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The Cemeteries of Amalo #3
The Tomb of Dragons
Thara Celehar has lost his ability to speak with the dead. When that title of Witness for the Dead is gone, what defines him?
While his title may be gone, his duties are not. Celehar contends with a municipal cemetery with fifty years of secrets, the damage of a revethavar he’s terrified to remember, and a group of miners who are more than willing to trade Celehar’s life for a chance at what they feel they’re owed.
Celehar does not have to face these impossible tasks alone. Joining him are his mentee Velhiro Tomasaran, still finding her footing with the investigative nature of their job; Iäna Pel-Thenhior, his beloved opera director friend and avid supporter; and the valiant guard captain Hanu Olgarezh.
Amidst the backdrop of a murder and a brewing political uprising, Celehar must seek justice for those who cannot find it themselves under a tense political system. The repercussions of his quest are never as simple they seem, and Celehar’s own life and happiness hang in the balance.
While his title may be gone, his duties are not. Celehar contends with a municipal cemetery with fifty years of secrets, the damage of a revethavar he’s terrified to remember, and a group of miners who are more than willing to trade Celehar’s life for a chance at what they feel they’re owed.
Celehar does not have to face these impossible tasks alone. Joining him are his mentee Velhiro Tomasaran, still finding her footing with the investigative nature of their job; Iäna Pel-Thenhior, his beloved opera director friend and avid supporter; and the valiant guard captain Hanu Olgarezh.
Amidst the backdrop of a murder and a brewing political uprising, Celehar must seek justice for those who cannot find it themselves under a tense political system. The repercussions of his quest are never as simple they seem, and Celehar’s own life and happiness hang in the balance.
394 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 11, 2025
198 people are currently reading
8858 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Addison
18 books3,680 followersA pseudonym of Sarah Monette. Both Sarah and Katherine are on Twitter as @pennyvixen. Katherine reviews nonfiction. Sarah reviews fiction. Fair warning: I read very little fiction these days.
Sarah/Katherine was born and raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, one of the three secret cities of the Manhattan Project.
She got her B.A. from Case Western Reserve University, her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Despite being summa cum laude, none of her degrees is of the slightest use to her in either her day job or her writing, which she feels is an object lesson for us all.
She currently lives near Madison, Wisconsin.
Sarah/Katherine was born and raised in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, one of the three secret cities of the Manhattan Project.
She got her B.A. from Case Western Reserve University, her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Despite being summa cum laude, none of her degrees is of the slightest use to her in either her day job or her writing, which she feels is an object lesson for us all.
She currently lives near Madison, Wisconsin.
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March 15, 2025Fair warning, I am dusting off my soap box and I am going to discuss some spoilery aspects in the below review and have a bit of a rant. But I'm not going to hide it under the tag cause I'm angry and I don't want to.
I find myself at a bit of a crossroads. This third entry into the 'Cemeteries of Amarlo' series and was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I have adored this series and have rated The Goblin Emperor and the first two books in the series 5 stars and fully expected this one to follow in the same vein.
I would say out the gate, that if you have the means to dual read this (audiobook and ebook/physical book at the same time) that I think it makes for a substantially better reading experience. I found it worked better for me to have the book to process how complicated some of the names and places were but the voice actor for the audiobook narration is great and is very helpful for the pronunciations. I completely recognize that the way language in this is written and used here doesn't work for everyone but I think it adds to the charm of the fantasy steampunk aesthetic.
The most tragic part of this whole book is that I was absolutely having the fabulous reading experience I hoped to have for about the first 50% of this. I was so happy to be back in this world and with these characters. The absolute JOY I felt at returning to Maia from The Goblin Emperor and seeing that he is doing well and is happy. I loved how the various story points from previous books worked their way back in to the plots in this one and I thought the Tomb of Dragons was a tragic and interesting storyline.
Unfortunately it was at this point that a pretty major element started to fall apart for me.
Call me melodramatic, but I was left feeling betrayed by the direction this story ended up going. When you read a book series there is an implicit degree of trust you give to the author to allow yourself to emotionally invest in characters and their burgeoning relationships and I feel like this book took that trust and threw it in the bin. The ABSOLUTE last thing I expected when I picked up this book up was that I would end up being QUEERBAITED (and in the year 2025 too- Jesus Christ, we are better than this).
For two and a half books we have been witness to this slow burn friends to lovers story arc of increasing emotional intimacy, support, love and hand holding (THE HAND HOLDING), only for it to culminate in this book at the 65% mark with a "I love you, but no homo" moment. LIKE WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU ACTUALLY MEAN? Addison wrote a character who is a flamboyant Opera Director and clearly queer coded only to have Iana Pel-Thenhior have an emotional conversation with Thara Calahar (that we have been waiting three books for) to tell him that he is only attracted to women and has casual sex with them (not that this was ever remotely alluded to previously) but that he loves Thara as a friend and Thara responds by saying that he loves him too but that he isn't attracted to Iana either despite him being attracted to men. Which I'm sorry, is such utter fucking bullshit. The very fact that this scene even exists shows that Addison knows they had been laying the groundwork for their romantic relationship and that for whatever reason she has decided that she wanted to walk it back and instead go down the path of a bodyguard romance at the 11th hour with some random new character she dropped in for their convenience in the wider story. I don't know if she got part way through this and realized it didn't fit with the direction she wanted the story to go in but I found myself so angry at how lazy this change of direction and attempt at chemistry building was (it was literally Thara having a handful of thoughts to himself about finding Captain Olgarezh attractive after randomly encountering him) and Addison has just decided that's job done-good enough.
Probably the most frustrating thing is that Captain Olgarezh wasn't a bad character and that if Addison had decided from book one that they wanted to do a bodyguard romance then I would have been all aboard the hype train. But this was so lazily done and did a massive disservice to these characters and story, which I have otherwise thought was amazing and have loved thoroughly.
I am not often prone to ranting, but I find myself so mad about how the reader is blindsided by these inexplicable writing choices that I needed to get them out of my head so I could sleep with out being in a rage cycle (you need only scratch the surface on other reviews to see that this shock was pretty universal)
However, coming back to that crossroads I mentioned. It speaks to my love of this world that everything outside of the romantic sub plot is still a 5 star read for me. But the disrespect and anger I feel at the choices made in that romantic subplot means that I can't in good conscience give it that rating. Nor do I feel it fair to mark it down. So for now I am giving it no star rating, other than the title of my biggest disappointment of 2025.
I find myself at a bit of a crossroads. This third entry into the 'Cemeteries of Amarlo' series and was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I have adored this series and have rated The Goblin Emperor and the first two books in the series 5 stars and fully expected this one to follow in the same vein.
I would say out the gate, that if you have the means to dual read this (audiobook and ebook/physical book at the same time) that I think it makes for a substantially better reading experience. I found it worked better for me to have the book to process how complicated some of the names and places were but the voice actor for the audiobook narration is great and is very helpful for the pronunciations. I completely recognize that the way language in this is written and used here doesn't work for everyone but I think it adds to the charm of the fantasy steampunk aesthetic.
The most tragic part of this whole book is that I was absolutely having the fabulous reading experience I hoped to have for about the first 50% of this. I was so happy to be back in this world and with these characters. The absolute JOY I felt at returning to Maia from The Goblin Emperor and seeing that he is doing well and is happy. I loved how the various story points from previous books worked their way back in to the plots in this one and I thought the Tomb of Dragons was a tragic and interesting storyline.
