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A review by saintsunshine
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
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? N/A
3.75
I wanted to desperately to love this book. It was one of the first recommendations I received on this app and I had dreams about it until I finally picked up a copy at the library.
For starters, I had just finished Frank Herbert's Dune and was craving a traditional fantasy novel. I had prided myself on absorbing myself in Herbert's engrossing world and concept, but nothing could have prepared myself for the complexity of Addison's fantasy world. Don't let the middle-grade appearing hardcover fool you, this is an adult fantasy – not in that it's explicit in nature, but I can't imagine this was written for anyone without a fully formed adult brain.
Despite the story being small in scope, Addison's level of world building is incredible – sometimes to my own detriment. Maybe it's because I took breaks between reading, but I was often lost while reading. There are a many different characters, places, and fantastical concepts that fly by and not even the index helped much with. Political intrigue is the backbone of this book. While there was a murder involved, the book is almost entirely absent of mystery or suspense, save for the attempts on the protagonists' own life.
That leads me to Maia, the novels titular goblin protagonist. I adored Maia and genuinely enjoyed watching him grow as a character. Still, it was sometimes hard to empathize with his struggles when so much was happening around him, and he didn't make many notable connections until the end of the book.
Speaking of which, this book is tagged with 'LGBTQ+' which is almost a lie. I was convinced in having saw this that Maia would eventually fall for Czevet or Cala (I swear there are hints towards the former) but no such relationship developed. This is not to say I'm angry this didn't play out, but I don't think off-handed comments about same-sex lovers warrant this tag. It's entirely deceiving.
Anyway. I'm satisfied with my time with this book. Perhaps I'm just an idiot to understand much of what was happening, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I must also mention that I read along to the audiobook narrated by Kyle McCarley, who has an amazing voice and range of voice talent – his performance truly elevated my experience with this book and I wish this guy could narrate everything I read!
Miss Addison you better stop writing side novels and finish this series!!
For starters, I had just finished Frank Herbert's Dune and was craving a traditional fantasy novel. I had prided myself on absorbing myself in Herbert's engrossing world and concept, but nothing could have prepared myself for the complexity of Addison's fantasy world. Don't let the middle-grade appearing hardcover fool you, this is an adult fantasy – not in that it's explicit in nature, but I can't imagine this was written for anyone without a fully formed adult brain.
Despite the story being small in scope, Addison's level of world building is incredible – sometimes to my own detriment. Maybe it's because I took breaks between reading, but I was often lost while reading. There are a many different characters, places, and fantastical concepts that fly by and not even the index helped much with. Political intrigue is the backbone of this book. While there was a murder involved, the book is almost entirely absent of mystery or suspense, save for the attempts on the protagonists' own life.
That leads me to Maia, the novels titular goblin protagonist. I adored Maia and genuinely enjoyed watching him grow as a character. Still, it was sometimes hard to empathize with his struggles when so much was happening around him, and he didn't make many notable connections until the end of the book.
Speaking of which, this book is tagged with 'LGBTQ+' which is almost a lie. I was convinced in having saw this that Maia would eventually fall for Czevet or Cala (I swear there are hints towards the former) but no such relationship developed. This is not to say I'm angry this didn't play out, but I don't think off-handed comments about same-sex lovers warrant this tag. It's entirely deceiving.
Anyway. I'm satisfied with my time with this book. Perhaps I'm just an idiot to understand much of what was happening, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I must also mention that I read along to the audiobook narrated by Kyle McCarley, who has an amazing voice and range of voice talent – his performance truly elevated my experience with this book and I wish this guy could narrate everything I read!
Miss Addison you better stop writing side novels and finish this series!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Suicide
Moderate: Grief, Murder, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
Minor: War, Fatphobia, and Sexual violence