Indian mythology is littered with stories comprising of lost heir / exiled wife-son stories where the said son comes back to save the kingdom and its people from something evil. Its terribly overused cliche that changes only in its execution but commonly has heroics, action, adventure and eventually this person becomes the savoir the kingdom is waiting for. This lost heir is most always has few elements of superiority over others (Like archery, languages, combat, medicine etc). We don't get to see them having a bad day or feel lonely. They are the epitome of heroes, men who never show a side that demands an eyebrow raise or a sympathetic nod. 
 Maia, The Goblin emperor first and foremost is kind. He is kind and compassionate, remains that way through out the course of story. He knows his shortcomings and continuously struggles with it. The struggle is evident in the way he sometimes blurts out a question to a bunch of important people that clearly shows lack of training and sometimes even lack of education. Having tolerated brutal upbringing, he relies on alternative modes of punishment, talking to people and understanding familial involvement before deciding someones fate. Several characters admire his patience while I believe, he is simply assessing the situation from a point of view of a person who has been a victim of verbal and at times physical abuse. In the beginning he is desolate when his innocent offer for friendship is refused by a court member as he doesn't understand the complexities of his stature or his position. Maia continues to be endearing character who learns how to get through the day without offending or alienating his allies. 
 Family is a recurring theme through out the story where characters actions and behavior is heavily influenced by their familial ties and the relation they have with Maia. Having lost his mother at an early age he has basically grown up as a loner without sibling attachment or extended relatives around him. Being half goblin and half elf puts him in precarious position which gets him nowhere at first. It's interesting to see him meeting his surviving family members, the upset widow and enigmatic grandfather and draw his own conclusions. 
 Politics is intricately entangled with families. As is the case in noble class, marriages are arranged for greater political and financial reasons that are strategic for the families than human emotion. It never gets messy as Maia finds his footing with passing time, understanding ongoing activities in his kingdom. The story is mostly about how he does his day to day affairs, meeting new people, understanding existing politics and political conflicts, relationship with foreign traders etc. 
 Women have a restricted role in society that Maia finds archaic. It's interesting to see that Maia who was raised practically in a marshy island is disturbed at his half-sister's explanation of role of women in their society. It becomes evident to him the polarized view of the world on women and experiences some first hand. The society considers elf kind to be upper echelon. Thus an elf male is most appealing in the society and profits the most from societal constructs. 
 The world in itself is at the brink of change. There are small social changes occurring that revolts the conservatives, the cultural change is openly contested and the technological change is blatantly ignored. The finer elements of fantasy and steam punk is interwoven in the story as an element that occurs in day to day affairs of the court and not a plot in itself. Maybe that's why the author doesn't dwell on rules of elements of fantasy or the evolution of "clock smiths". When Maia becomes emperor, two exists in the world juxtaposed. He is influenced by his heavily spiritual mother but he is open to new ideas that can help his kingdom financially. 
 Though the physical attributes of elf or goblin don't come into play a lot, the author cleverly uses certain aspects of elves - they way they flatten their ears or perk it up based on situation. It gives away more than the character intends to and that is sufficient to understand the motive of their dialogue. 
 I was disappointed in the beginning for the lack of action but with time, it didn't matter anymore. After a while, you just get to live day after day seeing the world Maia does and dealing with everyday issue. He is a character who can be related to, liked for what he is and appreciate for what he is trying to do. 
 It's a world I don't mind reading more and more of it. Its sad that it was this short. Hopefully the author will change her mind and writes more.