You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
Enjoyable! Very likable characters, a little bit of world-building, everything turns out okay in the end.
A lot of wordy names to keep track of. The second half redeemed my opinion of the book.
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
WOW! I absolutely loved this novel! It was fun, exciting, tense, intriguing, and fantastical all wrapped into one. The characters were rich and I thought the author did extremely well in creating this world and putting the reader directly and immediately into the action!
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When I read fantasy, I expect not only the suspension of disbelief, but also that sublime state of mind which, in childhood, made me whisper magical words, certain that something would eventually happen. This book, while an enjoyable read, never quite led me to that feeling.
Characters are goblins and elves, but beyond that detail, the setting could easily be the real world: the focus is on the emperor's court and its conspiracies, making the plot more similar to an episode of The Crown rather than to the adventurous story I was hoping for.
The world-building is fairly simple, but the same can't be said about the characters' names: I had to take notes to keep track of them, and eventually gave up halfway through.
Not a bad book, just not what I was looking for.
(April 2025)
Characters are goblins and elves, but beyond that detail, the setting could easily be the real world: the focus is on the emperor's court and its conspiracies, making the plot more similar to an episode of The Crown rather than to the adventurous story I was hoping for.
The world-building is fairly simple, but the same can't be said about the characters' names: I had to take notes to keep track of them, and eventually gave up halfway through.
Not a bad book, just not what I was looking for.
(April 2025)
This was one of those strange books where I kept feeling like I shouldn't like it. For one thing, it was mostly about court politics and intrigue and that is just not something that I enjoy usually. There was something about this book, however, that had me totally engrossed.
The story follows a half-goblin, half-elf, fourth and hated son of an emperor who gets himself offed at the beginning. So suddenly Maia, who is male, despite the name, is the emperor who should never have been. He's 18 and has been banished to the middle of nowhere for the last 10 years with only an abusive distant cousin as a keeper. Maia is in no way educated or trained for any future position. He's basically just left out there to rot.
The story follows his ascension to Emperor and the subsequent time as he navigates his new role and who he can trust. This is where the novel shines because Maia is a very kind and gentle person of great integrity. You see everything from his POV and he has a very clear-sighted way of seeing to the heart of people - especially for someone who wasn't raised around them. He became one of those truly endearing characters that never really leaves you. He was beautiful.
This would easily have been a five star read for me if it wasn't for the completely and totally obnoxiously frustratingly asinine way that the naming system worked. It was bloody freaking impossible to follow and I couldn't keep track of who was doing what between one scene and the next. I feel like I should have been taking notes! There is an explanation of the world at the end of the book but it would end up working more as a reference guide. It was horribly frustrating.
The story follows a half-goblin, half-elf, fourth and hated son of an emperor who gets himself offed at the beginning. So suddenly Maia, who is male, despite the name, is the emperor who should never have been. He's 18 and has been banished to the middle of nowhere for the last 10 years with only an abusive distant cousin as a keeper. Maia is in no way educated or trained for any future position. He's basically just left out there to rot.
The story follows his ascension to Emperor and the subsequent time as he navigates his new role and who he can trust. This is where the novel shines because Maia is a very kind and gentle person of great integrity. You see everything from his POV and he has a very clear-sighted way of seeing to the heart of people - especially for someone who wasn't raised around them. He became one of those truly endearing characters that never really leaves you. He was beautiful.
This would easily have been a five star read for me if it wasn't for the completely and totally obnoxiously frustratingly asinine way that the naming system worked. It was bloody freaking impossible to follow and I couldn't keep track of who was doing what between one scene and the next. I feel like I should have been taking notes! There is an explanation of the world at the end of the book but it would end up working more as a reference guide. It was horribly frustrating.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
There was a lot I liked about this book; Maia himself, the relationships he built and the struggles he faced were well told and kept my interest. Unfortunately there was also a lot I didn't like; the overly complicated language (I had to read some sentences multiple times and still not understand what was being said), the plethora of names that all sounded like each other and that entirely blurred together and the way Maia immediately knew how to be an emperor despite having been kept away from court all his life. There were also some plot points that I did not understand at all, maybe because the story was relying on the reader being able to read nuance that I'd did not grasp, which is frustrating as in a lot of other things l found the writing to be telling way more that showing.
It's really not an usual book in it's construction, there was no great final battle, but the end felt satisfying all the same. I don't know if there's continuation to the story but I would happily read any there was.
It's really not an usual book in it's construction, there was no great final battle, but the end felt satisfying all the same. I don't know if there's continuation to the story but I would happily read any there was.