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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Not as good as Jackson Miller's other SW book that I've read, Kenobi. As this is a tie-in novel to the TV show Rebels and with characters created by others for that show, it's probably a case of the author not being as involved as he would otherwise have been in something much more of his creation. Too many cooks...
Generally fine but overlong with some pacing issues. Some scenes in the middle go on for too long, grinding the story to a halt. The story is solid and fun but not particularly memorable or noteworthy and neither are the villains.
Generally fine but overlong with some pacing issues. Some scenes in the middle go on for too long, grinding the story to a halt. The story is solid and fun but not particularly memorable or noteworthy and neither are the villains.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought this book was mostly trash... character assassination of two awesome leads in the tv series Rebels. Why the hell is Kanan so sexist and douchy and just gross in this book? Why is Hera a sexist trope who constantly gets by on feminine wiles?? What the heck? These are not the Kanan and Hera of the tv show.
The story was okay but too long. I was so damn distracted with the awful dialogue/thoughts between Kanan and Hera. I didn’t even bother finishing.
Maybe it was the crappy narration in the audiobook making it so awful? Maybe living up to Rebels just wasn’t going to happen? I don’t know, but I wouldn’t bother with this book if you’re looking for a great Star Wars story with great character development.
The story was okay but too long. I was so damn distracted with the awful dialogue/thoughts between Kanan and Hera. I didn’t even bother finishing.
Maybe it was the crappy narration in the audiobook making it so awful? Maybe living up to Rebels just wasn’t going to happen? I don’t know, but I wouldn’t bother with this book if you’re looking for a great Star Wars story with great character development.
It wants to be more than a Star Wars novel, but it just doesn't put the pieces together in the end. There's a strong undercurrent of delightful anti-corporate rhetoric that feels so ready to be a powerful statement transcending its medium, only to be sidelined for the climax where it's needed most.
In general, I had a lot of trouble following the action in the last third of the book. I couldn't really envision Vidian's ship or the setting for the final battle or what happened during that battle. There were so many complex set pieces that just didn't materialize for me. I would have much preferred simpler--if less interesting--descriptions of the fight and its environment. I had to re-read some sections to the point that it really slowed the pacing down to a crawl. Not exactly what you want for the part that's supposed to carry the most tension. I think I would have been better off with a ship schematic insert for reference.
I also know I'm being a bit harsh here because I loved "Rebels". I love Kanan and Hera and their dynamic in the show, and they just didn't have the same chemistry here. Kanan is just a little too much of a dude-bro for my liking. It's almost hard to reconcile him with the character he becomes--especially the womanizing, which did not suit him or the story well.
Some other misses include the frequent soliloquies and the hard to stomach logic of some of Sloane's or Vidian's choices. Some hits include the entire Zaluna and Skelly subplots and the Okadiah character. All in all, it's about as three star a book as Star Wars has produced so far.
In general, I had a lot of trouble following the action in the last third of the book. I couldn't really envision Vidian's ship or the setting for the final battle or what happened during that battle. There were so many complex set pieces that just didn't materialize for me. I would have much preferred simpler--if less interesting--descriptions of the fight and its environment. I had to re-read some sections to the point that it really slowed the pacing down to a crawl. Not exactly what you want for the part that's supposed to carry the most tension. I think I would have been better off with a ship schematic insert for reference.
I also know I'm being a bit harsh here because I loved "Rebels". I love Kanan and Hera and their dynamic in the show, and they just didn't have the same chemistry here. Kanan is just a little too much of a dude-bro for my liking. It's almost hard to reconcile him with the character he becomes--especially the womanizing, which did not suit him or the story well.
Some other misses include the frequent soliloquies and the hard to stomach logic of some of Sloane's or Vidian's choices. Some hits include the entire Zaluna and Skelly subplots and the Okadiah character. All in all, it's about as three star a book as Star Wars has produced so far.
It’s good to know that Kanan and Hera have always Been In Love and that they challenge and impress each other.
Overall quick read, obviously targeted towards a middle grade audience, just like the show, but it’s got all the star wars things:
1. Jedi being sad
2. Love Stories
3. cyborgs
4. over complicated political intrigue
5. a gripping center action that keeps the plot moving forward until its cataclysmic end
I also ended up feeling like Sloane’s victory was ours. Vidian’s story was confusing and and hard to get through, and in terms of cyborgs, he’s no where near close to my fave.
Overall quick read, obviously targeted towards a middle grade audience, just like the show, but it’s got all the star wars things:
1. Jedi being sad
2. Love Stories
3. cyborgs
4. over complicated political intrigue
5. a gripping center action that keeps the plot moving forward until its cataclysmic end
I also ended up feeling like Sloane’s victory was ours. Vidian’s story was confusing and and hard to get through, and in terms of cyborgs, he’s no where near close to my fave.
adventurous
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:
Complicated
Meh. Considering how much I loved Kenobi and how much I've enjoyed the first season of Rebels, I thought this was going to be a shoe-in. It wasn't as horrific as [b:Aftermath|25134015|Aftermath (Star Wars Aftermath #1)|Chuck Wendig|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1426622433s/25134015.jpg|44828548], but it wasn't compelling or great either considering the characters Miller had to work with.
