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rakoerose 's review for:
Before the Awakening
by Greg Rucka
I’m finding it hard to nail a specific rating for this one, so I’ll go with my gut.
This was a really excellent collection of stories to give us some background for all these characters. Since this was a junior novel, it was also a light, quick read as well. Definitely recommended for little humans and big humans alike who adore the Star Wars world and want to keep exploring it. I just think I’ve been spoiled because I’ve read other books beyond this one already, unfortunately.
I really wish Greg Rucka had been allowed to write three separate books for each character, along this same vein. The length of these stories made each one feel more like a teaser, though Rucka definitely tried to fit as much in as he could! Finn’s section tackles the feeling of other-ness he has among his peers, Rey’s focuses on the intensity of living on Jakku, and Poe’s the passion it takes to really join the Resistance. They were all really fantastic concepts that I just found myself wanting more of each!
The banter in Poe’s section particularly made me laugh multiple times, and really showcased the differences in how he works as a Commander versus Finn with his team. They almost seem to be set up as foils for each other which I did not expect and thought was incredibly interesting. Nonetheless, I lived for Poe’s crew’s interactions with him.
”I love it when he talks like this,” Karé told Iolo. “You always know it’s going to be something good when he talks like this.”
Rey’s section really hammered home a lot of smaller details about what it’s like to grow up alone. She doesn’t understand a family’s bond when she sees it in front of her, why a man would send a younger girl back to a ship (to protect her, as she’s presumably his daughter). She has issues trusting, for good reason, but it also leaves her more developed in the end as she figures out where she sits in a social setting.
Overall, this was really fun, definitely enjoyed, and will be adding it to my Star Wars shelf amid all the others. ✨
(As a side note: Greg Rucka also writes the Lazarus comics which I found interesting because I thought I recognized his name from somewhere!)
This was a really excellent collection of stories to give us some background for all these characters. Since this was a junior novel, it was also a light, quick read as well. Definitely recommended for little humans and big humans alike who adore the Star Wars world and want to keep exploring it. I just think I’ve been spoiled because I’ve read other books beyond this one already, unfortunately.
I really wish Greg Rucka had been allowed to write three separate books for each character, along this same vein. The length of these stories made each one feel more like a teaser, though Rucka definitely tried to fit as much in as he could! Finn’s section tackles the feeling of other-ness he has among his peers, Rey’s focuses on the intensity of living on Jakku, and Poe’s the passion it takes to really join the Resistance. They were all really fantastic concepts that I just found myself wanting more of each!
The banter in Poe’s section particularly made me laugh multiple times, and really showcased the differences in how he works as a Commander versus Finn with his team. They almost seem to be set up as foils for each other which I did not expect and thought was incredibly interesting. Nonetheless, I lived for Poe’s crew’s interactions with him.
”I love it when he talks like this,” Karé told Iolo. “You always know it’s going to be something good when he talks like this.”
Rey’s section really hammered home a lot of smaller details about what it’s like to grow up alone. She doesn’t understand a family’s bond when she sees it in front of her, why a man would send a younger girl back to a ship (to protect her, as she’s presumably his daughter). She has issues trusting, for good reason, but it also leaves her more developed in the end as she figures out where she sits in a social setting.
Overall, this was really fun, definitely enjoyed, and will be adding it to my Star Wars shelf amid all the others. ✨
(As a side note: Greg Rucka also writes the Lazarus comics which I found interesting because I thought I recognized his name from somewhere!)