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jimfox14 's review for:
Dark Disciple
by Christie Golden
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had heard great things about Dark Disciple and for that reason, perhaps, I was pretty underwhelmed by what I actually found. It’s still a good book and worth checking out, but it didn’t seem as great to me as I had been led to believe.
Starting with the criticisms first, I thought Quinlan’s character remained pretty flat throughout the book. I never really got a sense of who he was. It seemed like the book assumed the reader would have previous familiarity with him, but he only appeared briefly in The Clone Wars and prior to that had mainly only appeared in old, Legends era comics.
And perhaps coinciding with this flatness, I was unconvinced by the romance between him and Ventress. It didn’t seem to have much depth beyond general attraction and proximity, which I suppose is enough to get things going, but it left me a bit perplexed when they began expressing deeper feelings for one another.
As a final criticism, I was unconvinced by the premise. I get that much of The Clone Wars series, and even the prequels themselves, was dedicated to highlighting the failures of the Jedi Order, but I frankly find myself doubtful they would stoop to that level. It wasn’t quite to the point I couldn’t suspend my disbelief, but it seemed a shaky foundation to me.
Now, what I liked most about Dark Disciple: Asajj Ventress. It really captured the complexity of her character that was just beginning to take shape in The Clone Wars and she remained a powerfully compelling character throughout the book. And while I liked the conclusion of her character arc in this book, I’m actually kind of glad it seems to have been retconned so that we can continue to see more of her character growth in animated form.
Aside from that, I thought the author did a great job capturing the unique ability of The Clone Wars series to tackle really dark subject matter without getting so wrapped up in it that it’s not a pleasure to see play out, often with a fair amount of light heartedness and humor. It definitely read like watching a story arc from The Clone Wars itself, which was quite fun.
So while I went in expecting greatness, what I found was good, if not so great as I had been led to believe. I definitely recommend checking it out for Asajj Ventress’s continued character growth, even if it seems the events may have been retconned.
Starting with the criticisms first, I thought Quinlan’s character remained pretty flat throughout the book. I never really got a sense of who he was. It seemed like the book assumed the reader would have previous familiarity with him, but he only appeared briefly in The Clone Wars and prior to that had mainly only appeared in old, Legends era comics.
And perhaps coinciding with this flatness, I was unconvinced by the romance between him and Ventress. It didn’t seem to have much depth beyond general attraction and proximity, which I suppose is enough to get things going, but it left me a bit perplexed when they began expressing deeper feelings for one another.
As a final criticism, I was unconvinced by the premise. I get that much of The Clone Wars series, and even the prequels themselves, was dedicated to highlighting the failures of the Jedi Order, but I frankly find myself doubtful they would stoop to that level. It wasn’t quite to the point I couldn’t suspend my disbelief, but it seemed a shaky foundation to me.
Now, what I liked most about Dark Disciple: Asajj Ventress. It really captured the complexity of her character that was just beginning to take shape in The Clone Wars and she remained a powerfully compelling character throughout the book. And while I liked the conclusion of her character arc in this book, I’m actually kind of glad it seems to have been retconned so that we can continue to see more of her character growth in animated form.
Aside from that, I thought the author did a great job capturing the unique ability of The Clone Wars series to tackle really dark subject matter without getting so wrapped up in it that it’s not a pleasure to see play out, often with a fair amount of light heartedness and humor. It definitely read like watching a story arc from The Clone Wars itself, which was quite fun.
So while I went in expecting greatness, what I found was good, if not so great as I had been led to believe. I definitely recommend checking it out for Asajj Ventress’s continued character growth, even if it seems the events may have been retconned.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Racism, Grief
Minor: Murder