Another win in #NoHypeNovember. - I’d would love to see Addison talked about more in Bookstagram.

My thanks to #netgalley & Tor/Forge for this ARC of book 3.

Okay- here’s the skinny:


3 Reasons to Read*

- Quick Pitch: Murder Mystery/Speaker of the Dead/justice + emperor/ red tape politics + found family/tender fantasy. TBH, after the election year, you may need this in your TBR.

- If you want something bitter sweet but also oddly satisfying.

- When you are looking for a solid audiobook or like to use a mix of media when consuming books. Confession: I’ve only listened to Addison’s work via audiobook. And even though I was so happy to be back in this world, I terribly missed the dramatics infused from the audio. (It is very much a theatrical performance that even Iäna would approve of.)

3 Reasons to Pass

- If you aren’t looking for a harder read. The dialogue is unique. I had to look up a few words. The cast of characters is pretty sizable. This series works your brain (but also comforts your heart).

- If you like your fantasy “lean”- I’d argue that all Addison’s books are like marbled steaks- there’s a little fat in them and it’s a plot to be savored.

- You aren’t ready for an incomplete marathon series. But I’d argue, I’m familiar enough with the main cast that I’ll happily wait for the next installment without losing any hype for it.


*Start with The Goblin Emperor first!

I realize this is a nerdy niche series & it’s not for everyone, but I adore it. It’s one of those worlds that I hope is like 12 + books deep.

4/5

The Tomb of Dragons! I have been excitedly waiting for this, as it wraps up The Cemeteries of Amalo trilogy. Thara Celehar is a Witness for the Dead, but what does that mean now that he’s lost the ability to actually hear the dead?

Celehar is his own biggest critic. He’s so restrained, so hard on himself, and struggles to believe that he is worthy of anything positive. Even so, he is a truly good and wholesome person, dedicated to doing what is right at any cost. Over the course of three books we’ve watched as his friends, both old and new, stand staunchly by his side through everything, consistently and patiently convincing him that YES, he IS worthy of love and friendship and goodness. This personal struggle is the backdrop for the mystery and political machinations of the plot, as he also tries to regain his powers or come to terms with who he is without them. Despite the damage to his abilities, he is caught up in the thick of a murder investigation that blows open a greater conspiracy. Also, dragons. Who doesn’t love dragons?!

Wonderful world building, a really great mystery – I love fantasy detective stories – and characters full of heart and empathy. It’s a cozy way to wrap up Celehar’s trilogy, although hopefully we’ll see him again. While The Goblin Emperor will always be my favorite character and favorite book in this world, I’ve really loved The Cemeteries of Amalo. 4 enthusiastic stars!

The Tomb of Dragons will be published March 11, and thank you Netgalley and Tor Books for kindly giving me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! This is one I’m thrilled to add to my shelves.

Honestly I will reading anything Addison writes about the goblin/elf world. Here, we follow Celehar through a couple of mysteries and watch him witness for a dragon -- while falling in love with his body guard. As with Goblin Emperor, this is a book full of quotidian moments that never fail to entrance.

The third and final instalment of The Cemeteries of Amalo provides proper closure for this quirky story of our Witness for the Dead. At the end of The Grief of Stones, Thara Celehar has lost his ability to hear the dead and thus a part of himself but he had also gained a circle of people, friends, whom he has come to care for and they care for him. The story continues in this final installment as he quests to restore his power but also there are new deaths to investigate and perhaps witness for one that is most unusual. The Tomb of Dragons does, in fact, add dragons to this world of elves and goblins, but like everything else in this idiosyncratic world, it does so in an unconventional way. The case of the dragons provides another curious aspect to this enjoyable read and I found it interesting to see how Celehar adapted to being thrown even further out of his comfort zone. The last book of the trilogy takes our protagonist's story personal and professional growth to a nice conclusion though I shall miss visiting this unusual world inhabited by peculiar characters. I would recommend reading the series in order to anyone who has not yet read The Witness for the Dead and would highly recommend these stories to anyone who enjoys cozy fantasy and mysteries.
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Tor Publishing Group) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

Thank you to TOR Books and Netgalley for sending me an ebook of this novel.

I am a ride-or-die fan of Katherine Addison's world of The Goblin Emperor and The Cemeteries of Amalo series (detective fantasy) in particular.

The Tomb of Dragons did not disappoint me in the slightest, except that it ended.

I appreciate Addison's acknowledgement that writing this book was a challenge with great empathy. Long-running series require even more mental investment from the people who create them. None of the effort shows on the page -- she knocks this one right out of the park.

Thara Celehar, a witness for the dead and mystery solver, is also a being of great wounded goodness, which isn't the easiest anchor for a fantasy story. His decorum and self-control are so fixed, matched in the early books by his self-loathing, that his narratives could easily become repetitive. I can imagine that figuring out where to go next with his story, much like one of his investigations, requires a lot of false starts.

Dragons follows the pattern of Celehar mysteries, as I noted in my review for A Grief of Stones--an initial murder that unearths a more complex web of intrigue, with a set piece in the middle in which Celehar faces off against some undead danger.

That all happens here, but as the character has evolved, Addison wisely lets the story's structure evolve, too. Dragons is a more externally-driven story than the other two books in this trilogy, and marks a turn in Celehar's story.

It's also my favourite.

I won't say more about the specifics to avoid spoilers. I will say that Addison is definitely aware of her readers' fondness for Celehar and his quirks, but manages to deliver a satisfying journey without descending into fan service. It's not an easy line to walk.

I hope Addison will continue to write in the Goblin Emperor's universe. I will hungrily consume any bauble we are offered.

The Goblin Emperor books are not cozy exactly but they feature a cast of such genuinely good and kind people trying their hardest to do the right thing in difficult circumstances and I find them very cozy to read, if that makes sense — they remind me of Murderbot and the Penric books. I really enjoy the feeling that the world is bigger than what I know about it! I can follow Celehar’s adventures while still knowing that there’s so much more out there that I just haven’t seen (or don’t remember), just like in real life. It’s difficult to pull off but Katherine Addison does it really well.