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michmoo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
100% one of my favourites for this year and quite possibly of all time. I will definitely be seeking out the companion novels to keep exploring this world.
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Misogyny, Racism, Alcohol, and War
hamstringy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It’s decidedly not perfect (it falls into the monarchist fantasy trap a lot), but I did really appreciate the core story of a boy choosing over and over again to be kind.
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
katie_thompson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and War
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, and Physical abuse
Minor: Abortion
glittergoblin13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is not a story of grand battles or action and I found that extremely refreshing. Maia is not brash, loud, or aggressive. He is soft, thoughtful, uncertain, and lonely, trying desperately not to lose himself entirely in learning to become emperor. I love that about him because it feels extremely fitting for someone who survived abandonment and physical and emotional abuse. Maia isn't angry, even: he wants to be kind because he doesn't want anyone to feel the way he's felt. I am a sucker for that kind of narrative. <3
My only complaint is tiny, in the grand scheme of things: the naming conventions in this novel are annoying. Not annoying enough to take anything off the rating, but enough that I have to mention it. I ended up ignoring the conventions altogether and just pronouncing everything the way I thought they might be. It didn't matter too much, after all.
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
achingallover's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
pvbobrien's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse and Suicide
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Classism
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexism
Minor: Homophobia, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
mal_eficent's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What plot there is isn't hugely complicated or action filled–even when it gets fully into the politics–but it is thorough look. Every aspect of life as an Emperor is considered and addressed, and Maia is the perspective we learn everything about this world through. The world building is excellently paced and explained. Information is there precisely when the story needs it without overwhelming the narrative.
Except the information at the beginning of the book. There's a couple of pages explaining the naming systems, court addresses, and pronunciation (presented as an in world travel guide). Since I started with the audiobook I didn't realise it was there, and was a little confused for the earlier part of the narrative as it introduced a ton of characters with 'the same name' but never explained why. Turns out I was confusing the 'Sir and Madam' of this world for names. So, bear in mind if you're starting audio first you'll be missing some information - and about five pages of chapter 30, which are just missing. The pay off is that the narrator, Kyle McCarley, is fantastic. His accent and cadence suits the formal setting of the world immeasurably, and the voices he gives each character makes them come alive off the page. Even Maia's speaking voice or direct thoughts sound slightly different to plain narration.
If you enjoy works like Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy, Tamora Pierce's Tortall books, Chris Bunch's Dragon Master series, or even Game of Thrones (though this is much 'simpler'), then I'd recommend Goblin Emperor 100%.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, and Grief
Moderate: Sexism, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Classism
saintsunshine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
For starters, I had just finished Frank Herbert's Dune and was craving a traditional fantasy novel. I had prided myself on absorbing myself in Herbert's engrossing world and concept, but nothing could have prepared myself for the complexity of Addison's fantasy world. Don't let the middle-grade appearing hardcover fool you, this is an adult fantasy – not in that it's explicit in nature, but I can't imagine this was written for anyone without a fully formed adult brain.
Despite the story being small in scope, Addison's level of world building is incredible – sometimes to my own detriment. Maybe it's because I took breaks between reading, but I was often lost while reading. There are a many different characters, places, and fantastical concepts that fly by and not even the index helped much with. Political intrigue is the backbone of this book. While there was a murder involved, the book is almost entirely absent of mystery or suspense, save for the attempts on the protagonists' own life.
That leads me to Maia, the novels titular goblin protagonist. I adored Maia and genuinely enjoyed watching him grow as a character. Still, it was sometimes hard to empathize with his struggles when so much was happening around him, and he didn't make many notable connections until the end of the book.
Speaking of which, this book is tagged with 'LGBTQ+' which is almost a lie. I was convinced in having saw this that Maia would eventually fall for Czevet or Cala (I swear there are hints towards the former) but no such relationship developed. This is not to say I'm angry this didn't play out, but I don't think off-handed comments about same-sex lovers warrant this tag. It's entirely deceiving.
Anyway. I'm satisfied with my time with this book. Perhaps I'm just an idiot to understand much of what was happening, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I must also mention that I read along to the audiobook narrated by Kyle McCarley, who has an amazing voice and range of voice talent – his performance truly elevated my experience with this book and I wish this guy could narrate everything I read!
Miss Addison you better stop writing side novels and finish this series!!
Graphic: Self harm and Suicide
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Fatphobia, Sexual violence, and War
walkie_check's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Suicide, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Racism, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism