Review by Barbara Larkin -- We are Voulhire: The Flesh o...
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[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind" by Matthew Tysz.]
The sixth book in the We are Voulhire series, We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind is a delightful read. Written by Matthew Tysz, this book continues a gripping storyline of magic and adventure. For maximum understanding and enjoyment, it is advised to read this book in the order of the series.
Voulhire is once again caught in dire straits. In a bid to save his new home, Galen Bray follows an old enemy into another world, hoping the evil he knows can defeat the evil he doesn’t. But Caromentis is nothing like the Cosmos, and the rules there transcend everything he’s ever known. Galen must stretch the limits of his mind to navigate Caromentis, find Meldorath, then return to his home world. In the meantime, Rowan and Demetrius are hidden away in Diamora, safe from the clutches of the Emperor of Lullabies. Their haven might not be as harmless as they believe, however. With a vengeful assassin on their heels and a lingering darkness of unknown origin attacking the Dire Vine Jungle, the two friends just can’t seem to catch a break.
I need to find out the contents of Rowan’s milkshake that keeps bringing all these creatures to the yard – purely for research purposes, of course. For every scene he’s in, readers and characters alike are drawn to him. He also adds some much-needed comic relief to the story. I was looking forward to his and Maido’s first meeting and subsequent interactions, and I have to say I was not disappointed in the least. I liked the bits with them more than anything in this book.
Tysz’s use of suspenseful foreshadowing is killing me slowly but surely. There’s always some other type of danger that pops up when you least expect it, though it unfailingly blends with the rest of the storyline. Each time I think a subplot has been resolved, old enemies jump back into the fray. It’s as if the characters are playing whack-a-mole with us. There’s also the inclusion of several tropes that had a big impact. The main one was when Meldorath transformed from the villain to the hero of the story, though this had less to do with him seeing the error of his ways and was more as a result of being the biggest bad in the story.
My one source of dislike has to do with the number of errors. It seems that as each book progresses, this number increases. I can’t fully enjoy a book if it feels like, for every other page, some type of mistake inevitably crops up. The writing itself is decent, but perhaps another round of editing might improve the overall quality of this book. I do not believe the novel was professionally edited.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. This book would have gotten a perfect rating if not for the number of errors. With that in mind, I think a deduction of one star is justified. The Flesh of the Mind is a gem of fantasy fiction with multiple exceptional qualities. As such, I would recommend this book to readers who prefer this genre, those who enjoy reading books that form part of a relatively long series, or anyone on the hunt for an entertaining read regardless of its genre.
******
We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind
View: on Bookshelves |
The sixth book in the We are Voulhire series, We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind is a delightful read. Written by Matthew Tysz, this book continues a gripping storyline of magic and adventure. For maximum understanding and enjoyment, it is advised to read this book in the order of the series.
Voulhire is once again caught in dire straits. In a bid to save his new home, Galen Bray follows an old enemy into another world, hoping the evil he knows can defeat the evil he doesn’t. But Caromentis is nothing like the Cosmos, and the rules there transcend everything he’s ever known. Galen must stretch the limits of his mind to navigate Caromentis, find Meldorath, then return to his home world. In the meantime, Rowan and Demetrius are hidden away in Diamora, safe from the clutches of the Emperor of Lullabies. Their haven might not be as harmless as they believe, however. With a vengeful assassin on their heels and a lingering darkness of unknown origin attacking the Dire Vine Jungle, the two friends just can’t seem to catch a break.
I need to find out the contents of Rowan’s milkshake that keeps bringing all these creatures to the yard – purely for research purposes, of course. For every scene he’s in, readers and characters alike are drawn to him. He also adds some much-needed comic relief to the story. I was looking forward to his and Maido’s first meeting and subsequent interactions, and I have to say I was not disappointed in the least. I liked the bits with them more than anything in this book.
Tysz’s use of suspenseful foreshadowing is killing me slowly but surely. There’s always some other type of danger that pops up when you least expect it, though it unfailingly blends with the rest of the storyline. Each time I think a subplot has been resolved, old enemies jump back into the fray. It’s as if the characters are playing whack-a-mole with us. There’s also the inclusion of several tropes that had a big impact. The main one was when Meldorath transformed from the villain to the hero of the story, though this had less to do with him seeing the error of his ways and was more as a result of being the biggest bad in the story.
My one source of dislike has to do with the number of errors. It seems that as each book progresses, this number increases. I can’t fully enjoy a book if it feels like, for every other page, some type of mistake inevitably crops up. The writing itself is decent, but perhaps another round of editing might improve the overall quality of this book. I do not believe the novel was professionally edited.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. This book would have gotten a perfect rating if not for the number of errors. With that in mind, I think a deduction of one star is justified. The Flesh of the Mind is a gem of fantasy fiction with multiple exceptional qualities. As such, I would recommend this book to readers who prefer this genre, those who enjoy reading books that form part of a relatively long series, or anyone on the hunt for an entertaining read regardless of its genre.
******
We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind
View: on Bookshelves |
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