Maia, the disfavored half-goblin son of the Emperor of the Elflands, unexpectedly ascends to rule when his father and elder brothers die in a suspicious airship accident. Having grown up far from court and without knowledge of government and society (or even of his own family), he must learn how to rule and whom to trust while grappling with the personal ramifications of being a monarch. Maia is a kind character who rises from a childhood of neglect and abuse with a desire to use his newfound influence for good, if he can figure out how. He’s a nice person to spend an entire book with.

Though it’s technically fantasy, there is very little magic apparent in the world of The Goblin Emperor, which at its heart is a court intrigue. Diving into this book felt similar to the first time I read a 19th century Russian novel, with a dizzying array of unfamiliar names, titles, and modes of address to assimilate; a challenge that I really enjoyed, and which runs parallel to Maia’s struggle to learn the political intricacies of the Untheileneise Court. The courtly mode of speaking differentiates between the informal (or disrespectful) ‘thou’ and formal ‘you’, and, even less familiar to the English ear, the informal ‘I/me’ vs. formal ‘we/us’ for the first person singular. The effort it takes to decipher pays off in the weight it lends certain moments of dialogue, especially when Maia is able to briefly shed some formality with the people he trusts.

There were aspects of the world I wish had been delved into more deeply, especially goblins. Despite the title, the majority of the characters are elves or part-elves (who are not the ethereal Tolkien type but apparently a bit weasely in the face). We get some goblin action towards the end, and it just made me want to know more about them and their society, which I'm hoping will be explored in Addison's forthcoming book, Witness for the Dead.

This new 2021 audiobook edition appears to make some small changes in pronunciation to the original edition recorded by the same narrator (Kyle McCarley) but otherwise is just as excellent. One of my favorite audiobook listens this year.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the NetGalley ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and McMillan Audio for the chance to review this audiobook!

Maia is the youngest son of the Emporer, exiled and alone for most of his life. When his father and three brothers are killed in an accident, Maia is forced to take the throne and is thrust into a life of court politics, conspiracies, and doubt at every turn. Ignorant to the workings of the court, Maia must navigate who he can trust and who he can not, all while trying to make sure he does not turn into the hardened heart of his father.

This story was much heavier than I thought it would be. It's full of intricate world-building and incredible imagery. Addison does a fantastic job of putting us there at court with Maia while he faces racism for his goblin heritage and doubts about his ability to lead. Maia is an interesting character because while he was basically abused his entire childhood by his guardian, he still leans toward compassion. He's kind and thoughtful and just so heartwarmingly awkward. The cast of characters was large and sometimes hard to keep track of, but those closest to Maia were a joy to read. I especially loved his relationship with his nephew and nieces and seeing how that bloomed to one of trust and love.

Some of the names were difficult to keep track of at times, as I mentioned, and the book did drag a bit in the middle, but overall I really enjoyed myself.

The audiobook is very well narrated by Kyle McCarley. He brought a real warmth to Maia's voice in particular. He managed to sound both vulnerable and strong and it was easy to distinguish between all the characters. He did sound a bit like a BBC reporter in between and this is not a complaint in the least, but it was soothing enough to almost put me to sleep at some points!

Overall, a really strong high fantasy book, and I'm excited to read book 2!

I read this book several years ago and reviewed it as 3/5 stars... I don't know if I have matured as a reader or if I've ready enough to appreciate this book more or if I just prefer the audiobook, but I like this book more now.

The titled character is a goblin and emperor, so no surprises so far. But the details did surprise me and I'm impressed a book I'm rereading had that ability.

The focus on emotions and the depths of characters' feelings I remembered, but forgot how well Addison can turn a phrase.

As someone who hates the SciFi/Fantasy habit of making up languages for names (seriously, I have no idea how to pronounce "Csethiro", if the characters are speaking one language why do their names come from another?) I highly recommend the audiobook.

