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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Poe Dameron is tired of the small, backwater moon where he lives. He's tired of being kept from adventure and excitement-especially after hearing tales of his parents' adventures during the rebellion. But ever since Poe's mother died, his father has worked to keep him safe. Now, at sixteen, and freshly in trouble (and quite upset with himself) after crashing his mother's ship, Poe finds himself unwittingly joining up with a group of spice runners. At first, he's simply filling in for a pilot, but then he becomes part of the crew and helps with various jobs.
It's been a few days since I finished this book, but beyond remembering the ending-when Poe happens to see a prominent rebellion/New Republic figure making a speech-this was mainly just a book of Poe running around and having adventures. I haven't been as interested in the current/recently finished trilogy, so a lot of the characters didn't really matter to me (I'm assuming that Zorri might have been an important person in the trilogy).
Anyway, it's an okay book, but I just didn't really enjoy it the way I have other Star Wars books in the past.
Poe Dameron is tired of the small, backwater moon where he lives. He's tired of being kept from adventure and excitement-especially after hearing tales of his parents' adventures during the rebellion. But ever since Poe's mother died, his father has worked to keep him safe. Now, at sixteen, and freshly in trouble (and quite upset with himself) after crashing his mother's ship, Poe finds himself unwittingly joining up with a group of spice runners. At first, he's simply filling in for a pilot, but then he becomes part of the crew and helps with various jobs.
It's been a few days since I finished this book, but beyond remembering the ending-when Poe happens to see a prominent rebellion/New Republic figure making a speech-this was mainly just a book of Poe running around and having adventures. I haven't been as interested in the current/recently finished trilogy, so a lot of the characters didn't really matter to me (I'm assuming that Zorri might have been an important person in the trilogy).
Anyway, it's an okay book, but I just didn't really enjoy it the way I have other Star Wars books in the past.
Full Review available here on 30/07/2020: https://inkandplasma.wordpress.com/2020/07/30/star-wars-poe-dameron-free-fall-by-alex-segura-review/
I honestly, hand on heart, enjoyed this book a thousand times more than I expected. I was excited about it to begin with, but also a little wary. I’ve been stung before with Star Wars content. This book was not a letdown. It starts with Poe in trouble and I felt immediately like Alex Segura had a really good grasp on Poe’s characterisation and kept it consistent throughout the book. He’s not exactly the same as the Poe we know and love, but that’s a good thing. This Poe is sixteen, inexperienced and desperate for adventure, but I could very clearly see how he would develop into Poe Dameron, Resistance hero. After reading this one, I actually picked up my TROS novelisation and read that and it gave so much depth to the sections with Zorii and Babu and mentions of Poe’s past that I had to stop and think about Free Fall again. I love Poe and have from the start, but this novel gave me a strong and deep connection to a character that didn’t get explored so much in the movie and I loved it.
We also, of course, got our expected firefights and crazy aerial manoeuvres, blaster battles and cameo mentions of famous Star Wars characters but I liked that this was focused on Poe’s story – not one of Jedi and Sith and the Force. I liked the focus on smugglers, criminals and the New Republic instead. The Spice Runners of Kijimi are exactly as horrible and criminal as we’d expect, but their violence is softened a little for the younger Disney audience. This is the first Star Wars YA novel I’ve read where that softness is explained within the text though and justified with Poe’s internal conflict – he wants to be a part of the team but he doesn’t want to hurt people. This was perfect for characterising Poe and also had the benefit of not knocking me out of the realism of the moment. The Spice Runners, and their criminal operations, were a good background for Poe to develop and I felt like we really got to see Poe grow from a boy desperate for any kind of adventure into a man who realises that believing in the cause you’re fighting for is more important than the fight itself.
The real highlight of this book is the relationship between Poe and Zorii. They’re two teenagers growing together, finding companionship around harsh and dangerous adults and learning to be themselves. They teach each other skills and my favourite thing about it was that there were romantic tones to their interactions but ultimately they felt most like teenage friends finding comfort in each other. It explains the complicated relationship when they are reunited in The Rise of Skywalker, as well as the fact that Zorii was fast to anger and fast to forgive.
