Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Basically a prequel to The Force Awakens. You meet 6yo Rey and her parents trying to run from Palpatine, and learn some things about Ben Solo. And this is a Lando and Luke adventure, so it's a fun read.
adventurous
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loved learning more about Rey’s parents and more about the Sith. Such a great book!
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
adventurous
slow-paced
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm still baffled how a book with as much potential as Shadow of the Sith could fall so completely flat for me. As a huge Star Wars fan, generally any content can satisfy me to some extent because it's just great to learn more about the galaxy far, far away. Somehow, meaningful or captivating lore was missing from this story. There are Sith cults but everything about them is spoken about as though the reader is already familiar with them. There isn't any significant fleshing out of how Palpatine had children or what was going on on Exegol between the original and sequel trilogies.
My other significant gripe is the absence of character development. Luke and Lando are one-dimensional action figures propelled by the story rather than complex characters with agency of their own. It was disappointing to see these two characters boiled down to a couple core traits when so many other Star Wars stories have expanded our understanding of who Luke and Lando are. Rey's parents, Dathan and Miramir, are also flat characters. Without well-rounded characters -- even legacy characters I'm already attached to -- it was impossible to care about the stakes of this story.
The one upside is narrator William DeMeritt does an excellent job. He really brings a sense of vibrancy to the story. I switched from the physical book to the audiobook about 30% of the way through and am so glad I did. DeMeritt's narration made this a more interesting read than it would've been otherwise.
My other significant gripe is the absence of character development. Luke and Lando are one-dimensional action figures propelled by the story rather than complex characters with agency of their own. It was disappointing to see these two characters boiled down to a couple core traits when so many other Star Wars stories have expanded our understanding of who Luke and Lando are. Rey's parents, Dathan and Miramir, are also flat characters. Without well-rounded characters -- even legacy characters I'm already attached to -- it was impossible to care about the stakes of this story.
The one upside is narrator William DeMeritt does an excellent job. He really brings a sense of vibrancy to the story. I switched from the physical book to the audiobook about 30% of the way through and am so glad I did. DeMeritt's narration made this a more interesting read than it would've been otherwise.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes