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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For sure biased review because I love Padme. This one wasn’t as fun as the prequel; it’s heavy in politics which made me feel like the whole book was exposition for the next book (maybe?). These books make the movies make so much more sense and enrich the characters a ton.
Was it the best book I ever read. No. Was it quite slow. Yes. Did I struggle with it at first because it was quite slow. Yes. Did I eventually speed through this book because I came to love it. Yes.
This book is about Padmé’s transition from Queen Amidala of Naboo to Senator Amidala. It essentially is just to fill in the gaps about her story but (for me) it did it very well, not only adding an extra layer to Padmé’s character but also to her handmaidens and other characters- Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, Mina Bitoni etc.
The writing is fine, nothing revolutionary. And yes this is quite a slow book with zero action until near the end, but this book was more about the vibes and the characters. It’s what some would call a cozy read.
I honestly really enjoyed it, and surprised at that. Usually I like quick paced books full of action and suspense, and for a book that has none of that, I’m pleased I read it.
Something that stuck out for me was the cyclical structure. A slight spoiler but this books starts with a parallel to Padmé’s funeral and ends with her funeral and Sabé’s perspective. Made me feel quite emosh (like emotional but short, idk). I also really liked how we got to see more about Sabé’s character. How she is vital for Padmé and how Padmé is vital for her.
All in all, not a bad book but not a great one but one I really enjoyed it. Basically no plot just chill vibes or whatever.
I feel like I sound really American and I’m not having it.
This book is about Padmé’s transition from Queen Amidala of Naboo to Senator Amidala. It essentially is just to fill in the gaps about her story but (for me) it did it very well, not only adding an extra layer to Padmé’s character but also to her handmaidens and other characters- Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, Mina Bitoni etc.
The writing is fine, nothing revolutionary. And yes this is quite a slow book with zero action until near the end, but this book was more about the vibes and the characters. It’s what some would call a cozy read.
I honestly really enjoyed it, and surprised at that. Usually I like quick paced books full of action and suspense, and for a book that has none of that, I’m pleased I read it.
Something that stuck out for me was the cyclical structure. A slight spoiler but this books starts with a parallel to Padmé’s funeral and ends with her funeral and Sabé’s perspective. Made me feel quite emosh (like emotional but short, idk). I also really liked how we got to see more about Sabé’s character. How she is vital for Padmé and how Padmé is vital for her.
All in all, not a bad book but not a great one but one I really enjoyed it. Basically no plot just chill vibes or whatever.
I feel like I sound really American and I’m not having it.
Fitting that my first kindle read was a Star Wars novel
This book had so much potential, but it ultimately became a disappointment. I decided to DNF it at around page 164. While I will probably go back and finish it at some point, I know I won't finish it any time soon.
The book takes place between Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Episode II: Attack of the Clones in the Star Wars canon. Padmé Amidala is stepping down as Queen Amidala of Naboo and she is ready to return to life out of the spotlight. Then, the new queen asks her to become a senator & represent Naboo in the Galactic Senate, located in Coruscant (the legislative capital of the galaxy).
I have always adored Padmé Amidala as a character, and I think she is underrated in Star Wars because she is a leader, diplomat, negotiator and a strong female in general. There are many times in the Star Wars prequels where she stands up for her people and for democracy, and I've always liked that about her.
The first issues I ran into while reading this book were the handmaidens. The book puts a HEAVY emphasis on Padmé’s relationship with her handmaidens from Naboo, which seemed like an interesting take on the story when I first got started because Padmé is extremely close to them, and it’s always great to see positive representation of female friendships.
However, first, all of the handmaidens have names that are way too similar to Padmé’s — I mean, they are named Sabé, Saché, Yané and Eirtaé — and I always got them mixed up while I was reading because I didn’t feel like they were distinguishable from one another. It got very frustrating because the book would include a side quest from a couple of the handmaidens, and I couldn’t understand why those sections were included. I think the book should have narrowed its narrative focus down to only Padmé and Sabé, her most loyal handmaiden and decoy, because that could have been interesting,. And it would have been so much easier to follow.
I understand why the handmaidens have similar names and why they look similar in the context of the story, though. The planet of Naboo ensures the safety of its queen by instructing the queen’s handmaidens in how to be the queen’s decoys — teaching them how to act like the queen, mimic her behaviors and know all there is to know about her. That way, the handmaidens can switch places with the queen at any time and can protect her. It was really fascinating to learn about because I realized that Episode I includes this concept, and I had no idea that that was going on until I read this book.
