This series is another comfort read for me.  I just love the world building in this.  But mostly I love Thara Celeha.  He does not believe he deserves love or forgiveness, always tries to do the right thing, and is a lovely character to follow.  The dignity of how he deals with the dead is so heart warming and also heart wrenching at times.  Another favorite in this book is the Pel-Thenior, the manager of the Vermillion Opera.  Their interactions sweet.  I continue to love how real the world feels.  I love how tea is used in the culture.  The first book of this series can be read as a standalone.  The second cannot.  I do not know when book three comes out but I wants it!  There seem to be a couple of short stories set in the world that I will have to track down. Arrr!

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Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this fantasy eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

The first book of this series the goblin emperor is one of me favourite comfort reads.  This be a standalone book set in the same world so ye don't have to read them in order but I do recommend it.

This novel does not have the same feel of scope or political intrigue as its predecessor.  What is does still have is a character ye love to root for and find comfort in.  Celehar is not a ruler but a dutiful man whose position, a witness for the dead, leaves him on the fringes of society.  That fact that he can speak to the dead, unlike the rest of his calling, leaves him even more isolated.

I loved Celehar.  Ye follow him in his daily tasks and watch him find answers about the dead.  How he solves mysteries is not glamourous or even thrilling.  But it his care for those families he helps and his reverence for the dead that makes him so loveable.

The plot is leisurely, the worldbuilding continues to be excellent, and I loved every minute.  I certainly would read more books set in this world, however i will continue to reread these books and enjoy them.  Arrr!

So lastly . . .

Thank you Macmillian/Tor-Forge!