Star Wars : Queen’s Hope was written by bestselling author E.K. Johnston. This YA novel is published by Disney-Lucasfilm Press. Queen’s Hope is the final Padme book, in the YA series.
SUMMARY: Padme and Anakin are in love. They want to live a life of secrecy and risk by fulfilling their personal desires by committing themselves to each other in marriage. This is forbidden in the Jedi Order, but it’s a risk Anakin is willing to take. When they return to Coruscant the first true test of how they will maintain their relationship begins. Anakin is shipped out to fight in the Clone Wars and Padme goes on a secret mission behind Separatist lines.
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OVERALL THOUGHTS:The Padme trilogy, is one the most bizarre trilogies we’ve had. One book was a retelling of The Phantom Menace through a different perspective. One book jumps back in time as Padme adjusts to being Queen, and finally we close out the trilogy with the start of the Clone Wars.
Padme is tired of serving others before herself. She does like being a servant of the people, but she also wants to fulfill her own desires. When facing death on Geonosis, she realized the love of Anakin Skywalker, is just what she needs. Padme touts that she handles aggressive negotiations. In this story, she has no fear, but she risks exposing so much, with her decision to go on a secret mission.
There is something that felt off with this story, and that would be the timeframe. Little things don’t balance well with timeline of the relationship status between Anakin and Padme. This book suggests they had a lot more time together than what we witnessed in Attack of the Clones. They knew so much about each other and how each other would react to specific things.
I’ve always felt that Padme’s character is mistreated. I don’t believe an author has truly been able to tap into the character and give her an appropriate story that feels realistic or isn’t full of cringey fluff. I really don’t think anyone knows how to write the character of Padme. She’s a senator, not a secret agent… or is she? She is treated like an errand-girl, doing work that she shouldn’t be doing.
Star Wars: Out of the Shadows was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Justina Ireland.
Justina Ireland did a pretty good job with her previous High Republic book, Test of Courage. However, with this one, I checked out early. I read the whole thing, but my care for anything going on was absent. There are parts of the story that are ok, but there are many parts that were just so boring.
I love that this book tied in with the other High Republic books and comics so well. Familiar and new characters have a lot going on. The events on Valo have many people throughout the galaxy scared. The Nihil are really making a name for themselves. The Jedi are getting really frustrated with the Nihil, but also with struggle they face by dipping too far into the affairs of Republic politics and war (sounds familiar).
This book had a lot of cringey material. I don’t know why the YA books have more adult themed subjects than the adult books. For example, alcohol consumption, sexual advances, and even prostitution. When a YA book has to mention every sexual orientation and every racial skin tone, it doesn’t read good. It feels like a a diversity training manual disguised as a Star Wars book.
I’m not kidding, just about every character that was brought in was described by the color of their skin, it’s poor character development, I can understand doing this occasionally… but all the time? Please stop. Our main character, Syl, is horn-dog, she’s so pervy.
RATING: I hate doing it, but I have to give this book an F. I spend my time reading books and I want to like them, I really do. The most important thing I MUST do, is be honest and give my opinion on the book. Some of you folks, will love this story.
Star Wars: Into the Dark was written by New York Times Bestselling Author, Claudia Gray. This is the first YA novel within for the High Republic Era.
SUMMARY: Jedi apprentice Reath Silas is to report to his master on the Starlight Beacon, to work out in the outer rim frontier. He has no interest in such a thing, he’d rather stay on Coruscant and work in the archives. As he and a few other Jedi hitch a ride on hired ship, the vessel, they have to pull out of hyperspace as a galactic emergency unfolds.
An old space station is nearby, the vessel makes its way to the space station, along with a few other ships in the area. They will have to stay there until hyperspace is once again safe to travel. While in the station, a darkness is discovered. The Jedi take it upon themselves to remove the darkness, but with a strange twist, the actions taken lead to a new disorderly Jedi, an odd discovery, and frustration.
CHARACTERS: I’m picking two random characters to talk about.
Cohmac Vitas – He’s a Jedi Master, long ago he went on a mission that didn’t go as plan. The mishaps of that mission have a long lasting effect on him. He also has a hard time with the rules of the Jedi Order. The training the Jedi receive to have a lack of emotion and attachment, make him angry.
Affie Hollow – She works for the Byne guild, on board the ship called, the vessel. She lost her parents a long time ago, but was taken in by the leader of the guild. So, some day, Affie would take control of the guild. She finds something unusual on the space station which leads to the discover of shady business going on within the guild.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: This book, was actually pretty disappointing. Every single time I open a Star Wars book, I have high hopes and expect excellent storytelling. I really want to enjoy the book I’m spending all my time on. Claudia Gray normally tells fantastic stories in Star Wars, sadly, this is the exception.
Reading Into the Dark was a chore! The magic of Gray’s storytelling was absent. The characters were bland, the villains were awful (as in unintentionally comical), and the story was absolutely boring. There was a secondary story being told in the book about a past mission by a few of the main characters. It was pointless and a waste of ink. Many parts of the story seem to just skip around details. Descriptions were lacking, but for the most part, dialogue wasn’t too bad.
