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jenny_librarian's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
I think I know what the author was trying to do with this. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. To tell the story of a character third hand through an entire novel, that character needs to be so mythical, to have such a life of their own that the reader still feels them as if they were there.
The story I read didn’t make Phasma anything more than other run-of-the-mill Star Wars villain. The problem is that SW has such iconic characters that the story of a calculating woman who murdered anyone standing in the way of her survival and rise to power isn’t grand or surprising. If anything, reading this made me care about Phasma less. And it’s a damn shame, because she’s one of the few true female villains in Star Wars.
You know who I did like reading about, though? Cardinal. I already loved him from reading Black Spire, but seeing him unraveling was a treat. The last 100 pages of this book were better than the first 250. I wish the entire story could’ve been about him instead, and another story written about Phasma.
Delilah S Dawson can write and make me truly care about characters, but unfortunately this book wasn’t it for me. However, I strongly suggest people skip to Black Spire, because that one is so much more worth it!
The story I read didn’t make Phasma anything more than other run-of-the-mill Star Wars villain. The problem is that SW has such iconic characters that the story of a calculating woman who murdered anyone standing in the way of her survival and rise to power isn’t grand or surprising. If anything, reading this made me care about Phasma less. And it’s a damn shame, because she’s one of the few true female villains in Star Wars.
You know who I did like reading about, though? Cardinal. I already loved him from reading Black Spire, but seeing him unraveling was a treat. The last 100 pages of this book were better than the first 250. I wish the entire story could’ve been about him instead, and another story written about Phasma.
Delilah S Dawson can write and make me truly care about characters, but unfortunately this book wasn’t it for me. However, I strongly suggest people skip to Black Spire, because that one is so much more worth it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Gun violence, and Gore
Moderate: Slavery, Police brutality, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Torture, and Genocide
Minor: Child death, Fatphobia, Transphobia, and Death of parent
ladymab's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
There's the potential for a good book hidden behind two different books which are jammed together to make a mid book. I don't come away from this feeling like I've seen a new side of phasma as a character, as for it being a book about her she... Always kind of felt off to the periphery even in the flashbacks.
And it's not nearly as thrilling as the summary makes it sound, it would have been loads better if it was the espionage novel the summary makes it out to be.
And it's not nearly as thrilling as the summary makes it sound, it would have been loads better if it was the espionage novel the summary makes it out to be.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cannibalism
Also includes mention of nuclear fallout/radiation sickness and some weird disease stuff.e_flah's review against another edition
dark
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
4.25
Phasma was not what I was expecting in the best way. Books that rely on a character telling another a story can be hard to pull off. Phasma absolutely works because we have two excellent characters to serve as anchors -- Vi as she tells Phasma's story and Siv who is our viewpoint for the recounted portion of the story. I fell in love with Vi from the very beginning. She's clear-headed during a crisis, able to think a bunch of moves ahead, but also felt very human. I could easily read a whole book just about her and Cardinal as they take turns antagonizing each other while slowly becoming friends.
Phasma also shows us a slice of the Star Wars galaxy that felt very different from anything else I'd seen. Parnassos is dystopian in its harshness, which was a refreshing counterpoint from the settings we usually see. The peek inside the First Order also did a lot to build out how the institution is portrayed in the sequel trilogy movies.
Phasma also shows us a slice of the Star Wars galaxy that felt very different from anything else I'd seen. Parnassos is dystopian in its harshness, which was a refreshing counterpoint from the settings we usually see. The peek inside the First Order also did a lot to build out how the institution is portrayed in the sequel trilogy movies.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Torture, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Violence, and Gore
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