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

[Harmonia Silverberg]

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

---

5 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz is the first book of a five-series saga. As the name suggested, this book contains the start of the journey of a couple of characters after arriving in a new land. The book changes perspective from one key character to another quite often while the author seems to put special attention to one of the characters, Galen Bray, as his story is told from a first-person point of view.

From the journey of Galen Bray – as he starts a new fateful chapter of his life from a nobody who was just trying to survive in his war-torn homeland to an inheritor of his great uncle’s smithy – to the brainstorming tale of Eldus Alderman as he tries to turn the below-average town of Hillport into a prosperous one, we are served with a bowl of action, magic, as well as heroic adventure along with some political strategies mixed in. It is clear to see that the author truly knows how to introduce the world he’s building while moving forward with the plot instead of abandoning it.

There are some parts of the story that left quite an impact in me because of how the author presented it. For example, the magic system. I am utterly impressed with the author’s explanation of magic through rock-paper-scissors game. I consider myself born from fantasy genre as a reader, so I have read my fair share of fantasy novels, and Matthew Tysz’s way of explaining about how magic works in his novel is one of my favorites. It is a concept that is truly easy to immediately get into and accept.

Another thing I absolutely love about the novel – its highest selling point for me anyway – is how the reader is required to think/deduce what role each character plays. Are they one of the good guys? Or are they the villain? One moment you would think you got it all figured out, but then plot twist hit you in the face. I have always loved stories that encourage their readers to keep thinking as they cruise along the plot.

If there is one thing that bothers me about the novel is the strong telling-instead-of-showing vibes in the beginning of the book. It is something I noticed from the very first sentence of the prologue (and the prologue as a whole, to be honest). The prologue of this book is supposed to be this shocking, horrifying plot packed with some fighting scene to hook the readers, but unfortunately, it is not delivered as well as I had hoped.

In conclusion, the worldbuilding, strong characters, plot twists as well as the exceptional editing are all still enough reason for me to rate this book a full 5 out of 5 stars. I highly suggest readers who enjoy adventure books filled with magic, actions, and kingdom-building politics to give this book a chance.

******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Da_JumogM]

Matthew Tysz did wonders in this book. The way he conferred up this fantasy story still amazes me. Voulhire sounds both ordinary and extraordinary. I just liked this book's plot. Great review.