The Goblin Emperor - Review
Link to the author's (K. Addison) personal website
Genre: Fantasy
Publication Type: Book
Tags:
- Average Age of Main Characters (18)
- Length (4 / 10)
Link to Goodreads
Blurb: The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three half brothers in line for the throne are killed in an "accident," he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.
Entirely unschooled in the art of court politics, he has no friends, no advisors, and the sure knowledge that whoever assassinated his father and brothers could make an attempt on his life at any moment.
Surrounded by sycophants eager to curry favor with the naïve new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. Amid the swirl of plots to depose him, offers of arranged marriages, and the specter of the unknown conspirators who lurk in the shadows, he must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor. All the while, he is alone, and trying to find even a single friend . . . and hoping for the possibility of romance, yet also vigilant against the unseen enemies that threaten him, lest he lose his throne–or his life.
Review: I read this book many years ago and couldn't remember anything aside from knowing that I enjoyed it. I then got gifted the book because a friend couldn't find it on this site..... So here I am having re-read it with a freshly updated opinion: It is a great story, but I am not surprised that I forgot the contents. There are simply so many semi-important characters with non-standard names, many of which are rather long, and overlap heavily with other characters at a glance. Additionally, there was no truly memorable moment for me. The story was rather a constant stream of enjoyable reading. Yes there were some twist and turns, but I felt like the conclusion of the core mystery just kind of happened, with this feeling carrying over to some of the large political decisions. In that sense there is some overlap into cozy fantasy, but to classify it as such one would need to ignore too many other story elements. The book also got some lovely smiles out of me. This is a recommend if you're comfortable with keeping track of many characters with limited screen time.