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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A challenging read filled with political intrigue spanning the first year of the new emperor Maia reign after their father and brothers die in a suspicious airship crash. Dialogue heavy but excellence in the world building.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
I read this on a friends recommendation. I adored it. For being a story about elves and goblins, it felt so deeply honest and human! Realistic people reacting in real ways. I adored our sweet young emperor learning to find his place in a court that is not entirely fond of him.
If you like court politics, you'll love this.
If you like court politics, you'll love this.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Time to admit something: I actually tried to read this a few years ago, only got through the first page, and then decided nope, not for me. The dialogue looked strangely archaic with it's use of thee and thou, the writing was dense, and I knew the book was described as having a lot of political drama, which I'm never very enthusiastic about in my fiction. However, last week my father read the book and told it me it was worth trying again, and since he's one of the few people who knows my taste in books decently well, I decided to take another stab at The Goblin Emperor.
And I'm very glad I did! My misgivings about this book were only somewhat accurate and I found this to be a delightful read. Yes the dialogue is a little wordy, but it turns out to reflect the author's deep interest in language, with different forms of you being utilized for formal and informal settings in a way that makes the book feel translated from some language and world beyond our own - what a wonderful way to hint at the depth of this fantasy setting. The writing IS dense, but sometimes it's very nice to sink your teeth into a meatier narrative that demands your full attention, and I did enjoy taking my time to understand the unique setting and customs of this story - thank god for the appendix in the back, however, without which I would have been very confused by the many characters with their many names. And yes, this is something of a political drama, but the main character is not conniving at all, and forms so many heartwarming relationships that the story feels much more feel-good than most books described as political.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one, which is definitely more character than plot focused even with the more dramatic story lines about mystery murders and court intrigue. The pacing is maybe a little slow for my taste normally, and I don't think I'll be reading more of this series, but slowing down a bit this time was a nice change of pace.
And I'm very glad I did! My misgivings about this book were only somewhat accurate and I found this to be a delightful read. Yes the dialogue is a little wordy, but it turns out to reflect the author's deep interest in language, with different forms of you being utilized for formal and informal settings in a way that makes the book feel translated from some language and world beyond our own - what a wonderful way to hint at the depth of this fantasy setting. The writing IS dense, but sometimes it's very nice to sink your teeth into a meatier narrative that demands your full attention, and I did enjoy taking my time to understand the unique setting and customs of this story - thank god for the appendix in the back, however, without which I would have been very confused by the many characters with their many names. And yes, this is something of a political drama, but the main character is not conniving at all, and forms so many heartwarming relationships that the story feels much more feel-good than most books described as political.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one, which is definitely more character than plot focused even with the more dramatic story lines about mystery murders and court intrigue. The pacing is maybe a little slow for my taste normally, and I don't think I'll be reading more of this series, but slowing down a bit this time was a nice change of pace.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes