Scan barcode
cyris_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
twilliamson's review against another edition
4.0
Shadow Academy and, by extension, the whole of the Young Jedi Knights series so far is enough for me to take back any and every unkind thing I have ever said about Kevin J. Anderson and his take on Star Wars. Although this might be the youth novel accompaniment to the general audience novels, Anderson and Moesta continue to develop strong protagonists in the young Solo twins and their friends while demonstrating simultaneously that they understand the central themes and legacy characters of Star Wars.
In this installment, Anderson and Moesta dig deep into what empowers the Dark Side of the Force while also demonstrating the resiliency of the Light Side through the young protagonists of the series. The two authors give Luke more to do without losing sight of what many readers are showing up for, with enough contained, focused action to keep the story moving along. The idea of a rival Shadow Academy is also brilliant, allowing both authors to dig into what makes the Force so interesting as a metaphor for doing right and wrong.
This is my favorite Star Wars of all that I've read so far, and I can't wait to see what is next for the Solo twins.
In this installment, Anderson and Moesta dig deep into what empowers the Dark Side of the Force while also demonstrating the resiliency of the Light Side through the young protagonists of the series. The two authors give Luke more to do without losing sight of what many readers are showing up for, with enough contained, focused action to keep the story moving along. The idea of a rival Shadow Academy is also brilliant, allowing both authors to dig into what makes the Force so interesting as a metaphor for doing right and wrong.
This is my favorite Star Wars of all that I've read so far, and I can't wait to see what is next for the Solo twins.
porlarta's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
alphaalexis's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
embrokaw's review against another edition
3.0
The author clearly has a vision for this book/series of books. However their writing style doesn’t allow for plot points to develop fully before the subject is changed. This results in the book feeling longer than it actually is.
I enjoy the characters and the development of known and new entities. I would have liked for the book and story to be simpler and more stream lined so I could learn more details about the most important things to the author.
A child’s view of the force, learning and challenge had a good base for further growth.
I enjoy the characters and the development of known and new entities. I would have liked for the book and story to be simpler and more stream lined so I could learn more details about the most important things to the author.
A child’s view of the force, learning and challenge had a good base for further growth.
erinphillipsauthor's review against another edition
5.0
It was so fun to go back and re-read this book! This series was one of my absolute favorites growing up and it was just as good as I remembered! I love the simple themes of questioning our teachers just as much as we trust them, to never believe blindly but to test if what we are being taught is right and true. Looking forward to squeezing in more books from the Shadow Academy saga inbetween my other reads!
jljaina's review against another edition
5.0
This was the very first Star Wars book I ever read. I had to actually go back and find the first book in the series after I finishe this one. Although the writing isn't perfect I loved the characters and story. Jaina, Jacen and their friends are fantastic characters and Kevin J Anderson and his wife did a great job bringing them to life in this series.
Although this was the second book or the series, it was easy to pick up and read as a stand-alone. However, the entire series is definitely worth reading. Rereading this in order, many years later I had forgotten much of the story and even some of the characters. One was Tenel Ka. And after not standing out too much in the first book, she shines in this one. A small thing I hated: The name Brakiss. Upon first seeing it I saw it as two words that should never form a name (I am sure you can figure out what I did).
One thing I really wish had more focus in the first several novels was the Shadow Academy and general Jedi training itself and how the academies differed in teaching style. Nonetheless, the Young Jedi Knights series is a fun series for youth and adult alike.
Although this was the second book or the series, it was easy to pick up and read as a stand-alone. However, the entire series is definitely worth reading. Rereading this in order, many years later I had forgotten much of the story and even some of the characters. One was Tenel Ka. And after not standing out too much in the first book, she shines in this one. A small thing I hated: The name Brakiss. Upon first seeing it I saw it as two words that should never form a name (I am sure you can figure out what I did).
One thing I really wish had more focus in the first several novels was the Shadow Academy and general Jedi training itself and how the academies differed in teaching style. Nonetheless, the Young Jedi Knights series is a fun series for youth and adult alike.
ifthebook's review against another edition
3.0
Better than the previous book, the twins an Lowie get into a pretty serious situation. Meanwhile, Tenel Ka gets to hang out with Luke and be as awesome as she always is. There was less parroting of quotations from the original trilogy, which was great, too. More reaction from the twins to their indoctrination (we got to see some of this from Lowie) would have been nice, though I recall being horrified by it all when I was younger, so perhaps it was done to the right amount.