Review by Mys_Trea -- We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the ...
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Review by Mys_Trea -- We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the ...
We Are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind, is the sixth offering in a series by Matthew Tysz. On this adventure, we follow three friends. Galen is the lead character. He is an immigrant from The Lands of the Princes who continues to astonish with his strength of character. Demetrius is a respected and gifted monk with a quiet but ambitious nature. Rowan is the charismatic and devastatingly handsome friend. Galen finds himself in the magical realm known as Caromentis, seeking aid from the notoriously powerful mage, Meldorath. Rowan and Demetrius head to The Dire Vine Jungle, seeking refuge there. These journeys are prompted by what appears to be an invasion of Voulhire by the feared Emperor of Lullabies. We continue to follow the friends on yet another rollercoaster ride, trying to save their beloved land, Voulhire.
I enjoyed quite a few elements of this book. Mostly, I liked the introduction of a few strong female characters. I had initially felt that the story was missing this in the earlier books. One such character is Lady Angela of Cridaea. She is very revered in her city and even has her own army of archers. I liked her esteemed status in society, as well as the relationship she shares with her husband. It is refreshing to note how the roles are reversed - where wives are usually the subservient partners in the marriage, Angela’s husband, Adrian, is the one who shows deference to his wife. It is clear that Lady Angela enjoys a very powerful role, which was great.
There were some negative parts in this story. Rowan, for instance, was initially made out to be confident and strong in his own right. In this story, I found his strength to be significantly diminished. In fact, the major role he plays is that of former chancellor Midius Maido’s sexual conquest. He has a few redeeming moments, however, I saw him as a mere shadow of the character I had come to know. I suppose one can argue that people often change, especially after experiencing pain, fear or immense loss, so perhaps we can put it down to that. Another negative element I noticed was the overall action that was seriously lacking. I would have expected much more from the supposedly terrifying Emperor of Lullabies. His attack on Voulhire could have been more exciting than, for example, producing random entities that screamed the life out of children. There were other lukewarm attempts at drama, however, I was left sadly underwhelmed.
I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. Reading it almost felt like a chore that I felt grateful to finish. This was disappointing, as I had come to expect much more from this particular series. The editing of the book was exceptional. I did not find a single error. I also appreciated some of the humorous banter, particularly by Rowan and Maido, often at the expense of Demetrius. Positive aspects such as this made it easier for me to reach the conclusion.
This book contains profanity, so I would not recommend it to young or sensitive readers. I would urge anyone who has read the previous books in the series to give this one a read, as it will obviously shed light on more scenarios that are faced by the characters. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an adventure story. It might be better to get some background first in the form of all the previous books in the series beforehand, however. Despite being less than thoroughly impressed with this read, I am still a fan of Matthew Tysz and his We Are Voulhire series. I look forward to embarking on yet another adventure soon.
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We are Voulhire: The Flesh of the Mind
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And then the game changed."