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caramel_sundae 's review for:
The Goblin Emperor
by Katherine Addison
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
I had some type of sixth sense gut feeling that I was going to love this book and who doesn't love being right <33
I think it's exactly what I was looking for with fantasy rn-- something that doesn't have world-ending stakes and is more of a cozy(?) political intrigue style story. most of the plot takes place in the court and centers around maia becoming comfortable as emperor, and tbh that is exactly my cup of tea. one of my favorite things was how every time something bad happened, it would be resolved in like five pages and then we'd get chapters of just aftermath lmao, it sounds boring but it worked so so well with this book!!
the world building was also surprisingly intricate for what was originally planned as just a standalone-- all of the names, forms of address, the political tensions, etc etc was so well done and interesting!! there were small bits of dialogue that went over my head tbh, I'd have to read lines a few times sometimes to understand what the characters were getting at. but if I reread this in the future it'll only make it more fun to realize things later on, so I'm not even mad about it T_T
maia as a character was also a big part of why I loved this-- he was just such a good, decent person, and his core issue of just constantly feeling out of his depth was so relatable. this is the first fantasy I've ever read that has actually convinced me the main character doesn't want to be the emperor and given convincing reasons why. every other book that does it, I end up just side-eyeing like 'you'd rather be a peasant working ten hours a day than sitting in your posh castle complaining about your daddy issues??' but maia's concerns felt much more grounded and justified.
also loved the cast of side characters!! idra and his sisters were so endearing, the various lords/witnesses in the court provided all the fun political intrigue, csevet and the norecharei were great ofc <33 I really liked watching maia get closer to his family and genuine friendships in the court, and I loved his character growth!! he started off so lost at the beginning and then had multiple moments later on where I was like okay damn. I would have been intimidated if I was there T_T but I really loved how he never stopped being compassionate and forgiving (to an almost unbelievable extent? but he'd get pissed enough that he didn't come off too much as the golden shining boring hero)
overall I'd say this was just my ideal type of fantasy. I would have liked a little more depth into maia's relationships and would honestly have read another 500 pages of court politics and him building bridges and meeting his people and being a feminist etc etc but I really loved what we did get!! there were certain plot lines I wasn't too thrilled with the investigation of his father's murder mostly bored me I'm sorry T_T celehar (the mc of the sequels fml) was my least favorite main character... I'm honestly sad I have no interest in reading his books T_T but as a whole. so so good <33
I think it's exactly what I was looking for with fantasy rn-- something that doesn't have world-ending stakes and is more of a cozy(?) political intrigue style story. most of the plot takes place in the court and centers around maia becoming comfortable as emperor, and tbh that is exactly my cup of tea.
the world building was also surprisingly intricate for what was originally planned as just a standalone-- all of the names, forms of address, the political tensions, etc etc was so well done and interesting!! there were small bits of dialogue that went over my head tbh, I'd have to read lines a few times sometimes to understand what the characters were getting at. but if I reread this in the future it'll only make it more fun to realize things later on, so I'm not even mad about it T_T
maia as a character was also a big part of why I loved this-- he was just such a good, decent person, and his core issue of just constantly feeling out of his depth was so relatable. this is the first fantasy I've ever read that has actually convinced me the main character doesn't want to be the emperor and given convincing reasons why. every other book that does it, I end up just side-eyeing like 'you'd rather be a peasant working ten hours a day than sitting in your posh castle complaining about your daddy issues??' but maia's concerns felt much more grounded and justified.
also loved the cast of side characters!! idra and his sisters were so endearing, the various lords/witnesses in the court provided all the fun political intrigue, csevet and the norecharei were great ofc <33 I really liked watching maia get closer to his family and genuine friendships in the court, and I loved his character growth!! he started off so lost at the beginning and then had multiple moments later on where I was like okay damn. I would have been intimidated if I was there T_T but I really loved how he never stopped being compassionate and forgiving (to an almost unbelievable extent? but he'd get pissed enough that he didn't come off too much as the golden shining boring hero)
overall I'd say this was just my ideal type of fantasy. I would have liked a little more depth into maia's relationships and would honestly have read another 500 pages of court politics and him