The Goblin Emperor

Another excellent YA novel I recently read, this one by Katherine Addison. Set in the fantasy world of Ethuverazhin, dominated by Elves but also peopled by other ethnicities, the Emperor and his three eldest sons die mysteriously in an airship crash. The youngest, disenfranchised son, who is half Goblin and the result of a political alliance marriage, is suddenly to become the new Emperor. Unfortunately for him, he was exiled with his mother immediately after his birth and has only been to court one time--for his mother's funeral--when he was 8 years old. Fortunately, in the few years they had together, his mother loved him and taught him to be kind and fair and Maia is able to gradually win allies. Of course the Goblin ambassador at Court is on his side, and will bring the power of the Goblin overlord, Maia's maternal grandfather, into the equation as well. Maia initially has no idea, at the tender age of 18, how to manage the political intrigues and murderous intentions of those who think he should not be the new Emperor. Even if they don't want to kidnap or kill him, everyone wants something from the new Emperor, and Maia must constantly be on his toes to avoid stepping into political quicksand.  This is a well crafted world, although a bit thick with unpronounceable personal and place names; there is a brief pronunciation guide and a cast of characters and place names following the text. You will absolutely cheer for Maia as his goodness wins out over the prejudices and players lined up against him.