It is unfortunate I thought this was the third part in a trilogy. I was getting towards the end of it noticing that there were a lot of loose ends to tie up; thinking maybe the next trilogy in the setting picks up sooner chronologically than I'd thought; and then thinking that no, there were still too many loose ends. And then I reached the end and found the ad for the final part in the tetralogy, and so began the frantic search on the library catalogue for said final part.

The library does not own it. I have put a request in for them to purchase it, but expect this may take some time.

This is clearly a suboptimal situation. ( )

(37) The third book of the Inda series - a fantasy reminiscent of 'Game of Thrones' - political intrigue, military exploits, with a touch of magic, in a quasi medieval setting. No dragons in this one though (yet.) More of a pirate treasure kind of feel. In this installment Inda returns from the sea and takes up his rightful place by ol' Sponge's side as is 'Harskialdna.' or basically his head of the joint chiefs of staff. Gotta love all the vocabulary these fantasy authors imbue with definitions and connotations until they seem like real words.

The Venn finally come and the battle is fairly well-portrayed. I felt this book kinda dragged on a bit - took awhile to reach the battle and all the side plots like the children hidden in the cave, the stuff with the Dags and the Venn politics, seemed diversions from the main storyline. I almost felt I was reading like a Dickens or a Wilkie Collins where there was monetary reward from ratcheting up the page count to hand out little ditties weekly. But nevertheless, entertaining.

I am enjoying reading these straight through the way I did with 'Game of Thrones.' I will start the last one soon and I am thankful to the author for an engaging tale that defined the last few months for me. A great diversion - recommended for Sharon Kay Penman fans, GofThrones fans, JK Rowling, Diana Gabaldon, etc. ( )

(Third of 4 : Inda series. Epic fantasy)

Impelled by the information that the Venn are going to launch their long-feared invasion against his Marlovan homeland of Isaac Leror now, Inda has decided to break his nine year exile and go home to warn them. And although we (as readers) have kept abreast of the situation there, Marlovans don't seem to be well regarded in the rest of Sartorias-deles, so their news doesn't travel far and there are shocks in store for Inda as he catches up on everything that happened in The Fox during his nine years away.

And then, as much as things changed in the second book, it's all change again as the Marlovans prepare to go to war. Instead of returning into exile or being executed or imprisoned, as he had expected, Inda is asked to join the war effort and contribute his innate military genius and the experience he gained fighting pirates on the world's seas.

I like the way Smith can take the two sides of Inda's heritage - land and sea - and alternately combine or contrast them. Some of Inda's sea faring friends travel with him and there is inevitable awkwardness between them and the friends of his childhood - to which Inda is, of course, completely oblivious. Inda has missed nearly a decade in his homeland and it is fun for the reader to see how his friends have changed, or not, from their academy days.

Though the motivations of the Venn are incomprehensible to the Marlovans, despite their common ancestors, we are shown characters on the other side, some of whom we can admire, and the politics and history behind the decisions that are made. And we get to see a bit more of the mysterious, sinister Norsunder magic.

So then, of course, war breaks out and inevitably some of Inda's newly rediscovered friends are lost and both sides have to deal with the aftermath of war.

Good world-building. Good character-building; despite the huge and varied cast, each character has their own voice.

4.5 ( )

After nearly a decade of exile, Inda returns to his homeland to warn them of a Venn invasion fleet. His old friends are thrilled to see him (not least the King, Evred, whose love for him has never died), but chilled by his news. They are all-too aware that the kingdom cannot defend itself against the overwhelming forces of the Venn.

This is another great book in the Inda series. Smith did a lot of the heavy lifting part of world-building in [b:Inda|222837|Inda (Inda, #1)|Sherwood Smith|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172850932s/222837.jpg|215796] and [b:The Fox|21787|The Princess Bride |William Goldman|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51244A5RWML._SL75_.jpg|992628], so this book can focus on the characters and their adventures. Inda himself remains the least interesting character (although seeing him through the eyes of his Malrovan childhood friends gives him an extra bit of spice); the background characters are unique and well-developed. And the battles themselves are well-described and bloody. I feared for the life of every character (well, except Evred and Inda), because Smith has shown herself willing to abruptly kill anyone off. She does so here, as well, and it fits. The pseudo-victory Inda manages to pull off comes at a terrible price, and Smith makes sure the reader does not forget it. But warning--much like the previous books in the series, this book ends leaving the reader wondering and wanting more. You'll want to get your hands on [b:Treason's Shore|5265856|Treason's Shore (Inda, #4)|Sherwood Smith|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51aYDnO6uTL._SL75_.jpg|5333173] as quickly as possible! ( )

A good follow-up to Inda and The Fox. Inda, who was exiled from his homeland, returns there on the eve of an invasion to help his childhood friend, who is now the king. Since it had been a while since I read the first two books in this series, I had some difficulty keeping track of the diverse cast of characters and remembering the interconnections and politics of Inda's homeland. Still, a good read, especially for those who appreciate the military aspect of fantasy. ( )