This is a classic tale of a discarded son being suddenly thrust into the limelight and a position he was never trained for. Maia’s world is turned upside down when an airship crash kills his father — the emperor — as well as all those in the line of succession before Maia. Maia, who has been raised in the harsh and unloving home of his uncle far from the capital, is awakened by a courier and whisked off to the imperial court to take his place as the new emperor of the elves. Maia himself is half goblin on his mother’s side. Maia, a young man of integrity and intelligence though woefully uneducated, struggles to learn the endless things he doesn’t know in order to preside over the empire effectively. The court is full of intrigue and danger, but Maia also finds some allies.
The world building and character development in this fantasy novel are excellent and drew me in. Names of people are long and rather foreign, but there is a pronunciation guide and glossary in the back. Though the book doesn’t say so, I’m hoping that this is the beginning of a series.