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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a fun Star Wars story. I felt a little more like some of the old expanded universe books in style. The story is told from multiple characters view points and changes frequently. I didn't have hard time following but some people might not like the style.
Leox Gyasi It seems I’ve grown quite fond of you though there are no sexual urges or desires you come to me as a long lost friend whom I once picked apples with in papa’s orchard
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had a fantastic time with this one. It has a great ensemble cast, a fun central mystery that ties many separate threads together, and some really satisfying character arcs.
And Geode, probably the greatest Star Wars character ever created. I love Geode so much.
This is a YA novel, but the POV characters include many adult characters along with the younger teen characters, so I hope adult readers don’t feel like they need to skip this one. This one deals with some elements that I have read are pretty important down the line for the High Republic era, so this is definitely an important chapter in the larger tapestry.
I’m glad I have this one a go. Looking forward to continuing the High Republic read-through.
And Geode, probably the greatest Star Wars character ever created. I love Geode so much.
This is a YA novel, but the POV characters include many adult characters along with the younger teen characters, so I hope adult readers don’t feel like they need to skip this one. This one deals with some elements that I have read are pretty important down the line for the High Republic era, so this is definitely an important chapter in the larger tapestry.
I’m glad I have this one a go. Looking forward to continuing the High Republic read-through.
This novel perfectly encapsulated why I keep coming back to these Star Wars books. There is so much to explore in this universe and the core feel between books and authors somehow provides a consistency that is remarkable across so many works. This was my third Claudia Gray Star Wars novel, and, for me, it was the best one yet. The characters and the plot and pacing won me over early and brought back all those nostalgic memories and feelings from my most found Star Wars experiences. I enjoyed the plot line with the Drengir. Sentient plant like creatures just seem cool to me. Their abilities and social and cultural make-up gave them some depth and made for interesting antagonists. But where this book really worked for me was with Padawan Reath Silas. I must admit that his first name makes me think largely of Christmas time, which threw me off from time to time because I’m weird with names like that. However, making a jedi who cares more about the archives than dueling class made for an intriguing dynamic between Reath and those around him. The part where they learn more about unfamiliar beings from their history, and in particular, their stories was great. It reminded me of Thrawn and his art but in a format that I connect with more readily. It may be pandering in this context but it’s the best kind of pandering in my book. All this combines for a highly entertaining, fast paced book that I blew through. It felt great to be swept up like this again after such a long time away from Star Wars. I will have to add more High Republic novels to my TBR.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
This took me FOREVER to read.
Its plot is fine. The characters are fine. Overall, I wasn't too invested. The most important thing here was that they RECANONIZED THE SITH SHRINE AT THE HEART OF THE JEDI TEMPLE.
Sometimes I think "maybe I should stop reading EVERY new Star Wars title and just concentrate on the ones I'm really invested in." But then I would miss out on all the important tiny details I NEED to know, such as the addition of new canon rooms of the Temple, and more light shed on nuances of Jedi philosophy.
There were a lot of other interesting details as well:
Its plot is fine. The characters are fine. Overall, I wasn't too invested. The most important thing here was that they RECANONIZED THE SITH SHRINE AT THE HEART OF THE JEDI TEMPLE.
Sometimes I think "maybe I should stop reading EVERY new Star Wars title and just concentrate on the ones I'm really invested in." But then I would miss out on all the important tiny details I NEED to know, such as the addition of new canon rooms of the Temple, and more light shed on nuances of Jedi philosophy.
There were a lot of other interesting details as well:
• The Kyber Arch: an arch made out of the kyber crystals from the lightsabers of Jedi killed in battle, in one of the Temple's meditation chambers.
• Padawan parties. ("Not technically forbidden" beverages and a BAND lol.)
• Wayseekers are apparently Jedi who "operate independently of the dictates of the Jedi Council." What it sounds like is just a Jedi... wandering out there in the galaxy alone... doing whatever they think is important.
The Wayseeker character in the book apparently became one after realizing she had differences with the Council, but those differences were profoundly skimmed over, which was disappointing to me. It can't JUST be the difference between her instincts and correct hostage-rescuing tactics as taught in the Temple, because that's a ridiculous thing to have a moral crisis over. There are ALWAYS differences between "correct tactics" and practice in the field.
• It was never explicitly stated, but Jedi celibacy was mentioned. There's still room here to argue that the true prohibition was against relationships rather than sex, but it was implied that celibacy itself was a tenet.
• The padawan braid was on the back of the head.
• This seems like it was overall a pretty chill time in the Republic. There's a mission to save two kidnapped planetary rulers and it's said that "very few Jedi ever had" an assignment so significant before. That kind of thing is pretty much a random Tuesday during the Clone Wars.
• Full Jedi levitation!
• A character theorizes that the Dark Side is only so dangerous because the Jedi artificially cut it off from the Light and try to suppress it, instead of embracing the Force as it truly is -- a mix of both. This is all just theorizing and a crisis of faith. It will be interesting to see if the evolving canon actually tries to argue this at any point in the future. I hope not.
• Three kinds of "Force artefacts" are mentioned: holocrons that contain memories/personalities of Force users, Force-enhancing artefacts, and Force-dampening artefacts. The dampeners are the most interesting to me, because I can't recall an example of something like that anywhere else except maybe the ysalamir.
• The Shrine of the Depths. This had technically already been recanonized in Tarkin, but it's still interesting to see this come up again in a completely different era. The shrine it says is "hidden from the Jedi themselves" and "covered by a meditation area." The Jedi characters still seem to know about it, though, so it's up in the air how widely known-about the shrine actually is.
• YET ANOTHER CANON MENTION of the specific padawans' training area. No I will not stop bringing this up.
• "The padawans' dorm" was mentioned as an area of the Temple.
• The Council in this is so chilled out. When a padawan is orphaned, they pretty much just ask him what HE wants to do next. Who does he want as master? What does he feel his path should be? And when three Jedi more or less totally disobey orders, they end up deciding that it was justified and basically saying "well done, but don't do it again."
• A book of Core World fairy tales is mentioned, including such legends as Good Princess Chaia of Alderaan, the Ithorian pirate Bluebrow, and the Amaxine warriors.
• A character does a near-Kylo Ren maneuver, blocking someone's blaster bolt with a direct application of the Force.
• "There is no rightness in slaying an enemy. Killing is never true victory. At best it is the knowledge that you have done what you must."
• The Barash Vow is apparently "an extreme commitment to gaining ultimate communion with the Force." It's pretty much becoming a hermit for years to seek spiritual healing or enlightenment.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
Well paced and well structured, keeps interest all the way through. A good adventure with a healthy dose of mystery, and enjoyable characters throughout - Reath seems like someone I'm going to enjoy reading more about, and Geode is a rock-solid favourite already introduced to me in The Fallen Star. A great setup for the following book(s) in the High Republic, and a solid YA novel (having read all the Adult novels in the series already).
I feel like I learn even more with the force the more High Republic books I read. This was no exception. It was a treat to read about the order and the force through the eyes of Reath, jedi padawan. Also Affie is my favorite pilot now. She's so great. I hope I get to read more about these characters as I go through the high republic. Oh! Can't forget Wayseeker Orla, who really thinks about things in such a different way from The Order and I love that. I hope to see more of her perspective soon!