A review by joshbrown
Bloodline by Claudia Gray

5.0

How could the people of the galaxy possibly let something like The First Order rise so soon after the Empire? Can one political system for an entire galaxy ever succeed? These are questions that are never asked in the films themselves, but are explored brilliantly here. This is the first novel of the new canon I've read and it far succeeded any expectations I had for it. The major accomplishments of author Claudia Gray are threefold. First, she writes the amazing character of Leia so perfectly that you can hear the way Carrie Fisher would have read the dialogue. Secondly, she creates new complex characters that fit seamlessly into the world while also bringing their own unique attributes to the story. And third and maybe most importantly, the author fills a gap between two eras that we are already familiar with and uses our foreknowledge to create suspense and a creeping sense of doom rather than a dull sense of inevitability. Mixing adventurous set pieces with intriguing political mystery, this novel feels like a critical point of the saga, and one that shouldn't be missed.