Maia is the teenaged fourth son of the elven emperor and his goblin wife. As a half-goblin he is gray-skinned and ugly. He has been living in banishment, loneliness and poverty for years, with an abusive older cousin as his guardian and only company. One day his father and brothers are killed in an accident, and he suddenly finds himself the new emperor.

The elven court is built upon tradition. Dignity and composure are valued above all. But under the surface there is scheming and treachery like in any court. Maia, with his background unlike anyone else at court, brings kindness to it, but struggles to fit it into his role as emperor. He feels lost and out of his depth. Surrounded by bodyguards and servants around the clock, he is almost a prisoner still, now of custom and schedules and expectations. He is also lonely. After years of abuse and isolation, he is socially awkward and has no confidence. He doesn’t expect anyone to like him, and is more or less resigned to a life without ever finding any friends or freedom.

As you can hear, this is a melancholy tale. But it’s not a dark one: Maia’s kindness lifts it into beauty. His intense desire to do good, his fairness and gentleness make this an uplifting tale of hope.

This world of elves and goblins is alien but vivid and full of detail. Reading this book I really feel like there is a whole complex world out there, a web of people and relationships, of which we through Maia’s eyes only see a tiny part. This is a small-scale story which mostly takes place in a handful of rooms in the palace. Confined, just like Maia. But also focused: this isn’t a story about a series of events but a story of Maia’s inner life. We see him learn and develop, and by the end of the book there is reason to hope that Maia will not only survive the treacherous court but become a good emperor.

The writing is excellent. Elegant, masterful, precise. Here is a writer who can craft phrases to express exactly what she intended, so that no word could be added or taken away without breaking the magic. I savoured individual words and phrases in my mouth and tried to make them last longer. Indeed I wish that the whole glorious book could have lasted longer, and if there ever was a book that deserved a sequel or maybe a whole slew of sequels, it is this one.

I was sad to realize that Katherine Addison hasn’t written any other books. Then I found out that the name is a pseudonym, and the author has written other books under her real name, Sarah Monette. Unfortunately those are described as dark and leaning towards horror, so they won’t satisfy the hunger for more of this.