
4 out of 4 stars
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In the Land of the Princes, a very terrible ruler, the Emperor of Lullabies, presides. The land is known for two things; death and starvation. A young man, Galen Bray, is seen fleeing to Voulhire, a more prosperous country, to take over the inheritance his uncle had left him. He arrives at Magnum Caelum and meets Rowan who happens to be his uncle's executioner at the local Inn, and they fastly become friends.
Voulhire isn't all that Galen thought it to be. Meldorath, a powerful wizard and former Lord of Hillport, is acclaimed dead by King Wilhelm, ruler of Voulhire. Formerly a chief magistrate, he succeeded Lord Orlin as the Lord of Hillport after he had been found guilty of child sexual abuse, an accusation later scrutinized by Lord Eldus, Meldorath's replacement, after Lord Orlin had been killed. Meldorath is feared by many, including the King himself. His assumed death however places a lot of doubt in the hearts of the beloved citizens. Meanwhile, a group of violent rebels, the Riva Rohavi is set to attack Voulhire.
We are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz is a fantasy thriller with its settings in medieval times, featuring magic, kings, and strange creatures. The author, Matthew Tysz, started with a rather impressive map of Voulhire. Being the first entry in the series, the map aided my understanding of the story by placing a pictorial representation of places and towns in his well-imagined mystical world.
The author's writing style in this book was well suited to the settings of the story. The pace didn't feel rushed or too slow, and the language wasn't vulgar. The plot was well developed and Tysz did an excellent job of its proper delivery. It seemed to me that the book was professionally edited because I was unable to find any grammatical error in the entire book, evidence of an exceptional edit.
I enjoyed Rowan's light-hearted nature a lot. His witty banter and cheerful demeanor was a positive light in this story. However, what I liked the most was the friendship nurtured between Rowan, Galen, and another fellow Demetrius, who played an important role in the book. He was an imbuer(a magic geologist) that quickly bonded with them after the duo discovered a very unique magic rock.
Although I particularly couldn't find anything I disliked about the book, it wasn't as thrilling as I expected it to be. Sure, it was a fantastic read, but it wasn't as highly exciting and fixating as I expected. Nevertheless, it remains a good book, and for that, I would be rating the book a 4 out of 4 stars. This is not only due to the interesting plot, but the character development and the writing skills of the author, not to forget the perfect editing. I really enjoyed my time with the book and would recommend it to fantasy-loving fiction readers.
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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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