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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Complicated
The detail the handmaidens add to Amidala made for a fun read but the prose was a bit clunky at times.
Well, at least this was better than Queen's Shadow.
I'm starting to believe that someone else wrote Ahsoka, as these past two books have come nowhere close to narrative quality of that book.
I was excited to start this one as it seemed according to the synopsis and title that the book would actually have a story with conflict, unlike Queen's Shadow. Halfway through you realize that there is a story and conflict, however, it is one we have already seen and know. That is my biggest criticism of this novel. It starts out telling a story that we haven't seen on screen and then just instantaneously becomes an Episode 1 novelization from a different perspective. This is incredibly lazy story-telling and the novel would make zero sense to someone who hasn't seen the movie.
Another thing that irks me here is that we have a compelling side story with two of the handmaidens revolving around a secret conflict between them. We are never told exactly what the conflict is but it is heavily alluded to that it is because they are both homosexual and had some awkward interactions at some point. Look, I get it, its Disney and they have a slight LGBT inclusion obsession going on right now. However, we already have a bisexual character in Sabe which results in over half of the handmaidens being gay in some way. This is just gratuitous and takes me out of the experience.
I didn't hate this and it was a quick read but my goodness it read like uninspired glorified fan fiction. Maybe Disney should take a few steps back from this author.
I'm starting to believe that someone else wrote Ahsoka, as these past two books have come nowhere close to narrative quality of that book.
I was excited to start this one as it seemed according to the synopsis and title that the book would actually have a story with conflict, unlike Queen's Shadow. Halfway through you realize that there is a story and conflict, however, it is one we have already seen and know. That is my biggest criticism of this novel. It starts out telling a story that we haven't seen on screen and then just instantaneously becomes an Episode 1 novelization from a different perspective. This is incredibly lazy story-telling and the novel would make zero sense to someone who hasn't seen the movie.
Another thing that irks me here is that we have a compelling side story with two of the handmaidens revolving around a secret conflict between them. We are never told exactly what the conflict is but it is heavily alluded to that it is because they are both homosexual and had some awkward interactions at some point. Look, I get it, its Disney and they have a slight LGBT inclusion obsession going on right now. However, we already have a bisexual character in Sabe which results in over half of the handmaidens being gay in some way. This is just gratuitous and takes me out of the experience.
I didn't hate this and it was a quick read but my goodness it read like uninspired glorified fan fiction. Maybe Disney should take a few steps back from this author.
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
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
adventurous
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
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is a wonderful companion to the first episode of Star Wars. Following the adventures of Queen Amidala and her handmaidens brings a lot of charm to the events of the book. There was also added charm when reading from the perspective of other famous characters such as Jedi and Sith; these POV sections were a pleasant and welcome surprise. However, I did find that when events crossed into the territory of episode one, the story and perspective felt lacking. Perhaps had the book adapted more of the first episode from the perspective of Naboo and it’s rulers, going into further depth and not being afraid to explain what we have already seen, the book would have felt more complete and finished. I would also note that a book following Queen Amidala’s rule after the events of episode one would be welcome in my eyes. Nevertheless, this was a fun read and I would recommend