Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
This was so fun! It’s a nice continuation of Ahsoka’s story post-Clone Wars and pre-Rebels. If you haven’t watched those two shows, you should very very soon. The final season of Clone Wars explains all you need to know and Rebels continues from this novel. It’s fun to read this after all that though. Unless you’re a timeline purist and need chronological media intake. It’s a young adult novel but so are the cartoons! Doesn’t mean I at 32 cannot enjoy it just the same. Love the extended Star Wars world. The SWEU if you will.
e.k. johnston, the evil genius that you are…
i am obsessed with the fact that she cannot resist making her leads queer
i am obsessed with the fact that she cannot resist making her leads queer
Of course, if it's Ahsoka, it has to be good! While this book did have mostly Clone Wars Season 1-esque story-telling, (not bad, just more juvenile and simple vs later seasons that were more focused on character development and big-picture, real-world-problem themes) I did enjoy it and loved getting more insight into Ahsoka's emotions and personal development after leaving the Jedi, surviving of Order 66, possessing great power but knowing she must hide it, going from being surrounded by mentors to being completely alone, etc. I would have liked more of that, but I'll take what I can get. Definitely hoping for more material about Ahsoka, she's among my absolute favorite Star Wars characters.
Following the podcast "A More Civilized Age", I just finished rewatching season five of The Clone Wars, and so I'm celebrating with this little book.
It was a funny thing. Clearly, this author is more interested in writing about character than plot, which is an unusual approach for Star Wars. By no means would I call it a necessarily bad idea, and with the situation in which Ahsoka finds herself at the start of this story (bereft of home, identity, and everything she once valued), it could have been a really great fit. But it wasn't, and I think that's probably because the author felt pressure to stick to typical Star Wars-ness with plenty of action scenes and blasters and, eventually, lightsabers. It meant that the internal struggles of Ahsoka were really only brushed upon lightly. It also meant that the author was stuck writing action, which was definitely not her forte. And I'm loath to say it, because there was obvious passion and effort here, but it just ended up being boring as a result. Like one of the more disappointing Clone Wars arcs.
There was also a subplot involving someone having a crush on Ahsoka, which was fun mostly because of her totally relatable reaction when it was finally revealed to her. It was always going to be doomed, though. The true romantic subplot was between Ahsoka and R2. Nobody else stood a chance.
It was a funny thing. Clearly, this author is more interested in writing about character than plot, which is an unusual approach for Star Wars. By no means would I call it a necessarily bad idea, and with the situation in which Ahsoka finds herself at the start of this story (bereft of home, identity, and everything she once valued), it could have been a really great fit. But it wasn't, and I think that's probably because the author felt pressure to stick to typical Star Wars-ness with plenty of action scenes and blasters and, eventually, lightsabers. It meant that the internal struggles of Ahsoka were really only brushed upon lightly. It also meant that the author was stuck writing action, which was definitely not her forte. And I'm loath to say it, because there was obvious passion and effort here, but it just ended up being boring as a result. Like one of the more disappointing Clone Wars arcs.
There was also a subplot involving someone having a crush on Ahsoka, which was fun mostly because of her totally relatable reaction when it was finally revealed to her. It was always going to be doomed, though. The true romantic subplot was between Ahsoka and R2. Nobody else stood a chance.
This book was an awesome bridge connecting the Clone Wars series and Rebels TV show. I recommend both the book and the audiobook. It is a very quick read since it is a young adult book. It is nice that it doesn't fit in a love story, like many YA books. The audiobook is read by Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka.
My first Star Wars novel! I always looked at Star Wars books and thought they were too nerdy even for me, sort of unnecessary stories that fit into the cracks of what should already be a complete narrative. I don’t know what made my perspective change, maybe because this was shelved in the YA section at the store, that it’s a woman protagonist/author, or just an unexpected character from my childhood that I always liked and realized I wouldn’t mind getting more of.
But regardless of past hangups, I loved falling back into Ahsoka’s character! I didn’t even know her full arc from the Clone Wars show (which I never finished as a kid) but Johnston did a great job of including the larger universe and plot points without leaving me confused by specific niche references. Mentions of Darth Maul being alive, the Outer Rim, Rex, I felt like I was a kid again and remembering just how big of a Star Wars fan I once was, and it was really comfy and cozy and I’m so glad I impulse bought this book. If you ever felt that childhood giddiness as an adult, like I did walking into Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge or seeing Yoda unexpectedly pop up as a force ghost in the sequel trilogy, then this book is worth picking up for that feeling alone.
Plus, one of my favorite tropes ever is the dramatic irony of an incredibly powerful character that the audience is already familiar with, hiding their abilities until the last possible moment and absolutely shocking the bystanders. I actually love it every single time, and that’s maybe half the plot of Ahsoka so I really enjoyed that. And while this wasn’t the biggest or most grandiose execution of the trope, this moment had the weight of an entire tv show and canon behind it that makes it so much fun. We know what Ahsoka is capable of, we watched her grow as a character, as such it doesn’t feel rushed in this short 350 page YA book, it feels totally appropriate and well-placed.
