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A review by halfcactus
The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard
hopeful
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
If I had to add tags to this book: hypercompetent characters; loyalty and fealty; retirement fantasy; bureaucratic fantasy; the impostor syndrome of being of two worlds and belonging to none
This book is slow and long, but I read it when I was sick and I found it extremely comforting! It’s a social justice fantasy from the PoV of an immigrant who has worked himself up to being the hands of the emperor. Some of the scenes feel very self-indulgent and wish fulfillment-y, but I think that the characters were written solidly enough for it to work. Plus, Kip’s complicated semi-estranged relationship with his friends and family that he simultaneously loves so much but feels so distant from feels so plausible.
There’s not really any worldbuilding, but the fantasy parts just fill themselves in the background as you go along. It’s personally attractive to me because it explores dualities and dynamics of being both insider and outsider all the time. A recurring conflict is just Kip not really being able to find his own voice enough to make claims for himself. It largely reads like a first-person POV.
I liked the part where it brings to mind how sometimes it’s those who leave the community hold on to pieces of their heritage differently and renew their connections more intentionally. But some of the things Kip attributes to community values are really just his personality, which… yeah! Can also relate!
PS. Although Kip and the Emperor have an extremely slow-burn romance going on, the book is generally centered on platonic and familial loyalty. Plus, all of Kip’s palace friends have big war/calamity trauma where they have all lost their families and just want to live in a house together when they retire and be adopted by Kip’s legendary large family.
tl;dr - no plot, only characters, relationships, and competence; some interpersonal conflicts feel repetitive towards the end, but the heart of it is still Kip finding his place in the world.
This book is slow and long, but I read it when I was sick and I found it extremely comforting! It’s a social justice fantasy from the PoV of an immigrant who has worked himself up to being the hands of the emperor. Some of the scenes feel very self-indulgent and wish fulfillment-y, but I think that the characters were written solidly enough for it to work. Plus, Kip’s complicated semi-estranged relationship with his friends and family that he simultaneously loves so much but feels so distant from feels so plausible.
There’s not really any worldbuilding, but the fantasy parts just fill themselves in the background as you go along. It’s personally attractive to me because it explores dualities and dynamics of being both insider and outsider all the time. A recurring conflict is just Kip not really being able to find his own voice enough to make claims for himself. It largely reads like a first-person POV.
I liked the part where it brings to mind how sometimes it’s those who leave the community hold on to pieces of their heritage differently and renew their connections more intentionally. But some of the things Kip attributes to community values are really just his personality, which… yeah! Can also relate!
PS. Although Kip and the Emperor have an extremely slow-burn romance going on, the book is generally centered on platonic and familial loyalty. Plus, all of Kip’s palace friends have big war/calamity trauma where they have all lost their families and just want to live in a house together when they retire and be adopted by Kip’s legendary large family.
tl;dr - no plot, only characters, relationships, and competence; some interpersonal conflicts feel repetitive towards the end, but the heart of it is still Kip finding his place in the world.