Unfortunately it was at this point that a pretty major element started to fall apart for me.
Call me melodramatic, but I was left feeling betrayed by the direction this story ended up going. When you read a book series there is an implicit degree of trust you give to the author to allow yourself to emotionally invest in characters and their burgeoning relationships and I feel like this book took that trust and threw it in the bin. The ABSOLUTE last thing I expected when I picked up this book up was that I would end up being QUEERBAITED (and in the year 2025 too- Jesus Christ, we are better than this).
For two and a half books we have been witness to this slow burn friends to lovers story arc of increasing emotional intimacy, support, love and hand holding (THE HAND HOLDING), only for it to culminate in this book at the 65% mark with a "I love you, but no homo" moment. LIKE WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU ACTUALLY MEAN? Addison wrote a character who is a flamboyant Opera Director and clearly queer coded only to have Iana Pel-Thenhior have an emotional conversation with Thara Calahar (that we have been waiting three books for) to tell him that he is only attracted to women and has casual sex with them (not that this was ever remotely alluded to previously) but that he loves Thara as a friend and Thara responds by saying that he loves him too but that he isn't attracted to Iana either despite him being attracted to men. Which I'm sorry, is such utter fucking bullshit. The very fact that this scene even exists shows that Addison knows they had been laying the groundwork for their romantic relationship and that for whatever reason she has decided that she wanted to walk it back and instead go down the path of a bodyguard romance at the 11th hour with some random new character she dropped in for their convenience in the wider story. I don't know if she got part way through this and realized it didn't fit with the direction she wanted the story to go in but I found myself so angry at how lazy this change of direction and attempt at chemistry building was (it was literally Thara having a handful of thoughts to himself about finding Captain Olgarezh attractive after randomly encountering him) and Addison has just decided that's job done-good enough.
Probably the most frustrating thing is that Captain Olgarezh wasn't a bad character and that if Addison had decided from book one that they wanted to do a bodyguard romance then I would have been all aboard the hype train. But this was so lazily done and did a massive disservice to these characters and story, which I have otherwise thought was amazing and have loved thoroughly.
I am not often prone to ranting, but I find myself so mad about how the reader is blindsided by these inexplicable writing choices that I needed to get them out of my head so I could sleep with out being in a rage cycle (you need only scratch the surface on other reviews to see that this shock was pretty universal)
However, coming back to that crossroads I mentioned. It speaks to my love of this world that everything outside of the romantic sub plot is still a 5 star read for me. But the disrespect and anger I feel at the choices made in that romantic subplot means that I can't in good conscience give it that rating. Nor do I feel it fair to mark it down. So for now I am giving it no star rating, other than the title of my biggest disappointment of 2025.
February 7, 2025
I think the best way I can describe this book is like this: though this book does have a plot about investigating dead dragons, it's not an adventuring book. It's the kind of book that has a handful of scenes about coats. The protagonist needs his coat repaired. He loses his coat. He gets a new coat. He doesn't like the new coat, and trades it for a different one. He needs to buy another coat, because it's cold outside. With every step, the book is exploring how he needs to learn to rely on his friends to help him with his coats. The stakes are low, and the tone is bittersweet.
Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Books for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Books for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
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April 14, 2025review: Well. I was hurt again but in a way I did not in the least expect and I'm not sure yet how to talk about it. RTC.
pre-review: no doubt about it, I am ready to be hurt again!
pre-review: no doubt about it, I am ready to be hurt again!
February 23, 2025
I love this series so much! Thara Celehar is no longer a speaker for the dead, as he has lost his ability. But perhaps it will return, and in the meantime he has another assignment to work on. And ends up embroiled with the ghosts of murdered dragons...
As always, this is an interweaving of multiple mysteries set in a rich fantasy world with interesting characters. I hope we get more written in this world! The main character is charming and has a hard time accepting help or believing his friends really care that much about him. There are some beautiful friendships in this series and seeing them develop is heartwarming. Highly recommend them all! The audio narration is excellent. The narrator for the series nails the vibe and it's helpful to listen because a lot of the names are long and difficult to pronounce. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
As always, this is an interweaving of multiple mysteries set in a rich fantasy world with interesting characters. I hope we get more written in this world! The main character is charming and has a hard time accepting help or believing his friends really care that much about him. There are some beautiful friendships in this series and seeing them develop is heartwarming. Highly recommend them all! The audio narration is excellent. The narrator for the series nails the vibe and it's helpful to listen because a lot of the names are long and difficult to pronounce. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
September 11, 2024
AWWWW THIS WAS SO GOOD!! though These books just keep getting better and better in my opinion, and I do not exaggerate when I say that I could read a hundred Thara Celehar stories. It was so nice seeing old friends (though I fear I did not remember everyone right away 🙇🏻♀) and I desperately hope this is not the last we will see of Thara's adventures, not just because of the ending, but because I find a good man steadfastly and unflaggingly attempting to do his job to the best of his ability to (maybe not be for everyone but) be so perfectly what I love reading. Thara Celehar, I will always love you!!
May 27, 2025
No release date, no premise, not even a title yet, but I have never added a book to my shelf this quickly.
* * * * *
It’s been a couple of weeks since I finished reading, but I still can’t make sense of the uncharacteristic choices the author made for these beloved characters. Is this book the last book for Thara Celehar or has all the advertising and talks leading up to its publication all a ruse?
I’ve dropped several series before for pulling last-minute introductions to new love interests, but I never expected to have to do it to THIS series or that this author would be the one to do it.
* * * * *
It’s been a couple of weeks since I finished reading, but I still can’t make sense of the uncharacteristic choices the author made for these beloved characters. Is this book the last book for Thara Celehar or has all the advertising and talks leading up to its publication all a ruse?
I’ve dropped several series before for pulling last-minute introductions to new love interests, but I never expected to have to do it to THIS series or that this author would be the one to do it.
April 25, 2025
they keep calling this the third in a trilogy but i need katherine addison to know that i would read like 50 more of these if she wants to just churn one out every year like if james patterson was writing books about a sad gay elf
March 24, 2025
It's been a while since I read the previous book so the names confused the hell out of me when reading this book. "Wait, who's that?" while frowning was my go-to expression in the last few days LOL
But the writing remains great. I said in my previous review that the series is the most bureaucratic fantasy I've ever read but somehow enjoyable to read. Similar with the other bureaucratic fantasy novel, i.e. later-published novels by RJ Bennet (The Tainted Cup and the rest), a government official could actually be an interesting POV, with all the nitty gritty red tape and what nots. Efforts and grit are required, as well as allies and network. Things happened with clear causal reactions, the wheel of tim...I mean bureaucracy stops for noone. Maybe it's the ISTJ trait in me, but I like it when my fantasy is coherent and orderly hahaha
It says that the series is a trilogy so this seems to be the last book. A possibility for another trilogy, one can only hope. Or do I need to fill in a form or something? For this case, I'd be glad to.
But the writing remains great. I said in my previous review that the series is the most bureaucratic fantasy I've ever read but somehow enjoyable to read. Similar with the other bureaucratic fantasy novel, i.e. later-published novels by RJ Bennet (The Tainted Cup and the rest), a government official could actually be an interesting POV, with all the nitty gritty red tape and what nots. Efforts and grit are required, as well as allies and network. Things happened with clear causal reactions, the wheel of tim...I mean bureaucracy stops for noone. Maybe it's the ISTJ trait in me, but I like it when my fantasy is coherent and orderly hahaha
It says that the series is a trilogy so this seems to be the last book. A possibility for another trilogy, one can only hope. Or do I need to fill in a form or something? For this case, I'd be glad to.