That being said, a lot of other things do feel rushed. At a certain point, Ahsoka fights a lightsaber user when she herself doesn’t have lightsabers and it’s described as: “She blocked him.” Like, how? How did she do that? The fight scenes, non original character arcs, and plot points feel very rushed and shallow which may be a symptom of this book being YA, a prequel to a show I haven’t seen, or just the nature of this book. So if you’re looking to pick up this book based on its own merit, you should probably pass. It’s fine but not worth writing home about.
But overall, the nostalgia and giddiness overwrote the rushed story and writing, and I will have fond memories of this book and an even deeper attachment to Ahsoka because of it, I’m sure.
But regardless of past hangups, I loved falling back into Ahsoka’s character! I didn’t even know her full arc from the Clone Wars show (which I never finished as a kid) but Johnston did a great job of including the larger universe and plot points without leaving me confused by specific niche references. Mentions of Darth Maul being alive, the Outer Rim, Rex, I felt like I was a kid again and remembering just how big of a Star Wars fan I once was, and it was really comfy and cozy and I’m so glad I impulse bought this book. If you ever felt that childhood giddiness as an adult, like I did walking into Disneyland’s Galaxy’s Edge or seeing Yoda unexpectedly pop up as a force ghost in the sequel trilogy, then this book is worth picking up for that feeling alone.
Plus, one of my favorite tropes ever is the dramatic irony of an incredibly powerful character that the audience is already familiar with, hiding their abilities until the last possible moment and absolutely shocking the bystanders. I actually love it every single time, and that’s maybe half the plot of Ahsoka so I really enjoyed that. And while this wasn’t the biggest or most grandiose execution of the trope, this moment had the weight of an entire tv show and canon behind it that makes it so much fun. We know what Ahsoka is capable of, we watched her grow as a character, as such it doesn’t feel rushed in this short 350 page YA book, it feels totally appropriate and well-placed.
That being said, a lot of other things do feel rushed. At a certain point, Ahsoka fights a lightsaber user when she herself doesn’t have lightsabers and it’s described as: “She blocked him.” Like, how? How did she do that? The fight scenes, non original character arcs, and plot points feel very rushed and shallow which may be a symptom of this book being YA, a prequel to a show I haven’t seen, or just the nature of this book. So if you’re looking to pick up this book based on its own merit, you should probably pass. It’s fine but not worth writing home about.
But overall, the nostalgia and giddiness overwrote the rushed story and writing, and I will have fond memories of this book and an even deeper attachment to Ahsoka because of it, I’m sure.
Its not that I didn't like this book. I did. Its just that I don't feel it really affected me. It was well written and allowed me a deeper insight on one particular charecter that you don't see pictures in the main films. And there’s something about that I think specially adds to a series. The only thing is I didn’t connect to this character as much as I thought I would. Overall though it was still a great book and reading made me feel a bit more involved in the Star Wars universe. That made me happy at least. If I know the characters, especially the lesser seen or notes ones, I feel more involved in something than before because by some element I have become more knowledgable about the larger subject in which I was reading.
Ahsoka is fast becoming one of my favorite Star Wars characters. This fills in the gap of her story between the end of Clone Wars and the beginning of Rebels.
I can see it being a tough read if you're just on the fence about Ahsoka. There's a lot of "action" that happens in the past tense; it's like reading a newspaper article on an event. The story also covers a lot of subplots and planets, for a shorter book it felt kind of shoe-horned in.
That said, I really liked the role Bail plays. While Rebels says that the Rebel cells, pre-Rebel Alliance, formed independently, this book shows you the first coordinated attack by Bail's cell. That felt historic.
I also really liked the Sixth Brother's role. I really enjoyed the Inquisitors in Rebels and this book gives me more of that.
It's a fine, not good or bad, read.
I can see it being a tough read if you're just on the fence about Ahsoka. There's a lot of "action" that happens in the past tense; it's like reading a newspaper article on an event. The story also covers a lot of subplots and planets, for a shorter book it felt kind of shoe-horned in.
That said, I really liked the role Bail plays. While Rebels says that the Rebel cells, pre-Rebel Alliance, formed independently, this book shows you the first coordinated attack by Bail's cell. That felt historic.
I also really liked the Sixth Brother's role. I really enjoyed the Inquisitors in Rebels and this book gives me more of that.
It's a fine, not good or bad, read.
I may just "really like" this book because I really like Ahsoka. Still, it's an easy-to-read book that follows her planet-jumping story up to the point where she starts to work for Bail Organa. I admit to a thrill when she was in possession of her white light sabers! Come back, Ahsoka.