But this is balanced by Maia's essential goodness, and despite everything, he never loses that, and in fact, it only grows stronger.

The brilliance of this book is that we spend all of it in Maia's head, being very lost right along with him that's also the part that might turn off some readers, as for most of the book Maia's head is a very lonely place to be. Over the first few months of his reign, he must learn very quickly the rules of his new life and who he can trust in this new position - or the consequences might be deadly.Įveryone told me I was going to love this and guess what, I loved it! One of the most complex, well done, rewarding fantasy novels I've read in a long time. Thrust into his new position with no friends and no idea how to navigate the political intrigue of the court, Maia is lost and helpless. Until one day, a courier brings the sudden news that his father and three older brothers have all been killed in an airship crash - leaving Maia as the new emperor. Maia, the half-goblin youngest prince of the Elflands, has lived most of his life since the death of his mother in isolated exile with his abusive relative Setheris.

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. 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. 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 naive new emperor, and overwhelmed by the burdens of his new life, he can trust nobody. But when his father and three sons 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. 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.

The goblin emperor book