The High Republic main villains are the Nihil. This book does have the Nihil, which come across as an afterthought without any sort of intimidation or disturbing factor. The other villains in the book, the Drengir, look creepy if you’ve seen the art. They are dumb in this story. If you’ve seen the film/musical of Little Shop of Horrors… you’ve seen the villains. (Yes, the plant villains speak basic.)
Many aspects of the story had potential had they been altered slightly. The twist that unfolds was disappointing and frustrating.
RATING: I give Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark an F. I did not expect this to happen with a Claudia Gray book… I’m sad.
Do I recommend you pick up and read Star Wars: Into the Dark by Claudia Gray? To get the bigger picture on what’s taking place throughout the galaxy during the High Republic, yes. If it your just slightly interested in this era, no.
Star Wars: Free Fall is a YA Novel written by Alex Segura & published by Disney Lucasfilm Press. This novel explores the history of Poe Dameron, so it takes place several years before The Force Awakens.
After the credits role in this video I’ll reveal a character that makes a brief cameo in the book that made me smile!
Watch the video!
SUMMARY: After the death of his mother, Poe Dameron has a hard time connecting with his father, who prefers to have Poe stick close by and live off the land on the family farm. However, Poe just can’t do it, he has too much of his mother in him (Shara Bey, former pilot), he’s desperate to get off Yavin IV and have an adventure.
A team of smugglers make a pit stop on Yavin IV. As luck would have it, Poe and the gang run into each other at a local bar. Coincidentally, they need a pilot, and Poe desperatly needs a way off Yavin 4. He’s duped into joining the group, who introduced themselves as smugglers. However, smugglers they are not, they are actually the Spice Runners of Kijimi. Smugglers are scoundrles, Spice Runners are also scoundrles, but also… much more dangerous and theiving.
Poe gets involved with the gang, but he is extremely conflicted by his decision to do so and can’t help but think of who he was, is, and who he will become. It’s a tale of hope, choices, love, & family. We follow Poe Dameron on his youthful adventure as a Spice Runner of Kijimi and how it shapes him into the man he becomes.
CHARACTERS: There’s a cast of many new characters, but I’m going to mention two that are familiar.
Poe Dameron: He’s stubborn and has a hard time staying true to himself. He craves adventure more than anything, and sacrifices much to get what he wants… or is it what he really wants? Poe is the son of veteran Rebel fighters. His mother was A-Wing pilot, Shara Bey. His father, Kes Dameron, had belonged to a ground force unit known as the Pathfinders. Poe is conflicted, he does’nt want to be told what to do or how to live his life. He faces challenges head on and tends to learn the hard way.
Zorii Wynn: That’s right I said Zorii Wynn, she goes by a different name at this point in her youth. She’s a young gun in the Spice Runners of Kijimi. She has a thing for Poe, but a bigger thing for the lifestyle of the Spice Runners. She’s strong willed and knows exactly what she wants. She’s prepared for action and ready to strike, whatever the target may be. Zorii’s portrayl in this tale explains so much more about who she is in The Rise of Skywalker.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: The book starts off with a bang, a pretty intense action sequence! We quickly learn of Poe’s relationship with his father and his hearts desires. The book is action packed, pretty much from start to finish. It does slow down in parts to build on character moments between some of the cast. These moments are necessary and done well. The book is a YA novel, but sometimes it reads like a junior novel. However, there are elements in the book that are too mature for a junior novel.
It’s a tale of hope, choices, love, & family.
I am a little disappointed overall with the book, some things just didn’t make much sense. The way some characters spoke was a little odd, like what they said was supposed to be smart or comical. Same goes for some of the writing in general.
For example, “The trio turned to see a group officers shooting first and asking questions later.” It just doesn’t make sense, “they saw a them asking questions later?” In the present?
Writing elements were repetitive making the structure predictable. Dialogue, action, thoughts, dialogue, action thoughts, repeat. The writing was nondescriptive, so imagining the story in my head was rather difficult. I don’t need everything described and laid out for me, but a little more description would have been beneficial.
It’s succeeds as a fast paced action packed Star Wars tale!
Hyperspace skipping, this book proves that it’s pretty dumb concept. When the group is in trouble, they decide to hyperspace skip, jump from one dangerous location to the next, with hopes of slowing down their pursuers. Why not just go somewhere far away or just correct the issue while in hyperspace? Maybe the book is confirming that hyperspace is pretty much instantaneous and doesn’t take days to weeks to travel somewhere at great distances? I don’t like that one bit. So for this, I don’t know if it’s author to blame the story group. My bet goes to the story group, because we’ve seen this on film.
The Spice Runners of Kijimi are supposed to be so awesome and dangerous, they don’t really come off as such, becuase I can’t recall a single spice running scheme. Yes, there are crazy things the group gets involved in, but seeing what the spice runners actually do isn’t a thing we see.
Zorii’s portrayl in this tale explains so much more about who she is in The Rise of Skywalker.
So, do I recommend that you read Poe Dameron Free Fall? I’m going to say yes, especially if you like Poe Dameron and want more backstory on Zorii Bliss.
