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dadverine's review
adventurous
funny
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? Yes
4.0
nerdynatreads's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Okay, so this isn’t quite the horror story I was hoping for, but it has still been a bit unique and exciting!
I actually really like following a Jedi who’s less interested in the daring adventure parts of the life. Reath is a total history nerd who’d rather spend his time studying artifacts and researching ancient texts, but his Master sends him on this quest to get him outside his comfort zone. This makes him a lot of fun to follow, seeing how an archivist Jedi would work, but also watching him become more comfortable and find joy in the more knight parts of being a Jedi. There’s a fellow Jedi archivist we see from as well, Cohmac, and something I’ve enjoyed with both of them is learning pieces about the history of this universe and the Jedi themselves. For example, the Kyber Arch, which is made up from the lightsaber crystals of Jedi killed in battle was a really cool bit.
Another character is actually in the process of transitioning to a role as a Jedi Wayseeker, Orla. Though we see some specifics about Jedi life and the struggles of sticking to the major tenets with every Jedi character, I’ve been really enjoying Orla’s struggle with her role. It reminded me of both Gella in Convergence/Cataclysm as well as Ahsoka in Clone Wars. After all, the Jedi live a life very based in doctrine, but they’re still human, err, well… sentient beings? So I always find it interesting to see these characters struggle with their beliefs and the philosophies they’ve been taught.
I do think this book is also falling prey to the issue of too many perspectives. We’ve had 4 Jedi, 2 pilots, and then a past timeline as well. The plot sort of takes place during the hyper-lane disaster from Light of the Jedi, but also calls back to events that took place some 25 years prior between Eiram and E’ronoh, continuing the conflict these planets have had for centuries. I don’t really think these two plots really wove together well? I understood the connection at the end, but it didn’t seem like a big enough part of the story to really warrant a whole additional section of the book. Rather, if we’d focused solely on this mysterious space station and the Dark Forces found there, I think we could have expanded on the history and emotional struggles of the Jedi characters we’d been following, which would have mirrored their more physical battles with the Dark Forces.
In the end this one was fine, but not especially enthralling. I do hope to see more of Reath, Cohmac and Orla, however.
latrumpet's review
4.0
This book really dragged for a long time. I took a break part way in, and struggled to really get back into it. Reath is a compelling main character, and the side characters are interesting as well, the storyline just wasn’t doing much for me until the final 25% of the book. That being said, the last part of the book flew by, and I considered giving this a 5 star review based on how satisfying the ending was.
braganina's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.0
sarkenobi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.0
austex_93's review
4.0
I was quite surprised how great this book turned out to be. I was worried it would be too lovey dovey, but it was far from it. Claudia has a talent of letting us readers feel the moments of tragedy and victory. Looking forward to the rest of the series!
eladams07's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.25
kenny_2288's review
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5
missblobbette's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
chantelspeaks's review
3.0
For more reviews, head to my blog Chantel Speaks
"Why can no Jedi cross the Kyber Arch alone?"
Into the Dark, set during the golden age of the Jedi, known as The High Republic era, is part of the Disney Star Wars Canon. It follows Reath Silas and several other Jedi after a catastrophic galaxy-wide calamity.
Reath Silas, padawan, would much rather be in the archives reading about adventure than being physically in it. When he is tasked to join his master to explore the Outer Rim, he is reluctant but goes ahead. When a galaxy-wide disaster occurs on the way, many vessels are left stranded in Space. With hyperspace no longer safe, Reath and the other Jedi must protect those they can. While they do, an ancient danger emerges.
“Sometimes we all need a reminder to focus on the good things in life.”
Admittedly, this is my first Star Wars novel. As much as I've always been a fan of the movie series, I found the sheer expanse of the lore overwhelming to know where to start. When I saw that Disney were starting a new canon series, I took this as my opportunity to start digging into the books. Being my first Star Wars novel, I found exploring characters I didn't know but in places I knew well, quite exciting. Getting to read about small details in the Jedi Temple and Coruscant was a highlight.
At times, I enjoyed the writing. Other times, I found parts of it a little repetitive, especially the dialogue. Occasionally the characters had dialogue explaining a thing the reader already knew, making the dialogue somewhat redundant and could have been removed. I'm interested in reading more from the Disney Canon to see if the editing improves.
Reath isn't a gifted Jedi, but he is a hard worker. I really liked this quality about him, as many of the famous Jedi from the movies have oodles of natural talent and don't often need to strive to achieve. For Reath, that's not the case. But he's only as good as he is, due to his work ethic and perseverance.
“To be a Jedi is to serve”
I got a few misty-eyed moments while reading, especially in scenes where Reath is self-discovering what it means to be a Jedi. Reading Reath's personal growth as a padawan as he begins to understand his master's teachings. The camaraderie, the courage against adversity and the call to justice has always fascinated me about the Jedi Order.
This is definitely a good book to ease into the High Republic and not a bad starter book for the Star Wars reader. I can't wait to delve further and see how this universe and the lore grows in this new era.
"Why can no Jedi cross the Kyber Arch alone?"
Into the Dark, set during the golden age of the Jedi, known as The High Republic era, is part of the Disney Star Wars Canon. It follows Reath Silas and several other Jedi after a catastrophic galaxy-wide calamity.
Reath Silas, padawan, would much rather be in the archives reading about adventure than being physically in it. When he is tasked to join his master to explore the Outer Rim, he is reluctant but goes ahead. When a galaxy-wide disaster occurs on the way, many vessels are left stranded in Space. With hyperspace no longer safe, Reath and the other Jedi must protect those they can. While they do, an ancient danger emerges.
“Sometimes we all need a reminder to focus on the good things in life.”
Admittedly, this is my first Star Wars novel. As much as I've always been a fan of the movie series, I found the sheer expanse of the lore overwhelming to know where to start. When I saw that Disney were starting a new canon series, I took this as my opportunity to start digging into the books. Being my first Star Wars novel, I found exploring characters I didn't know but in places I knew well, quite exciting. Getting to read about small details in the Jedi Temple and Coruscant was a highlight.
At times, I enjoyed the writing. Other times, I found parts of it a little repetitive, especially the dialogue. Occasionally the characters had dialogue explaining a thing the reader already knew, making the dialogue somewhat redundant and could have been removed. I'm interested in reading more from the Disney Canon to see if the editing improves.
Reath isn't a gifted Jedi, but he is a hard worker. I really liked this quality about him, as many of the famous Jedi from the movies have oodles of natural talent and don't often need to strive to achieve. For Reath, that's not the case. But he's only as good as he is, due to his work ethic and perseverance.
“To be a Jedi is to serve”
I got a few misty-eyed moments while reading, especially in scenes where Reath is self-discovering what it means to be a Jedi. Reading Reath's personal growth as a padawan as he begins to understand his master's teachings. The camaraderie, the courage against adversity and the call to justice has always fascinated me about the Jedi Order.
This is definitely a good book to ease into the High Republic and not a bad starter book for the Star Wars reader. I can't wait to delve further and see how this universe and the lore grows in this new era.