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ysra's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
owlphabetical's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Suicide
aardwyrm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I loved the Goblin Emperor, but it had the limitation of any court fantasy of really being only about very rich people, no matter what twists it took. This book takes us deeper into the world, which feels real enough to walk into, and the characters that inhabit it are deft and subtle and ultimately oddly sweet, even if they're occasionally jerks. The pacing is a bit halting and odd, with less of an intricate tapestry of a mystery emerging and more of a tangled web, but that suits the mood.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, Vomit, Violence, Pregnancy, Medical content, Gaslighting, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Domestic abuse, and Blood
Minor: Rape
ellanarose's review against another edition
dark
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Suicide
Minor: Grief, Homophobia, Murder, and Pregnancy
shanaqui's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don't love this book as much as I love The Goblin Emperor, but that would be very difficult, and there is a lot to love about this book all the same. It follows Thara Celehar, and has very little to do with the first book, except in expanding what Celehar does and showing us his witnessing first hand. It also expands the world far beyond the court, so that we get to see how ordinary people live and interact -- a thing which Maia will never, ever see, and which I think he would find fascinating.
The book is a murder mystery, essentially -- actually, several -- and also features more directly obvious magic than in the first book. There are ghouls and ghosts, and Celehar's ability to commune with the dead is also a much bigger part. Inevitably, the various stories come together to some degree, but it doesn't come together in too neat a knot; they aren't all related. (For fellow mystery fans, I have to say that I don't think you can actually work this one out for yourself; we don't have enough information about a particular character to be able to discern their motive, means or opportunity.)
Celehar is just as tortured a character as he seemed from the previous book, and it should be noted that (in this book at least) there's comparatively little comfort for him. There is a short scene where another character does manage to lighten the burden of his conscience, and he also makes a friend... though the friendship -- and the potential that it could be more -- also frightens him, because he isn't over the secret he confesses to Maia in The Goblin Emperor. If you're looking for something that feels as hopeful as The Goblin Emperor, then this isn't it; Celehar is deeply guilty, and though his care for his work and his compassion for the dead are as sincere as Maia's goodness, he is not driven by the same need to be mindful, to be good. He's a very different character, and it gives the book a different mood and flavour.
In a way, this is a mash-up of Addison's other books, The Goblin Emperor and The Angel of the Crows, and I don't love it quite as much as either. I think it suffers somewhat from brevity -- at 275 pages, I was wondering how it could possibly be tied up by 314 pages, and the answer is that a couple of the story threads feel rushed -- but despite that, I liked it a lot.
The book is a murder mystery, essentially -- actually, several -- and also features more directly obvious magic than in the first book. There are ghouls and ghosts, and Celehar's ability to commune with the dead is also a much bigger part. Inevitably, the various stories come together to some degree, but it doesn't come together in too neat a knot; they aren't all related. (For fellow mystery fans, I have to say that I don't think you can actually work this one out for yourself; we don't have enough information about a particular character to be able to discern their motive, means or opportunity.)
Celehar is just as tortured a character as he seemed from the previous book, and it should be noted that (in this book at least) there's comparatively little comfort for him. There is a short scene where another character does manage to lighten the burden of his conscience, and he also makes a friend... though the friendship -- and the potential that it could be more -- also frightens him, because he isn't over the secret he confesses to Maia in The Goblin Emperor. If you're looking for something that feels as hopeful as The Goblin Emperor, then this isn't it; Celehar is deeply guilty, and though his care for his work and his compassion for the dead are as sincere as Maia's goodness, he is not driven by the same need to be mindful, to be good. He's a very different character, and it gives the book a different mood and flavour.
In a way, this is a mash-up of Addison's other books, The Goblin Emperor and The Angel of the Crows, and I don't love it quite as much as either. I think it suffers somewhat from brevity -- at 275 pages, I was wondering how it could possibly be tied up by 314 pages, and the answer is that a couple of the story threads feel rushed -- but despite that, I liked it a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia and Outing
alyshkalia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Suicide, Death, and Medical content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, and Outing
goint's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Body horror
ekfmef's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
The writing is exquisite, the story super original - but in the end, there's a huge backdrop of homophobia which makes it very uncomfortable to read. And the book ends very abruptly, with a suicide, and no real closure. So after a nice and winding road, after you have fully immersed yourself in that confusing world with all the religions and all the societal navigation things, you suddenly end by dropping off a figurative cliff. The remaining characters look down at the corpse for a moment and then go on with their lives, The End.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
freakydug's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Murder, and Homophobia
infinityofhats's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Murder, Body horror, and Death