Review by rahilshajahan -- We are Voulhire: Someone Else...

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rahilshajahan
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Review by rahilshajahan -- We are Voulhire: Someone Else...

Post by rahilshajahan »

[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: Someone Else's End" by Matthew Tysz.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Are we about to see some MELDO-WRATH? Hell yeah, and this time, he is a proper badass. Being a fan of Meldorath, I can see that the man holds people who educate themselves in high regard. So, welcome to my review of the third book in the We are Voulhire series, Someone Else's Mind, written by Matthew Tysz. To know who that someone else is, all you have to do is read the first page of the book. If you haven't read the first two books, please avert your eyes as you may find some spoilers.

Right off the bat, we are introduced to the Emperor of Lullabies, whose mind and methods, down to his most casual of movements, belonged to a dimension that mere humans did not know. This mysterious man terrifies the evil lord Meldorath himself. Let that sink in. The emperor communicates to Meldorath that this universe belongs in his hands alone. Wow! A powerful message indeed. Just when we are reeling from the introduction of such a mighty character, we witness Meldorath planning to kill King Wilhelm. The surplus amount of intrigue gets us going to the next chapter without even realizing it.

I initially thought the Emperor of Lullabies was Galen. I deeply regret such a foolish thought because this dude can literally end lives in seconds. At Soulhire, the capital of Voulhire, a famous and important court case is going on, with the king preceding it. The case demands that refugees from the Lands of the Princes(sons of the Emperor of Lullabies) be allowed to inside Voulhire, with the opposition claiming that such a decision would invite the wrath of the emperor upon Voulhire. Just when King Wilhelm is to make a statement, bursts forth a nightynight(minions of the emperor) grabbing the king by the throat. In the midst of all this is Galen, Demi, and Rowan. See, this is just the beginning of the book. Already, I'm spellbound by the plot development. Galen runs to save the king. Will he succeed? Read the book to find out.

I was a tiny bit disappointed with some new features in the character development of Galen. Galen, out of nowhere, lashes at Rowan and is portrayed to have a very angry past. The last two books didn't even hint such development. I felt this was rather an out-of-hand and urgent imposition on Galen as he might need warrior-like abilities in the future. Including some nuances in the first book about his past and fighting capabilities would've been better.

Man, I loved the fact that Meldorath got some screentime, though. By the way, when the nightynight grabs hold of the king, all hell breaks loose in Soulhire, as the dark army of the Emperor of Lullabies storms the city killing hundreds of thousands. Just then, my guy Meldorath arrives, magic in hand, tearing down the emperor's huge demon-like ships floating above the city. I'll put down an excerpt from the book here that highlights his badassness.
Meldorath focused on the ships. On one of them.
His eyes twitched slightly, and the great ship underwent a quake. From this far below, it seemed like a soft rumble. But it was more than enough to make its countless occupants feel vulnerable, or at least piss them off.
Meldorath grinned, and kept running.
I also had to throw light on something else by showing you the above excerpt. The usage of the comma is abused in certain parts of the book, like the one shown above. It didn't exactly hinder my reading experience, but I believe that grammatical mistakes should be avoided at all costs. Overlooking this, I can say the book was edited well. I found only one typo. I am pretty sure everyone loves Tysz's writing style. The author is an awesome storyteller. If you want proof, just take one of his books and read. I believe that he can write engaging fiction with his eyes closed.

Considering the aforementioned points, I would rate the book three out of four stars. I am dropping a star for the weird character development of Galen and the comma issues. The book has a solid amount of profanity and gore but is completely devoid of eros. I suggest that children stay clear of this book, but all thriller fanatics can find an abode here. If you are a worrywart regarding cliffhangers, don't be because this one ends with a neat and clean opener to the next book in the series.

******
We are Voulhire: Someone Else's End
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Post by Saint Bruno »

Lovely book review from you. I presume this is the third book in the series. Thanks for your insights and recommendation.
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Post by Ellylion »

I agree, Gales is shown from a really unexpected side in this book. Thanks for this insightful review! :)
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Post by Sou Hi »

This is just my understanding, but I think it's not very unexpected coming from Galen. As he said in his talk with Rowan later, a child from a war-bound country will have to either toughen up or suffer in pain. Our guy is humble, and his strength comes from anger. He will be strong thanks to the adrenaline, but then he will hurt people. It's not something a mellow guy like Galen wants to show. So the poor guy is probably just embarrassed when Rowan pesters him about his dark past :). Anyway, thanks for your detailed review.
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Post by MeganDJ »

