I can imagine how this novel was pitched. It's like Harry Potter meets Hunger Games with a side of Mean Girls. That idea must sound awesome to some people; but, it was fairly bland.
Why do some revenge stories work and others, like Best Served Cold, fall flat?
Dominion, control, and self-discovery amidst a world ruled by men.
The Goblin Emperor inverts some classic fantasy tropes.
There is no room for epic fantasy in this grimdark universe.
Conventional fantasy goes back to the mud. It's tromped on. Ground down in the dirt. There are people to kill and scores to settle. Conventional fantasy tropes are among the dead.
The novel is dark, twisted, and delightfully subverts fantasy tropes.
What sets this series apart from other works of fantasy are the larger themes Jemisin explores.
How does he do that? Mainly, by writing a novel that is just backstory for Two Serpents Rise.