Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

This is a Buddy Read for The Goblin Emperor series by Katherine Addison starting June 3, 2022.

Apologies for it going up late!

No worries... afaik, only Nirkatze is reading #1... Silvana is joining for #2, The Witness for the Dead, and I'm joining for the new one, The Grief of Stones...

EDIT: Oh yea... and Choko said she'd read all 3 :D

Yay! It's here! Thank you Niki! Not late at all!

Goblin Emperor Chapter 1—I like the ears!
Chapter 3 (view spoiler)[I keep going back and forth about Severin. Good? Bad? Gray? He’s definitely not been a good father figure, but he might be a good advisor. Have to wait to meet his wife. (hide spoiler)]

Goodness there’s a lot of long twisty names that sound nothing like the way they are spelled on the audio. Having a hard time keeping all the folks apart. Finally opened up my ebook copy and thank goodness there's a pronunciation guide and character list!! I can understand not reading through the character list, but I wish the audiobook had included the pronunciation guide, which also goes through cultural titles and background tidbits.

Oh, will join for the 3 one if I have time. These are delightful.

I will join you later today:)))

I will join you for the third book. I really enjoyed the first two books.

Thanks for the thread. I'll be here when everyone ready for book 2

This thread really picked up momentum, once people saw it in their notification feed, instead of having to visit the nefarious Buddy Read invite thread :D

Timelord Iain wrote: "This thread really picked up momentum, once people saw it in their notification feed, instead of having to visit the nefarious Buddy Read invite thread :D"

indeed lol

If people are like me, they probably don't visit BR Invite thread often, because they just start overbooking themselves...

I've abandoned a half dozen BRs this year, I think, and am still plenty booked with a number of series reads and my 2 main Book Club threads... and have barely entered the BR Invite thread since December....

Relatable. I have been always late in BRs since last year and my reading diminished significantly. But this year I am determined to vanquish my TBR, and buddy reads of owned books is one of the solutions.

What’s a br invite thread? I’ve been doing impromptu buddy reads ever since I joined this group. Thanks for organizing this, btw. This is such a lovely series.

Mayim wrote: "What’s a br invite thread? I’ve been doing impromptu buddy reads ever since I joined this group. Thanks for organizing this, btw. This is such a lovely series."

It's where people go to find interested people to setup Buddy Reads... which spawns all the Buddy Read threads you randomly see and join, I guess...

BR Invite is Buddy Read Invite: https://www.goodreads.com/comment/sho...

I think I’m still ensconced in the past when we had the monthly overviews. I used to plan my month ahead with these. But it’s also that I have absolutely zero time now b/c life.

Mayim wrote: "I think I’m still ensconced in the past when we had the monthly overviews. I used to plan my month ahead with these. But it’s also that I have absolutely zero time now b/c life."

I understand... everyone seems busier these days... I mostly visit the BR invite thread at the start of each year, to try and plan some new release BRs in long-running series or new releases from favorite authors, that don't require long commitments and rely on others having already read all the previous books...

Then I use the Book Club threads to do more sporadic reads of things we both happen to want to read...

The overview threads were nice, but the mods struggle to keep up with them, since they're busier as well... I haven't seen Scott much since he got that job at Google a few years back...

And I'm months behind on updating the spreadsheet and Goodreads, again... but I've also been doing TONS of re-reads, and reading less than previous years, so it shouldn't hurt as much to catch up...

Yeah, I got a new job too. And we’ve moved countries again so it’s back to square one in many respects. No time for fun time at all ;(

Sometimes, I swear you're working through an EU Bingo Card... live in every country for at least a year...

You know, I’m wondering if it’s not true. It’s been the fifth move for me and third for Mr de Vries who became a veritable vagabond since becoming associated with me. Poor man. And he is the closest to mental hobbit you can imagine.

@Mayim--all of that moving! Sounds exhausting but also exhilarating... getting to experience all those different countries. More exhausting after #5 though, I'd imagine...

