Review by Sarah Dsouza -- We are Voulhire: A New Arrival...

[Sarah Dsouza]

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

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3 out of 4 stars

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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies is the initial volume of a series of fantasy sagas; wherein Matthew Tysz gives us a literary tour of a fictional world, embodying themes of both the natural and supernatural. The story is predominately told by switching between the accounts of two main characters, Galen and Lord Eldus, and is replete with instances of dark magic and abuse of power.

Assigned by the King of Voulhire, Lord Eldus takes charge of Hillport city and uses his background in law to try and reverse the effects of malversation caused by the vile and reckless attitudes of its former leaders. Meanwhile, Galen is a naïve war refugee, from the Land of Princes, who fortunately comes into the acquisition of a large inheritance by his uncle, a great blacksmith in Voulhire. Although they don't cross paths in this book, it is evident that Galen has a bigger purpose to serve in his new place of residence and I can't wait to see it unravel in the upcoming series of books.

The author thoughtfully includes a map to aid in the visual depiction of the setting as well as a weblink to common words, locations, and historical matters pertaining to the tale. He takes a slow-paced approach in the first half of the book and breaks down the kingdom's extensive history, gradually filling in the intricacies; so needless to say, this book does require a hint of patience. Tsyz's writing style is admirable as he manages to flaunt an impressive diction without compromising the book's appeal. Moreover, the text seems to be professionally edited with barely any errors.

If I had to change one thing about the book, it would be the information-overload in the beginning. The author introduces several characters at once making it hard to keep up. For example, I was unable to appreciate the character development for ones like the magical being named Beth. I would also like to point out that although this chronicle seemed to take place in a medieval timeline, conversations like that of the character Rowan seemed to coincide with modern-day language and felt totally amiss. Thankfully, the plotline was extremely captivating and kept me engaged. I gladly award this book three out of four stars for the reasons stated above.

This book should solely be read by adults with a taste for fiction. I would like to forewarn readers about the explicit mention of profanity, violence and pedophilia, so please keep away if you're not comfortable encountering these during a read. The book leaves you on a cliffhanger, which makes you yearn to reach out for the next sequel. I sincerely hope it doesn't have a generic 'good always triumphs over evil' ending. So far, the author hasn't disappointed me. Till then, my fingers remain crossed!

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

The beginning of a saga often necessitates the introduction of multiple characters. Hopefully, these will be fleshed out in the next volumes. It's good to hear that the author keeps readers interested and awaiting the next installment. Great review!

[Sarah Dsouza]

@kdstrack I believe it takes a unique skill to blend characters in a story, regardless of the number, such that it doesn't feel like an information-dump and make the reader lose interest. The premise itself has so much potential, I'm hoping the next installments do justice to it. Thanks for stopping by!