We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz is an exciting fantasy story. The author starts by setting the scene and tells us that the King of Voulhire has four sons. As the boys grow older, the King realises they are competing with one another in anticipation of the future and claiming the throne for themselves. To diffuse the situation, the King bestows a gift of an island to each son and all the money they will ever need. Unfortunately, this plan does not work, and a controversial civil war leads to a precarious truce.
Matthew Tysz does a brilliant job of creating different characters who are very well described so I could picture them in the story. Nearly all of the characters have magical power; e.g. page seventy, "Some schools of magic teach their students to dance to become in tune with their abilities, and they go on dancing in all practices of magic."
The main character in this story is Galen Bray, a young man who has grown up on one of the war-torn islands. His Uncle, a Master Blacksmith on Voulhire, fell out with his family years before. When he realises he does not have long to live, he tracks down Galen and sends money for him to travel to Voulhire and begin a new life. The story is mainly told through the eyes of Galen and his new friend Rowan who is the executor of his Uncle's will. We see Galen's disappointment when he arrives in Voulhire to find his Uncle has died. We see how Galen's character grows in confidence as he becomes immersed in his attempts to bring prosperity to the town, pursuing his aspirations to learn the blacksmith's trade and take over his Uncle's blacksmith in Voulhire. Always lurking in the background is Meldorath, a powerful and greatly feared wizard. Matthew Tysz cleverly uses the characters to help you visualise the geography, context, and politics of Voulhire.
I was fascinated by the adventures in this book. It is a well-written and well-thought-out entrance into the new and mystical land of Voulhire. Many characters have fantastic and magical powers, which intrigue the character development and storylines. It is a complex but exciting tale which draws you in and ends on a cliffhanger, hungry for more.
I was not too fond of how the book jumped between different characters and storylines. This made the story very disjointed and confusing in places. The reader needs to stick with the book to discover how everything marries towards the end and the links between the different characters and plots. I felt this should have happened far earlier in the novel, as not every reader is prepared to wait that long.
My rating for this book is 4 out of 5 stars. This is a fantastic book but confused and disjointed in areas.
Anyone interested in Fantasy and Magic would enjoy this book. There is a lot of swearing in the book and sexual references, so I suggest older teenagers and adult readers.
Matthew Tysz does a brilliant job of creating different characters who are very well described so I could picture them in the story. Nearly all of the characters have magical power; e.g. page seventy, "Some schools of magic teach their students to dance to become in tune with their abilities, and they go on dancing in all practices of magic."
The main character in this story is Galen Bray, a young man who has grown up on one of the war-torn islands. His Uncle, a Master Blacksmith on Voulhire, fell out with his family years before. When he realises he does not have long to live, he tracks down Galen and sends money for him to travel to Voulhire and begin a new life. The story is mainly told through the eyes of Galen and his new friend Rowan who is the executor of his Uncle's will. We see Galen's disappointment when he arrives in Voulhire to find his Uncle has died. We see how Galen's character grows in confidence as he becomes immersed in his attempts to bring prosperity to the town, pursuing his aspirations to learn the blacksmith's trade and take over his Uncle's blacksmith in Voulhire. Always lurking in the background is Meldorath, a powerful and greatly feared wizard. Matthew Tysz cleverly uses the characters to help you visualise the geography, context, and politics of Voulhire.
I was fascinated by the adventures in this book. It is a well-written and well-thought-out entrance into the new and mystical land of Voulhire. Many characters have fantastic and magical powers, which intrigue the character development and storylines. It is a complex but exciting tale which draws you in and ends on a cliffhanger, hungry for more.
I was not too fond of how the book jumped between different characters and storylines. This made the story very disjointed and confusing in places. The reader needs to stick with the book to discover how everything marries towards the end and the links between the different characters and plots. I felt this should have happened far earlier in the novel, as not every reader is prepared to wait that long.
My rating for this book is 4 out of 5 stars. This is a fantastic book but confused and disjointed in areas.
Anyone interested in Fantasy and Magic would enjoy this book. There is a lot of swearing in the book and sexual references, so I suggest older teenagers and adult readers.
Thank you toMatthew Tysz for a free copy of this book in exchange for an impartial review.
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