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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
This prequel novel depicts sixteen-year-old Princess Leia coming of age alongside the fledgling rebellion against the corrupt empire that rules her world. Like author Claudia Gray's earlier novel Lost Stars, it's a great character-driven drama that asks some smart questions about reform and revolution while also delivering the daring space thrills that you would expect from this series.
As part of Disney's new canon of Star Wars novels, there are some fun tie-ins to the recent movies, like Leia's friendship with a young Amilyn Holdo or a quick visit to the salt planet Crait. I also really appreciate the tense scenes that Gray has written between Princess Leia and Grand Moff Tarkin, which add nice depth to their meeting in the first Star Wars movie three years after these events. It's not quite an essential read, but Star Wars fans will find a lot to love here.
As part of Disney's new canon of Star Wars novels, there are some fun tie-ins to the recent movies, like Leia's friendship with a young Amilyn Holdo or a quick visit to the salt planet Crait. I also really appreciate the tense scenes that Gray has written between Princess Leia and Grand Moff Tarkin, which add nice depth to their meeting in the first Star Wars movie three years after these events. It's not quite an essential read, but Star Wars fans will find a lot to love here.
Fitting that I end 2017 with a book about a woman participating in a rebellion.
adventurous
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really liked it. I loved seeing Leia before “A New Hope” because I felt like it gave us a better sense of where she came from and how far she went in the movies. Also, I loved the spark of Force powers in one of the scenes. That really made me happy.
Four and a half stars. Claudia Gray again hits it out of the park, crafting an enthralling story about Leia’s personal journeys to both becoming an heir to the throne of Alderaan and becoming a member of the growing rebellion. The only issues I had were trying to place it within the larger timeline (specifically when it takes place compared to the Star Wars Rebels animated series) and the characterization of Holdo. Often writers will take one or two tangential aspects of a character, in this case her unique hairstyle and her sacrifice in TLJ, and choose to make that define their entire life. In this case it didn’t work all that well in my opinion. Other than that it was as fantastic as I expected.
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-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
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War