#64 The Fox by Sherwood Smith
The following review has spoilers for Inda, the first book in The Inda Series. There are no spoilers for The Fox.
At the end of Inda, our hero had been kidnapped by pirates and he wasn't sure if his friends were alive or dead. The Fox begins immediately after this, introducing Inda to two possible allies that want one thing, for Inda to take over the ship. Due to his quick mind, Inda succeeds in his mutiny. Then he sets his sights on taking down other pirate ships, first The Brotherhood, and then a far more dangerous enemy, the Venn.
I'm really happy I decided to continue this series by picking up the second book for jawasredtoo's Summer of Series Challenge. Until I opened up the pages of The Fox, I don't think I quite comprehended how dear the characters in this series had become to me. Inda continues to be a fascinating lead, but I also found myself very attached to side characters such as Evred, Hadand, Jeje, and Tau. Smith certainly has a skill when it comes with characterization, and I loved watching how the cast has developed from book one to book two. For example, the Sierlaef, who began the series as a bully eager for his uncle's approval, is now a much dangerous character, beginning The Fox with the blood of Inda's brother already on his hands.
One aspect I felt really improved from the first book can be found in pacing and plot development. The novel Inda was by no means a page turner and could even be a little slow at times. This changes in The Fox, the novel moves with a sense of purpose. Divided into two sections, I found the first section to be very hard to put down. The climatic end sessions in particular were incredibly gripping and memorable. The second section more slowly, but I really enjoyed the fact that we got to learn more about other countries, such as Anaeran-Adrani. As far as the overall plot goes, we see some significant advances in The Fox, some which I didn't expect to happen until much later in the series. In The Fox, there is more of an emphasis on romance, although that is far from the main focus of the plot. As characters who began the series as adolescences are now finding themselves in adulthood, many of them have fallen in love. One thing I think is interesting is how many of these romances are unresolved or unfulfilled for one reason or another. I particularly felt sorry for Hadand, who has fallen in love with someone who can never love her back.
The Fox is a fantastic addition to the Inda series. Once again I was pulled into this wonderfully crafted world and fell in love with it's characters. Due to it's more purposeful plotting, I feel as if this book is a noticeable step up from Inda. I am quite eager to pick up the third book in the quartet, King's Shield, which I am waiting to be returned to my library.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 772 pages
Source: paperbackswap
Challenges: This book is part of the Summer of Series Challenge
Similar book: This book reminded me of works by Robin Hobb (The Assassin books and the Liveship Traders books), as well as Lynn Flewelling's Tamir Triad.
Other books I've read by this author: Crown Duel (which consists of both Crown Duel, and Court Duel), Inda ( my review), Wren to the Rescue, Wren's Quest, Wren's War
xposted to bookish , temporaryworlds and goodreads
At the end of Inda, our hero had been kidnapped by pirates and he wasn't sure if his friends were alive or dead. The Fox begins immediately after this, introducing Inda to two possible allies that want one thing, for Inda to take over the ship. Due to his quick mind, Inda succeeds in his mutiny. Then he sets his sights on taking down other pirate ships, first The Brotherhood, and then a far more dangerous enemy, the Venn.
I'm really happy I decided to continue this series by picking up the second book for jawasredtoo's Summer of Series Challenge. Until I opened up the pages of The Fox, I don't think I quite comprehended how dear the characters in this series had become to me. Inda continues to be a fascinating lead, but I also found myself very attached to side characters such as Evred, Hadand, Jeje, and Tau. Smith certainly has a skill when it comes with characterization, and I loved watching how the cast has developed from book one to book two. For example, the Sierlaef, who began the series as a bully eager for his uncle's approval, is now a much dangerous character, beginning The Fox with the blood of Inda's brother already on his hands.
One aspect I felt really improved from the first book can be found in pacing and plot development. The novel Inda was by no means a page turner and could even be a little slow at times. This changes in The Fox, the novel moves with a sense of purpose. Divided into two sections, I found the first section to be very hard to put down. The climatic end sessions in particular were incredibly gripping and memorable. The second section more slowly, but I really enjoyed the fact that we got to learn more about other countries, such as Anaeran-Adrani. As far as the overall plot goes, we see some significant advances in The Fox, some which I didn't expect to happen until much later in the series. In The Fox, there is more of an emphasis on romance, although that is far from the main focus of the plot. As characters who began the series as adolescences are now finding themselves in adulthood, many of them have fallen in love. One thing I think is interesting is how many of these romances are unresolved or unfulfilled for one reason or another. I particularly felt sorry for Hadand, who has fallen in love with someone who can never love her back.
The Fox is a fantastic addition to the Inda series. Once again I was pulled into this wonderfully crafted world and fell in love with it's characters. Due to it's more purposeful plotting, I feel as if this book is a noticeable step up from Inda. I am quite eager to pick up the third book in the quartet, King's Shield, which I am waiting to be returned to my library.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: 772 pages
Source: paperbackswap
Challenges: This book is part of the Summer of Series Challenge
Similar book: This book reminded me of works by Robin Hobb (The Assassin books and the Liveship Traders books), as well as Lynn Flewelling's Tamir Triad.
Other books I've read by this author: Crown Duel (which consists of both Crown Duel, and Court Duel), Inda ( my review), Wren to the Rescue, Wren's Quest, Wren's War
xposted to bookish , temporaryworlds and goodreads