I honestly, hand on heart, enjoyed this book a thousand times more than I expected. I was excited about it to begin with, but also a little wary. I’ve been stung before with Star Wars content. This book was not a letdown. It starts with Poe in trouble and I felt immediately like Alex Segura had a really good grasp on Poe’s characterisation and kept it consistent throughout the book. He’s not exactly the same as the Poe we know and love, but that’s a good thing. This Poe is sixteen, inexperienced and desperate for adventure, but I could very clearly see how he would develop into Poe Dameron, Resistance hero. After reading this one, I actually picked up my TROS novelisation and read that and it gave so much depth to the sections with Zorii and Babu and mentions of Poe’s past that I had to stop and think about Free Fall again. I love Poe and have from the start, but this novel gave me a strong and deep connection to a character that didn’t get explored so much in the movie and I loved it.
We also, of course, got our expected firefights and crazy aerial manoeuvres, blaster battles and cameo mentions of famous Star Wars characters but I liked that this was focused on Poe’s story – not one of Jedi and Sith and the Force. I liked the focus on smugglers, criminals and the New Republic instead. The Spice Runners of Kijimi are exactly as horrible and criminal as we’d expect, but their violence is softened a little for the younger Disney audience. This is the first Star Wars YA novel I’ve read where that softness is explained within the text though and justified with Poe’s internal conflict – he wants to be a part of the team but he doesn’t want to hurt people. This was perfect for characterising Poe and also had the benefit of not knocking me out of the realism of the moment. The Spice Runners, and their criminal operations, were a good background for Poe to develop and I felt like we really got to see Poe grow from a boy desperate for any kind of adventure into a man who realises that believing in the cause you’re fighting for is more important than the fight itself.
The real highlight of this book is the relationship between Poe and Zorii. They’re two teenagers growing together, finding companionship around harsh and dangerous adults and learning to be themselves. They teach each other skills and my favourite thing about it was that there were romantic tones to their interactions but ultimately they felt most like teenage friends finding comfort in each other. It explains the complicated relationship when they are reunited in The Rise of Skywalker, as well as the fact that Zorii was fast to anger and fast to forgive.
Star Wars fans rejoice! We have a backstory on one of the best pilots in the Galaxy...Poe Dameron. This story takes place when Poe is 16. We learn a lot about how he became a Spice Runner. This book has a lot of in depth details about how became who we see in the Star Wars movies.
A rollicking adventure through space, full of blaster fights, high-stakes danger, hotshot pilot moves, and some hard-won lessons about growing up.
Overall I enjoyed this book, as an extension of the Star Wars universe. Everything was in character, and it was really great to see Poe’s backstory. I think the story had a strong start, that set up a good book. My one complaint is that I really couldn’t see myself wanting Poe and Zorii to be involved with each other romantically. At times it felt like the only reason their relationship went in that direction was because it was hinted at in The Rise of Skywalker, rather than them actually being good together. But other than that I thoroughly enjoyed Poe Dameron: Free Fall, and will be on the lookout for more books by Alex Segura
We enjoyed Poe Dameron's character in the Star Wars movies, so I really enjoyed reading about how he got started, and it was not at all what I thought it was going to be.
Poe goes from being a whiny, irresponsible teen (really, he puts Luke to shame!) to a somewhat responsible budding-young-adult by the end.
Poe wants to fly, so much so he climbs in his mother's old Rebellion A-wing and crashes it when he's forced to land by his planet's Civilian Defense Force. He can't stand that his father wants to keep him grounded, literally, on a farm, working with dirt and animals, afraid to lose his only son after his wife was killed.
Poe doesn't care if he hurts his father's feelings, but now he also has no wings. He goes to a local bar, where he catches a glimpse of Zori Wynn, an attractive human Spice runner his age (it's the meet-cute) whose captain is in "need" of -- aka just killed -- a pilot. And Poe manages to get invited to be the crew's next pilot.
And off he goes, tricking the planet's Defense Force into thinking he's being held captive by the Spice Runners so they let the Spice Runners bound away from the planet. Really, he's quite the irresponsible brat, not thinking of his father or what his disappearance and supposed "abduction" will do to his Dad. Or what lengths his father will go to track him down, later.
There's also a New Republic Security Officer tracking Poe and the Spice Runners, and she's got her own agenda -- and doesn't care who she takes down in the process.
Enjoy it! It's a great, fast-paced read, with a smudge of hinted-at romance that never quite materializes and ties in nicely to one of the Star Wars movies (you'll recognize it as the origin story of a particular woman bounty hunter, hint, hint!). A lot of fun.
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
Poe goes from being a whiny, irresponsible teen (really, he puts Luke to shame!) to a somewhat responsible budding-young-adult by the end.
