A review by nclcaitlin
Esrahaddon by Michael J. Sullivan

3.5

After being exiled to the dangerous jungle by his dad when tigers and jaguars refuse to eat him but destroys the rest of the village, Esrahaddon meets goblins who basically adopt him. 

If you have read the Riryia revelations, you may be familiar with Esrahaddon. This shows his upbringing and shaping. This means it either provides that extra backstory and details, or gives you a brand new glimpse into the world!

This book is chunky which can be intimidating but Sullivan’s writing is extremely addictive. 

What I really liked is Sullivan’s subverting of expectations.

Not to mention, goblins have always been seen as vile creatures and normally depicted as enemies in every book in the world of Elan (and other fantasy series). But Sullivan shows, just like with humanity, there are good and evil individuals within the goblins. It was a pleasant surprise to read that Esrahaddon was raised by goblins after being exiled by his own dad.

”See now . . . this here’s the problem with taking in a stray cub. There always comes that time when you got to let them go back to the wild — that moment you know deep in your lousy heart that you’re never gonna see them again. The moment you take them in, the instant you carry them home, you know freaking well that you’re gonna have to say goodbye one day. And as the little furball starts purring and scratching you with his crazy needle claws, you also know when that time comes it’s gonna rip your heart out… And you know what? I need this heart. It’s the only one I got. And you’re killing me here.”

The narrator did a phenomenal job at bringing the funny goblins alive with all their quirks and banter. As well as giving a personality to a naive and oblivious Esra.

The first half was definitely a lot better than the second half. I adored seeing Esra grow up and then adapt (or rather make everyone else gasp at his actions) to socialisation after years living with goblins. His acclimatisation to the city and the magic school. 

However, the second half felt slightly drawn out with too many new threads to follow. The higher the stakes, the less my enjoyment for some reason. 

Now I really want to reread the Riryia Revelations….