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The Goblin Emperor, by Katherine Addison (2014)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Premise: Long exiled to a remote backwater and abused by his guardian, a young halfling is suddenly thrust onto the imperial throne and must quickly learn the byzantine politics of the court.

Review: This is a brilliant piece of light fantasy set in a lightly steampunk world. ⬇️

#Roll100 September pick

Thanks @Bookworm54 for the tip to go the audio route. The narration/performance by Kyle McCarley was excellent!

I enjoyed this “Cinderfella” story only it‘s a half goblin emperor and there‘s not exactly a princess charming at the end. But it is ultimately a heartfelt and heartwarming fantasy. The reader can‘t help but root for Maia, the rejected son of the elf emperor who is unexpectedly thrust on the throne at 19.

I wanted to finish this around Dec 31st but I had time today. It was a tough pick between Diavola, Dark Matter, and The Goblin Emperor, but The Goblin Emperor won 🎉 I don't think I'll get anything else read this year. The construction is still going on and on unpredictable days as well so it's difficult to keep on schedule. I've been treating this like a vacation.

(the template is by @/CSeydel)

#bookbracket2024
#ReadingBracket2024
#TopRead2024

July is approaching so it's time to post my #2024bookbracket. Both May and June's picks were very fun in different ways. I am looking forward to starting my July reads.

(the template is by @/CSeydel)

#bookbracket2024
#ReadingBracket2024
#TopRead2024

#Bookreport

📚Currently reading:

📕A Feast for Crows
📙Haunted
📙Artemis

Progress:
Finished 2 books this week, and I will be finishing AFfC on Monday, most likely. As I've finished TGE my next #Book20 read is Haunted (rolled a 20, what are the odds) my next audiobook is Artemis, I wanted to jump back into an author I really enjoyed.

This took WAY longer to finish than I initially planned. This book has been such a fun ride, it's true I was very hesitant at first about liking this but I ended up loving it through and through. The court intrigue was immaculate and Maia was such a likable protagonist that although not educated in the nuanced details of court he wasn't completely clueless and didn't let his courtiers influence his decision-making.

4 ⭐This book is a soft DNF. On a day when I couldn‘t find an audiobook that fit this one did. This is an extremely long audiobook over 20 hours, and I did listen to approximately three. This story is about the offspring of a king, who has no chance of ever sitting on the throne and has been in isolation on the outskirts of the kingdom. They receive news that their father and all the older brothers have died which means they are now the monarch.

I'm not getting through this book as quickly as I'd like but I am enjoying it immensely.

#Bookreport

📚Currently reading:

📕The Goblin Emperor - A chapter a day.
📕A Storm of Swords - A chapter a day
📙Lord of The Necropolis - Reading before bed.
🎧Emma
🎧Night of the Hunter

Progress:

Made progress with a lot of my readings, and I am happy I finished 2 novellas and a novel. Will continue to make good progress in this following week.

First #auldlangspine title finished from @Karisimo ‘s list & I loved it.

Maia is thrown into court life when he is crowned emperor after the unexpected death of his father & half-brothers. Having grown up in exile with only an abusive caretaker, he knows nothing of life at court or how to rule. I very much enjoyed watching him find his way, create friends & learn to deal with bullies & enemies. This one felt cozy-adjacent to me.

4.5 ⭐️

Started my first #auldlangspine read this afternoon. 84 pages in already and I can tell this is going to be a good one!

Maia‘s youthful naïveté is so far endearing as he is thrown into court politics and formality. I‘m very curious to see how he handles it, the friends he continues to make and where it all goes.

So far, it reminds me a little of The Queen of the Tearling which I loved.

@Karisimo your picks are off to a great start!

I liked this. Maia is a precious angel of a character that is easy to love. Though this is a high fantasy, it is also in essence a mystery. Once you get used to the language, it was very fun to follow the clues along with his growing collection of alliances. I do recommend the audiobook, it is well done and helps a great deal telling characters apart. 4⭐️
#bookspin pick done!

