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.
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.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.
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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