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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Having short stories about Finn, Rey and Poe, leading right up to the start of The Force Awakens, this is a quick, easy read for anyone wishing to know a little more information on these great characters.
Poe's story probably has the most impact out of the three, as we find out some vital information about not only him personally, but his place in the Resistance as TFA begins.
Poe's story probably has the most impact out of the three, as we find out some vital information about not only him personally, but his place in the Resistance as TFA begins.
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Three short stories each featuring a first person point of view from Fin, Rey, and Poe. The book was written for a young audience but any fan of Star Wars will enjoy these stories set before the movie.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
[spoilers for The Force Awakens, so if you haven't watched it, stay away]
I really liked how this book gave me a better understanding of the newest characters in the Star Wars canon. It explains what forces (pun intended) pushed Finn into leaving the First Order eventually in the movie, why Rey's so good at piloting the Millennium Falcon even though she doesn't have flying experience, and how Poe got to join the Resistance (and what he did there). In terms of length, Finn < Rey < Poe. This order is significant because not only is this the order of the stories in the book, this is also how I rank the stories based on how much I enjoyed them. I can pretty much say I enjoyed each story better than the last, and I don't know why I didn't think of saying so beforehand, but oh well. Great read!
I really liked how this book gave me a better understanding of the newest characters in the Star Wars canon. It explains what forces (pun intended) pushed Finn into leaving the First Order eventually in the movie, why Rey's so good at piloting the Millennium Falcon even though she doesn't have flying experience, and how Poe got to join the Resistance (and what he did there). In terms of length, Finn < Rey < Poe. This order is significant because not only is this the order of the stories in the book, this is also how I rank the stories based on how much I enjoyed them. I can pretty much say I enjoyed each story better than the last, and I don't know why I didn't think of saying so beforehand, but oh well. Great read!
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Better than average tie-in material: Before the Awakening provides some really fascinating backstory for Finn, Rey, and Poe (plus some lovely Phil Noto illustrations). The Finn section was particularly engaging (read: feelsy) but all three offered their pleasures. Full disclosure: I didn't like the movie very much, but I do like these characters, and enjoyed seeing them in scenarios that actually contain some original ideas. *cough*
This book is full of the short stories from the three main characters from the film. The only true substance in this book is Poe's story, which contains much more content and substance than the other two. Rey's story was a bit boring to read... Just imagine reading about scavenging for 50+ pages. Finn's was better with a bit more content relating to why he's doubting his training with the First Order. Poe's contains a pretty decent arc. The stories are just meant to answer things left alone in the film originally but overall it's boring to read.
Rating Update 3/12/2019 - 3 to 2 stars. I got bored of it, indicating it doesn't mean I liked it (3 stars).
Rating Update 5/16/2019- 2 stars to 1 star. I was absolutely bored with Rey's story and mostly bored with Finn's story. Poe's story, being a 3 star segment, cannot raise the entire book to a 2 star rating.
Rating Update 4 June 2019
With the adoption of my new rating system, a two star rating is befitting. Since the book is divided into three separate stories, I have rated each of them based off the information in the original review and the rating update on May 16, 2019. The Rey story is one star, the Finn story is two stars, and the Poe story is three stars. The cumulative rating is two stars. The May 16, 2019 rating update incorrectly averaged the ratings.
September 8, 2019
Update
I have thought of lowering the rating to one star because I am not as enthusiastic for "Star Wars" as I was before and do not care for the "Sequel Trilogy". However, at the time I found it to be mediocre so the rating will stay at two stars.
January 31, 2020
Update
Even if the ratings in the rating update from June 4, 2019, are off a little, the book is guaranteed a two star-rating.
April 13, 2020
Update
I have changed the description of the 2T rating type. Here was its previous rendition " A book with an equal amount of three, two, and one star-rated content, that averages to a perfect two star-rating". I have changed it to describe that the largest section is the one star-rated story, and two smaller sections of two and three star-rated content. I have also changed it to include details on the sections. The new description of the 2T rating is as follows: "A book with a large section of one star-rated content that is boring, followed by two smaller sections of a decent two star-rated section and an enjoyable three star-rated section. All three sections average to a two star-rating".
I am not sure if the one star-rated section, that being Rey's, should be rated as one star since the original review is not as harsh when describing the story: "Rey's story was a bit boring to read... Just imagine reading about scavenging for 50+ pages". I will assume that the story is rated at one star because I lean towards that, and successive updates have pushed for a one star-rating. Regardless of the confusion regarding the rating of Rey's story, the book is a solid two star-rated book. I have left the color of the rating as green with a grey outline.
On a minor note, I do recall enjoying Poe's story, to the extent of three stars.
Rating Update 3/12/2019 - 3 to 2 stars. I got bored of it, indicating it doesn't mean I liked it (3 stars).
Rating Update 5/16/2019- 2 stars to 1 star. I was absolutely bored with Rey's story and mostly bored with Finn's story. Poe's story, being a 3 star segment, cannot raise the entire book to a 2 star rating.
Rating Update 4 June 2019
With the adoption of my new rating system, a two star rating is befitting. Since the book is divided into three separate stories, I have rated each of them based off the information in the original review and the rating update on May 16, 2019. The Rey story is one star, the Finn story is two stars, and the Poe story is three stars. The cumulative rating is two stars. The May 16, 2019 rating update incorrectly averaged the ratings.
September 8, 2019
Update
I have thought of lowering the rating to one star because I am not as enthusiastic for "Star Wars" as I was before and do not care for the "Sequel Trilogy". However, at the time I found it to be mediocre so the rating will stay at two stars.
January 31, 2020
Update
Even if the ratings in the rating update from June 4, 2019, are off a little, the book is guaranteed a two star-rating.
April 13, 2020
Update
I have changed the description of the 2T rating type. Here was its previous rendition " A book with an equal amount of three, two, and one star-rated content, that averages to a perfect two star-rating". I have changed it to describe that the largest section is the one star-rated story, and two smaller sections of two and three star-rated content. I have also changed it to include details on the sections. The new description of the 2T rating is as follows: "A book with a large section of one star-rated content that is boring, followed by two smaller sections of a decent two star-rated section and an enjoyable three star-rated section. All three sections average to a two star-rating".
I am not sure if the one star-rated section, that being Rey's, should be rated as one star since the original review is not as harsh when describing the story: "Rey's story was a bit boring to read... Just imagine reading about scavenging for 50+ pages". I will assume that the story is rated at one star because I lean towards that, and successive updates have pushed for a one star-rating. Regardless of the confusion regarding the rating of Rey's story, the book is a solid two star-rated book. I have left the color of the rating as green with a grey outline.
On a minor note, I do recall enjoying Poe's story, to the extent of three stars.