@Karisimo I am very excited about your excellent #auldlangspine list!

I haven‘t read any of these yet, but several are already on my TBR and several are completely new to me. I‘m excited to dig into this list a bit more after the Christmas holiday.

The tagged book is one I‘m definitely planning to read. It‘s been on my TBR for a long time and I never quite manage to get ahold of a copy so I‘m taking this as a sign that I need to read it now.

Just finished chapter 5 and so far I am really enjoying it. it is clear the author did some historical research as all the lore delivered feels very grounded.

Got through chapter 1 and I must say that the Old English choice is refreshing. Political machinations are already on their way and I wonder if they will make full sense later on 🤔

I rolled a 15 this time and this is my next read. I already have concerns because at the time I thought this was a STANDALONE and also NOT YA

I will try to remain positive and hope this is one of those rare, well-written YA fantasies (though I have been burnt before)

#2023readingbracket
The best fiction I read in November was The Goblin Emperor. (The Narrow Road Between Desires was a close second.)

Only one spot left for the year!

I really liked this fantasy about a half elf half goblin who unexpectedly finds he has inherited his father‘s throne, making him emperor. It‘s unexpected because he‘s the 4th son, but his father and 3 older brothers all die in the same air ship crash.

Heavy in politics and court intrigue, I‘ve heard this called cozy but I don‘t think I‘d call it that, as there are some heavy scenes. I thought the MC was complex. 👍

It makes me really, really happy that my local bookstore always keeps Katherine Addison in stock. It makes me less happy to see that mass market paperbacks now cost $14.99, while trade paperbacks are $26.99. 😔

This book was amazing! The author manages to make political intrigue interesting by really focusing on the dry politics of decision making. I‘ve never read a book like this one.
Maia becomes emperor under tragic circumstances, but as he navigates the complex politics of his role, he starts to see positive changes he can make and works to improve life for people around him while dodging attempts on his life and crown.
5/5 stars, fabulous!

Loved this one! Maia was so likable, naive yet wise. As someone else said- it‘s rare to find a fantasy without an epic quest/battle/action. This story was limited to court intrigue and politics, but wasn‘t boring at all! Props to the author for accomplishing that! Also thanks to @BarbaraJean and @monalyisha because this was loosely an #AuldLangSpine pic. BarbaraJean recommended The Grief of Stones so I went back to the beginning for this one!

Don‘t go into this book expecting bountiful action and epic battles. There is some court intrigue but ultimately it is a riveting but gentle book, with an awkward, flawed, and completely likeable half-goblin fourth son who so happens to find himself now Emperor. A coming of age epic fantasy.

A signed & numbered special edition from The Broken Binding. A monthly subscription box. Love new books,

I enjoyed this book!

I‘ve had such a BUSY month. I was looking at my book journal & noticed I‘ve missed so many books!

I read this book on 12/3/22. It surprised me! I think it‘s coming in my December TBB subscription box. I had a lot to process with this one. Procrastination is my downfall. Has anyone read this that can back me up? Good book!! It was definitely over a 4⭐️ rating! I‘ll try to share the books I missed.

Merry Christmas everyone 😁
🎄🤗🎧♥️

It‘s been a while since I read any high fantasy, and I forgot how engrossing it could be when well done. This one has stellar world building, an intricate plot, and a very sympathetic MC in Maia, who manages the maze of his life with pluck and grace. One of those books that you look for a sequel for, and are dispatched you don‘t find one…

I finally finished my #Roll100 May pick on audio!

I loved everything about this! The story, the intricate world building, the politics, the characters, the narration 🥰🥰🥰

Maia, a half goblin who has grown up in exile, finds himself the emperor after his father and brothers are killed in an airship accident. But there are those who do not want a goblin on the throne, or someone as uneducated in the ways of the court.

It‘s important to visit your favourite authors while you‘re at the bookstore.

