The Grief of Stones by Katherine Addison

When the young half-goblin emperor Maia sought to learn who had killed his father and half-brothers in THE GOBLIN EMPEROR, he turned to a prelate of Ulis and a Witness for the Dead, Thara Celchar. Now Celchar seeks a quiet life serving the common people in the city of Amalo, far from the Court, but his skills lead him into a morass of treachery, murder, and injustice.

Addison took the world by storm with her brilliant and sensitive characterizations in THE GOBLIN EMPEROR and she continues to immerse readers in the lives of her characters in this delicious, stand-alone sequel.