4 out of 4 stars
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What happens when we, as an individual, make a tremendous amount of progress in our field? What happens when as a family, state or nation, we are climbing steps at a great speed? What will happen if magic is added to all this confusion? It is human nature to worry about the other person's progress and do everything in their power to pull them down. Such is the story of We are Voulhire: A New Arrival Under Great Skies, by Matthew Tysz.
Voulhire is the nation that is growing by leaps and bounds, under the able guidance of King Wilhelm. Voulhire has been provided with adequate tools and able officers such as Lord Eldus, who is on his way to Hillport, a small town in Voulhire, that has seen some of its worst leaders, such as Lord Meldorath, our antagonist. Lord Meldorath has a bone to pick with King Wilhelm as he has been banished and imprisoned for engaging in magical practices. To top it all, King Wilhelm and his nation also have to deal with Riva Rohavi, with an army of dancing soldiers, who are always plotting the downfall of Voulhire.
On the other end is our protagonist, a young refugee from a war-torn land of the Princes, Galen, who inherits his uncle's business in the land of Voulhire and escapes a life of misery and basic survival. Galen appears to be this naive kid, who only is aware of survival tactics and is not well versed in human politics. In order to keep him safe, the author introduces Rowan, the executor of Galen's uncle's will and also someone who acts as Galen's protector and friend.
The contrast of our hero and villain have been portrayed amazingly well by the author. Lord Meldorath is shown to be this mysterious guy who has magical powers and quite a reputation in his circle. We are kept wondering if the rumors about Lord Meldorath are true. Could a person so vile really exist or did he have his own reason to be the way he was shown? Galen, on the other hand, is shown to be an open book, very kind-hearted and completely trusting. We are left hoping that the book would transform these characters and turn them a little more balanced.
The best part that I liked about the book is some of the descriptions provided by the author. For example, the scene where the town of Hillport was attacked by the Riva Rohavi gave me goosebumps. I sat on the edge of my seat, turning page after page and I wasn't even aware when I reached the end of the book. Although some of the scenes were quite disturbing, I was definitely engaged and am now more interested in continuing with the series.
The story does start slow, simply because the author has attempted to paint a background and introduce all of the important characters that will keep the story going. My only complaint with the author is that he has written the story as a series, which means that I have to wait until I get the next book to continue the story.
I did find some errors, here and there, but nothing that obstructed the flow of this story. For that reason, I would conclude that the book has been professionally edited. I would be very happy to give this book a four out of four stars and eagerly wait to read the next book in this series. I can not give anything less than four stars because I was in complete awe of the author's writing style. The book has a lot of disturbing and adult content and I, therefore, recommend this book only to those adults who can handle some gory scenes. Anyone, who does not like violence being depicted too life-like, should definitely avoid this book!
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We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies
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