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

[Ashton Hunter]

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

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5 out of 5 stars

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We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz is a medieval fantasy novel about a nation plagued by the memory of a powerful wizard, Meldorath, who is said to be dead, as well as the arrival of an immigrant, Galen, who had to flee his homeland in order to survive. As the novel progresses, tensions rise; is Meldorath really dead? Has the powerful order of the Riva Rohavi truly been defeated? What will Galen’s role in saving this kingdom be? Read We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies to find out.

I enjoyed the novel immensely. I found the world-building to be excellent; there was a lot of history and culture present, as well as a caste system that made sense. The characters were very well-written and well-rounded. The plot developed well, and each chapter had me wondering what would happen next. I especially enjoyed Rowan’s personality; he brought comic relief to the novel and made me laugh. I also appreciated that there was a bisexual character; it brings representation to the novel.

There wasn’t anything about the novel that I didn’t enjoy, but readers should be aware that there are a lot of vulgar words, as well as a character who is very crass and says many inappropriate things; some people may not enjoy this. Additionally, it is a very dense read and there are many points of view to keep up with. New characters are introduced very frequently, so that makes it hard to keep up with as well. I also think there could have been more female characters; most of the characters were male, so in terms of that the cast did not seem diverse.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes medieval fantasy novels, especially to readers who enjoyed Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. I would not recommend it to people who don’t enjoy relatively slow-paced books. I also would not recommend it to people who take offense to crass jokes, as there are several whenever the character Rowan is present.

I rate this book five out of five stars. I think it was excellently written, and was equally plot- and character-driven. Though the plot was hard to keep up with at times it constantly had me on my toes, and it was a very enjoyable read. I will definitely be re-reading it in the future.

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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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