Review by zainherb -- We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the ...

[zainherb]

[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind" by Matthew Tysz.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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WE ARE VOULHIRE:THE FLESH OF THE MIND by MATHEW TYSZ

When at first, I thought that Galen had died, I felt traumatized and just a tad angry. Then I read a little bit more and realized Galen was very much alive. He just wasn’t in the physical world-‘Cosmos’, rather he was in the magical world-‘Caromentis’, and his friends- Demetrius and Rowan- still on earth were the ones who thought he was dead. Then I felt much better and happily read on. I know I can’t have been the only one who felt this way too. There is at least one other person who has read this book who also felt traumatized when he/she thought Galen had died.

'WE ARE VOULHIRE:THE FLESH OF THE MIND' written by Matthew Tysz is part of the ‘we are voulhire’ series and is the sixth book in its series. In this book, the ‘Emperor of Lullabies’ from ‘Caromentis’ has occupied 'Voulhire'. He’s sent his ships with his Ambassadors, his magical creatures like the ‘Nightynights’ and the ‘Bad Noise’ –monsters that kill without mercy and who are seemingly invincible. Of course, a female archer/warrior will later find out a secret, the truth about these creatures that can give the city an advantage over these monsters.

The ambassadors of the 'Emperor of Lullabies' try to coerce the people of the different cities to accept his invasion, using varying methods. Methods like creating a type of noise that deeply disturbs children, causing them to misbehave to their families, making them impossible to live with. Some cities resist outright, few give in, and some stay on the fence, taking time to weigh their options and decide how to proceed.

At the same time, there is a sociopath, with knowledge of magic, and a propensity for bringing monstrous creatures from a different world to wreak havoc, can possess individuals now, and goes up against Rowan and Demi.

Meanwhile, Galen is in ‘Caromentis’ struggling to adjust to a world in which nothing seems to be real, while focused on his mission to find the powerful Scientist and Mage - Meldorath, to bring him back to the physical world to help save 'Voulhire' and defeat the ‘Emperor of Lullabies’. Will he succeed in this mission before it’s too late? Will Rowan and Demetrius be able to defeat Folcro at last?

One interesting thing about Tysz is his ability to create completely different worlds, with unique creatures, and a unique type of language in his books, and this one is no exception. We have in this book, a magical world, and a physical world. A world based on individual will and imagination and the other based on natural laws. There are creatures made of magical energy that can vanish and dissolve into smoke. The language in 'Voulhire', varying according to the city seems to be a mixture of English, German and Italian- maybe more- as far as I know.

Another thing I love about the book is the interesting use of language - descriptive metaphors that bring the book to life in the reader’s mind. One such example is - "and the uncertainty lingered among its people like a lash caught in the eye, that to shift the pupil in just the wrong direction would evoke a tearful reminder".

Most of all, I love how there are strong female characters in this book in particular. We have the older sister of Rowan, Angela, who is a chancellor and is in charge of training her city’s squad of archers and who discovers a secret about the ‘Nightynights’ that helps to save the city. There are also the lady, Harper, and the mage, Rhea, both of whom work with king Nartik in their city. Harper defeats one of those creatures- the ‘bad noise’ who was torturing children in the city. Furthermore, there is the professor and mage, Julia, who works with Rowan and Demetrius (and in whom Demi may be romantically interested) and who assists Demi with his research and fought side by side with the men against the sociopath, Folcro. This is a refreshing change from what we had in the first three books in the series, in which the female characters mentioned were portrayed as weak and unimportant, even if this was inadvertent.

I have read the first three books in the series, and this - the sixth. I believe that all the books so far could have been divided into maybe two books rather than six. I feel having very many books in a series (more than three) does cause one to get tired of the books, but, of course, this is highly subjective. I do understand that this type of division is in a bid to encourage readers to keep buying and reading, and this is the author's prerogative.

The one thing I dislike is that for the first one-fifth of the book, nothing happens. It is a bit of a drag, and for someone who has not yet read any of the earlier books in the series, it will be quite hard to follow the book and not get bored within the first couple of pages. For this single reason, I will withhold one star and rate the book three stars out of four. In general, I believe it is possible to read and enjoy the book independently, albeit difficult.

Amazingly, the book was well edited, such that I did not find a single grammatical error. The characters and the plot were well developed, and the tension was alleviated using well-placed jokes (comic relief) and sexual innuendos. I would not recommend the book to a younger audience, though, because of the overt sexual jokes, the allusions to certain sexual activities, and the sexually explicit language. Those individuals who enjoy fantasy, however, will be sure to enjoy the book immensely, as did I.

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We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind
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[Abi_kanda]

I am so happy to know that someone else felt the way I did while reading this book. The book was honestly a drag, and I almost gave up on it. I hadn't read any other book in this series and I was so confused. I only started connecting the dots after reading almost half of the book. However, the book was awesome and I also liked how strong the female characters were, my favourite being Angela. That might or might not be because she was related to Rowan.

[zainherb]

Wow, Lol!
My sentiments exactly.

Except I had read some of the previous books in the series, so it was easier for me.

I am glad you enjoyed it anyway.

Angela was quite awesome yes, and her being related to Rowan added to that, indeed.

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate it.

[Sou Hi]

Thanks for your great review. This book is indeed more boring and confusing than its predecessors, especially if the readers haven't read the other books first. I myself also grabbed this sixth book before reading the 4th and 5th . And I appreciate the existence of Angela, whether she is related to Rowan or not. I hope she will last, as the previous female characters disappear too fast.

[zainherb]

Thanks for your great review. This book is indeed more boring and confusing than its predecessors, especially if the readers haven't read the other books first. I myself also grabbed this sixth book before reading the 4th and 5th . And I appreciate the existence of Angela, whether she is related to Rowan or not. I hope she will last, as the previous female characters disappear too fast.

Right? Lol.
I as well, hope Angela lasts . I hope all the female characters last to the very end.

I am glad you found something to enjoy about the book.

Thank you so much for your reply, Sou.

[Raluca_Mihaila]

I did exactly the same thing - I read the first 3, and then this one . Great review!

[zainherb]

I did exactly the same thing - I read the first 3, and then this one . Great review!

How interesting!

Thank you so much and thanks for your reply.