I finished The Goblin Emperor a week ago but have been very backlogged on writing down my thoughts on everything...

I loved Maia! I loved watching him grow, and how he changed the people around him with his empathy and kindness. I loved watching his circle come together into a found family. I loved watching the antagonists get their comeuppance.

I had a hard time following the character names on audio--will definitely do physical for the other books. But I really liked all the culture Addison packed in to the linguistics--the titles, the pronouns, the etiquette. It really made for a very rich world.

When are people thinking of reading the next book? Especially since didn't book 3 just come out?

I am 75% in the first book and I am enjoying it quite a bit! It is interesting that in a book where there is virtually no action, we still get quite a lot of ups and downs, and I know I am rooting for our half-goblin Emperor! I think I will be done by tonight and I will be willing to read the next book anytime you guys decide:)

The second book has nothing to do with Maia. Technically The Goblin Emperor is a stand alone and The Witness for the Dead should be classed as book one of a spin-off series. It follows Celehar in his role as Witness for the Dead. It is a very good mystery. I am looking forward to The Grief of Stones.

Nirkatze wrote: "When are people thinking of reading the next book? Especially since didn't book 3 just come out?..."

I plan to read it in the next two weeks or early July.

I'm down for that! Probably try to hit this first week in July.

Great, I'll be here, just gotta finish one novel first.

Thanks, Loriidae! Good to know not to expect anymore of Maia, whom I really loved, by the way. What a gentle soul! I hope he has a long, living and happy life!

@Nirkatze, shall we start next week or have you started?

Silvana wrote: "@Nirkatze, shall we start next week or have you started?"

Umm... I started, yesterday... and finished it one day! It was super sweet!!

I loved the insight into Celehar's work, and all the different cases he ended up working on. Structurally, this felt a lot like a detective novel, though in tone it reminds me more of books like The Watchmaker of Filigree Street (reading that one physically right now). I loved getting to see more of the culture of the world, especially the opera and all the tea houses.

I went in really hoping poor Celehar would have better luck with his work and love life. And I was rooting for (view spoiler)[the opera writer from his introduction. I have my fingers crossed. (hide spoiler)] It's really interesting to see all the different religious aspects--I don't feel like I have a good grasp on them, but the way that they interact with folks lives is thought-provoking. Seeing how each person reacts to Celehar's job too--revulsion, disbelief, condescension, sympathy--was also very interesting.

Going to be hard to comment spoilery with there being no chapters. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's thoughts!

One day?? You have to be patient with me, I am a super slow reader this year :-D

Oh please, take your time! It's nice to have things spaced out for replying to. :)

I just happen to be doing a lot of work around the house this month (trying to build myself one of those steampunk-style iron-pipe & wood bookshelves from scratch), so I'm burning through audiobooks pretty quickly. It takes me an hour and a half just to do one coat of polyurethane on the shelves on one side, and I'm going for five coats... I think I'm up to 3 total right now? That's another audiobook's-worth to go... And that's only for one portion of the shelves...

Oh wow, you're awesome, I always envy people who could make something with their hands.

I reached 30%. Admittedly I struggled in the first 10% because of all the names, very detailed description of streets and whatnots, but once the investigation is ongoing I became immediately entrenched in the story. This is totally my kind of story, murder mystery in an SFF setting.

I really enjoy those kinds of stories too. And I like Witness's approach to the investigation trope--all the different ways which Celehar participates in different investigations or situations.

I really appreciated the language index & cast list at the beginning of the first book. Doing pure audio for these is hard. Took me forever to realize that "min" was a title like "ms." and not a name.

Huh, I have not checked the language index (and apparently I don't have in my copy??) but I guess I don't really need that when eyereading.

