Warlord by Jennifer Fallon

Synopsis From Back Cover:

Marla Wolfblade is reeling from the loss of her closest confidant, Elezaar the Fool. who taught her the Rules of Gaining and Wielding Power and helped shape her into a force in Hythria.  But Marla's plans for revenge are disrupted when she discovers she has a dangerous adversary....

On the border, Fardohnya has massed troops for an invasion, and Marla's eldest son, Damin Wolfblade, heir to throne of Hythria, finds his ability to fight back is thwarted by tradition, politics, and the foolishness of the High Prince....

Back in Krakandar, Mahkas Damaran awaits news of the battle and has sealed the city against Damin's return.  With the city on the brink of starvation, it seems only theft on a unprecedented scale can free Krakandar from Makhas's madness and tyranny... and destroy Hythria's web of secrets and lies.

Who the hell lets lose a plague to kill one person?  It hasn't to be the most blood thirsty attempt at assassination I've ever seen, and it didn't even work.  Alija Eaglespike, who has been a bitch the entire series, ramps it up in this, the last of the trilogy.  At least she gets what she deserves by the end of the book.

I guess I should apologize for starting this review off in such a strange way, but seriously, the woman was evil.  And though she has been trying to kill Damin and install her own heir into the chair of the High Prince, the stone coldness was truly on display in this book.  Between her and Mahkas, this book was not lacking villains.  And it seems such a shame.  Considering the power these two individuals wielded, the intelligence that they clearly possessed, it was such a waste of potential.  They could have been courageous, strong leaders, but they let greed and the love of power get in the way.

I continued to love the extended family that Marla built up around herself and Damin.  Though they came into it from different directions and different backgrounds, this is a group of people who truly care about each other, and are willing to stick around when times get tough.  And I have to say, I loved the addition of Galon Miar, the next head of the Assassins Guild.  Such a unique and complicated character.  He is the perfect match for Marla at this time in her life, and he fits into the family with ease.

The two standouts for me in this book, besides Damin who I love, where Tejay and Starros.  They are two characters who don't fit into any easy mold, but have such a core of strength running through them.  They come at life in different ways, have different beliefs, and want different things, but they both shine in this book.

At some point int time this year I will reread and review the previous trilogy, which actually takes place before this one.  If they are half as good as these three books have been, and from what I can remember they are, I'm really looking forward to it.