However, there was an over-emphasis on how this maneuver was done, and it just became tiresome after a while. While it was important to include at the start, I don’t think they should have included so many other scenes explaining the technique throughout the book because it just became too much.
The second issue is that there is no sense of urgency in the plot. Characters just do things, and then do some other things, and then continue on. There are hints of political intrigue, but that political intrigue is then frequently undercut by dull breaks in the narrative, where Padmé and her friends talk about or do too many random, seemingly-meaningless things, like talking about boys, wishing they were back home, cracking a lot of jokes after a long day, or whatever else.
I definitely appreciate showing how close the girls are by including some scenes throughout where they hang out, tease each other and continue their friendship. However, if you include too many of those scenes — especially back-to-back without any action or a tense conversation with another important diplomat — it just gets tiresome and boring. It was very hard for me to continue reading because nothing made me want to pick the book back up.
It got to a point where there were just diplomat appearances, meaningless trade discussions, and the girls talking about dresses. There is so much talk about dresses in this book, and there are only a handful of actual meaningful scenes or scenes that include any kind of energy. It’s pretty dull throughout, and that was a major problem for me.
The third issue was that I was very confused what Padmé’s motivations were at certain points. There is this weird side-quest about her sending her handmaiden to purchase slaves on Tatooine in order to free them, and it was just bizarre. The logistics of that quest didn’t make sense to me, and I wasn’t sure why they continued to stop Padmé’s main storyline of becoming a diplomat to have this side quest that seemed to be meaningless in the grand scheme of the book. It just bogged down the pacing of the novel, which made it even more dull.
Overall, this book was a disappointment. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re curious about it or if you just like the Star Wars novels or Padmé in general.
With love,
Nicole xoxo
The book takes place between Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Episode II: Attack of the Clones in the Star Wars canon. Padmé Amidala is stepping down as Queen Amidala of Naboo and she is ready to return to life out of the spotlight. Then, the new queen asks her to become a senator & represent Naboo in the Galactic Senate, located in Coruscant (the legislative capital of the galaxy).
I have always adored Padmé Amidala as a character, and I think she is underrated in Star Wars because she is a leader, diplomat, negotiator and a strong female in general. There are many times in the Star Wars prequels where she stands up for her people and for democracy, and I've always liked that about her.
The first issues I ran into while reading this book were the handmaidens. The book puts a HEAVY emphasis on Padmé’s relationship with her handmaidens from Naboo, which seemed like an interesting take on the story when I first got started because Padmé is extremely close to them, and it’s always great to see positive representation of female friendships.
However, first, all of the handmaidens have names that are way too similar to Padmé’s — I mean, they are named Sabé, Saché, Yané and Eirtaé — and I always got them mixed up while I was reading because I didn’t feel like they were distinguishable from one another. It got very frustrating because the book would include a side quest from a couple of the handmaidens, and I couldn’t understand why those sections were included. I think the book should have narrowed its narrative focus down to only Padmé and Sabé, her most loyal handmaiden and decoy, because that could have been interesting,. And it would have been so much easier to follow.
I understand why the handmaidens have similar names and why they look similar in the context of the story, though. The planet of Naboo ensures the safety of its queen by instructing the queen’s handmaidens in how to be the queen’s decoys — teaching them how to act like the queen, mimic her behaviors and know all there is to know about her. That way, the handmaidens can switch places with the queen at any time and can protect her. It was really fascinating to learn about because I realized that Episode I includes this concept, and I had no idea that that was going on until I read this book.
However, there was an over-emphasis on how this maneuver was done, and it just became tiresome after a while. While it was important to include at the start, I don’t think they should have included so many other scenes explaining the technique throughout the book because it just became too much.
The second issue is that there is no sense of urgency in the plot. Characters just do things, and then do some other things, and then continue on. There are hints of political intrigue, but that political intrigue is then frequently undercut by dull breaks in the narrative, where Padmé and her friends talk about or do too many random, seemingly-meaningless things, like talking about boys, wishing they were back home, cracking a lot of jokes after a long day, or whatever else.
I definitely appreciate showing how close the girls are by including some scenes throughout where they hang out, tease each other and continue their friendship. However, if you include too many of those scenes — especially back-to-back without any action or a tense conversation with another important diplomat — it just gets tiresome and boring. It was very hard for me to continue reading because nothing made me want to pick the book back up.
It got to a point where there were just diplomat appearances, meaningless trade discussions, and the girls talking about dresses. There is so much talk about dresses in this book, and there are only a handful of actual meaningful scenes or scenes that include any kind of energy. It’s pretty dull throughout, and that was a major problem for me.
