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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Free time in which to relax, simply to rest in the barracks or to read First Order–approved literature or watch First Order–approved vids, vanished. There was always something more to do, somewhere else to be, another session in the simulator or more dishes to wash. There was always someone watching their performance, no matter what it was, someone to tell them that they needed to work faster, work harder, that they had to be better. It didn’t leave a lot of time to think, and FN-2187 began to wonder if that wasn’t the point.
***
But it was a ship, it was in one piece, and Rey had found it—and that made it hers. Her face felt strange; she had an odd ache in her cheeks, and as she went closer, she caught her reflection in what was left of the cockpit’s windshield. She was filthy, but that was normal. What surprised her was that she was smiling, and when she tried to stop, the ache in her cheeks remained and she found that she was still doing it anyway.
***
He set a hand against the side of the X-wing’s nose, felt the metal of the hull cool and solid beneath his palm. The ship had made it through combat without a fleck of damage, as solid and ready and sure as ever. He’d seen his mother doing the same thing, he remembered. Long after she’d given up the flight stick, her A-wing parked between the storage units on the ranch, she’d still walk around that fighter, occasionally touching the ship here or there, as if to reassure it, or to reassure herself. Remembering what she had done to stop the Empire, maybe. Remembering what she had been willing to sacrifice.
I LOVE THIS BOOK, and am recommending it to every fan of The Force Awakens. Three separate stories for each character, it's pitched at a more early YA reading level, but the things that happen are touching and heart-punching (Rey's story, oh man oh man, REY'S STORY). I purposefully held off on this until after I'd seen the movie, and I like that as a choice: it meant backtracking afterwards to learn a bit more about the three main characters pre-movie, what their lives were like and where they came from.
And they -- and the insights you get to their characterisations -- are just so great. Finn's hope and idealism, the way he doesn't fit in with his stormtrooper conditioning, the fact that
Spoiler
Jakku was going to be his last chance to prove himself, and he obviously fails that test in the movieAnyway, if you loved the movie and these precious cinnamon rolls of a main cast, I heartily recommend this lil' book. The writing's great. 4.5 stars from me. I'm genuinely excited to keep reading more of the new canon, even if it does mean tossing so much of the EU/Legends out the airlock.
Also, for a little tangent about Rey's identity (the goddamn question that is going to plague me for the next 2 years):
Spoiler
I think this book reveals another little clue. Notably, the introduction describes the characters as the following: "FN-2187 is a STORMTROOPER, trained by the First Order. He is plagued by doubt. On Jakku, a young woman who calls herself REY [emphasis mine] struggles to live in an isolation necessary for her own survival. And among the stars, POE DAMERON strives to serve a Republic he has always believed in, as sinister powers threaten to break his resolve."Maybe I'm becoming a crazy paranoid conspiracy theorist in my old age, but I think this detail is telling, since it implies that Rey is not actually her name!! And I've heard some obsessive fans out there have pointed out that the alien lettering on her scavenged pilot helmet spells 'RHAE', so my current working theory is that she, or others, started calling her that based on the helmet, for lack of anything else to name her.)
(Will add more favourite quotes at some point.)
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
So all the Star Wars books I ordered from my library back in December are finally coming in. It's gonna be like a mini-onslaught of Star Wars books here for a bit. I probably won't give any of them a full review. This one came out the day the movie was released because they didn't want any character backstory spoilers ruining the movie. I find this hilarious because back in the day, you could buy the novelization for a Star Wars movie and know the plot before you even saw it.
Before the Awakening is broken into three sections, one each for Finn, Rey and Poe. There are no made secrets to be found here, just three little character pieces that take place in the years leading up to the events of The Force Awakens. Finn struggles with fitting in as a Stormtrooper. Rey lives a lonely life out in the desert. And Poe, a member of the Republic's navy, is just beginning to learn what the Republic denies: that the First Order isn't just a sad remnant of a long-ago war, but a real and present threat.
Before the Awakening is broken into three sections, one each for Finn, Rey and Poe. There are no made secrets to be found here, just three little character pieces that take place in the years leading up to the events of The Force Awakens. Finn struggles with fitting in as a Stormtrooper. Rey lives a lonely life out in the desert. And Poe, a member of the Republic's navy, is just beginning to learn what the Republic denies: that the First Order isn't just a sad remnant of a long-ago war, but a real and present threat.
Better than just setting the scene
Rey's story in particular is gripping in its evocative simplicity. After seeing this film, these stories have enriched the experience in a way I fully didn't expect. An excellent companion piece.
Rey's story in particular is gripping in its evocative simplicity. After seeing this film, these stories have enriched the experience in a way I fully didn't expect. An excellent companion piece.
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
reflective
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:
Complicated
I didn't get to finish Poe's story before seeing The Force Awakens, but what I did get to read (all of Finn and Rey's, some of Poe's) did give me a familiarity with the characters that I feel deepened my enjoyment of the film.
Maybe not essential reading for the casual fan, but I found it very worthwhile and fun.
Maybe not essential reading for the casual fan, but I found it very worthwhile and fun.
Terrific background info. A must-read.
Fills in all of the near-backstory on Finn, Rey and Poe just prior to the events of The Force Awakens. Well written, and answers a lot of questions about the nature of Finn's training, where Rey learned some of her less mundane skills and the political situation around the New Republic, the First Order and, most importantly, the Resistance.
That's all I can say without spoilers. This is a must-read.
Fills in all of the near-backstory on Finn, Rey and Poe just prior to the events of The Force Awakens. Well written, and answers a lot of questions about the nature of Finn's training, where Rey learned some of her less mundane skills and the political situation around the New Republic, the First Order and, most importantly, the Resistance.
That's all I can say without spoilers. This is a must-read.
A satisfying glimpse into the three main character's lives in the months prior to the movie The Force Awakens. The print is large and there are a few color pencil illustrations, so it seems like a YA novella. It isn't mind-blowing, and it does leave you wanting more, but that is what it is designed to do.
A quick read that's really three short, interesting backstories separately illuminating the characters of Finn, Rey, and Poe.
Additionally, the Poe story does a great job explaining the difference between the Republic and the Resistance.
Additionally, the Poe story does a great job explaining the difference between the Republic and the Resistance.