Review of We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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Jake Gylan
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Review of We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies" by Matthew Tysz.]
So, let's get started. We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies is a little section of Matthew Tysz's larger world, which I am now excited to read. This first book introduces us to the magnificent kingdom of Voulhire. There are tales to explain its existence, and the writer dwells deep in these tales, giving them life and enabling the reader to get a vivid imagination of how this kingdom is: from the Lands of the Princes to the coastal town of Hillport to the Holy City of Yamon Soul to the Graylands, and finally to their capital in Soulhire and their various systems of governance.
The story is told from a multi-aspect point of view, where the writer takes us, the audience, into the point of view of various characters, and with this, they help us understand their motivations and their reasons for doing what they do. Galen Bray is an immigrant from the Lands of the Princes in search of a better life. Eldus Alderman is a newly appointed lord trying his best to be a good ruler and invoke great progress in his domain. Meldorath is a powerful magician who puts on less than he is genuinely capable of and is thus continuously underestimated. The Rohavi are an insurgent group on a mission to uphold their principles, and finally, the King of Voulhire is doing his best to maintain a grip on his kingdom from the fear that engulfs it caused by the enemies of his kingdom. I would classify this book as a fantasy epic.
I liked this book because of how the author carried out its concept. I appreciated the sluggish tempo since it contributed to fewer story holes and even increased the reader's imagination due to all the information about the architecture, clothes, personalities, and so on. Character development was excellent; however, I guess it is not yet complete because the adventure of all these individuals has only just begun. Fantasy lovers will love this book since it is filled with magical aspects, including magical worlds, magicians, and spells. In addition, the action sequences were brilliantly written, almost like movie scenes. The sub-plots were also amazing as they gave the story more life and the characters more grounded in that; they might have all these huge achievements and abilities, but at the end of the day, they deal with small issues, hence making them human and thus relatable, such as Meldorath’s use of paradoxes to explain to Beth why he is unbothered by the inspector (just to mention an instance).
Despite the many great aspects of this book, I discovered one flaw that, while minor, disrupts the flow. The content in the author's book was not well organized. I suggest they go back to the drawing board and divide the book into chapters since this will make it easier to navigate in both softcopy and hardcopy editions. This upset me, but a little mislabeling isn't going to stop me from enjoying the beauty of Voulhire.
From a writer's perspective, the ending was gratifying since all of the stories were resolved, and those that were left open were done so to generate anticipation for future installments of the book. The typical reader, on the other hand, will be eager to discover what happens next. I have conflicting thoughts about the conclusion, but they are all positive.
I would recommend this book to the avid reader who is ready to be enlightened by a whole new world. I would give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 and 5 out of 5 because of the gorgeous worlds Matthew built; the characters were engaging to the point where I came to despise some of them; and the editing was also outstanding as I did not find any errors while I read. I would suggest you give this book a read.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
So, let's get started. We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies is a little section of Matthew Tysz's larger world, which I am now excited to read. This first book introduces us to the magnificent kingdom of Voulhire. There are tales to explain its existence, and the writer dwells deep in these tales, giving them life and enabling the reader to get a vivid imagination of how this kingdom is: from the Lands of the Princes to the coastal town of Hillport to the Holy City of Yamon Soul to the Graylands, and finally to their capital in Soulhire and their various systems of governance.
The story is told from a multi-aspect point of view, where the writer takes us, the audience, into the point of view of various characters, and with this, they help us understand their motivations and their reasons for doing what they do. Galen Bray is an immigrant from the Lands of the Princes in search of a better life. Eldus Alderman is a newly appointed lord trying his best to be a good ruler and invoke great progress in his domain. Meldorath is a powerful magician who puts on less than he is genuinely capable of and is thus continuously underestimated. The Rohavi are an insurgent group on a mission to uphold their principles, and finally, the King of Voulhire is doing his best to maintain a grip on his kingdom from the fear that engulfs it caused by the enemies of his kingdom. I would classify this book as a fantasy epic.
I liked this book because of how the author carried out its concept. I appreciated the sluggish tempo since it contributed to fewer story holes and even increased the reader's imagination due to all the information about the architecture, clothes, personalities, and so on. Character development was excellent; however, I guess it is not yet complete because the adventure of all these individuals has only just begun. Fantasy lovers will love this book since it is filled with magical aspects, including magical worlds, magicians, and spells. In addition, the action sequences were brilliantly written, almost like movie scenes. The sub-plots were also amazing as they gave the story more life and the characters more grounded in that; they might have all these huge achievements and abilities, but at the end of the day, they deal with small issues, hence making them human and thus relatable, such as Meldorath’s use of paradoxes to explain to Beth why he is unbothered by the inspector (just to mention an instance).
Despite the many great aspects of this book, I discovered one flaw that, while minor, disrupts the flow. The content in the author's book was not well organized. I suggest they go back to the drawing board and divide the book into chapters since this will make it easier to navigate in both softcopy and hardcopy editions. This upset me, but a little mislabeling isn't going to stop me from enjoying the beauty of Voulhire.
From a writer's perspective, the ending was gratifying since all of the stories were resolved, and those that were left open were done so to generate anticipation for future installments of the book. The typical reader, on the other hand, will be eager to discover what happens next. I have conflicting thoughts about the conclusion, but they are all positive.
I would recommend this book to the avid reader who is ready to be enlightened by a whole new world. I would give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 and 5 out of 5 because of the gorgeous worlds Matthew built; the characters were engaging to the point where I came to despise some of them; and the editing was also outstanding as I did not find any errors while I read. I would suggest you give this book a read.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
