Review of We are Voulhire: The Knights of Chalethire

[Sakura5]

[i][Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: The Knights of Chalethire" by Matthew Tysz.][/i]

[rwc=id381504-125]4 out of 4 stars.[/rwc]With the fourth installment of the saga, [i]We are Voulhire: The Knights of Chalethire[/i], Matthew Tysz reconfirms his great writing talent.



This time, at the center of the narration are the Chaletherian knights, powerful and seemingly invincible knights in golden armors. With nowhere else safe to go, our protagonists Galen, Rowan, and Demetrius seek asylum in Chalethire, governed by the ambitious Count Elmira. The entire Voulhire is in turmoil, and a confrontation with the Mianoran knights (the powerful but declining army at the king’s service) and the Riva Rohavi (the dancing rebels who threaten the kingdom) seems inevitable. In a game of trust, loyalty and power, will our protagonists and their new allies come out victorious from the battle? You will find out only by reading until the very end of the book.



The more I read of this saga, the more I can envision a screen adaptation of it. Battle scenes in particular would make for powerful and colorful movie scenes, given the strong characterization Tysz ascribes to his protagonists. In my mind, the black-feathered rebels Riva Rohavi played extremely well against the gold armored Chaletherian knights.



I particularly loved this book because of the way the characters are developing: they are more and more independent from one another and each one of them is concentrating on developing his own skills. Another thing that I strongly appreciated was the introduction of the very first powerful female character, Paladin Harper. Commander of the Chaletherian knights, she is not only the most skilled knight but also a great strategist. Through her, issues of gender equality are highlighted in connection with showing the difficulties of being in charge in a world that seems to be always ruled by men. Plus, what makes these characters intriguing and real is that they are often ambiguous. In this way, Tysz ensures that the reader can never predict what will happen next: his protagonists’ actions cannot be anticipated, in a great move that keeps the reader engaged in the narration.



Whoever approaches this saga will be captured by the author's writing style and witty humor. Dialogues in particular are very well constructed and let the narration flow with ease. The division into small chapters, each one from the point of view of a different character, allows for a comprehensive vision and understanding of the whole story from different perspectives.



There is nothing I disliked about this book, as I think both the plot and the protagonists are very well developed. I just found a few more editorial mistakes than in the previous books; but still, these form a very small percentage compared to the entire novel. This is why I am confident in rating [i]We are Voulhire: The Knights of Chalethire[/i] [b]4 out of 4 stars[/b]. The book is suitable for fantasy/sci-fi genre fans, even if I would always recommend a too young audience not to approach it for the occasional instances of profane words and vulgarity. People of any religious belief could read the novel without being offended, even if the theme of homosexuality is addressed on a couple of occasions. No particular vulgar scenes are included, even if there is an episode of close approach between two male characters.



All in all, we can see Matthew Tysz growing with each new volume of this saga. I am really curious to discover how he will surprise us in the next episode!

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[i]We are Voulhire: The Knights of Chalethire [/i]
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