If you would like to order this book, I have placed a link to purchase Poe Dameron Free Fall below.
We follow Poe Dameron on his youthful adventure as a Spice Runner of Kijimi and how it shapes him into the man he becomes.
RATING: I will give this YA Novel a C+. It wasn’t bad, it just take issue with some writing choices. Plus, it’s hard to suprise us when we know the outcome of major characters.
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Star Wars: Queen’s Shadow is a YA Novel written by E.K. Johnston. It was published by Disney-Lucasfilm Press.
SUMMARY
The time has come for Padme to step down as Queen of Naboo. As she walks away from the throne, she discovers other opportunities in which she can still serve her home planet. Serving as a Republic Senator, Padme can be a representative for Naboo, and attempt to better the galaxy in the political ring.
CHARACTERS
A lot of us tend to paint Padme as a strong female character… but is she? Or is she just paranoid, relying on those around her to bail her out? The conclusion I’ve come to, is both. We know from The Phantom Menace that during the skirmish of Naboo with the Trade Federation, Queen Amadala has hand maidens, a body double, an altered voice for “Royalty’s sake and body double disguise.” This book pretty much shows us that she has always been paranoid, before the Trade Federation conflict.
When Amadala makes her transition from Queen to Senator, it’s a bit tough for her make the adjustment. Padme uses the name Amadala as a stage name… an alias. When Padme is with her handmaidens behind closed doors, they talk about Amadala like she’s another person. It’s weird. Even as Senator, Padme has handmaidens, a body double, a security team, and even has someone tapping into the newsfeeds on Coruscant.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
The book leads to a dead end. There is no climax. There is no real resolve. Some issues are tackled with the story… but overall, as a whole… the story leads to nothing. I don’t know if it’s supposed to tie into Clone Wars or if a second book is to be release… but the epilogue suggests that’s not going to happen. As I’m making my way through Clone Wars season one. I can’t recall any names that have been dropped in this book. I finished reading this book unsatisfied, underwhelmed, and a little confused.
RATING: I give this book an F. I expected a powerful YA novel about Padme. I wanted to close this book and feel that she was a truly powerful and in control character. Yet, I close the book feeling that she was just paranoid, relying on others to help her gain success. I can’t recommend you read this book… But as a Star Wars diehard, it’s best to go ahead and complete your library. And hey, you may like this book, everyone’s taste is different.
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Star Wars: Most Wanted was written by New York Times Best-selling Author, Rae Carson. This tale takes place before the events that take place in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
SUMMARY: Corellia, A planet known for its outstanding ship manufacturing, is now held in the tight grip of the Galactic Empire. The Empire uses the massive shipbuilding plants to manufacture their star-fleet.
On the the streets, even in the sewers below, life is rough. The white-worm gang, run by Lady Proxima, recruits orphans to run criminal errands in exchange for shelter and a meal.
An auction is to take place in the underbelly of Corellia. Lady Proxima sends two of her best and mature white-worm members, Han and Qi’ra, to do her bidding in the deal. However, the auction goes sideways, forcing a trio of characters to work together. Though not only just to survive, but by coming up with a solution to fix the unexpected turn of events.
CHARACTERS: as you can see on the cover, our main characters are Han and Qi’ra, so I’ll mention them and a new Character. Each of these characters are scrumrats, working for Lady Proxima in the white-worm gang.
Qi’ra: She’s one of the oldest in the white-worm gang. She puts her trust in no one but herself. Others, especially Han, view her as a stuck up, know it all. She wants out of the sewer life, going as far as having a secret safe-house out in a ship boneyard. Rae Carson did an excellent job writing Qi’ra, giving her a complete arch for this tale.
Han: He’s a survivor, loves driving, had a strong desire to pilot a ship. He’s daring and risky. He’s also one of the oldest in the white-worm gang. He’s kind, somewhat oblivious to things. His character is consistent with how he’s portrayed in the Solo: A Star Wars Story film.
Tsuulo: He’s a Rodian, somewhat of a whiz as he’s pretty good with technology. He has a strong belief in the force, trusting in it to guide him.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: Although it doesn’t dive too deep into the backstory of Han’s youth, we get a better understanding of the relationship between Han and Qi’ra. Rae Carson did an excellent job writing Qi’ra and Han. Qi’ra has a drastic and complete character arc before we meet her in the Solo film.
I only have two complaints with the book, one is the name of the rodian, Tsuulo… it’s a little to close in sounding like Solo. The other thing I don’t like, is the cover of the book! The art is just fine, but this little image of the Falcon that looks like a sticker… is not a sticker, I can’t remove it! It’s printed on the cover! It says, “Read this book! Then see Solo A Star Wars Story, now in theaters!”
We have a fun tale here, the event was on a much smaller scale. I think we need more stories like this, that don’t always tie into some major galactic scale event. (Looking at you Last Shot.). The book is a quick read and like the film, I had fun with it.
Do I recommend that you pick up and read Star Wars: Most Wanted? Yes! It was a face paced read that gives a rich backstory of Han and Qi’ra.
RATING: I will give this book an A-. A solid companion for the Solo film.
