The Goblin Emperor

author: Katherine Addison

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.10

book published: 2014

rating: 5

read at: 2015/04/02

date added: 2015/04/02

shelves:

review:

Sometimes you read a book that you probably normally might not have, and you find yourself absolutely loving it. That was my experience with 'The Goblin Emperor' by Katherine Addison.



So the premise is court intrigue, and the hero is a half goblin, half elf. That and the almost 400 pages (inluding glossary of hard to pronounce names) kind of had me adding it to the 'read in the distant future' pile. It was the March pick for my book club, so I decided to give it a shot, and I'm so very glad I did.



Maia is a largely forgotten half goblin living a life far from court, when he gets the news that his father and brothers have died in a steamship accident. This leaves Maia the new emperor. With no training, and no real love for his father or family, Maia is bound to make mistakes along the way according to court traditions. It is through these blunders that we see Maia's tru character come through. Whether it's showing compassion for the other victims that died in his father's airship, or dealing with his new staff, Maia is full of grace and warmth. He won me over.



The airship accident was no accident, and the throne Maia finds himself on is apparently a very large target. Can he find his way? Can he trust his staff? Can he find a friend?



It's not the fastest moving story. The names are a bit tricky to get through, but they never feel gimicky, and eventually they made a bit of sense to me. The main character is so likeable, that I ended up loving the book. The last paragraphs felt entirely satisfying to this story.





via Wayne's bookshelf: read http://ift.tt/1I9fBoB