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A review by lunarchfey
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
5.0
5/5 stars
Ahhhhh this was just a perfect book. Immersive, kind, and just a joy to read. I very much struggled to put it down. She continues to cement herself as the first name that comes to mind when I think of my all-time favourite authors (having read many of her books as Sarah Monette as well).
This book follows the journey of Maia, a young half-goblin distant heir of the Emperor who abruptly finds himself thrust into suddenly being his successor when his father and brothers die in an accident. Nobody expected this to ever happen, least of all poor Maia. The court of elves is hostile and confusing and Maia has to figure out who to trust and how to navigate his new life and responsibilities, while also coming to peace with his own losses and trauma.
If you (like me) don't like grimdark books or novels where the worst possible thing happens and people can't be trusted, then The Goblin Emperor is a breath of fresh air. There are people who can't be trusted, and things that go wrong, and Maia is often upset, embarrassed, or treated poorly, but overwhelmingly the book is about how if you choose to be kind, then you can cultivate kindness in the world around you; and there will always be people that choose the path of kindness as well.
It's well-written and so joyful in its own way and ALL political machinations are made better when you remember that everyone in the room has big wiggly elf ears.
Content warning for childhood abuse, and a heavily patriarchal society with conservative social views (with a narrative and protagonist that clearly views this as wrong).
Ahhhhh this was just a perfect book. Immersive, kind, and just a joy to read. I very much struggled to put it down. She continues to cement herself as the first name that comes to mind when I think of my all-time favourite authors (having read many of her books as Sarah Monette as well).
This book follows the journey of Maia, a young half-goblin distant heir of the Emperor who abruptly finds himself thrust into suddenly being his successor when his father and brothers die in an accident. Nobody expected this to ever happen, least of all poor Maia. The court of elves is hostile and confusing and Maia has to figure out who to trust and how to navigate his new life and responsibilities, while also coming to peace with his own losses and trauma.
If you (like me) don't like grimdark books or novels where the worst possible thing happens and people can't be trusted, then The Goblin Emperor is a breath of fresh air. There are people who can't be trusted, and things that go wrong, and Maia is often upset, embarrassed, or treated poorly, but overwhelmingly the book is about how if you choose to be kind, then you can cultivate kindness in the world around you; and there will always be people that choose the path of kindness as well.
It's well-written and so joyful in its own way and ALL political machinations are made better when you remember that everyone in the room has big wiggly elf ears.
Content warning for childhood abuse, and a heavily patriarchal society with conservative social views (with a narrative and protagonist that clearly views this as wrong).