Yes! More of Meldorath AND we get introduced to the all-powerful Emperor of Lullabies? I am so excited for the next one :D I do agree that an angry Galen is waay out of character from what we have read in the past but maybe the appearance of the Emperor has brought up some PTSD? Thank you so much for the charismatic and interesting review! Happy reading :techie-studyinggray:
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Post by rahilshajahan »

Sou Hi wrote: 20 Sep 2020, 21:00 This is just my understanding, but I think it's not very unexpected coming from Galen. As he said in his talk with Rowan later, a child from a war-bound country will have to either toughen up or suffer in pain. Our guy is humble, and his strength comes from anger. He will be strong thanks to the adrenaline, but then he will hurt people. It's not something a mellow guy like Galen wants to show. So the poor guy is probably just embarrassed when Rowan pesters him about his dark past :). Anyway, thanks for your detailed review.
That does add more perspective but the thing is he showed no fighting abilities in the first two books and when suddenly he took down a Riva soldier twice the size of him, I wasn't ready for it.
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Post by Drado_27 »

Love your writing style! Now that you mentioned it, I remembered that I was also puzzled by Galen's sudden anger and martial arts skills.
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Post by Sou Hi »

rahilshajahan wrote: 21 Sep 2020, 03:14
Sou Hi wrote: 20 Sep 2020, 21:00 This is just my understanding, but I think it's not very unexpected coming from Galen. As he said in his talk with Rowan later, a child from a war-bound country will have to either toughen up or suffer in pain. Our guy is humble, and his strength comes from anger. He will be strong thanks to the adrenaline, but then he will hurt people. It's not something a mellow guy like Galen wants to show. So the poor guy is probably just embarrassed when Rowan pesters him about his dark past :). Anyway, thanks for your detailed review.
That does add more perspective but the thing is he showed no fighting abilities in the first two books and when suddenly he took down a Riva soldier twice the size of him, I wasn't ready for it.
In the sequels, he will be even more different :D. Galen just doesn't show it, but he is capable of fighting and using his brain. By the way, are you able to get the 6th book yet?
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rahilshajahan
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Post by rahilshajahan »

Sou Hi wrote: 21 Sep 2020, 06:25
rahilshajahan wrote: 21 Sep 2020, 03:14
Sou Hi wrote: 20 Sep 2020, 21:00 This is just my understanding, but I think it's not very unexpected coming from Galen. As he said in his talk with Rowan later, a child from a war-bound country will have to either toughen up or suffer in pain. Our guy is humble, and his strength comes from anger. He will be strong thanks to the adrenaline, but then he will hurt people. It's not something a mellow guy like Galen wants to show. So the poor guy is probably just embarrassed when Rowan pesters him about his dark past :). Anyway, thanks for your detailed review.
That does add more perspective but the thing is he showed no fighting abilities in the first two books and when suddenly he took down a Riva soldier twice the size of him, I wasn't ready for it.
In the sequels, he will be even more different :D. Galen just doesn't show it, but he is capable of fighting and using his brain. By the way, are you able to get the 6th book yet?
Yea, I am! I am still reading the fifth one though. Thanks for your help.
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Post by Prisallen »

You make this sound very intriguing. I have not read any of the books, but your review makes me want to start. However, I usually avoid books in a series unless they are standalones. Amazing review, though!
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Post by Anusha Thatavarthi »

I agree Meldorath is a badass. The story gets interesting in his chapters. I love the pun in the first line! Great review!
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Post by AnnOgochukwu »

You're team Meldorath? Intresting! Before you ask, I'm not.
BTW, your review is mind blowing. OMG! I said I wasn't going to read any review on this series until I had finished reading that particular installment (I hate spoilers of any sought), but your review had me going all the way 😄. Well, I didn't find any spoiler, probably because I'm already half way this particular installment. And, I agree with @Sou Hi, anything is to be expected from a child with a war-torn background.
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Post by pablo10 »

The series as a whole is very enjoyable. Great review.
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Post by Olabode Joshua »

Wow, wow, wow! Who am I to not love your writing style? I thought I was watching a movie review! Plus, I started liking Meldorath after reading this book. I'm looking forward to more of your reviews, Rahilshajahan.
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Post by Raluca_Mihaila »

I love Meldorath! Even more than Galen :). I agree with you, Galen is a weird character, but I'm looking forward to see what's next for him!
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