March 16, 2025
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.
*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
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.
*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
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January 3, 2025This was my favorite of the Cemeteries trilogy, I think. A very fitting conclusion. I also appreciate a fantasy novel basically saying that good government is possible. We need more of that these days.
April 22, 2025
Actual rating: 4.8687643369 stars
This series!
➽ Review to come and stuff.
The Chronicles of Osreth universe :
· Book 1: The Goblin Emperor ★★★★★
· Book 2: The Witness for the Dead ★★★★
· Book 3: The Grief of Stones ★★★★
· Book 4: The Tomb of Dragons ★★★★★
This series!
➽ Review to come and stuff.
The Chronicles of Osreth universe :
· Book 1: The Goblin Emperor ★★★★★
· Book 2: The Witness for the Dead ★★★★
· Book 3: The Grief of Stones ★★★★
· Book 4: The Tomb of Dragons ★★★★★
April 4, 2025
The authorial choices in this book were so baffling that I am retroactively questioning if books 1 and 2, which I have read multiple times each, were actually any good either.
Like the first two books, there are a number of different threads and mysteries. Unlike the first two books, none of what happens feels worth it. But I could have forgiven this if the author hadn't made two absolutely disastrous decisions.
What a disappointment.
Like the first two books, there are a number of different threads and mysteries. Unlike the first two books, none of what happens feels worth it. But I could have forgiven this if the author hadn't made two absolutely disastrous decisions.
What a disappointment.
July 4, 2025
Re-read March 2025: The audiobook is as excellent as the others narrated by Liam Gerrard in this series.
Other reviewers have noted the shift in a key relationship in Thara's life. It's not as big a sticking point for me, and I wonder if it's a result of where the overall story was going or something planned all along. I would love to hear more about Addison's take on the writing of this book.
Edit May 11, 2025: So, Addison does discuss the shift on this podcast starting at the 57:00 mark. It sounds like it began as an open question and didn't get decided until she was writing this book.
I do understand the disappointment from the audience. It's real and I get it. I also know from my own writing that sometimes stories don't go how you planned.
I'm glad she kept writing. I do think more possibilities exist for Thara at the end of this book, and I hope we get to see more of him in the Goblin Emperor world.
-----------Original review----------------------
October 2024: 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.
Other reviewers have noted the shift in a key relationship in Thara's life. It's not as big a sticking point for me, and I wonder if it's a result of where the overall story was going or something planned all along. I would love to hear more about Addison's take on the writing of this book.
Edit May 11, 2025: So, Addison does discuss the shift on this podcast starting at the 57:00 mark. It sounds like it began as an open question and didn't get decided until she was writing this book.
I do understand the disappointment from the audience. It's real and I get it. I also know from my own writing that sometimes stories don't go how you planned.
I'm glad she kept writing. I do think more possibilities exist for Thara at the end of this book, and I hope we get to see more of him in the Goblin Emperor world.
-----------Original review----------------------
October 2024: 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.
September 4, 2025
”I have found that being a Witness for the Dead is usually uncomfortable”.
No puedo ser objetiva. Lo he intentado, pero no es posible.
Puede que no sea el mejor de la saga ni el mejor libro de la autora, sin embargo, a mi este spin-off me tiene embelesada.
Thara Celehar al igual que el emperador están en mi corazón al lado de un pedestal. Como les pase algo a alguno de los dos, no seré consciente de mis actos. He dicho.
-“Death holds no mystery for you.
+Only the mistery of who dit it. ”
No puedo ser objetiva. Lo he intentado, pero no es posible.
Puede que no sea el mejor de la saga ni el mejor libro de la autora, sin embargo, a mi este spin-off me tiene embelesada.
Thara Celehar al igual que el emperador están en mi corazón al lado de un pedestal. Como les pase algo a alguno de los dos, no seré consciente de mis actos. He dicho.
-“Death holds no mystery for you.
+Only the mistery of who dit it. ”
March 16, 2025
I fear I am a bit conflicted about this one, though I did still enjoy it and 4 stars feels right. This series is so lovely to me because it's about someone who truly wants to do good and deliver justice for those who can't speak for themselves. It's an honorable job, and Thara Celehar is an amazing character. I truly adore him, and I have very much enjoyed getting to watch him accept that he has friends and learn that it's ok to rely on them. At its core, that what this series is about: friendship and justice. Overall, I would say that this book (and series) is quietly soothing to me. Not exactly cozy, but warm.
This book would have had a higher rating, but I feel like it unraveled a bit toward the end. Not only that, but there was a rug-pull moment that felt like the author only did it because fans expected something (even though she very clearly planted the seeds for it in the first two books). So the bait-and-switch was very jarring and unexpected, and it left me feeling a bit confused and even a bit betrayed. I am actually quite baffled by the direction she took in this book because to me, it did not make sense. It's been a couple days since I finished the book and the more I sit on it, the more I'm bothered by it. But even so, I still really liked the book, and I loved that we got to see Maia again!
If I have any advice for someone interested in reading this series, it would be to listen to the audiobooks. The narrator does an incredible job at not only voicing Thara, but also effortlessly delivering proper names of people and places (which are notoriously complex and difficult) in a way that sounds natural and intentional. It makes for a smoother experience.
Was I slightly disappointed in this one? Yes. Did I still enjoy it? Also yes. Will I read more set in this world? Absolutely.
This book would have had a higher rating, but I feel like it unraveled a bit toward the end. Not only that, but there was a rug-pull moment that felt like the author only did it because fans expected something (even though she very clearly planted the seeds for it in the first two books). So the bait-and-switch was very jarring and unexpected, and it left me feeling a bit confused and even a bit betrayed. I am actually quite baffled by the direction she took in this book because to me, it did not make sense. It's been a couple days since I finished the book and the more I sit on it, the more I'm bothered by it. But even so, I still really liked the book, and I loved that we got to see Maia again!
If I have any advice for someone interested in reading this series, it would be to listen to the audiobooks. The narrator does an incredible job at not only voicing Thara, but also effortlessly delivering proper names of people and places (which are notoriously complex and difficult) in a way that sounds natural and intentional. It makes for a smoother experience.
Was I slightly disappointed in this one? Yes. Did I still enjoy it? Also yes. Will I read more set in this world? Absolutely.
April 5, 2025
Listen: I have, largely, loved this series. It’s a fascinating premise with such rich world building and incredible characters. Thara is a hot mess, but a hot mess in a way that you grow to love. His character growth is excellent. I loved him. I loved the creepy horror and dead stuff and office cleaning.
But… and this is a major but… Addison just cannot seem to stick the landing with romance. It’s like this ongoing thing with her books. The Goblin Emperor is left sort of open ended in a way that does at least make marginal sense for that book but that still felt emotionally unsatisfying. But this? Ugh.
I reread the last two books before this one, and y’all, as a fantasy reader and M/M romance reader, that is coded as a slow burn romance. It feels like the idea is that Thara really has to heal to a point where he’s capable of letting Iana in. That’s the delay. But it’s obvious as hell. They talk about it. Thara thinks about it. THEY HOLD HANDS. I was totally fine with the speed. It felt true to character. But then! There’s no payoff, just this incredibly left field conversation of Iana being like “I’m straight!” and Thara basically going “it’s cool, I didn’t want to come to your birthday party anyway.” Then we get this random other guy with absolutely no emotional investment, who basically has zero lines, zero relationship development, nothing, until maybe randomly like the last 10% of the book? Just completely ruined it for incomprehensible reasons.