Again sticking to just the one roll for May :)

Thanks to my eclectic mix on this list, my #Roll100 this month is an audiobook! (The others so far have been ebooks).
I have heard good things about The Goblin Emperor, from a story and audio perspective, so looking forward to making this my audio commute book!

At 17hr38 I am going to have to be super dedicated to it 🤣

Maia, the kind-hearted, relegated, half-goblin son of the elven emperor, suddenly finds himself rushed to court and crowned after his father and brothers perish in an airship explosion. Maia must learn the court on his feet, forge alliances, protect himself from coups—all while looking for his father‘s killer. What ensues is a masterpiece of political fantasy that thoroughly engages the mind, full of lovable characters who utterly warm the heart!

I‘m so glad I finally got to read this one! It was a weird one on audio because all of the different names. I also feel like I‘m probably missing like a map or family tree or something. I will definitely continue this series!

#ScarathonPhotoChallenge @Linsy
#Goblin

I think this was my biggest surprise pick of the summer. High fantasy, political machinations, and court intrigue, with a refreshingly different protagonist. Finished in August on audio, full review just now posted to my blog. 😳

http://sprainedbrain.blog/2021/10/16/a-late-to-the-party-audiobook-review-the-go...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Re-read.

I listened to this audiobook & winced, often. There were many odd names & lineages & associations & positions held & dates that at times, I just zoned out & said to myself “I guess this (named action) happened because of some weird named guy, I hope I don't need to remember who they are later on“. & remember I did not. I'm enacting Pearl's Rule of 50. 50 minutes of audiobook instead of 50 pages but you get the gist. This is a DNF for me

~ Sorry

Well this is amazing. I love a book that instantly opens with a huge list of names and how to pronounce them. This is such a brilliant book

My first fiction since May. Let's get reading.

I usually don't choose mass market over trade paper, but look at this cool cover! I'm looking forward to reading this for book club.

Every single time, the line about Csethiro looking like she's been “bitten by a cushion“ when Maia is passive-aggressive at her makes me laugh too much.

This totally soothed my really bad mood today, because Maia tries so hard to be good even though he is not perfect and he WANTS to be petty and small and have his way.

I feel really disconnected from everyone and everything right now -- here, Pillowfort, Dreamwidth, Twitter; just about everywhere I hang out. Part of it is that I'm playing a ton of Final Fantasy XIV, and I have a community there that I'm hanging out with. But part of it is that I'm not reading much fiction and bouncing off everything. Maybe rereading this favourite will help!

How are all of you doing? First comment is a little update of my own.

I love this book! I listened to it 5-6 times for comfort during the pandemic.

This was unexpected for a fantasy. The entire 450 page plot is about the nitty-gritty of governance. The titular character spends all their time...going to meetings. Hearing proposals. Making compromises. Reading petitions. As a lover of political stories, I was intrigued & invested, especially when it was paired with really lovely, intricate world-building. But I sometimes wished there was a more active plot, & a little bit more romance. ★★★☆☆.

Maia could be nothing but a bridge builder
MAIA COULD BE NOTHING BUT A BRIDGE BUILDER

(I am rereading via audio as prep for Witness for the Dead next month and it still rules and I still love Maia with all my heart)

I caught up on Jay & Miles, then started rereading THE GOBLIN EMPEROR on a 3-mile #audiowalk. Still no leaves on the trees, but it was warm enough I had to take my hoodie off.

Library haul! I‘m especially excited to reread THE GOBLIN EMPEROR and give Nghi Vo a try.

He regretted the bridges he had not built, Sethseis, and Shevan, and Chavar, and the bridges he had never had a chance to build, his brother Nemelas for one, and he knew if the rest of his life were spent building bridges, it would be no bad thing.

#TBRPile 📚 Maia, the youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, far from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three brothers are killed in an ‘accident‘, he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir.

"She looked as if she'd been bitten by a cushion." Ha! I forget this line every time and then it makes me giggle so much -- and it's perfect to describe Maia's relationship with his fiancée at that point.

Read the first part and couldn't be bothered to go any further