The book's primary strength is Miller's take on the political situation in the early Empire.
Miller is astute and paints a grayer picture of the Republic and the nature of the Empire in more practical and realistic terms. These astute observations by characters throughout the novel captures the uncertainty and ambivalence of normal galactic denizens towards the Empire in its earlier days and paints a picture that we're altogether unused to seeing in the Star Wars canon. The most interesting thing about this novel is the politics of how the Empire grows.
Unfortunately, a major drawback is the lack of real character development. Kanan is sullen and mostly annoying (as is Skelly) and we don't learn much more about his past than we already knew from watching the TV show. Hera is the more mature of the two, and the more interesting, but again, we learn nothing that we didn't already know from Rebels and The Clone Wars about what she stands for. A New Dawn pretty much feels like a pre-prequel. In Rebels we see the start of the rebellion through the eyes of Ezra. Here we see the start of the start that Ezra will later witness. It's almost like all the novels that are taking place between the Prequel Trilogy and the Original Trilogy are tracing down the roots of rebellion and finding earlier and earlier seeds. Eventually we'll just end up back in the prequel era again.
Ultimately I didn't really care all that much for any of the characters, although that must be my anti-prequel bias. I tend not to really enjoy anything from that era all that much, but now that all the post-original trilogy stuff is no longer canon, it seems the only thing out there to read in the Star Wars universe is this prequel stuff. Disappointed again.
The book's primary strength is Miller's take on the political situation in the early Empire.
The Empire, Vivian understood, was the logical result of thousands of years of galactic government. For centuries, the Republic had expanded not through force, but by quietly exerting a powerful magnetic pull on bordering systems. The promise of trade with Core World markets had great value, and the prospect inexorably lured nonmember worlds into ever-tighter cooperation with the body.
But the Republic was often slow to invite new systems in. The addition of territories tended to diminish the political power of existing senators. New members invariably aligned themselves with blocs in their own galactic neighborhood–yet most senators who controlled the invitations represented worlds near the Core. The Republic repelled even as it attracted. And there were other constituencies that had slowed expansion. Republic bureaucrats disliked the expense of extending services and protection to the hinterlands. The result was that many useful star systems were left waiting, some for centuries, on the Republic's political doorstep, even though it came at the cost of the body's overall power.
Miller is astute and paints a grayer picture of the Republic and the nature of the Empire in more practical and realistic terms. These astute observations by characters throughout the novel captures the uncertainty and ambivalence of normal galactic denizens towards the Empire in its earlier days and paints a picture that we're altogether unused to seeing in the Star Wars canon. The most interesting thing about this novel is the politics of how the Empire grows.
Unfortunately, a major drawback is the lack of real character development. Kanan is sullen and mostly annoying (as is Skelly) and we don't learn much more about his past than we already knew from watching the TV show. Hera is the more mature of the two, and the more interesting, but again, we learn nothing that we didn't already know from Rebels and The Clone Wars about what she stands for. A New Dawn pretty much feels like a pre-prequel. In Rebels we see the start of the rebellion through the eyes of Ezra. Here we see the start of the start that Ezra will later witness. It's almost like all the novels that are taking place between the Prequel Trilogy and the Original Trilogy are tracing down the roots of rebellion and finding earlier and earlier seeds. Eventually we'll just end up back in the prequel era again.
Ultimately I didn't really care all that much for any of the characters, although that must be my anti-prequel bias. I tend not to really enjoy anything from that era all that much, but now that all the post-original trilogy stuff is no longer canon, it seems the only thing out there to read in the Star Wars universe is this prequel stuff. Disappointed again.
This is the only Star Wars book I've read since the Timothy Zahn trilogy from the early 90s. It was enjoyable in its own way, but it didn't really feel like a Star Wars story. The scope was incredibly narrow, focused on mining and corruption of a planet and its orbiting moon. While there technically was one lightsaber in the story, there really wasn't. There wasn't any memorable space battles, and the characters were largely disposable.
I understand the purpose behind this story was to introduce the characters of the upcoming cartoon series, but its obvious the show will have to provide background on everyone. They aren't going to assume people have read this book. As such, it feels largely redundant and not something I can really recommend,
I understand the purpose behind this story was to introduce the characters of the upcoming cartoon series, but its obvious the show will have to provide background on everyone. They aren't going to assume people have read this book. As such, it feels largely redundant and not something I can really recommend,
A Rebels prequel, A New Dawn tells the story of how Kanan & Hera met.
Here's the thing though: Rebels was very enjoyable to watch, there were things I absolutely loved and things I didn't like so much.
