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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
Claudia Gray should write all Leia stories. A fun, fast paced narrative I enjoyed during Hurricane Irma. Like Bloodline, Gray explores and adds further dimensions to our favorite Princess/General. Nice tie ins with Rebels for fans of the show. Highly recommended for all Star Wars fans.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
This was an interesting book. I had heard great things about it and while the story was well written, it left me wanting a little more. The characterization of Leia was… interesting.
I get i come into this after Obi-Wan Kenobi portrayed Leia as a child, so that’s different than when this was released. But i felt the Leia was very naive and self centered in a lot of her thinking. She made a lot of the same ill-advised mistakes throughout the book. And it was sort of annoying.
But maybe that was the point. That regardless of who Leia would end up being, she was still a normal teenage girl making teenage mistakes just like anyone else in the galaxy.
I think the lasting effects this book has on the EU is the introduction of Amilyn Holdo. The friendship these two characters develop is genuine but i couldn’t shake the image of Luna Lovegood every time Holdo’s whimsical personality was described. It made it harder to stay “in the scene” whenever she was there.
Overall the story is engaging. There are stakes, both large and small. While i enjoyed seeing this part of Leia’s life, i don’t know if it adds as much to the character is say the Ashoka novel does.
I get i come into this after Obi-Wan Kenobi portrayed Leia as a child, so that’s different than when this was released. But i felt the Leia was very naive and self centered in a lot of her thinking. She made a lot of the same ill-advised mistakes throughout the book. And it was sort of annoying.
But maybe that was the point. That regardless of who Leia would end up being, she was still a normal teenage girl making teenage mistakes just like anyone else in the galaxy.
I think the lasting effects this book has on the EU is the introduction of Amilyn Holdo. The friendship these two characters develop is genuine but i couldn’t shake the image of Luna Lovegood every time Holdo’s whimsical personality was described. It made it harder to stay “in the scene” whenever she was there.
Overall the story is engaging. There are stakes, both large and small. While i enjoyed seeing this part of Leia’s life, i don’t know if it adds as much to the character is say the Ashoka novel does.
That was pretty much devastating. My heart!
In terms of style and sentence structure, it was remarkably accessible/simple in a way that a lot of YA isn't to struggling readers, but without feeling like it talked down at any point. Similarly, the ways that Leia is a teen character with necessarily-limited vision and a great deal of righteous passion is incredibly relatable and realistic. And the ways that she makes mistakes despite her intentions and intelligence and resources... ohhh... but then she keeps learning, and growing, and fighting, and her parents and the others around her struggling with changing as well. It's really beautifully done, thoughtful and nuanced and also very much aimed at young readers.
If you've got a t(w)een reader who's wrestling with questions of action, injustice, and revolution, and they've got enough of a handle on the Star Wars universe to read a tie-in novel, I highly recommend this one. Sometimes readers identify with a book for reasons other than gender/sexuality/race/culture/circumstances - sometimes it's identifying with the struggle. I think this has the potential to be a powerful book for a lot of teen/MG readers right now.
In terms of style and sentence structure, it was remarkably accessible/simple in a way that a lot of YA isn't to struggling readers, but without feeling like it talked down at any point. Similarly, the ways that Leia is a teen character with necessarily-limited vision and a great deal of righteous passion is incredibly relatable and realistic. And the ways that she makes mistakes despite her intentions and intelligence and resources... ohhh... but then she keeps learning, and growing, and fighting, and her parents and the others around her struggling with changing as well. It's really beautifully done, thoughtful and nuanced and also very much aimed at young readers.
If you've got a t(w)een reader who's wrestling with questions of action, injustice, and revolution, and they've got enough of a handle on the Star Wars universe to read a tie-in novel, I highly recommend this one. Sometimes readers identify with a book for reasons other than gender/sexuality/race/culture/circumstances - sometimes it's identifying with the struggle. I think this has the potential to be a powerful book for a lot of teen/MG readers right now.
I took a while to finish this because I was reading comics and seeing movies and just generally floating around. It's not that this book wasn't engrossing. I finished the bulk of it in less than a work week with just my lunch hour, and then the rest during two lunch hours.
Anyway, it's a great book. I'm not going to spoil anything, but you get to know Amilyn Holdo, how Leia and her parents interacted, how she came to learn of and become involved in the Rebellion.
Breha and Bail Organa are richly developed, despite that everything is told from Leia's perspective. It's very clear that they love and cherish their adopted daughter a great deal, and
Anyway, it's a great book. I'm not going to spoil anything, but you get to know Amilyn Holdo, how Leia and her parents interacted, how she came to learn of and become involved in the Rebellion.
Spoiler
You also find out that there's one particular Nice Man that Leia was likely talking about when she was trying to convince herself in Empire Strikes Back.Breha and Bail Organa are richly developed, despite that everything is told from Leia's perspective. It's very clear that they love and cherish their adopted daughter a great deal, and
Spoiler
I appreciated that Breha had disabilities that she did not keep hidden.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
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
adventurous
inspiring
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
3.5 ✨
this was my first canon star wars novel and what a better way to start than with our princess. leia was as fierce, smart and compassionate as a teenager, and i loved learning more about alderaan and their customs. also : queen breha was amazing.
sadly i didn’t get really into the story, but i can’t wait to read more by claudia gray!
this was my first canon star wars novel and what a better way to start than with our princess. leia was as fierce, smart and compassionate as a teenager, and i loved learning more about alderaan and their customs. also : queen breha was amazing.
sadly i didn’t get really into the story, but i can’t wait to read more by claudia gray!
Cute and fun and then a really unexpectedly heart-wrenching final line.