aen reviewed The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (The Goblin Emperor, #1)
Review of 'The Goblin Emperor' on 'Storygraph'
4 stars
I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I love the wholesomeness! For a book about fantasy court intrigue, it's very wholesome and cuddly, and Maia's obliviousness in certain situations is adorable! I also liked the use of language (and thank you for the pronounciation guide and glossary at the back of the book!) In general, the worldbuilding was fantastic, and I'd love to see more of it in future installments.
However, the book had tension that was building up over the investigation of the airship accident and various court intrigues, all of which culminated in a somewhat underwhelming ending. I do understand that when you're writing a book with wholesome energy, you can't include court intrigue on the level of Game of Thrones. Still, it would have been nice to see some of Maia's enemies being more competent and shrewd. The plotlines all wrapped themselves up so well that it was noticable - everything went so well for the main chaarcter that it was almost unbelievable.
Overall I think it's a nice feel-good book, but the ending simply disappointed me too much to give it any higher than a 3.5/5
However, the book had tension that was building up over the investigation of the airship accident and various court intrigues, all of which culminated in a somewhat underwhelming ending. I do understand that when you're writing a book with wholesome energy, you can't include court intrigue on the level of Game of Thrones. Still, it would have been nice to see some of Maia's enemies being more competent and shrewd. The plotlines all wrapped themselves up so well that it was noticable - everything went so well for the main chaarcter that it was almost unbelievable.
Overall I think it's a nice feel-good book, but the ending simply disappointed me too much to give it any higher than a 3.5/5