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A review by lilaezz
Brotherhood by Mike Chen
3.0
Another book I have very mixed feelings about. I've been thinking about this book on and off since I finished it and I think I'm finally ready to write down how I actually feel about it. I think I'm gonna make a pro/con list.
I'm gonna start with the pros:
1. Anakin and Obi-Wan's characterizations as separate characters. What I mean by that is that I do really think that Chen nailed their characterizations on an individual level. Especially Anakin.
2. Mill Alibeth was definitely my favorite new character from this book. She was absolutely adorable and I loved the bond that developed between her and Anakin. I think it was a great foreshadowing for Ahsoka and the relationship that would develop between her and Anakin.
3. There were some absolutely wonderful moments between Anakin and Padmé <3
Onto the cons:
1. The biggest reason why I have such mixed feelings about this book is the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan and how that was handled. It wasn't handled well in my opinion. Going into this book I thought we would be delving deep into their relationship. That Chen would really explore their relationship in depth. That's not at all what I got. Though I guess it's hard to really delve deep into a relationship if the characters are not even interacting throughout most of the book. Obi-Wan thought about their relationship and how it had changed a lot but it felt so one-sided since Anakin was barely thinking about Obi-Wan or their relationship at all. It ended up feeling very shallow in my opinion. Also, where was their banter? It really didn't feel like Chen had nailed their playful banter when they finally interacted at the end of the book.
2. The overall plot on Cato Neimoidia. It's not that I didn't like it, I just didn't care about it at all. I also didn't care about the neomoidians we were introduced to.
3. The way Chen portrayed the Jedi and the Jedi order. I generally wasn't a fan at all. But that's mostly cause I am mostly pro Jedi and pro Jedi order.
4. The borderline Mace Windu slander? Yeah, I get that most of that was from Anakin's POV but still... Anakin and Mace do not hate each other. They, at the very least, respect each other. I don't know, I just didn't appreciate the way he made Mace seem like an absolute dick.
I'm gonna start with the pros:
1. Anakin and Obi-Wan's characterizations as separate characters. What I mean by that is that I do really think that Chen nailed their characterizations on an individual level. Especially Anakin.
2. Mill Alibeth was definitely my favorite new character from this book. She was absolutely adorable and I loved the bond that developed between her and Anakin. I think it was a great foreshadowing for Ahsoka and the relationship that would develop between her and Anakin.
3. There were some absolutely wonderful moments between Anakin and Padmé <3
Onto the cons:
1. The biggest reason why I have such mixed feelings about this book is the relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan and how that was handled. It wasn't handled well in my opinion. Going into this book I thought we would be delving deep into their relationship. That Chen would really explore their relationship in depth. That's not at all what I got. Though I guess it's hard to really delve deep into a relationship if the characters are not even interacting throughout most of the book. Obi-Wan thought about their relationship and how it had changed a lot but it felt so one-sided since Anakin was barely thinking about Obi-Wan or their relationship at all. It ended up feeling very shallow in my opinion. Also, where was their banter? It really didn't feel like Chen had nailed their playful banter when they finally interacted at the end of the book.
2. The overall plot on Cato Neimoidia. It's not that I didn't like it, I just didn't care about it at all. I also didn't care about the neomoidians we were introduced to.
3. The way Chen portrayed the Jedi and the Jedi order. I generally wasn't a fan at all. But that's mostly cause I am mostly pro Jedi and pro Jedi order.
4. The borderline Mace Windu slander? Yeah, I get that most of that was from Anakin's POV but still... Anakin and Mace do not hate each other. They, at the very least, respect each other. I don't know, I just didn't appreciate the way he made Mace seem like an absolute dick.