The Goblin Emperor

A powerful coming of age tale about a rejected half-goblin, half-elven prince who comes unexpectedly to power when an accident kills his father, the emperor, and half brothers. It's a tale about a young prince who finds the confidence to lead his people as emperor and perhaps that he's even good at the job.Addison's world is fascinating -- complex, richly drawn, with regal customs, regulations, and social orderings. It's a strange foreign hierarchy bound by even stranger social norms, from rituals to language patterns. But it all works together to form a highly detailed setting that you just never want to leave.Unlike much of the other modern fantasy being released that's always grim and dark with unlikable amoral heroes, The Goblin Emperor returns to some of the older fantasy classic norms with good heroes you can really get behind and root for -- heroes who always take the high road, even though they have suffered through many injustices. It's thoroughly refreshing and sorely missed in a genre now mostly populated with unhappy.This made our Top 25 Best Fantasy Books of 2014 list and we consider it one of the best fantasy books of 2014.