Review by Yvette Siziba -- We are Voulhire: A New Arriva...

[Yvette Siziba]

[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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There was an evil ruler known as the Emperor of Lullabies. He devised a plan to remove his four princes from the palace, giving each of them an Island in the chain of islands off the mainland of his empire. He hoped they would battle against each other to become the sole heir of the empire. He was not disappointed because, in a short while, the land of the princes had been subjected to a never-ending civil war. We are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies follows Galen Bray as he flees from his war-torn home and lands in the prosperous nation of Voulhire.

Amid brewing rumors that the wicked mage Meldorath was still alive, Voulhirian King Wilhem appoints a new Lord to revive the small fishing town of Hillport. The new Lord, Eldus is a humble man with pure intentions who soon realises that the damage left by the evil Meldorath and perverted Orlin is far deeper than expected. This is the first book of the series and therefore the author, Matthew Tysz, takes the time to introduce us to this unusual world. Upon arrival, Galen inherits not only his uncle's business but also a detailed instruction book that proves to be very valuable. From the way Galen's story progresses I can detect that he is yet to have great influence in his new home.

As an immigrant myself, I grew fond of the main character from the early onset. The story is told from his perspective which gave us insight into his thoughts and feelings. The characters are well written, realistic, and relatable which I really liked. I am not normally drawn to books in this genre but I can say that I was pleasantly surprised. Another very positive aspect is that there is a map of Voulhire at the beginning, giving you a visual layout of where everything is occurring. Also included is a glossary of terms, concepts, and names unique to the world of Voulhire. The book is exceptionally edited making for an enjoyable and easy read. There is great detail about the magic world, which is to be expected in a fantasy book but it was explained in a way that anyone can understand.

The only thing I disliked about this book is that at some point I felt that I was being introduced to an abundance of characters with no story development but I soon realised this was because this is the introduction to a potentially exceptional series. It does contain battle scenes but the violence is not gruesome or explicit.

For the above reasons, I will not be deducting any points. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I would recommend this book to fans of fantasy and medieval times. As I normally wouldn't fall under this demographic yet I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I recommend it to anyone looking for a good read.

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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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