Get in or get out - but don’t write two books of slow burn and then throw the entire relationship away with one incredibly weird, out of character conversation. Just so, so disappointing and such a disservice to these characters.
But… and this is a major but… Addison just cannot seem to stick the landing with romance. It’s like this ongoing thing with her books. The Goblin Emperor is left sort of open ended in a way that does at least make marginal sense for that book but that still felt emotionally unsatisfying. But this? Ugh.
I reread the last two books before this one, and y’all, as a fantasy reader and M/M romance reader, that is coded as a slow burn romance. It feels like the idea is that Thara really has to heal to a point where he’s capable of letting Iana in. That’s the delay. But it’s obvious as hell. They talk about it. Thara thinks about it. THEY HOLD HANDS. I was totally fine with the speed. It felt true to character. But then! There’s no payoff, just this incredibly left field conversation of Iana being like “I’m straight!” and Thara basically going “it’s cool, I didn’t want to come to your birthday party anyway.” Then we get this random other guy with absolutely no emotional investment, who basically has zero lines, zero relationship development, nothing, until maybe randomly like the last 10% of the book? Just completely ruined it for incomprehensible reasons.
Get in or get out - but don’t write two books of slow burn and then throw the entire relationship away with one incredibly weird, out of character conversation. Just so, so disappointing and such a disservice to these characters.
May 31, 2025
Another brilliant entry into the Cemeteries of Amalo series!
I ADORE this world so, so, so much. The slice of life style, the cities, the politics, the naming conventions, the speech (formal and informal), the opera, the teahouses, the cafes, and yes even the ghouls and ghosts. I would happily read another 20 novels set in this world, following our Witness for the Dead, Thara Celehar, and with how this book ended, I hope there will be at least one more!
So many callbacks to previous books - and The Goblin Emperor - a strong flavour of mystery throughout (though not as dark as Grief of Stones), and a wonderful cast of characters.
Utterly magical and I loved every page.
I ADORE this world so, so, so much. The slice of life style, the cities, the politics, the naming conventions, the speech (formal and informal), the opera, the teahouses, the cafes, and yes even the ghouls and ghosts. I would happily read another 20 novels set in this world, following our Witness for the Dead, Thara Celehar, and with how this book ended, I hope there will be at least one more!
So many callbacks to previous books - and The Goblin Emperor - a strong flavour of mystery throughout (though not as dark as Grief of Stones), and a wonderful cast of characters.
Utterly magical and I loved every page.
September 7, 2025
SO GOOD. I seem to forget, from book to book, how much I enjoy being in Katherine Addison's well-realized, strange-but-cohesive fantasy universe. Despite the abundance of death, treachery, and darkness, it does offer something deeply comforting: a protagonist who always tries to do the right thing, whatever the cost to himself, and his friends, who are loving and supportive, even when they do not understand. If there are murders and executions, so, too, are there leisurely meals with tea and cakes with friends, stray cats to feed, the pleasure of walking alone in a well-maintained cemetery when sleep is impossible.
I think The Tomb of Dragons is a bigger book than the last two, with more momentous changes to Thara Celehar's role as Witness for the dead and bigger political intrigue afoot. At the end of the previous book, Thara had lost his ability to speak to the dead after a profoundly traumatic encounter with a kind of super-ghoul. With his apprentice taking on the function he can no longer fulfill, Thara finds himself adrift, especially when a corpse turns up in an opera box.
One of the things I really admire about Katherine Addison is her ability to flout expectation. I was complaining about how masculine names end in -a in this world, and feminine names in -o (in a complete reversal of Spanish, for example), but it made me stop to question my assumptions. Nor would I have guessed that a humble prelate, a private person with deeply held values and a desire to be useful to the most helpless of the people he serves, would be a great fantasy main character.
I don't find I have much to say about this book, but I swallowed it whole within the space of a weekend and finished it with a sigh of satisfaction and sadness to have come to the end of this trilogy and Thara Celehar's story.
I think The Tomb of Dragons is a bigger book than the last two, with more momentous changes to Thara Celehar's role as Witness for the dead and bigger political intrigue afoot. At the end of the previous book, Thara had lost his ability to speak to the dead after a profoundly traumatic encounter with a kind of super-ghoul. With his apprentice taking on the function he can no longer fulfill, Thara finds himself adrift, especially when a corpse turns up in an opera box.
One of the things I really admire about Katherine Addison is her ability to flout expectation. I was complaining about how masculine names end in -a in this world, and feminine names in -o (in a complete reversal of Spanish, for example), but it made me stop to question my assumptions. Nor would I have guessed that a humble prelate, a private person with deeply held values and a desire to be useful to the most helpless of the people he serves, would be a great fantasy main character.
I don't find I have much to say about this book, but I swallowed it whole within the space of a weekend and finished it with a sigh of satisfaction and sadness to have come to the end of this trilogy and Thara Celehar's story.
May 20, 2025
If you are reading this book, you are likely already a fan - it is the 3rd volume in a series, which is itself a spin-off of a very popular (with good reason) book. It's not a good starting point at all for this universe, but there is little risk of unwary or even uncommitted readers to have made it this far without liking precisely what the author is dishing out.
And this is just great for fans - we have finally a more explicit tie to The Goblin Emperor , more talking about feelings and a possibility of a relationship for our main character, some justice is done and just a lot of time hanging around nice people having meals and following a decent and likeable (and not boring) main character. As expected, and it lives up to expectations.
This is probably the most interesting of this spin off series - also the longest, and despite the plot being a bit disjointed (IMO) it also "moves" more than previous books and seems less dependent on (weak IMO) mystery plots.
And this is just great for fans - we have finally a more explicit tie to The Goblin Emperor , more talking about feelings and a possibility of a relationship for our main character, some justice is done and just a lot of time hanging around nice people having meals and following a decent and likeable (and not boring) main character. As expected, and it lives up to expectations.
This is probably the most interesting of this spin off series - also the longest, and despite the plot being a bit disjointed (IMO) it also "moves" more than previous books and seems less dependent on (weak IMO) mystery plots.
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September 16, 2024Pelthenhior isn't even gay ! what's the fucking pointtttuhhhh!
I'm so deeply bored by these novellas and the literal Only Interesting Dynamic was WWE-smackdowned into the dirt with a stupid little monologue about how Pelthenhior only wants to fuck women, actually, ignore his dangly earrings and his flamboyance and his profession and his "intense friendship," this man is totally capital S-Straight. uh huh. alright. foooor sure.
I understand that this author's vision is very different than the book I want to read, and I simply cannot fault her for for writing about and prioritizing platonic friendships. I just also think you built a gay little guy for Me Specifically and then said "actually i'm gonna take that back real quick" and nothing has ever been more infuriating <3
I'm so deeply bored by these novellas and the literal Only Interesting Dynamic was WWE-smackdowned into the dirt with a stupid little monologue about how Pelthenhior only wants to fuck women, actually, ignore his dangly earrings and his flamboyance and his profession and his "intense friendship," this man is totally capital S-Straight. uh huh. alright. foooor sure.
