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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Violence, Injury/Injury detail
very good and entertaining story. some repetitive parts but overall good ending.
I really wanted to like this. It's not like it was a bad read, but I never looked forward to picking it up. In fact, I avoided it with everything I could think of.
3,5/5
This was the first Star Wars book I read, as it’s a prequel and I wanted to follow the proper order. I did like it but I found it has some problems when considered as part of the extended Star Wars universe. These problems have all been addressed in other reviews so I'll just point to the two bigger issues. Spoilers below!
Second, the plot feels a bit overused: main character chases family member that has gone bad and holds a world ending MacGuffin. She proceeds to have emotional struggles due to their family connection and eventually destroys the bad guy, saving the universe. Feels like we have seen this before and in the same franchise… The short story [b:Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi: Eruption|18077527|Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi Eruption|John Ostrander|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554703929l/18077527._SX50_.jpg|25383678], also contained in the book, has another evil brother situation! Does every Je'daii have an evil brother or is it just a massive coincidence?
Asides from that, I did enjoy immersing myself in another story in The Star Wars Universe, with all the races and background I know and love but with different people. I also liked the snippets of Je’daii history and training. I don’t think I’d revisit this title or recommend it as one of the best, but it’s a good read to get into the rest of the sagas.
This was the first Star Wars book I read, as it’s a prequel and I wanted to follow the proper order. I did like it but I found it has some problems when considered as part of the extended Star Wars universe. These problems have all been addressed in other reviews so I'll just point to the two bigger issues. Spoilers below!
Spoiler
My first problem is that the main character is overpowered: I still have a lot of Star Wars books to read so I'll probably revisit this review when I know more about the possibilities of survival through the Force, but I find it hard to get invested with an immortal character. If I know that shooting Lanoree with a blaster point range will have no effect because she can force shield herself, go back to her ship and fix the enormous, ragged hole in her chest through Force alchemy, then I Start feeling like she's overpowered and she faces no danger whatsoever.Second, the plot feels a bit overused: main character chases family member that has gone bad and holds a world ending MacGuffin. She proceeds to have emotional struggles due to their family connection and eventually destroys the bad guy, saving the universe. Feels like we have seen this before and in the same franchise… The short story [b:Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi: Eruption|18077527|Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi Eruption|John Ostrander|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554703929l/18077527._SX50_.jpg|25383678], also contained in the book, has another evil brother situation! Does every Je'daii have an evil brother or is it just a massive coincidence?
Asides from that, I did enjoy immersing myself in another story in The Star Wars Universe, with all the races and background I know and love but with different people. I also liked the snippets of Je’daii history and training. I don’t think I’d revisit this title or recommend it as one of the best, but it’s a good read to get into the rest of the sagas.
A fun ride, but often hampered by an impulse to overexplain itself
I'd give this 3.5 stars, but I'm bumping it up to 4. The main character is mostly well-written but for a Jedi (or Je'daii) she really needs to work on some skills. Pretty much every encounter with a baddie, she gets jumped from behind or surprised in some way, captured or left for dead, escapes, and then runs into the next encounter with a baddie.
What I really found interesting about this book was the setting of the Tython system and the time period it happened in. The Tho Yor is a great plot device. Most interesting is the Je'daii concept of balancing the force. They acknowledge the dark side and the light side, but they are very much against choosing one side over the over and strive to maintain balance. A quote from the book: "A Je'daii needs darkness and light, shadow and illumination, because without the two there can be no balance. Veer o Bogan [dark], and Ashla [light] feels too constraining, too pure; edge towards Ashla, and Bogan becomes a monstrous myth. A Je'daii without balance between both is no Je'daii at all. He, or she, is simply lost." When did this philosophy change? Some of my critiques of other books and some of the movies are that the Jedi are held to these impossible standards and are forbidden from acting human. The way the Je'daii are described in this book and the way they live their lives may be a little more naive but much more believable.
What I really found interesting about this book was the setting of the Tython system and the time period it happened in. The Tho Yor is a great plot device. Most interesting is the Je'daii concept of balancing the force. They acknowledge the dark side and the light side, but they are very much against choosing one side over the over and strive to maintain balance. A quote from the book: "A Je'daii needs darkness and light, shadow and illumination, because without the two there can be no balance. Veer o Bogan [dark], and Ashla [light] feels too constraining, too pure; edge towards Ashla, and Bogan becomes a monstrous myth. A Je'daii without balance between both is no Je'daii at all. He, or she, is simply lost." When did this philosophy change? Some of my critiques of other books and some of the movies are that the Jedi are held to these impossible standards and are forbidden from acting human. The way the Je'daii are described in this book and the way they live their lives may be a little more naive but much more believable.
I couldn't finish this book, which is a first for a Star Wars book. By far, the most boring Star Wars book I've ever read.
adventurous
Loveable characters:
No
I liked the premise of this book and liked what it tried to do. The core adventure part of the story wasn't half bad. There were too many loose ends and unexplored topics tossed in (likely for additional books to explore - but that cheapens this story, TBH).
I have issues about how the story made assumptions about Dal and about Lanoree - assumptions the story itself did little to uphold.
But, giving it 3 stars because a) Star Wars and b) the main adventure was interesting enough to keep me engaged.
I have issues about how the story made assumptions about Dal and about Lanoree - assumptions the story itself did little to uphold.
But, giving it 3 stars because a) Star Wars and b) the main adventure was interesting enough to keep me engaged.
Couldn't get into this one and it felt really predictable - dropped after about a hundred pages.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes