Review by Ashley-Osuna -- We are Voulhire: A New Arrival...

[Ashley-Osuna]

[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 4 stars

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We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies, by Matthew Tysz, is the first of nine books that make up the series of We Are Voulhire. Galen was born in the Lands of the Princes, an ensemble of islands suffering the effects of the dragging civil war. The day arrived for Galen to finally leave his homeland; after an unknown uncle found out of his existence, and his dying wish was to get him to Voulhire. Galen finally gets to Voulhire, where he discovers a new way of living, all while trying to learn to manage the forge that his uncle left him.

Meanwhile, the King of Voulhire has to deal with the influence that Meldorath, a powerful magician, still holds in the kingdom. To do so, he has to appoint a new lord of the town of Hillport, an underdeveloped city, but that has great potential. He appoints Lord Eldus, an honest man with good intentions. However, Eldus will soon discover that facing the legacy of such a powerful magician is a difficult task to carry out.

We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies sets the scene as an introductory book, presenting us with a handful of characters and the world where their story develops. What I liked most about this book is Voulhire as a whole; as a reader, I appreciate it when authors carefully develop the world in which their stories will take place. I can tell that Matthew Tysz put a great effort into doing so because Voulhire is complete. There are no holes, nor does it seem like anything was not well-thought-out. I could tell that the author wanted his story to be understood as he even created a website consisting of a reference guide of places, characters, and words so that new readers did not get confused.

I also loved the main character; he was relatable and likable. I am very interested in seeing how he continues to grow as a character and how he plays a role in the plot of the series. I liked King Wilhelm as well; I feel like I usually read about irrational kings, but the King of Voulhire is more on the philosophical side, so I am excited to see where his character goes.

The only thing that I did not like about this book was that it could be a bit slow at times. However, I am not taking away any points because of this, as I understand that this is an introductory book. The author intended for the readers to view this book as a chapter of the whole series, meaning that we are not presented with the full plot yet.

This book was exceptionally well-edited, which only made the reading experience more enjoyable. It did not contain any erotic scenes; it did contain battle scenes, but I did not consider them to be too gruesome. I am happily giving this book 4 out of 4 stars because the story seems promising, and this book was a perfect introduction to the world of Voulhire. I am recommending this book to anyone that enjoys fantasy series with a deeper meaning to them.

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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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[Tomah]

That's a good point about kings in fantasy novels; they're often evil, incompetent, naive or a mix of all three. Competent kings are somewhat of a rarity, so I did appreciate Wilhelm. While I have some reservations regarding this book and the series as a whole, I felt it was a solid introduction to this universe. Thanks for the review!

[Rodel Barnachea]

This book seems perfect for me. Thank you for writing this fantastic review!

[Teele]

Great review. I reviewed this book as well.

[Moray_001]

I agree, it was a well-planned book in which a new world was created and still felt so real. I found it very interesting to read. Thank you for such a good review.

[Stephanie Runyon]

I didn't like this genre when I joined OBC but reviews like yours definitely changed my mind. I am adding this on my list of series to read. You were very thorough with explaining the flow of the introductory book. Great job

[Olabode Joshua]

This book is a picture-perfect fantasy tale. I liked the absence of errors as it made for a seamless reading flow. Thanks for your review.

[Connie Otwani]

I could tell that the author wanted his story to be understood as he even created a website consisting of a reference guide of places, characters, and words so that new readers did not get confused.
What a dedicated and considerate author! I agree with you its refreshing to have a wonderful king who isn't murdered in the story. Sounds like a good series. Great review!

[NDeMeer]

You did a wonderful job in pointing out what makes this book stand out in its genre with this review. I love that the king, for example, is so different from the standard, almost cliche king in fantasy novels. Thank you for this insightful review!

[jokinyo]

This book is not of my genre but i am hooked. Am waiting for the second book.

[Neelam15]

I was eyeing this book for reading but, was skeptical about it because the description said that it is like introductory plot to the rest of the books. Your review was quite helpful, I would give this one a try.

[The Holy Grail]

Galen was for sure an interesting character. Meldorath was quite mysterious to me. Nice review!