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

This forum is for volunteer reviews by members of our review team. These reviews are done voluntarily by the reviewers and are published in this forum, separate from the official professional reviews. These reviews are kept separate primarily because the same book may be reviewed by many different reviewers.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
Post Reply
User avatar
Soundless Cosmos
Posts: 2
Joined: 27 Feb 2023, 19:01
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 0
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-soundless-cosmos.html
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

Post by Soundless Cosmos »

[Following is a volunteer review of "We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies" by Matthew Tysz.]
Book Cover
4 out of 5 stars
Share This Review


We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies is a fantasy novel that follows the story of a young man named Galen Bray as he leaves his war-torn homeland behind and begins his new life in the Voulhire kingdom. This is the first book in the series We are Voulhire authored by Matthew Tysz. It focuses on Galen's journey after he escapes from the cruel Land of Princes and arrives at the town of Magnum Caelum, thanks to his uncle. Upon learning of his late uncle's trade, Galen Bray inherits a blacksmith forge and, with the aid of Rowan, his uncle's enforcer and the one who had discovered Galen, he endeavors to master the craft. The book gave me a view of how Galen slowly acquired his skills and explored the strange new kingdom and its mysteries with his friend Rowan, while various events happened in the background.

The book started with a gripping prologue and as the story unfolded, it transitioned to a slower pace that allowed me to savor the world created by the author through the eyes of the main character, Galen. The story's narrative was enhanced by Galen's interactions with other characters, each with their unique perspectives. The book was a symphony of viewpoints, and various chapters were dedicated to exploring the world from the standpoint of different characters, including a benevolent king, a former judge entrusted with the management of a beleaguered city, a being from an alternate realm where the laws of reality are ever-shifting, and many more. Through the intricate interplay of the characters and their actions, the story was rendered in vivid detail, allowing me to gain a deeper understanding of the intricacies of the world crafted by the author.

One of the most impressive aspects of this book was its well-developed world-building. The kingdom of Voulhire is a fully realized place with its own cultures, traditions, and politics. The author did an excellent job of immersing me in this world, and I found myself really caring about the characters and their struggles. The political intrigue and class dynamics in the kingdom added depth to the story and kept me engaged. The descriptions of the landscapes and cities in Voulhire were vivid and made the world feel alive.

The seamless flow of the narrative and the consistent plot made for a truly immersive reading experience. The author's skillful writing drew me into the story, allowing me to fully engage with the plot's twists and turns. The result was an enjoyable and captivating reading experience that left me quite pleased.

Coming to the negative aspects of this story.

There were barely any grammatical mistakes. The style of writing, especially the phrasing and sentence structure could have used some work. Oftentimes, the scene failed to make an impact on me because the sentence felt blank and unemotional. Although there was nothing wrong with using simple sentences, describing the scene sentence-by-sentence did not quite have the same effect as compared to complex sentences. Author intrusion at a few places was extremely frustrating as it broke my immersion and yanked me out of a scene.

While the world around Galen was vividly described, the author failed to do the same with any scene between characters. Several characters felt shallow and cartoonishly made. The side characters felt as if they were defined by a singular trait and so were their interactions. This trait drove the character and their interactions with everyone around them. The author tried to compensate for the lack of the character's depth by adding too much emotion into the dialogue. Doing this in every conversation made it melodramatic and took away the urgency and dramatic effect of the setting since I became numb to it. After a while, it just felt annoying, and I found myself wanting to skip every setting with conversations. I also disliked the personality of certain characters but I would suggest readers go through the book and make their judgment.

All in all, I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. The storyline, world-building, and flow were very well done which left me wanting more. I believe the negative aspects will be fixed as the author writes more and gains experience. I would recommend this book to people who have just started exploring the Fantasy genre and wish to explore the engrossing world of Voulhire.

******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies

******
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Post Reply

Return to “Volunteer Reviews”