Review of We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies

[Sonnie Sitz]

[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies" by Matthew Tysz.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies written by Matthew Tysz is the first in a series of books that serves to introduce the reader to the mystical world of Voulhire. It is a compelling book told from the perspectives of numerous characters as they discover new places and magic in the Voulhirian Kingdom.

Voulhire is recently recovering from the sinister doings of one it's former mage generals that was suddenly arrested by the king. In a different part of the world, young Galen leaves the Isles of Princes and his old life of suffering behind while at the same time Lord Eldus seeks to rebuild a small portside town in Voulhire that is recovering from the heinous deeds of their two prior lords. Meanwhile the king of Voulhire is hiding a secret pertaining to his former general while trying to decipher the cryptic messages left by the mysterious outcasts, the Riva Rohavi.

The author did a good job of introducing Voulhire, it's different regions and its connection to the magical realm of Caromentis that exists in a parallel universe to the Cosmos of Voulhire. The writing is concise and allows the reader to understand the magic and its different uses as it seeps into Voulhire. The author's clear writing style allows the reader to emerge themselves in the stories of the different characters, understanding their pain, their joy, and their trepidation. There is enough written detail to give the reader a clear picture of the events and scenery without being overwhelming.

It should be noted that there are several mentions of paedophilia that form an integral part of the storyline. However, there are no detailed descriptions of acts of this nature described throughout the book. Being set in a world that is like the Middle Ages, there are also instances of violence described in various parts of the book.

Another important point is that every chapter is told from the viewpoint of a different character. This can be become jarring as the storyline is interrupted just as the reader becomes accustomed to the tone of one of that specific character. Furthermore, some characters were written in 1st person while others were written in 3rd person which can further add to feeling of the storyline being interrupted.

Overall, the book was enjoyable, and I'd give it a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend it to fantasy and magic lovers looking to immerse themselves in a new universe with a complex storyline and interesting characters.

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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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[Shem Murundu]

Fantastic review. I agree with you on that part about the story being interrupted by changing the narration from first-person to third-person narration. However, the worldbuilding was great, as it created an immersive feel to the narrative.

[Kelly Tunstall]

I also found the change in narrators as well as the number of characters a lot to wrap my head around. I did, however, feel the author had done a lot of work creating such a detailed world. It was a challenging but interesting book to read.