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4 out of 4 stars
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We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
4 out of 4 stars
We Are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz is the first book in the series of stories taking place in the fictional land of Voulhire. I chose to read this story after hearing so many recommendations from others that had read the story and said how enjoyable it was. I rated this story 4 out of 4 stars. The story was put together well and held my interest at most points. It was most likely intended for a young adult audience but is suitable for all adults.
The story mostly revolves around Galen Bray and his journey to Voulhire where he has recently been given his uncle’s inheritance as a blacksmith. In Voulhire, he experiences a new world of treasures, magic, technology, faith, and politics. Voulhire proves to be different than any place he has ever been. Various power players keep the story interesting throughout and make Galen’s journey relatable to the reader. The element I liked most in this book was the writing style. The author used various techniques that are frequently used in some of my favorite novels. One of these techniques was the utilization of a narrator change between chapters to break up the long and drawn-out sections of story that need a new perspective and a boost to the trajectory in the storyline.
This book was very well articulated, was professionally edited, and has good pace. If you are looking for a fast read that does not take a great deal of effort to comprehend, this is a great story with content you can easily finish it in a few hours. I didn’t find any spelling or editing errors that were glaringly obvious. The author obviously spent a great deal of time preparing a detailed and thorough backstory, but luckily the reader does not need to come to the story prepared. Various historical and magical elements were well planned. This allows the reader time to process what is happening. The story had a few instances of profanity, but it was used in a way that didn’t seem inappropriate.
The one thing I would change is to speed up the initial pacing. While the story came together well, I had a little bit of difficulty keeping concentration for the first 25 pages or so. I also thought he introduced a great deal of characters and content at one time. This seemed difficult to comprehend at times. The plot did not seem obvious in the first few chapters. It was not until about page 80 when I fully got my bearings and became invested in the story. Any critique I have is not enough to warrent a reduction of a star from the review.
In conclusion, I appreciated Matthew Tysz as an author. His creativity and his dedication to his craft was commendable. I would welcome to see future works from him and see how his stories evolve and improve over time.
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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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