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

[Taylor Papstein-Novak]

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

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4 out of 5 stars

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We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz is one of the best new books I’ve read in years. The story takes place in a fantasy realm where magic, science, religion, and politics collide. The main character, Galen Bray, is a refugee to Voulhire from a war-torn country. As he adjusts to this new, peaceful country, we learn, as readers, that turmoil is in Voulhire too through POV chapters from characters such as King Wilhelm, Lord Eldus, Vidius Crodai (a rebel leader), and many others. Recently, a friend of the king and mage, General Meldorath, has betrayed the kingdom by committing atrocities, and rumors of his death being a lie swirl.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would give it four out of five stars. Having multiple different POV characters can often be confusing or frustratingly repetitive, but Tysz keeps the storyline succinct and clear while exploring the minds of over eight characters. Even when reading the chapters of characters, I didn’t like, I was still engaged and interested in the machinations of their mind and worldview. I also enjoyed novel takes on classic fantasy tropes that felt original as opposed to a copy and paste of what has been written previously. I took off one star because although the book held my interest and I will definitely be reading the sequel, this book is not particularly good as a stand-alone story. I wanted a little bit more introduction to the religion and magic of Tysz’s universe than what I got. Additionally, I found myself often rushing through the main character, Galen’s, chapters because I found them the least interesting. Despite this, I’m excited to see where both the plot and characters go and think this is a great first book to a series that I’m hoping passes the bar that We Are Voulhire sets.

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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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[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.