**I received this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A charming tale of court navigation by a naive and unprepared monarch. A half-goblin, son of the fourth wife, has been raised in exile because he has no chance at the throne monarch. The audio version was nice to listen to, and would recommend to any fan of light fantasy, cost intrigue books, coming of age/power books.

What would it be like to live a modest life, then to be suddenly elevated to a position of great power? The premise of The Goblin Emperor explores this very idea, following the life of the youngest, half-goblin son the the Elven emperor, a youth named Maia who has lived his entire life as a cast-off, far away from the business and affairs of the Imperial Court. But when his father and three older brothers all perish in an airship accident, being the next in line in the royal succession, Maia is plucked from exile to take his rightful place on the throne.

But for our protagonist, palace life and being emperor is not about the glamorous parties or eating fancy food and wearing fancy clothes. The Imperial Court is a whole new world for Maia, and his inexperience with running an empire is proving to be the least of his worries. Having been mostly forgotten in his exile, he arrives at the palace to find himself with no friends, no allies, and not even a clue as to how an emperor is supposed to act. Everyone seems to want something, and distinguishing obsequious flattery from genuine kindness is nigh impossible. Add to that, the airship crash than claimed the lives of his father and brothers turns out to have been no accident, and whoever assassinated the last emperor might be coming after Maia next.

Suddenly, being emperor does not sound like such a cushy idea anymore. The Goblin Emperor explores the role of a supreme ruler, but rather than focus on the glitz, Katherine Addison decides instead to paint a picture of uncertainty, frustration, and abject loneliness. Though he is surrounded by people at all times, Maia has no one to turn to and knows not who to trust.

And yet, the story also puts forward hope. Viewed as a character study, the book offers a unique perspective as well as a fascinatingly immersive experience. Maia is someone you can root for, and despite his moments of sadness and self-doubt, he possesses amazing strength at his core. A survivor of a horrible childhood who goes from being ignored to being the most important person in the empire, everything that happens affects and changes Maia, but his actions and feelings are always and ever guided by the goodness in his heart. There’s something to be said about a character who can forgive past cruelties and betrayal, and instead look to the future with optimism and a mind to mend fences and build bridges. As the story progresses, the nature of Maia’s relationships with others as well as his own reflections of himself begin to evolve, and that’s when the depth of his character really shines through.

Powerful and touching, The Goblin Emperor is a strong entry into the high fantasy genre. I loved the world building, including Addison’s inventive approach to elves and goblins as well as the intrigues of the Imperial Court. It’s a setting rife with plots, politics, and power-plays, though most of this is handled at a much more subtle, muted pace. As such, this won’t be a book for everyone, but readers who enjoy a more in-depth look into character portrayal and the setting will find plenty to love here. Highly recommended for fantasy fans looking for an introspective read and those who enjoy layers of complexity in their characters.

So I'm in a unique position in reviewing this audio book. Firstly, The Goblin Emperor is one of my favorite books ever. And secondly, since it is one of my favorite books ever, I have the audio book version from 2014. When I first started listening to the copy provided to me by netgalley, I believed it was just a remastered version of the original. But I was proven wrong very quickly. It sounds to me that original narrator Kyle McCarley has rerecorded the entire book. Which is wonderful because Kyle was the perfect narrator and I couldn't imagine anyone else recording it. But with a new recording 7 years later there are some changes. What instantly stuck out to me was some of the names and places have different pronunciations now - which took some getting used to. Also Thara Celehar has a different sounding voice, which I'm still not used to.

Now that I've talked about the audio book let's talk about the story. As I said, The Goblin Emperor is one of my favorite books. Maia is such a wonderful character. He knows he is different and that compared to others he has a lot more to learn, but as he grows into his first year he slowly begins to gain more confidence in his own abilities. Aside from Maia, I also adored his secretary Csevet. I loved the relationship between him and Maia, and he had no problems putting Maia in his place when he needed it. I also loved Csethiro Ceredin - even in the few parts she is in you can tell she is badass. I would love to see how the marriage between Maia and Csethiro would evolve over time.

To sum up, I love this book and I was so happy to be able to dive back into it again.