I understand that this author's vision is very different than the book I want to read, and I simply cannot fault her for for writing about and prioritizing platonic friendships. I just also think you built a gay little guy for Me Specifically and then said "actually i'm gonna take that back real quick" and nothing has ever been more infuriating <3
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2025
I have adored all of Katherine Addison's dense fantasies, and The Tomb of Dragons was no exception. We rejoin Thera, Witness for the Dead in Amalo, as he goes about his everyday business. This sounds like it could be boring, except that Thera's "everyday" business includes investigating murders, speaking truth to power, getting kidnapped, and more. At the end of The Grief of Stones, Thera lost his powers to speak to the dead, which means he is actually no longer the Witness for the Dead of the city. Accordingly, this book is partially about the grief of losing the ability to follow your calling. Thera has to create meaning in his life somewhere else.
Above I called Addison's fantasies "dense," and that is accurate: the text is full of created words, a different grammar, and different customs. You definitely can't read it as a standalone - even a devoted fan like me was a little confused by callbacks to previous books and some of the vocabulary. But I love being tossed in the deep end and figuring everything out, and doing it with Thera, who remains a vastly appealing character, is a joy. He's a complex mix of stubborn integrity, confident competence in his career, and chronic humility everywhere else.
Longtime fans will be thrilled to know that the emperor shows up on page! And while I never go into Addison's books for the romance, Thera gets a crush and maybe even the chance to hold hands with his love interest. (Imagine my heart eyes!!!)
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
Above I called Addison's fantasies "dense," and that is accurate: the text is full of created words, a different grammar, and different customs. You definitely can't read it as a standalone - even a devoted fan like me was a little confused by callbacks to previous books and some of the vocabulary. But I love being tossed in the deep end and figuring everything out, and doing it with Thera, who remains a vastly appealing character, is a joy. He's a complex mix of stubborn integrity, confident competence in his career, and chronic humility everywhere else.
Longtime fans will be thrilled to know that the emperor shows up on page! And while I never go into Addison's books for the romance, Thera gets a crush and maybe even the chance to hold hands with his love interest. (Imagine my heart eyes!!!)
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
April 8, 2025
Rep: gay mc
Galley provided by publisher
Between the release of The Grief of Stones and The Tomb of Dragons, it turns out I managed to forget quite a lot of the plot so far of this series. And also any specific feelings I might have had about events. In a way, that was good, I guess, since I seem to have avoided any disappointment regarding a particular relationship (and it let me be sort of tentatively on board for the switcheroo that was pulled). It's also an easy enough world to slip back into, although there were parts of the plot which tied back to book one where I was definitely grateful for the prompting Addison had slid into the scene. Regarding this book in and of itself, this was definitely an interesting mystery and a book I read pretty quickly for it. The only thing I would say is that the ending seemed somewhat a contrived way to get Thala on the move again. Maybe it was something I missed, but Thala never seemed to me a character opposed to settling down somewhere. He got his powers back (pretty easily, it has to be said) and he had something of a life where he was. Abandoning his friends without a word to (potentially) believe him dead kind of flew in the face of the previous two books. So, really, the ending put a bit of a dampener on everything, despite my enjoyment overall.
Galley provided by publisher
Between the release of The Grief of Stones and The Tomb of Dragons, it turns out I managed to forget quite a lot of the plot so far of this series. And also any specific feelings I might have had about events. In a way, that was good, I guess, since I seem to have avoided any disappointment regarding a particular relationship (and it let me be sort of tentatively on board for the switcheroo that was pulled). It's also an easy enough world to slip back into, although there were parts of the plot which tied back to book one where I was definitely grateful for the prompting Addison had slid into the scene. Regarding this book in and of itself, this was definitely an interesting mystery and a book I read pretty quickly for it. The only thing I would say is that the ending seemed somewhat a contrived way to get Thala on the move again. Maybe it was something I missed, but Thala never seemed to me a character opposed to settling down somewhere. He got his powers back (pretty easily, it has to be said) and he had something of a life where he was. Abandoning his friends without a word to (potentially) believe him dead kind of flew in the face of the previous two books. So, really, the ending put a bit of a dampener on everything, despite my enjoyment overall.
March 28, 2025
not a fan of the bait and switch pulled relationship wise, and expectation wise of what Thara would receive. and not a fan of the pacing and consistency issues. it feels very obvious that Addison was writing one book and then started writing another book halfway through. The pacing was therefore kind of jerky and off.
some parts were quite lovely, like Azhanharad being worried for Thara - and everyone being worried for Thara, honestly, and his steps toward accepting the help of others - and I did adore the dragon! but - fairly disappointed. this story just says "You are always going to have to settle and you are always going to have to run. You will never be home." It was an extremely off-putting way to end a trilogy.
some parts were quite lovely, like Azhanharad being worried for Thara - and everyone being worried for Thara, honestly, and his steps toward accepting the help of others - and I did adore the dragon! but - fairly disappointed. this story just says "You are always going to have to settle and you are always going to have to run. You will never be home." It was an extremely off-putting way to end a trilogy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 19, 2025Obviously, every book is authored, and almost as obviously, sometimes the authorial presence is key to the appeal; even if we stick to other contemporary fantasy series, Wayward Children and Cat Valente's Fairyland both rely heavily on the sense of being told a tale. But for all that the cast are elves and goblins, my experience of Katherine Addison's Cemeteries Of Amalo was quite otherwise; the two previous volumes (and their precursor, The Goblin Emperor) got away with their complicated forms of address and extensive discussion of different teas partly because Addison, though she'd crafted this world, was invisible within its pages, and it felt like one was simply reading a report from another world where all of this was how things were. This time, though...the acknowledgements say it was a difficult book, the gap between volumes emphasises that, and too often it feels as if the crew are in shot and the cast are doing their best with scripts they've only just been handed.
As the book opens, Thara Celehar is no longer Witness for the Dead, having lost his ability to communicate with the recently dead in the previous book. He has a new task from his ecclesiastical superior – to sort out a dysfunctional municipal graveyard – and is also serving as mentor for his replacement while she investigates her first murder. Which, tying things further to the series' established territory, took place at the opera house run by Celehar's is-he-isn't-he slow-burn love interest. This is very much what I came for; gentle yearning, exasperating bureaucratic comedy, a melancholy exploration of someone who has for too long been reluctant to exist as anything beyond his calling trying to work out his place in the world now that calling has been taken from him. Hell, there's even an ongoing and very entertaining subplot about the state of his coat and his reluctance to let anyone help him with that. Wonderful.
Except he's then thrown into the titular Tomb of Dragons – literally, on all counts – and suddenly it feels like the story is trying to play for higher stakes without quite knowing how to do that, or altogether sacrifice its cosy side. Celehar is henceforth beset by a series of insurmountable challenges – except always ones he gets out of without much difficulty. He's doomed now that he can't speak to the dead anymore – oh, he got better! Powerful figures are plotting against him – but more powerful ones are on his side, so it's fine! And yes, I appreciate this is how plots operate, but the wires shouldn't be this visible. Worse, the little stuff the books did so well, the teas and coats, gets almost entirely squeezed out by the stumbling facsimile of a political thriller, which is all the more puzzling when this setting began in exactly that genre with The Goblin Emperor, which was magnificent. And as for the romance subplot...I don't hate the late swerve as much as some readers have, it felt vexing but real, but it is exactly the sort of thing which, though it does happen this way in life, probably needs more work to establish as legitimate in fiction. More dissatisfying was the way that the high-level plot, about the difficulties of finding a just resolution to historical crimes, looks like it's been concluded in a suitably knotty compromise – only for another strand of the plot to conveniently intrude and shift that into an implausibly super-neat resolution! It's a fascinating world, and I did enjoy spending time here again, but this outing is very much the runt of the litter.
