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saturdayreaderinpink's review
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
What an excellent book. I asked for a recommendation that would have a competent character navigating political intrigue— and I got that!
Compared to other books I’ve read as of late, I took a longer time with this. The pacing is relatively slow. But, what really struck me is the excellence of the writing. Sarah Monette has a clear and precise literary voice. Some books will linger on realizations or experienced the character has to emphasize how profound they sound. Monette has no need to do that. She has a story to tell and doesn’t waste time indulging in her own genius. Instead, this profound and clear literally voice flows austerely swift through a slow and even narrative.
I would give The Goblin Emperor five stars because it’s one of the best written books I’ve ever read but I rank based on personal experience. The slow even pacing I like so much about this book made the end drag a bit for me. Not much! But the dense descriptions and obscure fantasy name/references (which the Kindle search feature helped wonders with) could sometimes feel bothersome.
What kept me engaged was not only fondness for the lovable main character Maia, but his relationships with those around him. Particularly with his nohecharis, Idra, the Avar, Csevet, and Dach’osmin Ceredin. Watching Maia grow into a more capable and capable leader so so satisfying. I loved his internal monologue and I loved the slow, tentative, and rewarding build of his relationships.
The Goblin Emperor also goes into some detail about the impact a patent can have on you and the impact an abuser can have on you, and the lingering of both.
Compared to other books I’ve read as of late, I took a longer time with this. The pacing is relatively slow. But, what really struck me is the excellence of the writing. Sarah Monette has a clear and precise literary voice. Some books will linger on realizations or experienced the character has to emphasize how profound they sound. Monette has no need to do that. She has a story to tell and doesn’t waste time indulging in her own genius. Instead, this profound and clear literally voice flows austerely swift through a slow and even narrative.
I would give The Goblin Emperor five stars because it’s one of the best written books I’ve ever read but I rank based on personal experience. The slow even pacing I like so much about this book made the end drag a bit for me. Not much! But the dense descriptions and obscure fantasy name/references (which the Kindle search feature helped wonders with) could sometimes feel bothersome.
What kept me engaged was not only fondness for the lovable main character Maia, but his relationships with those around him. Particularly with his nohecharis, Idra, the Avar, Csevet, and Dach’osmin Ceredin. Watching Maia grow into a more capable and capable leader so so satisfying. I loved his internal monologue and I loved the slow, tentative, and rewarding build of his relationships.
The Goblin Emperor also goes into some detail about the impact a patent can have on you and the impact an abuser can have on you, and the lingering of both.
Favorite Quotes
She was not at all pretty, her nose too long and her chin too weak, but her eyes were sharp and full of light, and even of kindness.
Perhaps canst meditate with one other in the room? he offered, aware of his own doubtful tone, like a man offering a screaming child a sweet.
“Serenity,” Cala said, “you do not have to do this. No one requires it of you.”
“I do,” Maia said tiredly, and Cala retreated again.
After a time, he felt a deeper rhythm, the rhythm of the stone and water, not the rhythm of his words and heartbeat. He breathed into this deeper rhythm, let it teach him a new mantra, a wordless mantra that waxed and waned, ebbed and flowed, moon and stars and clouds, river and sun, the wordless singing of the earth beneath it all like the world’s own heartbeat. He laid his palms flat on the stone beneath him and listened in quiet rapture to the mantra of the world’s praying.
He took her hand carefully. There was nothing, he thought, that needed to be said, and he remembered from his own mother’s death that she had not wanted to speak very much in the last two or three days that she was cognizant. She had wanted to look at him, to hold his hand. To know that he was there. And he thought there was a light of relief in Osmerrem Danivaran’s eyes when she realized he wasn’t going to make her struggle either to speak or to listen. He held her hand and thought about how kind she had been to him when he was eight, and thought about Thara Celehar saying the prayer of compassion for the dead with the same attention the last time as the first. And when he could see that she was beginning to fade away from this moment of clarity, he stooped and kissed her forehead.
She folded her hands together and bowed to him across them, an old-fashioned gesture of respect and grief. “Varenechibel was like a killing frost.” They were silent a moment, in token of having survived Varenechibel IV
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
sashahc's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
One of the other things I did last week was re-read all of Katherine Addison's #book s in the Goblin Emperor world (Together called "The Chronicles of Osreth"). These are "Goblin Emperor," "Witness for the Dead," and "The Grief of Stones." I really really really like these books. They are more vibe than plot, but the main characters are so engaging and have such rich inner lives, and the world building is fantastic. The first centers an unlikely young emperor who is dropped head first into court politics. The second and third are intertwined murder mysteries solved by a queer depressed cleric who can hear the dead. It was great to read them one after another because the lead right into each other. Highly rec'd.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death of parent
izzywoo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Racism, Grief, Violence, Kidnapping, and Panic attacks/disorders
tasseomancie's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This was a lovely read, and surprisingly cozy, despite the political intrigue, formal language, and intricate worldbuilding. I suppose the characterization has much to do with why I consider it a cozy read, as throughout Maia's rise from exile to emperor, he maintains his good heart. I'm eagerly looking forwards to reading the companion novels set in this universe, even though Maia is not the main character!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Suicide
The main character reminisces on the death of a parent and abuse by a guardian within the first 50 pages. There is a ritualistic suicide of a side character depicted in the latter half of the book, and ritualistic suicide is briefly mentioned in a few other places.pearrots's review
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Abandonment
hannan_'s review
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Would have probably enjoyed this a lot more with a simpler naming convention and a glossary that wasn’t 30 pages long.
