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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
Much better than Lost Stars. Good characterization and story but needed just a bit more work put into it. The writing was a bit sloppy and repetitive especially towards the end. I also don't particularly like Gray's writing quirks but she's good enough at character work for me to get past it.
After reading Bloodline, I had to check out one of Claudia Gray's other SW books and I wasn't disappointed! I have already been inside young Leia's mind in A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy by Alexandra Bracken, but this was way more in depth (obviously). I really enjoyed it and getting to know Leia better.
This book was a lot of fun and hard for me to put down! From Leia's relationship with her parents, to the friends she made in the Apprentice Legislature and her pathfinding class, to the adventures she had and the growing pains she experienced, this story covered Leia's journey to becoming Crown Princess of Alderaan and her attempts to become actively involved in the burgeoning Rebellion. Grand Moff Tarkin is a truly chilling figure in this book, setting traps for Leia at every turn as she manages to stumble into a lot of secret political situations her parents--and the Empire--would rather she didn't know about.
I really liked the way the book dealt with adoption--Leia has always known she is adopted, and it hasn't left some gaping hole in her psyche that can only be filled by meeting her "real" family (as it is treated too often in pop culture.) It's just part of who she is and is not a Big Deal--as an adoptee, I appreciated this so much. I also loved that the Chalhuddan species Leia interacted with have 5 distinct genders, and the author took time to explain why Leia should use the word "they" to address the Chalhuddan leader.
The stand out part of the this book is Leia's relationship with her parents. It's very clear that they set boundaries for her because they love her, and they also take the time to listen to her reasons for ignoring some of those boundaries from time to time, just like any normal sixteen year old. They always find their way back to being a family, and it is a lovely thing.
I really liked the way the book dealt with adoption--Leia has always known she is adopted, and it hasn't left some gaping hole in her psyche that can only be filled by meeting her "real" family (as it is treated too often in pop culture.) It's just part of who she is and is not a Big Deal--as an adoptee, I appreciated this so much. I also loved that the Chalhuddan species Leia interacted with have 5 distinct genders, and the author took time to explain why Leia should use the word "they" to address the Chalhuddan leader.
The stand out part of the this book is Leia's relationship with her parents. It's very clear that they set boundaries for her because they love her, and they also take the time to listen to her reasons for ignoring some of those boundaries from time to time, just like any normal sixteen year old. They always find their way back to being a family, and it is a lovely thing.
Let's all finally admit that Luke is powerful, Han is cool, but Leia is the best. She's the most badass, the most interesting, the most daring, the most mature, the most complex, and the most composed of the three. There are tons of stories about young Han Solo. There are a decent amount about young Luke, but to my memory, we never got the same treatment for Leia. Which is a crying shame, honestly. If "Andor" has shown us anything, the political intrigues of the burgeoning rebellion are gripping, tense, and so fulfilling. Add a dash of Carrie Fisher (or in this case, her surrogate Claudia Gray), and you've got a seriously fun read.
What's so impressive here is that Leia is a teenage girl. She's going through all the usual trappings of young adulthood. She's falling in love, she's feeling social pressure, she's butting heads with her parents, and yet, she's never petulant, never helpless, she's never struck dumb by love. There's this incredible balance between her growth and her strength. Teenage stories--especially those that feature female protagonists, unfortunately--tend to favor B-plots like crushes and cattiness and gossip. Not here. Those elements still exist because they're part of youth, but they're not Leia. She's so much more than that. Even when she's falling in love with Han, she's choking out giant slugs and facing down fascists. Part of her portrayal was always Carrie Fisher, but Claudia Gray gets it. She's done Leia justice.
It's safe to say that Gray is the Michael A. Stackpole of our times (which is to say, the best part of Star Wars). Between her and Dave Filoni, it's such a great time to be a fan of the Galaxy Far Far Away.
What's so impressive here is that Leia is a teenage girl. She's going through all the usual trappings of young adulthood. She's falling in love, she's feeling social pressure, she's butting heads with her parents, and yet, she's never petulant, never helpless, she's never struck dumb by love. There's this incredible balance between her growth and her strength. Teenage stories--especially those that feature female protagonists, unfortunately--tend to favor B-plots like crushes and cattiness and gossip. Not here. Those elements still exist because they're part of youth, but they're not Leia. She's so much more than that. Even when she's falling in love with Han, she's choking out giant slugs and facing down fascists. Part of her portrayal was always Carrie Fisher, but Claudia Gray gets it. She's done Leia justice.
It's safe to say that Gray is the Michael A. Stackpole of our times (which is to say, the best part of Star Wars). Between her and Dave Filoni, it's such a great time to be a fan of the Galaxy Far Far Away.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
No
Gave it 3 because i game bloodline 4 and i LOVED that, so seemed only fair. Anyway: a lovely, bittersweet look at Leia as a 16 year old, with some really poignant (and very sad) scenes. Please give me ALL the Leia content thank you
Heart renching ending. Easy to read and an interesting story. Loved learning more about Alderaan and the introduction of Amilyn. Excited to see her movie portrayal in The Last Jedi. Overall an enjoyable book but not quite as good as Lost Stars. Then again that's hard to beat.
I enjoyed this book and learning more about Alderaan's history and traditions before they were cut short. Knowing what is to come made reading this bittersweet as well as sad with Carrie Fisher's recent death. I love these glimpses of Leia's life at different stages that the books have been able to give us outside of the films.
Leia will and always has been my favorite character from Star Wars. Unlike every other teenage boy who saw the original trilogy it was never that dumb bikini it was always her strength. She could shoot people, she didn’t take crap from no one, and she new what needed to be done. It also helped that an awesome lady like Carrie Fisher brought her to life.
This finally gives a glimpse of what Alderaan could have been like. What drove her as a child, what got her as that young women on the CR90 running from a star destroyer, only to verbally slap the dark lord of the sith?
I also appreciated a few tidbits thrown in to wrap up some lose end from the Clone Wars on a few characters.
Really enjoyed this book, hope others do as well.
This finally gives a glimpse of what Alderaan could have been like. What drove her as a child, what got her as that young women on the CR90 running from a star destroyer, only to verbally slap the dark lord of the sith?
I also appreciated a few tidbits thrown in to wrap up some lose end from the Clone Wars on a few characters.
Really enjoyed this book, hope others do as well.