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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
Not remarkable, but a quick listen. Didn't add a lot of backstory either, you can draw a lot of assumptions, but they're the same ones you could draw before the book.
i shelved this as YA but i'm not sure it isn't meant to be more middle-grade. i'm also shelving it as 'fem-positive' because padme and her handmaidens are all young women who are highly skilled, courageous, confident, powerful, resourceful, etc etc and all the romances are sort of in the background, not affecting or driving the plot. oh and a few other notes on 'romance', i liked getting a little more detail about the culture of Naboo and of the whole queen-and-her-doubles roles and how both sides of that relationship would feel, during and after her reign. i felt that this book was a little slow at times, and that some things were left unresolved, like who was it that made the attempt on padme's life at the beginning of her senatorial term? also, i think i might have enjoyed this as a graphic novel instead too so we could get visuals of all the ornate outfits and art. (one time i went to an art museum display of star wars costumes and Padme's were definitely the most impressive!) i probably won't re-read this but i'm happy to have lingered for a while in a story where Padme got much more of her due than she gets in the movies.
**edit after re-reading summer 2022: i liked it better this time! i think partly because i read it slower, and had read the prequel Queen's Peril before re-reading so i had a better idea of who the handmaids were and was more invested in their characters. it still sucks that padme does not get the treatment she deserves in the movies but i'm glad for this book/this series and i'm looking forward to reading Queen's Hope next.
Spoiler
am i meant to assume that sabe and tonra actually adopted/raised luke under false aliases?? just kind of unclear. i would like it if so but i don't know how canon-compliant that is. maybe they are just meant to have smuggled the twins to their destinations.**edit after re-reading summer 2022: i liked it better this time! i think partly because i read it slower, and had read the prequel Queen's Peril before re-reading so i had a better idea of who the handmaids were and was more invested in their characters. it still sucks that padme does not get the treatment she deserves in the movies but i'm glad for this book/this series and i'm looking forward to reading Queen's Hope next.
What a top tier book.
Padmé is so great and I'm glad we're getting more of a look at her political actions, which are also greater than all current US politicians combined.
Additionally, it shows us Padmés introduction to the Senate and we get to see other Senators that we've only seen in The Clone Wars. I'm curious how they're going to tie Sabé in after the Rise of the Empire. Also Captain Quarsh Panaka becoming an Imperial Governor- I never saw that coming.
Unrelated to the book review but Naboo has to be the Star Wars planet I like the most and I'm always excited to hear more about it.
Padmé is so great and I'm glad we're getting more of a look at her political actions, which are also greater than all current US politicians combined.
Additionally, it shows us Padmés introduction to the Senate and we get to see other Senators that we've only seen in The Clone Wars. I'm curious how they're going to tie Sabé in after the Rise of the Empire. Also Captain Quarsh Panaka becoming an Imperial Governor- I never saw that coming.
Unrelated to the book review but Naboo has to be the Star Wars planet I like the most and I'm always excited to hear more about it.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
I really loved getting to know Padme more as a character - and I like that this is such a female heavy star wars book.
I really loved this. No, it's not action packed, but I'm more than okay with that in a Padme focused book. She's smart and quick and so, so good, and I loved every moment of learning more about her and her handmaidens and her work to transition to being a senator.
This is the kind of Star Wars book I wished existed when I was a kid.
if you loved the politics of star wars episode i: the phantom menace, this is the book for you!!
(i did honestly consider just leaving my review at that, but i do want to say that the main reason i wanted to read this was because it features sabé, aka keira knightley's character from the phantom menace, because yes keira knightley was in star wars, even if no one, including her, remembers it. i wanted more sabé. i feel like i was promised a lot more than what i got. i did appreciate both keira and natalie portman being mentioned in the acknowledgements, though. it felt like a very Me move.)
(i did honestly consider just leaving my review at that, but i do want to say that the main reason i wanted to read this was because it features sabé, aka keira knightley's character from the phantom menace, because yes keira knightley was in star wars, even if no one, including her, remembers it. i wanted more sabé. i feel like i was promised a lot more than what i got. i did appreciate both keira and natalie portman being mentioned in the acknowledgements, though. it felt like a very Me move.)
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"We are brave, your highness."
As a huge prequels, clone wars and general Star Wars fan, I have loved reading this book. Padmé is such an interesting character that I feel is often let down by newer Star Wars media (i.e. not even acknowledging her) and by the fandom for reducing her down to 'girlboss' or Anakin's wife. This was a deep dive into Padmé Naberrie Amidala and her transition from young queen of Naboo to respected Galactic Senator and I loved it.
I particularly enjoyed the relationships with her handmaidens and guards, as well as her early perspectives on senators that we know from other Star Wars projects. Truly a lovely character-driven story that gives so much insight into the life of one of Star Wars' key characters. I just love Padmé as a character so much and I wish everyone who likes the prequels and the Clone Wars could read this too.
I'm excited to read the rest of the series, which I can only imagine focuses on Padmé's most trusted friend, Sabé.
"She missed Sabé like she would miss the sun." :(
As a huge prequels, clone wars and general Star Wars fan, I have loved reading this book. Padmé is such an interesting character that I feel is often let down by newer Star Wars media (i.e. not even acknowledging her) and by the fandom for reducing her down to 'girlboss' or Anakin's wife. This was a deep dive into Padmé Naberrie Amidala and her transition from young queen of Naboo to respected Galactic Senator and I loved it.
I particularly enjoyed the relationships with her handmaidens and guards, as well as her early perspectives on senators that we know from other Star Wars projects. Truly a lovely character-driven story that gives so much insight into the life of one of Star Wars' key characters. I just love Padmé as a character so much and I wish everyone who likes the prequels and the Clone Wars could read this too.
I'm excited to read the rest of the series, which I can only imagine focuses on Padmé's most trusted friend, Sabé.
"She missed Sabé like she would miss the sun." :(