Review of We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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Jen Johnston
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- Latest Review: We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz
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.]
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz is an epic fantasy story centered around the people and politics of the land of Voulhire. The story introduces readers to several characters and follows them through their journeys. In the beginning, the characters seem very far apart but as the story progresses, the individual storylines become more and more intertwined into an overarching narrative. The forces of good and evil ebb and flow across Voulhire in large and small ways, and it is not always clear exactly who is on the side of good and who is on the side of evil.
I really enjoyed this book. The author creates a vivid world that includes a variety of settings and characters. I found the story easy to read and easy to follow. The characters are compelling. The reader uncovers their stories bit by bit and their true motivations and machinations are not always apparent. The story does jump around quite a bit. Each character’s section is relatively brief before we move onto another character in another part of the world. It is important to keep track of each group of characters, where they are, and what they are doing. However, the author does a good job of identifying each section, and this approach to telling the story provides the reader with several viewpoints of what is happening in Voulhire. And the author does an excellent job of weaving the stories together in sometimes the most delicate way. Lord Eldus encourages Hillport to boost its economy by expanding lobster exports to surrounding cities and later Galen enjoys a delicious meal of newly imported lobsters in nearby Magnum Caelum.
My only minor criticism is that there are a few characters, events, or places that appeared in this story that seemed less significant to this story, but I suspect will become vital later in future books. For example, is the section devoted to Beth simply a way to introduce the reader to the world she comes from? Or will her origins have the necessary clue to unlock a future mystery? It occasionally left me with the feeling that when I get to the end of the next book in the series, I’m going to want to come back and read this book again to pick up on the little things I didn’t register as being important the first time through. As a reader, I enjoy experiencing those twists and turns, but I could see how others would find it more frustrating than delightful.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed the world the author created and am invested in what happens to the characters that live there. I’m anxious to read the next book to see what happens to them. I expect some surprises will appear in the story to come and I’m looking forward to discovering them.
I would recommend this book for fans of epic fantasy stories who are willing to invest their time into a multi-book story.
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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz is an epic fantasy story centered around the people and politics of the land of Voulhire. The story introduces readers to several characters and follows them through their journeys. In the beginning, the characters seem very far apart but as the story progresses, the individual storylines become more and more intertwined into an overarching narrative. The forces of good and evil ebb and flow across Voulhire in large and small ways, and it is not always clear exactly who is on the side of good and who is on the side of evil.
I really enjoyed this book. The author creates a vivid world that includes a variety of settings and characters. I found the story easy to read and easy to follow. The characters are compelling. The reader uncovers their stories bit by bit and their true motivations and machinations are not always apparent. The story does jump around quite a bit. Each character’s section is relatively brief before we move onto another character in another part of the world. It is important to keep track of each group of characters, where they are, and what they are doing. However, the author does a good job of identifying each section, and this approach to telling the story provides the reader with several viewpoints of what is happening in Voulhire. And the author does an excellent job of weaving the stories together in sometimes the most delicate way. Lord Eldus encourages Hillport to boost its economy by expanding lobster exports to surrounding cities and later Galen enjoys a delicious meal of newly imported lobsters in nearby Magnum Caelum.
My only minor criticism is that there are a few characters, events, or places that appeared in this story that seemed less significant to this story, but I suspect will become vital later in future books. For example, is the section devoted to Beth simply a way to introduce the reader to the world she comes from? Or will her origins have the necessary clue to unlock a future mystery? It occasionally left me with the feeling that when I get to the end of the next book in the series, I’m going to want to come back and read this book again to pick up on the little things I didn’t register as being important the first time through. As a reader, I enjoy experiencing those twists and turns, but I could see how others would find it more frustrating than delightful.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed the world the author created and am invested in what happens to the characters that live there. I’m anxious to read the next book to see what happens to them. I expect some surprises will appear in the story to come and I’m looking forward to discovering them.
I would recommend this book for fans of epic fantasy stories who are willing to invest their time into a multi-book story.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
