Scan barcode
haileypassmoree's review against another edition
4.0
ITS OFFICIAL. I LOVE STAR WARS CANON NOVELS.
just being able to get a background as to what happened between movies, or in this book’s case, even missing scenes from movies, is amazing. any star wars content i’ll take it.
just being able to get a background as to what happened between movies, or in this book’s case, even missing scenes from movies, is amazing. any star wars content i’ll take it.
lavenderbookrecs's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
bunnybaby13's review against another edition
5.0
god i love padmé. i love padmé, i love all of her handmaidens, and i love this book series. i would love to adapt it someday.
sklus's review against another edition
4.0
Loved learning more about everyone's favorite space queen. I had some issues with the pacing, like the pacing felt more akin to a movie than a book. Can't wait to watch the phantom menace now that I have a snowball's chance of telling the handmaidens apart.
crocmaster17's review against another edition
5.0
One sentence (if you don't want to read all of my review): This book feels fresh in the way it does not shy away from writing about the experiences of young women and makes your favorite characters more real by having them go through just that.
-----
I read this one after reading Queen's Shadow as I personally feel like prequels are best enjoyed after knowing the context of the story that they are expanding. I loved the first book and I went into this incredibly excited and this book did not disappoint. This book is a phenomenal sequel and even surpassed how much I enjoyed the first book.
The story begins with Padme awaiting the results of the election for the Queen of Naboo, she is only fourteen years old. This story serves as a good reminder of how young she actually was in the Phantom Menace. Taking place just a short time before that movie, it continues to show just how she felt as she moved into the throne of Naboo and how smart she actually is. She had a huge hand when choosing the handmaidens and how the decoy maneuver began.
The Handmaidens. They are easily the best part of this book and maybe I am biased because I loved them in the first book. They have so much personality and they are all individual characters with unique skills to bring to the table. They get into trouble and they have conflict and they just feel so real. Too often do authors treat young female friendships as perfect and without any imperfections. As someone who was once a teenage girl, I know that I got into fights with my friends and that I caused problems and got mad with them for no reason. Over-sanitizing that aspect of growing up occurs in so much media and Johnston just hits the nail on the head in this book.
There are a great deal of scenes that made me laugh out loud while reading this and the transition to the much more serious back half of the book that occurs during the events of the Phantom Menace is done beautifully. Do I love the chapters where it shifts the story to Darth Maul or Obi-wan? No, not particularly. I don't feel they add much. But, do I think that they detract from/hurt the story? Also, no. I think that this book shines brightest when you appreciate just how strong of a politician and character Padme is but also recognize how her reign as queen is strengthened by the relationships she formed with the Handmaidens.
As I stated in my review of Queen's Shadow (which is admittedly much shorter than this), E.K. just has this special charm when writing these female characters. She writes about experiences that many of us had while growing up (i.e.: having a first period) in a way that doesn't feel phoned-in or forced. This book feels fresh in the way it does not shy away from writing about the experiences of young women and makes your favorite characters more real by having them go through just that. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and will definitely re-read when I need something familiar and comforting. Thank you, E.K.!
-----
I read this one after reading Queen's Shadow as I personally feel like prequels are best enjoyed after knowing the context of the story that they are expanding. I loved the first book and I went into this incredibly excited and this book did not disappoint. This book is a phenomenal sequel and even surpassed how much I enjoyed the first book.
The story begins with Padme awaiting the results of the election for the Queen of Naboo, she is only fourteen years old. This story serves as a good reminder of how young she actually was in the Phantom Menace. Taking place just a short time before that movie, it continues to show just how she felt as she moved into the throne of Naboo and how smart she actually is. She had a huge hand when choosing the handmaidens and how the decoy maneuver began.
The Handmaidens. They are easily the best part of this book and maybe I am biased because I loved them in the first book. They have so much personality and they are all individual characters with unique skills to bring to the table. They get into trouble and they have conflict and they just feel so real. Too often do authors treat young female friendships as perfect and without any imperfections. As someone who was once a teenage girl, I know that I got into fights with my friends and that I caused problems and got mad with them for no reason. Over-sanitizing that aspect of growing up occurs in so much media and Johnston just hits the nail on the head in this book.
There are a great deal of scenes that made me laugh out loud while reading this and the transition to the much more serious back half of the book that occurs during the events of the Phantom Menace is done beautifully. Do I love the chapters where it shifts the story to Darth Maul or Obi-wan? No, not particularly. I don't feel they add much. But, do I think that they detract from/hurt the story? Also, no. I think that this book shines brightest when you appreciate just how strong of a politician and character Padme is but also recognize how her reign as queen is strengthened by the relationships she formed with the Handmaidens.
As I stated in my review of Queen's Shadow (which is admittedly much shorter than this), E.K. just has this special charm when writing these female characters. She writes about experiences that many of us had while growing up (i.e.: having a first period) in a way that doesn't feel phoned-in or forced. This book feels fresh in the way it does not shy away from writing about the experiences of young women and makes your favorite characters more real by having them go through just that. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and will definitely re-read when I need something familiar and comforting. Thank you, E.K.!
annabeth324's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lonestar91's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mochipooja's review against another edition
Johnston’s writing remains bland and boring, and I genuinely couldn’t get past it. I say this as a HUGE Padme fan.