syd

I don't know if it's because I've been reading these books one after the next, but the characters in this book just didn't feel like they had the same chemistry as previous characters did. The plot of the series as a whole is getting good though, mysteries are starting to be solved and the ending left the story in a very intriguing spot. 

Maia, a half goblin/half elf, unexpectedly becomes the emperor of the elves, and this upsets everyone - including Maia.The story is what I'd solidly classify a political fantasy, but with really great character growth. Maia struggles with feeling like an outsider, in more ways than one. He also struggles with his own ignorance, fear, and self-confidence. I loved watching him grow from the beginning of the book, to the end. 

The plot was very evenly paced, and nothing was really left hanging unanswered by the end. My only issue was my own stupidity - even at 90% into the book, I was still having to look up who characters were and flip back through the book to remind myself what they meant to Maia. The author developed a sort of convoluted and confusing naming system for characters and places, I assume so we felt as Maia felt in an alien court - but that may just be me.

listened to the audiobook, not a huge fan of the narrator (did not affect this rating)

I just felt underwhelmed by this story. it takes forever to get going, it's a big cast and they're all almost caricatures, in a way. the reveal at the end was pretty meh, and I felt like it was just a lot of guessing that got him to that conclusion. did not make me want to take a river cruise anytime soon, that's for sure 

this was such a good story to listen to, it had me saying WHAT THE FUCK out loud at every single twist. interesting blend of genres, too!

This book destroyed me.