Now 60%, indeed it made me lose sleep but thank goodness it is the weekend. I enjoyed the side quests, they are fun (view spoiler)[the ghoul one was kinda scary. Women dying of childbirth is a popular horror trope in my country so I got some chills when reading about the back story of the ghoul. (hide spoiler)]

ETA: well well now that I am 70% into the story, one of the side quests were way too long - I wanna get back to the singer case omg

I think I could finish it tonight.

yikes I forgot to post here. I finished and really liked the book. Except for the fire case that took too long and made my attention strayed a bit, I really enjoyed the cases - big and small - in this book.

The worldbuilding remains fascinating and the character, Celehar is as likable as Maia. I will definitely continue to the next book. Are we starting immediately or?

Nirkatze wrote: "

I went in really hoping poor Celehar would have better luck with his work and love life

Yes me too! (view spoiler)[I also liked that opera writer, he's fun. Glad he was not the killer. They don't have to be a couple, but I want them to stay friends because Celehar also needs more of them. (hide spoiler)]

I thought how the ghoul concept (view spoiler)[was linked to proper burial was really interesting. I'm not overly familiar with ghouls in mythology and literature--I can only list about three or four different stories that touched on them tangentially--and each had different origins, though all ate dead bodies. And oh, so true about women & childbirth--that is a terrifying thing still today. (hide spoiler)]

I liked how the cases ended up (view spoiler)[intersecting, and one leads to the answers of the other--which is a common mystery thing. Lots of fun! (hide spoiler)]

I just picked up a few rather long books, but I should be ready for the next audio by this weekend, I hope, if you want to jump right in to the third one!

And I really hope the opera writer shows up again... I'd take either option too--Celehar does need more friends! On that note, (view spoiler)[I'd like to see more of his... I think it was his boss on one of the religious sides, the one who was telling Celehar to stand up for himself, and the young woman who Celehar helped connect to her biological grandfather--they all seemed potential friend material... (hide spoiler)]

those two would be good candidates, indeed.

Nirkatze wrote: "

I just picked up a few rather long books, but I should be ready for the next audio by this wee..."

I am still reading one book, shall we start by the end of the month instead?

@Iain: are you joining us?

Yea… I have Grief of Stones loaded and waiting…

Timelord Iain wrote: "Yea… I have Grief of Stones loaded and waiting…"

Sweet!

Also, maybe this is useful, but I found out that the price in Amazon Kindle UK store is half from the US store. You just need to change your address to a random UK address so you could purchase it.

Nirkatze wrote: "I thought how the ghoul concept [spoilers removed]

I liked how the cases ended up [spoilers removed]

I just picked up a few rather long books, but I should be ready for the next audio by this wee..."

Read alot of vampire fiction, and you're likely to come across ghouls... they're... interesting... whether or not the author decides to use them as basically cannibal psychopaths, or just another undead, trying to survive...

Timelord Iain wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "I thought how the ghoul concept [spoilers removed]

I liked how the cases ended up [spoilers removed]

I just picked up a few rather long books, but I should be ready for the next ..."

Yeah, I can't say I've read a lot of "vampire fiction"... some urban fantasy, but I haven't gone out of my way to read anything where the MC is a vampire, or they are romanticized, if I can help it. I've watched Tokyo Ghoul, I remember there being a cleanup crew of ghouls mentioned a few times in Dresden, but that's about it for my run-ins, I think. Probably more mentions, but no major characters.

Oh, and @Silvana, I can do end of the month. :)

I burned through tons of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, before making it to this group... 100s... so I've seen my fair share...

@Nirkatze: splendid! See you both next weekend then

I started yesterday! Loving this book too, and much of what we hoped for (view spoiler)[is happening! More time with the opera director, and lunches with the head religious dude, and even seeing the boarding house ladies again! (hide spoiler)] Why can I never remember names on audio?

