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amidala7567's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
kayzo's review against another edition
1.0
The writing style was disjointed and reflected too much of... Earth. The writing style did not flow and it was hard to make it through the book. It did not feel like I was entering the Star Wars Universe at all. This was not a good introduction to the Star Wars Disney canon for me.
alexinho10's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
hirvimaki's review against another edition
3.0
AN OK read in the SW universe, telling the tales that lead up to Episode VII.
arjohnson5623's review against another edition
2.0
Yowza. This was rougher than I expected. The writing style of the author felt like it should have been pitched toward children rather than adults. The sentences were short, choppy, and strangely formatted in a way that made me feel as though I was making progress only through abrupt jerks forward. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and while I appreciate the glimpses of what was happening on other worlds across the galaxy in the aftermath of the second Death Star's destruction, it felt disjointed, or as though the story had some sort of attention deficit disorder. I didn't feel particularly endeared to any one character as a result, and by the climax I wasn't satisfied. I hadn't gone through the muck and the mire with these characters, only read about it, I didn't particularly care whether they lived or died. I can appreciate what the author was trying to do in both laying foundations for stories to be told, along with trying to express the vastness of this conflict, but in my opinion? The story fell flat.
carlyxdeexx's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, people really didn’t like this book!
I have to admit, I didn’t know what to expect going into this. A novel meant to “fill in” some of the space between one series of movies and its current continuation? A much-beloved franchise, a different form of storytelling, will this be like a fanfiction, and if it is, a good one? After all, anyone who says all fanfic is bad hasn’t read enough, and sometimes all the fans really want is the fic. That’s it!
Anyway, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would for many reasons. But the most important one to me was the nuanced way it handled the post-Endor political climate. Here we have a successful rebellion, but not quite completely successful, and a crushed Empire, but not quite completely crushed. This conflict wasn’t the end of it all. Rebellion, after all, isn’t ultimately about winning.
It’s about what comes after the victory. The rebuilding. The creation of a more just society, one better than the last attempt. Not rebellion recruitment, but New Republic acceptance, kindness, and eagerness to move forward, to bring unity while also acknowledging the complexities of freedom and peace.
The cursory read-through I did of some other reviews called this book boring. I would say this could be considered a bit tame? But only a bit. And it’s hardly boring! These characters were delightful! I wanted more of them, and I thought I could pick a couple of the main cast I liked most, but seriously, all of them! Even Rae is very compelling—I’m so excited to see her approach evolve in the series. There’s a gay character, w00t, and just so many ladies! Ladies in charge, ladies just trying to live their lives, ladies who fight, ladies who don’t but sure as hell try, I was just. So pleased with these fleshed-out female characters.
I was particularly touched by the interludes involving Olia and Mon Mothma. Their compassion and allegiance to the New Republic’s values! Their determination to create a better society! There’s so much to this story that I feel like so many reviewers missed. Allegiances tested, family or freedom? How is the Empire stabbing itself in the foot? What traps does the New Republic risk stumbling into? Can we really change for the better? Can we see past each other’s mistakes, or even more crucially, move beyond and atone for our own? Will the Empire need to change to truly gain footing against the New Republic?
Seriously, not boring. I stayed awake reading this on the morning bus—it’s engaging stuff! I can’t wait to talk more about it to my little cousin, who recommended I read it.
My criticisms are few. The interludes could feel jumpy sometimes. I thought a moment with a couple main series characters was a bit shoehorned in there. The ending and a character’s repeated thwarting of certain death felt a little corny. Sometimes the writing got a bit quirky, but that honestly didn’t distract me. I didn’t feel like this wasn’t Star Wars, or felt disconnected in any way from the movies. It seamlessly added a layer of realistic complexity to the end of the original trilogy.
Go Chuck Wendig! You did a great job with this challenge and I’m excited for the sequel.
I have to admit, I didn’t know what to expect going into this. A novel meant to “fill in” some of the space between one series of movies and its current continuation? A much-beloved franchise, a different form of storytelling, will this be like a fanfiction, and if it is, a good one? After all, anyone who says all fanfic is bad hasn’t read enough, and sometimes all the fans really want is the fic. That’s it!
Anyway, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would for many reasons. But the most important one to me was the nuanced way it handled the post-Endor political climate. Here we have a successful rebellion, but not quite completely successful, and a crushed Empire, but not quite completely crushed. This conflict wasn’t the end of it all. Rebellion, after all, isn’t ultimately about winning.
It’s about what comes after the victory. The rebuilding. The creation of a more just society, one better than the last attempt. Not rebellion recruitment, but New Republic acceptance, kindness, and eagerness to move forward, to bring unity while also acknowledging the complexities of freedom and peace.
The cursory read-through I did of some other reviews called this book boring. I would say this could be considered a bit tame? But only a bit. And it’s hardly boring! These characters were delightful! I wanted more of them, and I thought I could pick a couple of the main cast I liked most, but seriously, all of them! Even Rae is very compelling—I’m so excited to see her approach evolve in the series. There’s a gay character, w00t, and just so many ladies! Ladies in charge, ladies just trying to live their lives, ladies who fight, ladies who don’t but sure as hell try, I was just. So pleased with these fleshed-out female characters.
I was particularly touched by the interludes involving Olia and Mon Mothma. Their compassion and allegiance to the New Republic’s values! Their determination to create a better society! There’s so much to this story that I feel like so many reviewers missed. Allegiances tested, family or freedom? How is the Empire stabbing itself in the foot? What traps does the New Republic risk stumbling into? Can we really change for the better? Can we see past each other’s mistakes, or even more crucially, move beyond and atone for our own? Will the Empire need to change to truly gain footing against the New Republic?
Seriously, not boring. I stayed awake reading this on the morning bus—it’s engaging stuff! I can’t wait to talk more about it to my little cousin, who recommended I read it.
My criticisms are few. The interludes could feel jumpy sometimes. I thought a moment with a couple main series characters was a bit shoehorned in there. The ending and a character’s repeated thwarting of certain death felt a little corny. Sometimes the writing got a bit quirky, but that honestly didn’t distract me. I didn’t feel like this wasn’t Star Wars, or felt disconnected in any way from the movies. It seamlessly added a layer of realistic complexity to the end of the original trilogy.
Go Chuck Wendig! You did a great job with this challenge and I’m excited for the sequel.
chitownbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
brentevs's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ttodd86's review against another edition
2.0
A little late to the game as far as reading this one, but not impressed. I knew it was not about any of the main characters from the Skywalker stories, but it was far afield and there were just way too many times where we are led to believe someone has died, only to learn -- shockingly -- they are still alive! At the lower end of the Star Wars books.
limondesperso's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5