Spoiler-Free Inda Book Review
Inda by Sherwood Smith is one of those books I read over and over again growing up, and has had a profound influence on both my reading tastes and writing style since. It should be noted that I haven’t read this book since about 2011…
But with the upcoming release of Sherwood’s latest novel, A Chain of Braided Silver (The Norsunder War #4), I intend on doing a huge read of the entire Sartorias-deles arc very soon! (Looks like my Amazon list is going to get even bigger!)
Anyway, into my review. It’s all spoiler-free and hopefully enough to get you to check this out.
Dive into an Incredible Fantasy World
One of the best things about Inda is the worldbuilding. From the academy and the many families, to the large-scale political intrigue and world as a whole, it is an enthralling world to get lost in.
The first half of the book is at the academy, and the second-half is political intrigue mixed with loads of action at sea, battling pirate ships and the like. It’s fun, fast-paced pirate fighting and who isn’t up for that?!
Not only do we have that aspect of the world, but it is also connected to our own world through World Gates. This is portal fantasy at its best, and I’m not normally a fan of that little sub-genre!
The Only Thing Better than the World is the Characters
Indevan-Dal Algara-Vayir is a fabulous main character. With his destined path as Shield Arm to his elder brother, Torrid, suddenly altered, he is summoned to the military academy to prepare for war.
I love the premise of this, where we have a main character who always thought their life was going in one direction, only to be suddenly shifted into a different one. Sherwood manages this plot point well, making for an exciting read with a character completely out of their depth!
The writing style allows us to see from many perspectives throughout the book, creating a full sense of many characters. You get a great sense of many characters’ personalities, including some brilliant side-characters.
Final Thoughts
This coming-of-age story will draw you into the intricate family politics of the academy only to send you off to war. It’s surprising how much of the worldbuilding you get to experience for a first book in a coming of age fantasy novel, but with around 500 pages you get to experience so much of this wonderfully crafted and thought out world.
I can’t wait for my reread and readthrough of the whole series! It’s about time!
