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

Posted: 03 Oct 2022, 23:01
by IbrahimOtegbade
[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 4 stars
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A young man in the Lands of the Princes receives a letter. His dying uncle wants him to come to the capital. He escapes the soldiers trying to stop him from leaving and boards a ship with the hope of starting a new life when he gets to the city. When he arrives in Voulhire, he discovers that his uncle, a blacksmith, has died. But he left him an inheritance with the hope that he would learn to be a blacksmith. At the same time, a problem arises in the city. The great mage Meldorath plans his escape from an isolated prison. Gray, an amateur blacksmith, becomes entangled in the conflict between good and evil.

Matthew Tysz's We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies is a fantasy, the first book in the We Are Voulhire series. The story is complex but can easily be adapted as a TV series. Though the characters are many, they are well-developed and connected. Every chapter is about a character, but the story is narrated from two different points of view. Galen seems to be the main protagonist because some chapters are narrated from his point of view, but there are many other central characters. However, other chapters are narrated from the omniscient third-person point of view. I commend the author for his creativity and use of language. The book is well edited; I found only one error in it.

However, the beginning of the story is a little challenging to understand. The names of places and characters at the start of the story are too many for an introduction. Also, the story has a slow start; the conflict occurs later than expected. I almost thought there would be none. A lot of time is spent on exposition.

The story is an intriguing narrative of magic and fantasy. I found it very interesting and realistic. The struggle for power and the revolutionary ideas in the story are thematic elements that exist in the real world and contemporary politics. The book is a good introduction to the We Are Voulhire series. Despite my personal biases, I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars.

I suggest this book to readers who enjoy fantasy and magic stories. However, it is most suitable for mature readers because there are instances of profanity in it. The story ends with a cliffhanger; readers should be prepared to read the next book(s) to know the fate of Voulhire.

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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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