I'm up to when Celehar decides to go back to the foundling school, and (view spoiler)[I'm getting a horrible feeling... young girls seeking help. A proprietress who has more money than she should... it's got to be connected to the pornography ring. (hide spoiler)]

And now Celehar goes to talk to the people working in the council chambers, to see if he can find out about how the Marquess got the envelope... (view spoiler)[and it mentions a neatly dressed lady with a bad attitude. Probably the foundling teacher. Ugh, what a horrible thing to do!! (hide spoiler)]

Will be joining in for book 3! :)

Gonna have to slow down the audio because of the names and nomenclature...

I will start in a few days!

Emily wrote: "Will be joining in for book 3! :)

Gonna have to slow down the audio because of the names and nomenclature..."

OMG It is so hard to remember! And the spelling is nothing like what I imagine when I listen...

Yay! Lots of people joining!

Just finished The Witness of the Dead. I really enjoyed it. I love the world and really like Celehar as a character. I also really enjoyed the mystery of both, the singer and the women... But as with the first book, I loved the way it was told as a story most of all. Looking forward to the next book:)))

Shiny! I loved those bits too--how even with multiple threads of mystery running through the story, at the core it's a man's everyday life in a fantastical city.

I finished Grief of Stones today. It was a fun follow-up, but the ending!! I was not expecting it to end there. I was expecting another chapter. Then BAM! end credits... I haven't done my research, so I don't know Addison's plans, but this is so NOT the last book. Or else.

I enjoyed the new character, (view spoiler)[the apprentice. It was cool seeing Celehar being forced to open up to more people as he settles into the city. Going to lunches with Anora, dropping by the opera on a sleepless night, and now spending his days training...Tomasarin? I also thought it interesting--he really doesn't know how to teach. I thought Addison portrayed that really well. He would keep saying it was simple, and yes, that it takes doing to learn--but he wouldn't remember to give her information about all of the details until they hit a situation that needed them. Teaching a subject you know internally to your bones is hard--like say, teaching your native language to a non-speaker--you never think about how you learned it, or how to break it down to present it to someone else. Just a little detail, but it made the whole story more real to me. (hide spoiler)]

Regarding the ending, and post-hill of Werewolves--(view spoiler)[I was expecting his "condition" to be resolved before the end of the book. But he didn't even hear back from the medical witness!

And Celehar just assuming that he can't be a Witness for the Dead without his talent--only about half of his cases in the last book needed him to commune with the dead. His real calling is standing as representative and giving the dead a voice.

I was also thinking of how he was having trouble examining his memory of the Reth....Reveleth...Rethlavar... the revenant thingy in the crypt. And of the woman with the miscarried child haunting her. He told her she had to let go her guilt (I think it was guilt?) and move on in order to release the spirit and heal. I feel like Celehar's condition is similar--the healer wasn't willing to give up, but Celehar is so determined to do so! And so blind to his use outside of his magical talent! I wanted to smack him and give him a hug at the same time! AND THEN THE BOOK ENDED! (hide spoiler)]

I'm about 30% in... thanks for the warning about the ending Nirkatze! I'll know to brace a little lol

I'm kind of amused at how photographers are considered scandalous (view spoiler)[ just because some take pornographic pictures... Or are the just nudes?? either way the guy who blackmails women into taking pictures they obviously don't want to take is an absolute slimy dickhead... (hide spoiler)]

Emily wrote: "I'm about 30% in... thanks for the warning about the ending Nirkatze! I'll know to brace a little lol

I'm kind of amused at how photographers are considered scandalous [spoilers removed]"

Oh so agree! Along with all the manners, titles, and focus on clothes (oh no, he CAN'T go to an audience with the prince, his only good coat is at the seamstress!)--makes me think of Regency-era ideals...or maybe Edwardian, Victorian, something old and British. The focus on scandalous photography as one of the storylines makes me think of Tamora Pierce's Beka Cooper series, where the second book was a counterfeit ring--nontypical crimes to find stories. (view spoiler)[And total dickhead! Chop! (hide spoiler)]