Review of We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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Erik Shimizu
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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.]
We Are Voulhire by Matthew Tysz is a very intriguing, well-thought-out first novel of a series covering numerous storylines in the fantasy world of Voulhire. While the premise is that of a land and its people struggling to maintain the near peace and prosperity that has occurred for the past few decades, groups and individuals like Riva Rohavi and Meldorath are determined to see that balance upset. Enter the Aldermans, a family of nobles tasked with repairing the damaged community of Hillsport, one of which holds a powerful secret that comes into play later in the novel. Will they be able to repair the damage caused by earlier leaders? Or are they doomed to fail like the leaders before them? Will the past come back to strike them when they least expect it? Or will they manage their difficult task, thus bringing the city into a new golden age? You must read to find out!
Also mixed into the fray is Galen Bray, a survivor, future blacksmith, and an all-around good and kind-hearted person. His storyline helps develop the story from a different perspective than the other characters who have lived in Voulhire their entire lives. His innocence and naivete are endearing and refreshing as he discovers things for the first time, much like a child. Close by Galen’s side is the savvy and somewhat mysterious Rowan, whose motives are not entirely clear, and finally, they are joined by the monk Demetrius, whose power of imbuing objects for the church makes him a highly sought-after individual. Together, they try to unlock the secret of a mysterious mineral and get Galen’s blacksmithing business up and running while navigating the politics and events of the world around them.
Overall, this novel earns a rating of 5/5 stars. The depth of characters, the branched plot, the mystery, drama, suspense, and action all combine to form a cohesive and solid plot while enriching the reader’s world with fantastic descriptions of things that could be, given the right circumstances. One thing that the author did particularly well was draw upon phrases and other “norms” from our society today and the distant past, such as rock-paper-scissors and medieval living conditions and social structure. Including those details helps merge our world with that of Voulhire and brings the story even more to life. What’s also truly enjoyable about the story is how, despite the different focuses of each timeline, they all flow smoothly together in a cohesive manner and make sense working together to form the overall plot.
There are no criticisms of this novel, which is exceptionally rare. The characters, even the enigmatic Beth, who you hope will see the light and make the right choices, help deepen the story, and the cliffhanger ending of the novel does its job perfectly as it will send the reader in search of the second book of the series immediately to find out what happens next. The only warning needed for this novel is a heavy amount of swearing and mentions of pedophilia. Other than that, the author did an exceptionally good job of showing the reader this world of wonder while still leaving plenty to the imagination, thus giving the reader all the tools they need to enjoy this novel.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
We Are Voulhire by Matthew Tysz is a very intriguing, well-thought-out first novel of a series covering numerous storylines in the fantasy world of Voulhire. While the premise is that of a land and its people struggling to maintain the near peace and prosperity that has occurred for the past few decades, groups and individuals like Riva Rohavi and Meldorath are determined to see that balance upset. Enter the Aldermans, a family of nobles tasked with repairing the damaged community of Hillsport, one of which holds a powerful secret that comes into play later in the novel. Will they be able to repair the damage caused by earlier leaders? Or are they doomed to fail like the leaders before them? Will the past come back to strike them when they least expect it? Or will they manage their difficult task, thus bringing the city into a new golden age? You must read to find out!
Also mixed into the fray is Galen Bray, a survivor, future blacksmith, and an all-around good and kind-hearted person. His storyline helps develop the story from a different perspective than the other characters who have lived in Voulhire their entire lives. His innocence and naivete are endearing and refreshing as he discovers things for the first time, much like a child. Close by Galen’s side is the savvy and somewhat mysterious Rowan, whose motives are not entirely clear, and finally, they are joined by the monk Demetrius, whose power of imbuing objects for the church makes him a highly sought-after individual. Together, they try to unlock the secret of a mysterious mineral and get Galen’s blacksmithing business up and running while navigating the politics and events of the world around them.
Overall, this novel earns a rating of 5/5 stars. The depth of characters, the branched plot, the mystery, drama, suspense, and action all combine to form a cohesive and solid plot while enriching the reader’s world with fantastic descriptions of things that could be, given the right circumstances. One thing that the author did particularly well was draw upon phrases and other “norms” from our society today and the distant past, such as rock-paper-scissors and medieval living conditions and social structure. Including those details helps merge our world with that of Voulhire and brings the story even more to life. What’s also truly enjoyable about the story is how, despite the different focuses of each timeline, they all flow smoothly together in a cohesive manner and make sense working together to form the overall plot.
There are no criticisms of this novel, which is exceptionally rare. The characters, even the enigmatic Beth, who you hope will see the light and make the right choices, help deepen the story, and the cliffhanger ending of the novel does its job perfectly as it will send the reader in search of the second book of the series immediately to find out what happens next. The only warning needed for this novel is a heavy amount of swearing and mentions of pedophilia. Other than that, the author did an exceptionally good job of showing the reader this world of wonder while still leaving plenty to the imagination, thus giving the reader all the tools they need to enjoy this novel.
******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Deceptive Calm by Patricia Skipper
