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4 out of 4 stars
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The Lands of the Princes is an empire mired in war and poverty. Galen Bray, who is a citizen born in this land, sought refuge in a distant land of Voulhire, in a small town of Magnum Caelum, where his uncle lives as a blacksmith. Ushering a golden era of economic progress and structural development, the kingdom of Voulhire is its pinnacle of greatness. Galen is hopeful and determined to start life anew in this land. However, the promise of peace and prosperity is threatening to collapse in the wake of dark forces lurking in the shadows, biding its time.
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz is the first book in the Voulhire series. The premise amalgamates elements of science fiction, fantasy, adventure, and drama into one intricate plot. The narrative is told in an omnipresent, third-person perspective, shifting from one character to the other. You can easily envision the fictional world of Voulhire through a map provided at the beginning of the book.
I liked how the author gracefully handled such a complex storyline. The characters were diverse but carefully nuanced. The world-building was exemplary. The storytelling possessed a realistic depiction of the historical background from which it was set. The social politics involved in this book was something to look forward to as I follow through the series.
What I didn’t like was the slow-build up. I understand that this was the first from the series; the characters were still being introduced, and the settings were still being established. But it can get excruciating to read at some parts as there still wasn’t much going on. Fortunately, it redeemeed itself towards the middle as the pace eventually picked up. Hopefully, the pacing gets better by the next book. Also, some choice of words along the characters’ dialogue appealed informal and modern that I found incongruous against the ancient settings.
Still, I rate We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies 4 out of 4 stars. The problem with some choice of words and pacing wasn’t huge a problem to merit this book a rating of less than a star. I still believed this was a well-thought-of story. Anyone who loves a plotline such as this with elaborate world-building and diverse characters should get their hands on this book. It has instances of profanity, violence, and sexual references. Hence, I do not recommend this to a much younger audience. I have noticed no grammatical errors, so this must be professionally edited.
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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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