The third issue was that I was very confused what Padmé’s motivations were at certain points. There is this weird side-quest about her sending her handmaiden to purchase slaves on Tatooine in order to free them, and it was just bizarre. The logistics of that quest didn’t make sense to me, and I wasn’t sure why they continued to stop Padmé’s main storyline of becoming a diplomat to have this side quest that seemed to be meaningless in the grand scheme of the book. It just bogged down the pacing of the novel, which made it even more dull.
Overall, this book was a disappointment. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re curious about it or if you just like the Star Wars novels or Padmé in general.
With love,
Nicole xoxo
Tears: ⭕️
Overall: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
The Queen’s Shadow starts out at the end of Padme Amidala’s reign as queen. We get an inside perspective on how Naboo politics work and the process in which they go through in order to elect a new queen. We also get to see how the handmaidens for each queen are selected by the queen. At the end of the queen’s reign, the queen as well as her handmaidens leave the palace and start their own life.
General Character Analysis:
This book allowed us to see the changes that Padme as well as her handmaidens had to go through. We were able to see how the positions they were in shaped who they were as a person. We saw how Padme’s handmaidens chose new names in honor of Padme. I found it heartwarming that the handmaidens cared for Padme so much that they would willingly continue to follow her after her reign if she asked. I also found it interesting that Padme originally hadn’t wanted to go into politics but wanted to focus her attention on the slavery issue in the outer rim. I also hadn’t realized that her actions and involvement in removing Chancellor Valorum (and Palpatine to take his place) caused so much uncertainty within the Senate toward Padme.
Overall Thoughts:
In my opinion, this book is for dedicated Star Wars fans that want a closer look into the inner workings of the star wars universe. This wasn’t a very action-packed book. We saw surface-level growth with the characters as they transitioned from one part of their life to another.
Overall: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
The Queen’s Shadow starts out at the end of Padme Amidala’s reign as queen. We get an inside perspective on how Naboo politics work and the process in which they go through in order to elect a new queen. We also get to see how the handmaidens for each queen are selected by the queen. At the end of the queen’s reign, the queen as well as her handmaidens leave the palace and start their own life.
General Character Analysis:
This book allowed us to see the changes that Padme as well as her handmaidens had to go through. We were able to see how the positions they were in shaped who they were as a person. We saw how Padme’s handmaidens chose new names in honor of Padme. I found it heartwarming that the handmaidens cared for Padme so much that they would willingly continue to follow her after her reign if she asked. I also found it interesting that Padme originally hadn’t wanted to go into politics but wanted to focus her attention on the slavery issue in the outer rim. I also hadn’t realized that her actions and involvement in removing Chancellor Valorum (and Palpatine to take his place) caused so much uncertainty within the Senate toward Padme.
Overall Thoughts:
In my opinion, this book is for dedicated Star Wars fans that want a closer look into the inner workings of the star wars universe. This wasn’t a very action-packed book. We saw surface-level growth with the characters as they transitioned from one part of their life to another.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
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
An amazing addition to Star Wars/Padmé lore. This book is full of political intrigue and the drama and frustrations of navigating politics in a fractured system. Padmé truly gets the depth and growth she deserves, and there are excellent hints at what comes after the events of the book during Attack of the Clones. Johnston’s writing style is engaging and shifts perfectly between serious and humorous. Her ability to draw parallels to modern day social issues while keeping the reader fully in universe is very on brand for Star Wars. I devoured both Queen’s Shadow and the prequel Queen’s Peril in a matter of days, and can’t wait to see what the final installment of this trilogy brings! The one small thing I didn’t love was that Sabé and the other handmaidens’ POVs weren’t explored as thoroughly as in Queen’s Peril.
I was so excited for this book, and E.K. Johnston delivered. The interplay between Padmé and her handmaidens is just fantastic, and the book pulled in all the right characters to make this especially interesting (Bail Organa; Mon Mothma; Rush Clovis - great to finally see what his previous interactions with Padmé were; Mina Bonteri, who I always liked; Depa Billaba, who I still want a whole backstory book about).
The end wraps up perhaps a smidge too quickly, but I really just didn't want it to be over. I really want to know what follows the epilogue!
P.S. OMG WHY ARE THERE NOT ILLUSTRATIONS OF ALL THE DRESSES
The end wraps up perhaps a smidge too quickly, but I really just didn't want it to be over. I really want to know what follows the epilogue!
P.S. OMG WHY ARE THERE NOT ILLUSTRATIONS OF ALL THE DRESSES