Poe wants to fly, so much so he climbs in his mother's old Rebellion A-wing and crashes it when he's forced to land by his planet's Civilian Defense Force. He can't stand that his father wants to keep him grounded, literally, on a farm, working with dirt and animals, afraid to lose his only son after his wife was killed.
Poe doesn't care if he hurts his father's feelings, but now he also has no wings. He goes to a local bar, where he catches a glimpse of Zori Wynn, an attractive human Spice runner his age (it's the meet-cute) whose captain is in "need" of -- aka just killed -- a pilot. And Poe manages to get invited to be the crew's next pilot.
And off he goes, tricking the planet's Defense Force into thinking he's being held captive by the Spice Runners so they let the Spice Runners bound away from the planet. Really, he's quite the irresponsible brat, not thinking of his father or what his disappearance and supposed "abduction" will do to his Dad. Or what lengths his father will go to track him down, later.
There's also a New Republic Security Officer tracking Poe and the Spice Runners, and she's got her own agenda -- and doesn't care who she takes down in the process.
Enjoy it! It's a great, fast-paced read, with a smudge of hinted-at romance that never quite materializes and ties in nicely to one of the Star Wars movies (you'll recognize it as the origin story of a particular woman bounty hunter, hint, hint!). A lot of fun.
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-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
[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]
This fills in the backstory from The Rise of Skywalker when everyone finds out Poe used to be a spice runner. I liked how he fell into the work because of his longing to leave home and find adventure. And I liked how he felt trapped in this path because of his choices and the fact that his new "friends" would probably kill him before they'd let him just leave.
Lots of potential here, but it didn't come together for me. I didn't love any of the characters. My favorite relationship was probably the one between Poe and his dad, which has a Prodigal Son feel to it, but that was a really small part of the story. The middle of the book dragged for me. It seemed to serve to cement Poe more into this group to make it harder for him to leave, but beyond that it didn't add to my understanding of the character. When it's all said and done, I know about events that happened, but nothing deeper than that.
Big SW fans and Dameron fans might enjoy this because of the focus on this "surprise" backstory. But if you are looking for a rich character-development sort of Star Wars tale, this might not be a great fit for you. (Light romance, typical Star Wars-style violence)
This fills in the backstory from The Rise of Skywalker when everyone finds out Poe used to be a spice runner. I liked how he fell into the work because of his longing to leave home and find adventure. And I liked how he felt trapped in this path because of his choices and the fact that his new "friends" would probably kill him before they'd let him just leave.
Lots of potential here, but it didn't come together for me. I didn't love any of the characters. My favorite relationship was probably the one between Poe and his dad, which has a Prodigal Son feel to it, but that was a really small part of the story. The middle of the book dragged for me. It seemed to serve to cement Poe more into this group to make it harder for him to leave, but beyond that it didn't add to my understanding of the character. When it's all said and done, I know about events that happened, but nothing deeper than that.
Big SW fans and Dameron fans might enjoy this because of the focus on this "surprise" backstory. But if you are looking for a rich character-development sort of Star Wars tale, this might not be a great fit for you. (Light romance, typical Star Wars-style violence)
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
[b:Poe Dameron: Free Fall|50720850|Poe Dameron Free Fall|Alex Segura|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1596288791l/50720850._SY75_.jpg|75752940] is a good book for a Teen/Young Adult novel. I gave it three stars for what it is - a good story that fleshes out some background for Poe Dameron and Zorii Bliss. It is well-written and the story is easy to follow. It has some moderate action sequences and good exposition. I think Segura captures the spirit of Poe well, and does an okay job of making it feel like a Star Wars book. I liked the questions and internal struggles Poe experiences as depicted in the book. I also like how Poe's journey informed his decision to choose the "right" side in the eternal galactic war of ideas.
More serious Star Wars readers may want to skip Poe Dameron: Free Fall. The simplicity of the story and its moderate tone may turn off most readers most readers, as it is geared for a teenage audience.
Otherwise, it is worth a read if you want to explore Poe's formative years and see how he changes with the Spice Runners of Kimiji. And, the reader enjoys learning about Zorii Bliss and where she came from and how she is set-up before the events of The Rise of Skywalker.
More serious Star Wars readers may want to skip Poe Dameron: Free Fall. The simplicity of the story and its moderate tone may turn off most readers most readers, as it is geared for a teenage audience.
Otherwise, it is worth a read if you want to explore Poe's formative years and see how he changes with the Spice Runners of Kimiji. And, the reader enjoys learning about Zorii Bliss and where she came from and how she is set-up before the events of The Rise of Skywalker.