(Netgalley ARC)
As the book opens, Thara Celehar is no longer Witness for the Dead, having lost his ability to communicate with the recently dead in the previous book. He has a new task from his ecclesiastical superior – to sort out a dysfunctional municipal graveyard – and is also serving as mentor for his replacement while she investigates her first murder. Which, tying things further to the series' established territory, took place at the opera house run by Celehar's is-he-isn't-he slow-burn love interest. This is very much what I came for; gentle yearning, exasperating bureaucratic comedy, a melancholy exploration of someone who has for too long been reluctant to exist as anything beyond his calling trying to work out his place in the world now that calling has been taken from him. Hell, there's even an ongoing and very entertaining subplot about the state of his coat and his reluctance to let anyone help him with that. Wonderful.
Except he's then thrown into the titular Tomb of Dragons – literally, on all counts – and suddenly it feels like the story is trying to play for higher stakes without quite knowing how to do that, or altogether sacrifice its cosy side. Celehar is henceforth beset by a series of insurmountable challenges – except always ones he gets out of without much difficulty. He's doomed now that he can't speak to the dead anymore – oh, he got better! Powerful figures are plotting against him – but more powerful ones are on his side, so it's fine! And yes, I appreciate this is how plots operate, but the wires shouldn't be this visible. Worse, the little stuff the books did so well, the teas and coats, gets almost entirely squeezed out by the stumbling facsimile of a political thriller, which is all the more puzzling when this setting began in exactly that genre with The Goblin Emperor, which was magnificent. And as for the romance subplot...I don't hate the late swerve as much as some readers have, it felt vexing but real, but it is exactly the sort of thing which, though it does happen this way in life, probably needs more work to establish as legitimate in fiction. More dissatisfying was the way that the high-level plot, about the difficulties of finding a just resolution to historical crimes, looks like it's been concluded in a suitably knotty compromise – only for another strand of the plot to conveniently intrude and shift that into an implausibly super-neat resolution! It's a fascinating world, and I did enjoy spending time here again, but this outing is very much the runt of the litter.
(Netgalley ARC)
March 21, 2025
I… don’t know how to rate this book. At the heart of it, this is a book about Faith. About Faith as the center of one’s life, Faith that is a burden, Faith that is painful, Faith that is ultimately that in which all other things in one’s life are seen through. It’s a deeply religious book and it FULLY succeeded in conveying the beauty and struggle of being someone in love with their god - or at least fully committed to their duty to him - and torn between that duty or love and all else that makes them up.
I mean, read this passage:
He said, "Do you think it was successful, your pilgrimage?"
I said, "Define 'successful.'"
"We suppose that is part of the question, though certainly you need not tell us what you hoped for."
"That is fortunate, for we don't entirely know. Often one goes on pilgrimage hoping for clarity of mind, and we suppose we did find that, at least."
"That is good." He hesitated, visibly weighing his options, then said, "You do not sound entirely satisfied."
"If so, the fault lies with us," I said. "We know better than to hope for the thunderclap of revelation.'
"But you do hope."
"Always."
Like???????? The commitment, the courage of persistence, the ultimate hope that an answer could be given, and the trust that even if one is not, all will be as it should be. I weep.
Ok so why the four stars?
Because what the actual heck was Captain Olgarezh doing there???
I am actually not surprised that Iäna was straight. I am also a person whose deepest relationships have always been my friendships and who struggles to think of the possibility of a romantic relationship surpassing my friendships in depth and meaningfulness. Seeing that on a page was quietly affirming. I never really wanted Iäna and Thara to be a couple and I find this development of their relationship more interesting than a simple romance.
But again, what the heck was Olgarezh doing in this book???????? You’re telling me that I’m supposed to believe that Thara, grief-stricken after losing his calling, struggling from ptsd from MANY things but his near death experience most acutely, that THAT Thara is supposed to fall in love at first sight with this random ass guy standing guard on his way to work?????? The Thara who has been mourning his last lover for ages and who is generally considered and thoughtful in his actions??????? Press X to doubt.
This series was extremely planned out and extremely… tidy(?) in how plot lines were tied together and tied off (both within individual books in how the rambling path of the story came together and in how the overall story brings the first mystery of the series to its rest). WHY couldn’t Olgarezh be introduced earlier? Even if he spent the first two books merely existing but present, that would have made a difference in how this last book read. I don’t know, it was just clumsily handled and I expected better from Addison.
Ultimately, I loved this book. The weird romance plot line felt awkward but thankfully didn’t take up too much of the book. Thara is the quintessential Witness “vel ama”, a witness for the voiceless, and his dedication to seeing truth brought to light and restitution enacted was beautiful.
All in all, a good end to a good series. I’m really excited to see where in this world we go next.
(Side note: the downright GLEEFULNESS I felt when we got to see Maia was hilarious. He’s doing so well! He’s so much more confident and in control and yet as kind and thoughtful! He’s such a good emperor! I love him so muchhhhhhh!!!!! If Edrehasivar VII has no supporters I’m dead etc etc. The whole Untheileneise Court part was wonderfully handled. Not shoehorned in for reader service (unlike Olgarezh), just natural and so lovely.)
I mean, read this passage:
He said, "Do you think it was successful, your pilgrimage?"
I said, "Define 'successful.'"
"We suppose that is part of the question, though certainly you need not tell us what you hoped for."
"That is fortunate, for we don't entirely know. Often one goes on pilgrimage hoping for clarity of mind, and we suppose we did find that, at least."
"That is good." He hesitated, visibly weighing his options, then said, "You do not sound entirely satisfied."
"If so, the fault lies with us," I said. "We know better than to hope for the thunderclap of revelation.'
"But you do hope."
"Always."
Like???????? The commitment, the courage of persistence, the ultimate hope that an answer could be given, and the trust that even if one is not, all will be as it should be. I weep.
Ok so why the four stars?
Because what the actual heck was Captain Olgarezh doing there???
I am actually not surprised that Iäna was straight. I am also a person whose deepest relationships have always been my friendships and who struggles to think of the possibility of a romantic relationship surpassing my friendships in depth and meaningfulness. Seeing that on a page was quietly affirming. I never really wanted Iäna and Thara to be a couple and I find this development of their relationship more interesting than a simple romance.
But again, what the heck was Olgarezh doing in this book???????? You’re telling me that I’m supposed to believe that Thara, grief-stricken after losing his calling, struggling from ptsd from MANY things but his near death experience most acutely, that THAT Thara is supposed to fall in love at first sight with this random ass guy standing guard on his way to work?????? The Thara who has been mourning his last lover for ages and who is generally considered and thoughtful in his actions??????? Press X to doubt.
This series was extremely planned out and extremely… tidy(?) in how plot lines were tied together and tied off (both within individual books in how the rambling path of the story came together and in how the overall story brings the first mystery of the series to its rest). WHY couldn’t Olgarezh be introduced earlier? Even if he spent the first two books merely existing but present, that would have made a difference in how this last book read. I don’t know, it was just clumsily handled and I expected better from Addison.
Ultimately, I loved this book. The weird romance plot line felt awkward but thankfully didn’t take up too much of the book. Thara is the quintessential Witness “vel ama”, a witness for the voiceless, and his dedication to seeing truth brought to light and restitution enacted was beautiful.
All in all, a good end to a good series. I’m really excited to see where in this world we go next.
