Review by Debbie_Sathya -- We are Voulhire: The Fires of...

[Debbie_Sathya]

[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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As a sci-fi, epic fantasy enthusiast, I absolutely enjoyed the first book. Hence, I was excited to read We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko by Matthew Tysz. It is the second installment in the We are Voulhire series.

In the previous book, we see that the Riva Rohiva, a local rebel group, mercilessly slaughters the entire family of Lord Eldus as a revolt against the reigning King Wilhelm. Meanwhile, Lord Meldorath, a powerful mage imprisoned for practicing illegal magic on the people, escapes from confinement and wreaks havoc.

In this second book, the chaos has reached Virko, the industrial hub of the kingdom of Voulhire, where people have little to no faith in either magic or God. Demetrius, Rowan, and Galen Bray arrive at Virko to arrange for more iron to aid their business, and hence they meet the ailing Lord Hrelek, the founder of the city of Virko. However, during this encounter, they discover that Lord Hrelek’s son, Folcro, is a threat to the people of Virko, despite his contrasting calm and harmless demeanor. Meanwhile, Lord Meldorath has already started implementing his grand plan of seizing the Holy land of Yamon Soul. Will the desire for supremacy destroy every innocent soul in Virko?

The language used is crisp and engaging. The author has beautifully woven the multiple plot lines together. The detailed descriptions of the building structures, attires, and scene sites repeatedly establish the author’s visual storytelling ability. He successfully makes the readers virtually experience the world of Voulhire.

This book effectively accomplishes the plot twists, scene transitions, and character developments. The characters like Galen Bray, Demetrius, Rowan, Folcro, Lord Kayden, and Lord Meldorath show significant character development. Their individual background stories make them more believable and relatable, and it surely tops my list of things I like in this book.

The frequent witty remarks by Rowan and Demetrius partially help to lighten the somber tone of the story. The proper pacing in the narrative captures the required emotions in a balanced manner. Overall, it is a well-edited book with minimal errors. The unpredictable plot changes and captivating storytelling overshadow all flaws in the book and keeps the readers at the edge of their seats until the end. Hence, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.

It is a perfect read for all sci-fi, fantasy enthusiasts. However, I would recommend this book to a mature audience because of the frequent use of profanity, many gory death scenes, sexual references, and mention of sensitive topics as rape or dealing with demons.

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We are Voulhire: The Fires of Virko
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[Mariana Figueira]

Thanks for the detailed review!