Overall, nice and slow story — there isn’t too much action, and any action is very very curt.
Katherine Addisons main strength comes in her characterization. Maia is such a complex, empathetic character. The way he thinks about other characters also brings them to life. Maia’s longing for companionship, working through his trauma, his developing emotional intelligence, and overall kindness was a delight to read. The most unrealistic part of this story? The fact that he’s a teenage boy (18, but still…).
I do think that there were some themes that were introduced that I felt could have been explored a bit more. For example, I felt that the prejudice that goblins felt in the elven court (including Maia) was hinted at but never fully resolved. (Which, now thinking about it, might have been intentional on the author bc can racism be solved overnight?) another aspect is that Maia learns of a fortress built on top of a sacred indigenous burial ground, and feels bad about it— but this conflict was brought up and never resolved (maybe in a future novella?)
This is often recommended as a “cozy” fantasy. While 80% is cozy, I’d recommend checking content warnings for the other 20%, because they are quite grim, to the extent that I wouldn’t recommend this as a cozy fantasy.
I think that the pacing was nice and slow, and the beginning was super interesting. There was a middle book slump, but a really engaging payoff in the last 150ish pages. The book just takes a while to set up this complex net of a political machination.
The world building was complex. It presented this small slice of this larger world, alluding to but not fully developing the world beyond the court.
I think my biggest problem is that for the first time in my life, I’ve had trouble juggling characters in my head. There were so many, and each of them had multiple names and titles based on an imaginary and unnecessarily complex naming system. There were so many similar names, from people who weren’t related, making it even worse. Addison needed to realize, that naming 10 people in a paragraph— some multiple times with different titles and different honorifics— made it impossible to read. I’d understand if the naming system was based off of an already established culture, but you had terms 20+ characters long, and a 30 page glossary which took up alot of time to get through and really broke immersion in the story.
Thankfully, there were parts where I realized I didn’t necessarily need to recall who a person was. But there were also multiple parts in the story where I had to put the book down to take a breather because the book was throwing alot of information at you at once.
Overall, nice and slow story — there isn’t too much action, and any action is very very curt.
Katherine Addisons main strength comes in her characterization. Maia is such a complex, empathetic character. The way he thinks about other characters also brings them to life. Maia’s longing for companionship, working through his trauma, his developing emotional intelligence, and overall kindness was a delight to read. The most unrealistic part of this story? The fact that he’s a teenage boy (18, but still…).
I do think that there were some themes that were introduced that I felt could have been explored a bit more. For example, I felt that the prejudice that goblins felt in the elven court (including Maia) was hinted at but never fully resolved. (Which, now thinking about it, might have been intentional on the author bc can racism be solved overnight?) another aspect is that Maia learns of a fortress built on top of a sacred indigenous burial ground, and feels bad about it— but this conflict was brought up and never resolved (maybe in a future novella?)
This is often recommended as a “cozy” fantasy. While 80% is cozy, I’d recommend checking content warnings for the other 20%, because they are quite grim, to the extent that I wouldn’t recommend this as a cozy fantasy.
I think that the pacing was nice and slow, and the beginning was super interesting. There was a middle book slump, but a really engaging payoff in the last 150ish pages. The book just takes a while to set up this complex net of a political machination.
The world building was complex. It presented this small slice of this larger world, alluding to but not fully developing the world beyond the court.
I think my biggest problem is that for the first time in my life, I’ve had trouble juggling characters in my head. There were so many, and each of them had multiple names and titles based on an imaginary and unnecessarily complex naming system. There were so many similar names, from people who weren’t related, making it even worse. Addison needed to realize, that naming 10 people in a paragraph— some multiple times with different titles and different honorifics— made it impossible to read. I’d understand if the naming system was based off of an already established culture, but you had terms 20+ characters long, and a 30 page glossary which took up alot of time to get through and really broke immersion in the story.
Thankfully, there were parts where I realized I didn’t necessarily need to recall who a person was. But there were also multiple parts in the story where I had to put the book down to take a breather because the book was throwing alot of information at you at once.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Grief, and Death of parent
jupitermond's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Death
Moderate: Racism and Physical abuse
Minor: Miscarriage
misty_kb's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death
Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia
r_gale's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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? Yes
3.75
Enjoyed this book a lot more then I thought I would, there was alot most about the internal working of a made up government then I though I would be interested in but I struggled to put the book down.
Touches on serious subjects in a sensitive way, (without glorifying them or them getting upsetting).
I Loved Maia the main character and can't wait to read what he gets up to next. Want more of Vedero and Csethiro!
Touches on serious subjects in a sensitive way, (without glorifying them or them getting upsetting).
I Loved Maia the main character and can't wait to read what he gets up to next. Want more of Vedero and Csethiro!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Xenophobia, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Sexual harassment
kers_tin's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, Bullying, Child abuse, Abandonment, and Death of parent