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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
fast-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:
No
I really liked the book. It showed us who Padmé really is, we got to really see her flourish without Anakin( and sort of wish she never met him but that might just be me )
I really loved her relationship with her handmaidens, especially Sabé which was like so gay btw I loved it
The only criticism of this book is that the last part was super rushed and while I get why that is( phantom menace filled us in ) I wish we got to see more, all in all, It's a great book and I cannot wait to read the other two books in the series
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:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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:
No
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reading this book I could tell the author loved the source material just as much as I do, which makes me feel seen. You could tell so much love was put into this book.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Decent. Expands the understanding of but doesn’t transcend the film it’s placed around. Few new insights into Padme as a character that can’t be gleaned from the films, though her supporting cast gets more focused.
On reread, Yane and Sache’s relationship remains a weak point; Sabe’s fling with Harli works much better with similar page time and little direct narration from Sabe herself, with the plot point serving both her and Padme’s characters. However, Yane and Sache’s relationship doesn’t particularly help deepen understanding of either character, or tie back to Padme, the main character, much, if at all.
I really, really, enjoyed this one! TPM was always my favorite of the saga growing up and I loved Padmé.
It was super interesting getting more background on the handmaidens. Johnston did a great job of bringing each one to life, and really hooked me from the start. My favorite (other than Sabé) is definitely Rabé. I would love a spin-off dedicated to her.
Instead of doing a simple retelling from Padmé’s perspective, the book focuses on the formation of the handmaiden group and fills in gaps within the TPM timeline. I kept getting so surprised every time a new perspective was introduced. The addition of Mariek Panaka and Typho’s views as a college student were so cool!
* I definitely recommend trying the audiobook version too! It was so cool hearing Catherine Taber, narrate in Padmé’s own voice.
It was super interesting getting more background on the handmaidens. Johnston did a great job of bringing each one to life, and really hooked me from the start. My favorite (other than Sabé) is definitely Rabé. I would love a spin-off dedicated to her.
Instead of doing a simple retelling from Padmé’s perspective, the book focuses on the formation of the handmaiden group and fills in gaps within the TPM timeline. I kept getting so surprised every time a new perspective was introduced. The addition of Mariek Panaka and Typho’s views as a college student were so cool!
* I definitely recommend trying the audiobook version too! It was so cool hearing Catherine Taber, narrate in Padmé’s own voice.
i’m obsessed that this book is essentially about how teenage girls can be cool, smart politicians while they’re still figuring out normal teenage girl stuff like how to tell ur crush you like them and having your first period. more YA books where having your period is a reality of life!!!!
since the book was shorter than Queen’s Shadow, i do wish there could have been even more fleshing out of Sabe and Padme’s friendship, but that’s a me thing because it’s one of my favorite relationships in star wars.
i also wish there was a little more that set up Padme falling SO hard for anakin in attack of the clones, because when I rewatched the movie after reading this, it was hard to reconcile the “i’ve been going on missions to help planets in crisis since i was 7” padme with the “anakin just killed a village of sandpeople but i’m going to tell him it’s okay to be angry sometimes” padme. buuuut really i will never ever fault any new authors for not being able to totally connect some of the bonkers actions people take in the movies. and as a padme stan, i support women’s rights but i also support women’s wrongs. AND, i know we’ll get so much more of that perspective from Padme in Queen’s Hope, which i’m so excited for. anxiously waiting for my library to get the audiobook!!
since the book was shorter than Queen’s Shadow, i do wish there could have been even more fleshing out of Sabe and Padme’s friendship, but that’s a me thing because it’s one of my favorite relationships in star wars.
i also wish there was a little more that set up Padme falling SO hard for anakin in attack of the clones, because when I rewatched the movie after reading this, it was hard to reconcile the “i’ve been going on missions to help planets in crisis since i was 7” padme with the “anakin just killed a village of sandpeople but i’m going to tell him it’s okay to be angry sometimes” padme. buuuut really i will never ever fault any new authors for not being able to totally connect some of the bonkers actions people take in the movies. and as a padme stan, i support women’s rights but i also support women’s wrongs. AND, i know we’ll get so much more of that perspective from Padme in Queen’s Hope, which i’m so excited for. anxiously waiting for my library to get the audiobook!!
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
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:
Complicated
i will easily admit that star wars lore confuses me to no end; however, this book was so delightful and easy to digest. for me, the first half of the book was more enjoyable than the second. it revolved around padme's beginnings as queen of naboo and the forming of her handmaid security group which extended beyond the confines of the prequel movies. it's easy to forget that padme and her handmaids are all just young teen girls that were thrown into matters of intergalactic importance, so i loved reading more of these private moments between all the girls that are non existent in the movies, the second half of the book started including beats from the movies, so it took the liberty of jumping around the narrative more which at times was disorienting (which, mind you, is coming from someone who isn't a diehard star wars fan and is instead just a casual viewer). nonetheless, i will give e.k. johnston props for not just solely rewriting events that happened in the movie but instead providing more behind-the-scenes moments and internal monologues during some of the well-known plot points from the movies. i'm looking forward to what the rest of this trilogy has to offer!