The Goblin Emperor – Katherine Addison

I very much enjoyed this book. Maia is the overlooked fourth son of the Emperor of the Elflands, the only child of a political marriage to a Goblin princess after his father’s most beloved wife had died. They were fairly quickly banished to the hinterlands, and with three older brothers, Maia never expected to ever see the court again, after his mother died when he was eight. And then his father and three brothers die on the way back from a wedding. And Maia is suddenly alone in a Court he is not prepared for (and who are not prepared for him), in a role he never expected to play.

This is a story of court intrigue, but it’s also a story of loneliness, and coming to terms with great change. You spend the book very much in Maia’s head, and what could be really claustrophobic ends up being amazing. This is definitely one of my favorite books I’ve read this year.