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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
No, no, no. I cannot recommend unless your idea of good character development is making young Holdo Luna Lovegood in space (I wish I were exaggerating, but it wasn't even subtle) and too many refs to the alleged prequels, including what's turning out to be a bad pattern in Leia stories (a recent comic did this too) of finding a lame excuse to send Leia to some planet called Naboo. It was also too simplistically YA formula in Leia's three challenges.
(All this said, I still want more Leia fiction! But good stuff.)
(All this said, I still want more Leia fiction! But good stuff.)
I'm loving this part of the Star War's timeline. This story is an exciting coming of age saga set before the events of the original movies.
Every time Princess Leia is involved, some snarky adventure is about to happen. I think that's what I love her character so much. She has the air of a princess with the mind of a general and the heart of a humanitarian. Even at this young age, she is a wonderful person.
Favorite Quote:
"Sometimes it does a girl good to fall for a bit of a scoundrel, now and then. Joy drives out fear. We must try to stand and succeed, but we must never fail to stand. I think two side buns tonight."
This book deserve a solid 4 out of 5 stars. It was a wonderful journey with one of my favorite princesses. I can't wait to read the rest of her timeline.
Sara | Book Confessions of an ExBallerina | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
Every time Princess Leia is involved, some snarky adventure is about to happen. I think that's what I love her character so much. She has the air of a princess with the mind of a general and the heart of a humanitarian. Even at this young age, she is a wonderful person.
Favorite Quote:
"Sometimes it does a girl good to fall for a bit of a scoundrel, now and then. Joy drives out fear. We must try to stand and succeed, but we must never fail to stand. I think two side buns tonight."
This book deserve a solid 4 out of 5 stars. It was a wonderful journey with one of my favorite princesses. I can't wait to read the rest of her timeline.
Sara | Book Confessions of an ExBallerina | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
adventurous
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
Claudia Gray once again hits the target with another great read in the new rebooted Star Wars canon.
Part of the 'Journey To The Last Jedi' series, 'Leia, Princess of Alderaan', is a YA coming of age story, with a sixteen year old Leia Organa, set three years before we first see her on the Tantive IV in A New Hope, as she takes part in The Day Of Demand, a royal Alderaan ceremony and declares her right to the crown in front of her parents, Bail and Breha Organa, the current ruling monarchs of Alderaan. She's then given three challenges, of the body, mind and heart to symbolically prove her worthiness.
Over the course of the challenges, it was good to see Leia grow as a person, learning from her naivety in certain situations early on, and also develop relationships with those around her; her parents, Kier Domadi, Amilyn Holdo, Mon Mothma and more, fleshing out her as a character as she goes through the teenage emotions (well, it is a YA novel), and seeing that she's more than just the feisty princess we see in the movies. I also enjoyed the way she figured things out during her time in the Apprentice Legislature, and was slowly getting more involved with her parents in the fight against Palpatine's tyrannical Empire.
As it's part of the 'Journey to The Last Jedi', there are a few breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout to maybe take note of before going to see 'The Last Jedi' (no spoilers), and as such, I would maybe recommend reading this first.
With 'Lost Stars', 'Bloodline' and now 'Leia, Princess of Alderaan', Claudia Gray's Star Wars stories have been consistently good, filled with engaging characters and compelling stories and are always worth picking up. Another solid entry in the new canon!
Part of the 'Journey To The Last Jedi' series, 'Leia, Princess of Alderaan', is a YA coming of age story, with a sixteen year old Leia Organa, set three years before we first see her on the Tantive IV in A New Hope, as she takes part in The Day Of Demand, a royal Alderaan ceremony and declares her right to the crown in front of her parents, Bail and Breha Organa, the current ruling monarchs of Alderaan. She's then given three challenges, of the body, mind and heart to symbolically prove her worthiness.
Over the course of the challenges, it was good to see Leia grow as a person, learning from her naivety in certain situations early on, and also develop relationships with those around her; her parents, Kier Domadi, Amilyn Holdo, Mon Mothma and more, fleshing out her as a character as she goes through the teenage emotions (well, it is a YA novel), and seeing that she's more than just the feisty princess we see in the movies. I also enjoyed the way she figured things out during her time in the Apprentice Legislature, and was slowly getting more involved with her parents in the fight against Palpatine's tyrannical Empire.
As it's part of the 'Journey to The Last Jedi', there are a few breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout to maybe take note of before going to see 'The Last Jedi' (no spoilers), and as such, I would maybe recommend reading this first.
With 'Lost Stars', 'Bloodline' and now 'Leia, Princess of Alderaan', Claudia Gray's Star Wars stories have been consistently good, filled with engaging characters and compelling stories and are always worth picking up. Another solid entry in the new canon!
Audiobook. Solid story, enjoyable to get more background into how Leia becomes the formidable woman we know her to be in the movies. Definitely targeted to teen readers, it was still enjoyable to read as a 31-year-old. At times, it did feel as if it was merely serving the purpose of filler/background material for Episode 8 rather than a fully developed novel in its own right, it wasn’t boring.
I think Gray did a good job of not only capturing what Leia would sound like as the character Carrie Fisher created, but also as an immature 16 year old. Leia is worried about her parents throughout the entirety of the book, and is concerned that they aren't paying attention to her as much as they used to. I don't read a lot of YA for this reason, because the characters start to feel a little annoying. Not that adult characters can't be as well, but it's hard to remember that the person going through these events isn't a fully formed being. I loved the references and characters mentioned of the Star Wars universe, it ties a lot together and I feel like I have a deeper understanding of Leia and the formation of the war between the Rebellion and the Empire. That being said, the book is just a tiny bit boring. When we learn Leia has to face these coming of age trials at the beginning of the book, I thought I was in for an action packed adventure full of angst and hardship. But in reality it's Leia going from place to place trying to learn about the secrets her parents are keeping from her. We get a little action here and there, but mostly it's a lot of Leia's inner dialogue and government internship. I did however enjoy this book and was glad to gain a better understanding of the world pre-war. Also, the book takes place on Alderaan mostly and all I could think while reading this book was, "None of this matters they're all going to be blown up in a few years." Would recommend for fans of Leia.
Great read. Well written.
Stories like these only enrich the characters that we have grown to love over the years in the star wars universe.
Stories like these only enrich the characters that we have grown to love over the years in the star wars universe.
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:
No
I loved this book. I loved being immersed in the Star Wars world again. Leia was portrayed so beautifully. It was a great ride.
7.5 out of 10
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TikTok Review - https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMdPxngER/