genre as it is beautifully written and very engaging. It is appropriate for any age from young adult to old, but I wouldn’t recommend anyone under thirteen reading it as there are some graphic scenes and some rather profane language which may be unsuitable for them.

Overall, this is a fantastic book and I enjoyed it greatly. I cannot recommend it more highly, if I could the words, I would. I think this may be my new favourite series and Matthew Tysz my new favourite author, so I cannot wait to read the next one!

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We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
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Thea Frederick · Post by **Thea Frederick** » 05 Jan 2021, 19:01

Wow, that is very high praise! Tysz must have really written an incredible novel. Very nice review, it gives me a good idea of what the novel has in store for the reader

Maddie Atkinson · Post by **Maddie Atkinson** » 06 Jan 2021, 08:09

Thea Frederick wrote: ↑05 Jan 2021, 19:01 Wow, that is very high praise! Tysz must have really written an incredible novel. Very nice review, it gives me a good idea of what the novel has in store for the reader

Thank you! Tysz is a very talented writer, if you ever feel like giving the series a go, let me know what you think! I think you would really enjoy it!

LeighBee · Post by **LeighBee** » 19 Mar 2021, 15:19

I agree with you about the creativity of the dance. I've seen authors use dance as a way to heal and strengthen characters, but never quite like this. Tysz has a lot of unique and creative ideas in his universe.

Maddie Atkinson · Post by **Maddie Atkinson** » 21 Mar 2021, 16:16

LeighBee wrote: ↑19 Mar 2021, 15:19 I agree with you about the creativity of the dance. I've seen authors use dance as a way to heal and strengthen characters, but never quite like this. Tysz has a lot of unique and creative ideas in his universe.

The use of dance is definitely one of my favourite things, it seems to be a common theme throughout this series!