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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
obi wan had a few minor appearances in this and he was his normal dramatic self in all of them, so i think this book was worth it for those moments alone
but also i enjoyed learning more about the handmaidens
but also i enjoyed learning more about the handmaidens
I love Padme and I love learning about her ascendancy to the Naboo throne, but this read like a rambling mess at times. The first three quarters of the book were slow-paced and the last quarter felt like going on a trip through hyperspace. As I closed the last page the only emotion I was feeling was indifference. Especially since there were only one or two chapters written from Padme's point of view (maybe only a few paragraphs, I couldn't really tell sometimes). Being a book written about her, I was anticipating a nice look into her thoughts on her new role as Queen and instead got the point of view of literally everyone else. No really. Maul, Obi-wan, Jar Jar, Palpatine, Anakin, and even Shmi Skywalker all get a few segments from their point of view, and the list doesn't end there. I enjoyed reading their portions, but I would have much preferred more looks into Padme's personal experience. Now, there were wonderful parts of the book but, as a whole, not much happens. And what did happen needed at least another 50 pages of story added. I'm sure many people will love this one but, unfortunately, it just fell a little short for me!
I enjoyed this book as EK does a great job of illustrating padme and what the role of queen entails. My one major qualm with the plot/book which I suspect has more to do with Disney them the author, is that the last 1/4 of the book is tied directly into the timeline of Phantom Menace and it doesn’t really give any interesting, additional detail. It feels like more of a cash grab - a way to capitalize off of Amidala fans and explain why she has handmaidens
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Uh… this is not a great foot to start the year with, Star Wars 😟
This felt very young adult. We follow Padme as she creates her team of handmaidens who assist her, but there doesn’t actually feel like much of a plot. We get glimpses of them working together, but really, a lot of their bonding is glossed over. Although we are introduced to each of the girls in the beginning, all of them blend together quickly and none of them seem to have an especially strong voice in the novel. Though this makes sense for their ability to switch places with Padme, it didn’t work well for a story.
Since Naboo is known for young prodigies, I also expected the girls to be more mature, but they all very much feel their age which makes the angle of them working as politicians for their planet a bit silly. This is only worsened by Panaka’s role in the story, coming across as a stern father figure to them.
I realized that the story was starting to lay things out for the events of Phantom Menace, but it was in such small pieces that it was hard for me to get invested. Until I hit the last fourth of the book when it changed to a speed-run of the Phantom Menace plot through the eyes of Padme or the handmaidens. It was so fast that I couldn’t really enjoy the new angle of the story and didn’t explore much additional like I would have preferred.
This was a let down, it didn’t go into enough about Naboo that interested me when we were first introduced in Phantom Menace, glossed over the plot I was sold, and rehashed a movie I’ve seen many times. Super bummed and hoping the other Padme books in this series go better, but I’m not holding my breath.
This felt very young adult. We follow Padme as she creates her team of handmaidens who assist her, but there doesn’t actually feel like much of a plot. We get glimpses of them working together, but really, a lot of their bonding is glossed over. Although we are introduced to each of the girls in the beginning, all of them blend together quickly and none of them seem to have an especially strong voice in the novel. Though this makes sense for their ability to switch places with Padme, it didn’t work well for a story.
Since Naboo is known for young prodigies, I also expected the girls to be more mature, but they all very much feel their age which makes the angle of them working as politicians for their planet a bit silly. This is only worsened by Panaka’s role in the story, coming across as a stern father figure to them.
I realized that the story was starting to lay things out for the events of Phantom Menace, but it was in such small pieces that it was hard for me to get invested. Until I hit the last fourth of the book when it changed to a speed-run of the Phantom Menace plot through the eyes of Padme or the handmaidens. It was so fast that I couldn’t really enjoy the new angle of the story and didn’t explore much additional like I would have preferred.
This was a let down, it didn’t go into enough about Naboo that interested me when we were first introduced in Phantom Menace, glossed over the plot I was sold, and rehashed a movie I’ve seen many times. Super bummed and hoping the other Padme books in this series go better, but I’m not holding my breath.
Yeah so I’m back on my Star Wars bs and picked this book back up and am so glad I did. I love padme and all the handmaidens but that epilogue really got me with obi wan airing right now.
This was a mostly great, relatively short Star Wars book, exploring the start of Padme's reign as Queen of Naboo and expanding on her relationships with her handmaidens.
This really expanded on the handmaidens, their personalities, their skills, how each contributed something to the persona of Queen Amidala. This book goes into their training, how they developed the body double system, even the innovations that went into the Queen's wardrobe to combine tradition with practicality and defense. Sabe, the Queen's body double, is the most fleshed out. This is really her trilogy of books as much as Padme's. Whilst all the handmaidens are dutiful and competent child prodigies, being in their early teens, they still have a few moments where they act like teenagers which added a bit of realism and depth.
It fell down a bit for me during the last third, which takes place at the same time as Phantom Menace. Whilst Sache and Yane's story back on Naboo was interesting and not something we'd previously known, Padme's and Sabe's was weaker. It just sort of skips from scene to scene instead of flowing and the scenes seem a bit random. For instance, the part where Padme arrives on Coruscant and speaks to the Senate is skipped over, which surprised me.
Overall this was great however.
This really expanded on the handmaidens, their personalities, their skills, how each contributed something to the persona of Queen Amidala. This book goes into their training, how they developed the body double system, even the innovations that went into the Queen's wardrobe to combine tradition with practicality and defense. Sabe, the Queen's body double, is the most fleshed out. This is really her trilogy of books as much as Padme's. Whilst all the handmaidens are dutiful and competent child prodigies, being in their early teens, they still have a few moments where they act like teenagers which added a bit of realism and depth.
It fell down a bit for me during the last third, which takes place at the same time as Phantom Menace. Whilst Sache and Yane's story back on Naboo was interesting and not something we'd previously known, Padme's and Sabe's was weaker. It just sort of skips from scene to scene instead of flowing and the scenes seem a bit random. For instance, the part where Padme arrives on Coruscant and speaks to the Senate is skipped over, which surprised me.
Overall this was great however.
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No