(Side note: the downright GLEEFULNESS I felt when we got to see Maia was hilarious. He’s doing so well! He’s so much more confident and in control and yet as kind and thoughtful! He’s such a good emperor! I love him so muchhhhhhh!!!!! If Edrehasivar VII has no supporters I’m dead etc etc. The whole Untheileneise Court part was wonderfully handled. Not shoehorned in for reader service (unlike Olgarezh), just natural and so lovely.)
December 11, 2025
With a little help from my friends...
I read Jane Goodall's classic In the Shadow of Man in 2000. (Trust me, I will make this relevant.) One of her earliest stories told of how Mike became the alpha male of the Gombe chimp band Goodall worked with. He did it in two ways. First, he was smart -- he figured out that he could make loud scary noises with discarded trash cans that would intimidate his rivals. Second, Mike had a friend he could rely on, David Greybeard. This story shows, among other things, that the people (mostly men) who bloviate about "alpha males" on the Internet have no idea what they're talking about.
The Tomb of Dragons is the third (and, as of December 2025, last) novel in Katherine Addison's Cemeteries of Amalo series, which makes it fourth in her Chronicles of Osreth. In novel two, The Grief of Stones, our hero Celehar dispelled a powerful monster, a revethavar, at great personal cost -- he lost his personal gift for speaking with the dead. Being Witness for the Dead was Celehar's calling. Having lost that ability, he is without purpose. So devastating is this loss, that all his friends fear he will commit suicide. They have organized to keep an eye on him, and his boss, the archprelate of Cetho, has found other occupation for him and arranged for a stipend to be paid him. Meanwhile, one of those friends, Velhiro Tomasaran, has taken over the job of Witness for the Dead from him, but still relies on him for help and advice.
Celehar is not anyone's idea of an alpha male. However, he is unexpectedly powerful, and his route to power is, in broad outlines, the same as Mike's. Like Mike, Celehar is smart. He also has the support of friends. He has friends because he is kind and good and absolutely incorruptible. One of those friends is Prince Orchenis, the ruler of his city, Amalo. When Vernazar, the corrupt chief prelate in Amalo, tries to get Celehar to lie to Orchenis for him, this conversation ensues.
I cannot without spoiling explain how these friendships with powerful friends become relevant to the story. I will say only that the title, The Tomb of Dragons, is relevant.
I thoroughly enjoyed this installment of Celehar's story. I was happy also to see that it doesn't have a neat ending -- it appears that there is more of Celehar's story to come. Since The Tomb of Dragons was published this year, I think we can expect a sequel.
Blog review.
I read Jane Goodall's classic In the Shadow of Man in 2000. (Trust me, I will make this relevant.) One of her earliest stories told of how Mike became the alpha male of the Gombe chimp band Goodall worked with. He did it in two ways. First, he was smart -- he figured out that he could make loud scary noises with discarded trash cans that would intimidate his rivals. Second, Mike had a friend he could rely on, David Greybeard. This story shows, among other things, that the people (mostly men) who bloviate about "alpha males" on the Internet have no idea what they're talking about.
The Tomb of Dragons is the third (and, as of December 2025, last) novel in Katherine Addison's Cemeteries of Amalo series, which makes it fourth in her Chronicles of Osreth. In novel two, The Grief of Stones, our hero Celehar dispelled a powerful monster, a revethavar, at great personal cost -- he lost his personal gift for speaking with the dead. Being Witness for the Dead was Celehar's calling. Having lost that ability, he is without purpose. So devastating is this loss, that all his friends fear he will commit suicide. They have organized to keep an eye on him, and his boss, the archprelate of Cetho, has found other occupation for him and arranged for a stipend to be paid him. Meanwhile, one of those friends, Velhiro Tomasaran, has taken over the job of Witness for the Dead from him, but still relies on him for help and advice.
Celehar is not anyone's idea of an alpha male. However, he is unexpectedly powerful, and his route to power is, in broad outlines, the same as Mike's. Like Mike, Celehar is smart. He also has the support of friends. He has friends because he is kind and good and absolutely incorruptible. One of those friends is Prince Orchenis, the ruler of his city, Amalo. When Vernazar, the corrupt chief prelate in Amalo, tries to get Celehar to lie to Orchenis for him, this conversation ensues.
“He’ll believe you because he likes you,” Vernezar muttered.Celehar even has the friendship of the Emperor Edrehasivar. (See The Goblin Emperor for that story.) Celehar is careful not to abuse the friendship of his powerful friends. He doesn't bring them his problems. However, he will go to them when he has information he believes they will want. Both Orchenis and Edrehasivar are at pains to tell Celehar that, if people are trying to murder him (Celehar), they want to know that.
I stared at him.
“Oh, don’t be tiresomely disingenuous, Celehar. It’s hardly a secret that Prince Orchenis likes you better than any of Amalo’s native prelates.”
“Liking has nothing to do with trusting my probity.”
Vernezar snorted. “Only you would say that,” he said, not as a compliment.
“That’s why Prince Orchenis can trust him,” Captain Olgarezh pointed out.
I cannot without spoiling explain how these friendships with powerful friends become relevant to the story. I will say only that the title, The Tomb of Dragons, is relevant.
I thoroughly enjoyed this installment of Celehar's story. I was happy also to see that it doesn't have a neat ending -- it appears that there is more of Celehar's story to come. Since The Tomb of Dragons was published this year, I think we can expect a sequel.
Blog review.
June 22, 2025
I enjoyed this so much that when my digital copy was due at the library at 66%, I started again with the audiobook at .85 speed. I love the world and luxuriated in my time in it, especially with the very well-done audiobook. That said, I do have a few quibbles, some of which are a bit spoilery. If I hadn't enjoyed it so much overall, they would have brought the rating down.
First of all, the plot coincidences required were again very slightly eye-rolling. A whole conspiracy was brought down with a simple observation and some persistence. I suppose that the reader has to believe that the conspirators were rather inept. And really, the conspiracy plotline was only needed to make the ending make sense. And it also tied into another plotline very conveniently.
Second, the anti-colonialist rhetoric in the dragon plotline was a little too literally attached to my own world to suspend my disbelief. Are dragons people? Do they deserve restitution? Is it ok to murder them for profit? Who are we really talking about, and why? Do we not already know the answers? Celehar certainly does. All this in a world where, as someone points out, it's not quite clear that women are considered people - they are still agitating to go to university (or have just been allowed in, it's not clear). And what happens with the Emperor's judgment and subsequent events was also very coincidentally what needed to happen.
I mean, I agree with the politics. But I don't think it needed to be spelled out so literally, or that Celehar needed to consciously note during the trial that all the people in power are Elven males. On the other hand, I am happy that the undercurrents of racism are getting teased out a bit more from the very quiet whisper that the reader got before - things like the goblin singer needing to have an opera written for her because the audience wouldn't accept her singing in a traditionally elven part in a traditionally elven opera, even though she has the best voice. Perhaps this is because Celehar is elven, so he hasn't been as aware until now?
In general I enjoy the slice-of-life parts of this story, and the continual debates and wins and losses in the stakes of whether Celehar has a coat of office that is respectable enough, and how he keeps it so. I enjoyed the looks at the opera and was really invested in the clearing out of the hoarder's office. (am I weird that I wanted more detail about that and about how the place was run?)
I also have come to enjoy that these books are about death and have a lot of themes of death, and how we deal with it. It's very well done and surprisingly gentle. And the element where everybody (well, almost) matter-of-factly believes in hauntings and ghosts and ghouls and needs Celehar's help to interact with that world in hs role of speaker of the dead.
