The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is and is not exactly what it looks like based on the title.

Synopsis

The Goblin Emperor is a story of an eighteen-year-old cast-off son of an emperor who unexpectedly becomes the emperor when his father and all his brothers die in an “accident”. Maia, while well-meaning and decent, has absolutely no idea how to be an emperor, and everyone in court either worships him or completely despises him for his goblin blood. Used to only harsh words and beatings from the distant cousin he grew up with, suddenly people bow to him, call him “your serenity”, and expect him to make decisions that will affect the entire country and those around it. It is an imense and crushing burden he never even thought to imagine. This book follows his journey in finding his place as emperor and navigating the political minefield he is suddenly thrust into.

Plot

There were many reviews of this book calling it “slow” or “disappointing”. This is because, as I said in the beginning, it is both exactly what it sounds like, and yet, not at all. It is absolutely all about a “goblin emperor”. However, it is not your typical fantasy. While there are elves and goblins, a little bit of magic, and even airships, this is more of a coming-of-age/political intrigue story than it is action and adventure. There are no duels and dragons, and the magic mentioned only shows itself for a moment. Many who critiqued the plot for being slow were those expecting an action and adventure fantasy, which this story was simply not. That being said, I thought it was a very thorough and well-thought-out plot. I had no issues with the plot at all.

Writing

The writing style of The Goblin Emperor took some getting used to. A lot of it was hard to follow at first because of the five hundred million names that were all incredibly difficult to pronounce and all very similar. I’ve started listening to the audiobook, and it’s much easier to listen to and follow because you can actually hear the different voices speaking, helping you remember who each person is. Reading it, though, I had to refer to the index constantly. While the names and the formality of language took some getting used to, I actually very much enjoyed the writer’s style. It was very fluid, and after a while, I forgot to be confused by the billions of names simply because it all had such a beautiful flow.

Characters

Maia is definitely the best part of this book. I simply loved his character. Unlike almost everyone around him, Maia doesn’t care about power and is genuinely just trying to do his best. He is realistic in that he’s not perfect, but he’s also surprisingly competent, despite all of his doubts. He makes for an encouraging character, reminding us that we are capable of more than we think we are. I also adored the side characters that worked closely with Maia. Most of these characters take time to love, but as the book progresses you learn who is truly loyal to Maia and the depth of their devotion. (And Maia certainly needs allies in this metaphorical shark tank!) I love unexpected friendships and relationships, of which this book had plenty.

Overall

Overall I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an earnest story of someone overcoming insurmountable challenges and remaining a good person. I would not recommend this story for someone looking for action, because it is not that kind of book. It’s mostly politics and court intrigue, but refreshingly about one who refuses to become wrapped up in the nastiness of power-hungry politicians. I liked it very much, and am now listening to the audiobook so I don’t have to completely leave the story just yet.