One of the things I loved was Hera. She's great and probably my favorite Ghost crew member (sorry Chopper).
Kanan on the other hand is one of the things I didn't like all that much. I don't even know why, but he never could never really win me over (sorry Kanan stans).
I was excited to read a story about Hera but was unsure how to feel about Kanan. Still, I figured that maybe this is a good opportunity to give Kanan a second chance, as a book can get into a characters head the way a series just can't.
But it took me over 5 months to finish this book. I think that's saying a lot about how I feel about A New Dawn. I'm really not the person to DNF a book or even book series and always force myself to finish everything. But with this book, I never would've finished it if it wouldn't have been a Star Wars book.
I didn't like this book for various reasons, but Kanan and probably the writing itself were the biggest ones.
I was really willing to give Kanan another chance with this book, but I think I dislike him even more now.
The way he describes Hera made me REALLY uncomfortable. And not only Kanan, sometimes also other characters. Once, I even caught it in Hera's own pov.
The book never misses a chance to emphasize how absolutely badass Hera is. And that's true and I love her for it.
But the book also never misses a chance to emphasize how beautiful and sexy Hera is. That's also true.
But having to read it every other page made me uncomfortable. Like her only character trait is being badass, which in return makes her sexy.
Don't get me wrong, I have no problem when a character is being described as sexy, but here it's only Hera who is described this way. Kanan, the male lead, was described as a idiot, who was actually not as much of an idiot as he always lets everyone think he is. Yes, he was also described as charming (or something like that), but NEVER was every action, badass or not, commented with how beautiful and sexy Kanan is.
Never him, only Hera.
It was the worst with Kanas pov, which is why I like him even less in this book. But it was also present in other character's pov, which makes me think it's not only a serious Kanan problem, but also a serious John Jackson Miller problem.
The book' villain, Count Vidian, was an interesting concept, but there was much unused potential. Especially at the end, he seemed less three-dimensional and more like a cartoon villain, which was more than a little disappointing.
The story itself was solid. It was the typical small rebellion story, which had the potential to be great, but stands and falls with the characters. And in this case, the characters were terrible, so the story was quite forgettable in return.
I know that A New Dawn and John Jackson Miller are both well loved in the Star Wars community, but after reading this book I can't understand why. A New Dawn reads like it was released at least 20 years ago, not eight.
Here's the thing though: Rebels was very enjoyable to watch, there were things I absolutely loved and things I didn't like so much.
One of the things I loved was Hera. She's great and probably my favorite Ghost crew member (sorry Chopper).
Kanan on the other hand is one of the things I didn't like all that much. I don't even know why, but he never could never really win me over (sorry Kanan stans).
I was excited to read a story about Hera but was unsure how to feel about Kanan. Still, I figured that maybe this is a good opportunity to give Kanan a second chance, as a book can get into a characters head the way a series just can't.
But it took me over 5 months to finish this book. I think that's saying a lot about how I feel about A New Dawn. I'm really not the person to DNF a book or even book series and always force myself to finish everything. But with this book, I never would've finished it if it wouldn't have been a Star Wars book.
I didn't like this book for various reasons, but Kanan and probably the writing itself were the biggest ones.
I was really willing to give Kanan another chance with this book, but I think I dislike him even more now.
The way he describes Hera made me REALLY uncomfortable. And not only Kanan, sometimes also other characters. Once, I even caught it in Hera's own pov.
The book never misses a chance to emphasize how absolutely badass Hera is. And that's true and I love her for it.
But the book also never misses a chance to emphasize how beautiful and sexy Hera is. That's also true.
But having to read it every other page made me uncomfortable. Like her only character trait is being badass, which in return makes her sexy.
Don't get me wrong, I have no problem when a character is being described as sexy, but here it's only Hera who is described this way. Kanan, the male lead, was described as a idiot, who was actually not as much of an idiot as he always lets everyone think he is. Yes, he was also described as charming (or something like that), but NEVER was every action, badass or not, commented with how beautiful and sexy Kanan is.
Never him, only Hera.
It was the worst with Kanas pov, which is why I like him even less in this book. But it was also present in other character's pov, which makes me think it's not only a serious Kanan problem, but also a serious John Jackson Miller problem.
The book' villain, Count Vidian, was an interesting concept, but there was much unused potential. Especially at the end, he seemed less three-dimensional and more like a cartoon villain, which was more than a little disappointing.
The story itself was solid. It was the typical small rebellion story, which had the potential to be great, but stands and falls with the characters. And in this case, the characters were terrible, so the story was quite forgettable in return.
I know that A New Dawn and John Jackson Miller are both well loved in the Star Wars community, but after reading this book I can't understand why. A New Dawn reads like it was released at least 20 years ago, not eight.
I'm excited to dive into the new Star Wars canon. The plot itself wasn't that captivating but the characters kept me involved.