However, I wish that there was more scope for female characters. It is a feminist book with feminist points of view, but it remains that Celehar is a kinda closeted gay dude who does not have a feminine experience. In a world like this it allows the character to get out and about a bit more, but...
I have come to see these books as a middle space between Bujold's Penric novellas and the Victoria Goddard books, which I've only read a few of but enjoyed. There's an empire with magic (or something) but rules (Goddard) and a character doing his best to fight for justice with the special skills he's been given (Penric). And a thing about Penric is that he has his adventures with Des in a variety of locations, and travel is often part of the fun.
And here's my major quibble or difficulty. (You probably don't want to read it if you plan to read the book.)
We shall see! I'm still giving it five stars, because listening to these novellas has been an absolute joy over the past couple of months. I'm impatient for what happens next.
Maybe I'll even try her first series again, although there's yet another man mistreated by his (male) lover prominent of the setup of that one, and the cruelty turned me right off.
First of all, the plot coincidences required were again very slightly eye-rolling. A whole conspiracy was brought down with a simple observation and some persistence. I suppose that the reader has to believe that the conspirators were rather inept. And really, the conspiracy plotline was only needed to make the ending make sense. And it also tied into another plotline very conveniently.
Second, the anti-colonialist rhetoric in the dragon plotline was a little too literally attached to my own world to suspend my disbelief. Are dragons people? Do they deserve restitution? Is it ok to murder them for profit? Who are we really talking about, and why? Do we not already know the answers? Celehar certainly does. All this in a world where, as someone points out, it's not quite clear that women are considered people - they are still agitating to go to university (or have just been allowed in, it's not clear). And what happens with the Emperor's judgment and subsequent events was also very coincidentally what needed to happen.
I mean, I agree with the politics. But I don't think it needed to be spelled out so literally, or that Celehar needed to consciously note during the trial that all the people in power are Elven males. On the other hand, I am happy that the undercurrents of racism are getting teased out a bit more from the very quiet whisper that the reader got before - things like the goblin singer needing to have an opera written for her because the audience wouldn't accept her singing in a traditionally elven part in a traditionally elven opera, even though she has the best voice. Perhaps this is because Celehar is elven, so he hasn't been as aware until now?
In general I enjoy the slice-of-life parts of this story, and the continual debates and wins and losses in the stakes of whether Celehar has a coat of office that is respectable enough, and how he keeps it so. I enjoyed the looks at the opera and was really invested in the clearing out of the hoarder's office. (am I weird that I wanted more detail about that and about how the place was run?)
I also have come to enjoy that these books are about death and have a lot of themes of death, and how we deal with it. It's very well done and surprisingly gentle. And the element where everybody (well, almost) matter-of-factly believes in hauntings and ghosts and ghouls and needs Celehar's help to interact with that world in hs role of speaker of the dead.
However, I wish that there was more scope for female characters. It is a feminist book with feminist points of view, but it remains that Celehar is a kinda closeted gay dude who does not have a feminine experience. In a world like this it allows the character to get out and about a bit more, but...
I have come to see these books as a middle space between Bujold's Penric novellas and the Victoria Goddard books, which I've only read a few of but enjoyed. There's an empire with magic (or something) but rules (Goddard) and a character doing his best to fight for justice with the special skills he's been given (Penric). And a thing about Penric is that he has his adventures with Des in a variety of locations, and travel is often part of the fun.
And here's my major quibble or difficulty. (You probably don't want to read it if you plan to read the book.)
We shall see! I'm still giving it five stars, because listening to these novellas has been an absolute joy over the past couple of months. I'm impatient for what happens next.
Maybe I'll even try her first series again, although there's yet another man mistreated by his (male) lover prominent of the setup of that one, and the cruelty turned me right off.
March 9, 2025
Too many people do not know that Katherine Addison’s amazing Goblin Emperor has been continued on for many many books and has become one of my favorite cozy fantasy murder mystery series. (It’s definitely the coziest fantasy series that stars a mortician.) If you know me, you know I love a murder mystery, and nothing makes me happier than seeing the recent rise of fantasy murder mystery and space murder mystery as subgenres.
If you’re a longtime reader of the Cemeteries of Amalo series, you’ll love this newest entry in the series! If the first one wasn’t literally a fantasy murder mystery set in an opera house, this would be my new favorite. It’s still got Celehar being too self-sacrificing for his own good, scrumptious descriptions of food, a cozy feel that hides the deep interpersonal relationships that Addison continues to manage with ease. And your favorite characters stick around! The characters are so wonderfully drawn, and I love watching their relationships grow and deepen as the series progresses.
This series is an interesting one, because even though it’s set in the same world as Goblin Emperor, Goblin Emperor is very different tonally from the rest of the series. So here’s my guide to reading the Cemeteries of Amalo series for newcomers. If you are a fan of fantasy novels with political intrigue, you will love Goblin Emperor! It’s not got as much of the cozy vibe of the Cemeteries of Amalo, but if you don’t read Goblin Emperor then Witness for the Dead will be full of spoilers for Goblin Emperor. If you don’t care about that and want to jump into cozy mortician solves crimes, then you can start with Witness for the Dead as long as you’re willing to be confused for a bit.
Recommended for fans of the Tainted Cup, and Legends and Lattes.
I received an ARC in exchange for this honest review.
If you’re a longtime reader of the Cemeteries of Amalo series, you’ll love this newest entry in the series! If the first one wasn’t literally a fantasy murder mystery set in an opera house, this would be my new favorite. It’s still got Celehar being too self-sacrificing for his own good, scrumptious descriptions of food, a cozy feel that hides the deep interpersonal relationships that Addison continues to manage with ease. And your favorite characters stick around! The characters are so wonderfully drawn, and I love watching their relationships grow and deepen as the series progresses.
This series is an interesting one, because even though it’s set in the same world as Goblin Emperor, Goblin Emperor is very different tonally from the rest of the series. So here’s my guide to reading the Cemeteries of Amalo series for newcomers. If you are a fan of fantasy novels with political intrigue, you will love Goblin Emperor! It’s not got as much of the cozy vibe of the Cemeteries of Amalo, but if you don’t read Goblin Emperor then Witness for the Dead will be full of spoilers for Goblin Emperor. If you don’t care about that and want to jump into cozy mortician solves crimes, then you can start with Witness for the Dead as long as you’re willing to be confused for a bit.
Recommended for fans of the Tainted Cup, and Legends and Lattes.
I received an ARC in exchange for this honest review.
March 20, 2025
After spending a day fuming, I have finished it.
Katherine, I could have got over Thara and Iäna not getting together—despite two and half books worth of narrative very heavily leading the reader to assume that was where things were going.
I can NOT get over making Iäna Pel-Thenhior a heterosexual!!! It is wrong and it is evil!!
Katherine, I could have got over Thara and Iäna not getting together—despite two and half books worth of narrative very heavily leading the reader to assume that was where things were going.
I can NOT get over making Iäna Pel-Thenhior a heterosexual!!! It is wrong and it is evil!!
March 22, 2025
Overall, while I enjoyed revisiting this world and these characters, I thought the second half of this book undid a lot of the work of the first 2.5 books in the series. It also veered away from the little mysteries affecting people's daily lives to bigger, more political mysteries (that weren't really mysteries), without doing them quite well enough. And massive spoiler:
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