Review by damis -- We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under ...

[damis]

[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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Wherever there is power, there's a high risk of corruption. Especially when that power comes with a prosperous land to govern. The world created by Matthew Tysz in We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies is not the exception. Once upon a time, a king had four sons with rightful claims to the throne. To prevent rebellions, he decided to grant them their inheritance while he was still alive. I don't know if he was wise, or just plain cunning, but his choice kept the peace in the capital of his kingdom. I know, however, that the princes were a little too greedy (and a little too stupid) for their own sake. It didn't take long before the peace was over in the lands they ruled.

The contrast between the war in the princes' lands and the peace in their father's kingdom soon created dramatic differences in the lifestyle of the inhabitants of those lands. Galen is a man raised in the middle of that war. An unexpected turn of fate takes him out of his homeland and leads him to a completely different life. Magic, drama, and rumors of war serve to spice up the story.

The novel is the first book in the series "We are Voulhire." Just as the author described it, it is like watching the first season of a tv show. Admittedly, I thought it was going to have a slow plot. I am glad to say I was wrong. The narrative is entertaining, and it even made me laugh a few times. My favorite chapters were those written from Galen's point of view. There was something heart-warming about them.

There's a link to a reference guide to words, places, and historical references at the beginning of the book. It was useful, to an extent. However, I would have liked to have the guide in the book instead of having to open the link whenever I wanted to consult it. It was slightly annoying.

The book is professionally edited, at least in my opinion. It isn't perfect, but I didn't find a lot of errors that distracted me from the plot. Objectively, they were not enough for me to take a star from my rating of the book, so I'll grant it four out of four stars.

If you like stories that involve magic, politics, wars, and a fair share of slice-of-life scenes, this novel might be the right one for you. However, I have to say it contains profanity and sexual mentions. Nothing to be worried about, but worth mentioning anyway, just in case there's an underage public.

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

You have given a good summary of the story, and the review is very engaging as well. Great work!

[aaurba]

Perhaps what I failed to mention in my review is considered in this review. I disliked the fact that the reference guide is hosted online and not included in the book. I feel that it's the author's way to generate traffic to his website, and also a way to introduce the readers to his other books. It's clever, and a tad annoying. Great review!

[kandscreeley]

The reference guide would come in handy. Like you, though, I would like it within the book. I would hate to have to keep clicking. Thanks!

[Kanda_theGreat]

I had also initially thought that the slow plot development at the beginning would wear me down, but I'm glad that it did not. Great review!

[LuciusM]

I have reviewed this book too. I am glad to see in your review that you also noticed the use of humor which was well depicted. Good review.

[azidy]

Yes, I fully agree with you on the plot being anything but slow. I liked Galen as a character, but I have to say I enjoyed reading the other characters' perspectives more. Because of the dynamic switch in perspectives, I also had a feeling I was watching a TV show while reading it.

Thank you for the nice review!

[Honest-reviewer]

I just reviewed the 4th book of this series and I love it! This is a great introductory book. Wonderful review!

[Ellylion]

Galen is my favorite narrator too! And I agree, the first book starts a bit slowly, but the culmination at the very end is the author's trade mark You can never relax while reading his books. Thanks for a great review!

[Mukukamm30]

Nice and informative review. I must admit the book was quite gripping and I definitely agree with your rating. I had equally presumed it to be slow paced and boring but was later proved wrong. Mathew Tysz had done a splendid job for keeping us glued to the book even though it was just a first in the series.

[Budhal]

I read this book recently and found it really fascinating. It is full of twists and turns. Great review.