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Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker Book Review

Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker Book Review

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Star Wars: The Legends of Luke Skywalker Book Review

Journey to The Last Jedi

The Legends of Luke Skywalker is a YA book, written by Ken Liu. This book has the banner, Journey to Star Wars: Journey to The Last Jedi.

Summary: A group of you deckhands aboard the cargo freighter, Wayward Current, exchange stories they’ve heard about the mystical, mysterious, and legendary Luke Skywalker. The captain of the Wayward Current is a Hutt, only hiring young naive beings; they won’t be greedy and they won’t get feisty (maybe).

Characters: Although there a few characters in this book, I’ll focus on the main character, Luke Skywalker.

Luke Skywalker: He’s the hero, obviously, but the continuous trait in each tale, is how much he hates violence. It can be a little annoying at times. For example, maybe a minor spoiler, but it’s nothing important, this information won’t ruin your day. Luke and another person are swallowed by a space slug, and he’s worried about giving the beast indigestion.

Overall Thoughts: This book was not good. It was so lame! I just couldn’t get excited reading this book. Some of the material would be cool had it been true. One of the tales mentions Luke on Jakku, bringing down Star Destroyers… but he’s also mentioned as giant mystical being in the stars.

I think the best part of the book is the design of the book itself. The art throughout is very nice. The pages were artistic, down to the unique font that was used. I liked the texture of the book as well.

Do I recommend you pick up The Legends of Luke Skywalker? No. It’s unnecessary and silly.

Rating: I will rate this book a 1.5 out of 5.

 

Star Wars: Leia Princess of Alderaan Book Review

Star Wars: Leia Princess of Alderaan Book Review

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Star Wars: Leia – Princess of Alderaan Book Review 

The Journey to The Last Jedi

SPOILER FREE

Star Wars: Leia – Princess of Alderaan was written by New Your Times Bestselling Author, Claudia Gray. This young adult novel is part of the Journey to The Last Jedi marketing. Claudia Gray also wrote Lost Stars another YA novel and Bloodline.

SUMMARY: Princess Leia begins her trials to be recognized as the official heir to the throne of Alderaan. The 16 year old Princess must test herself, so that one day, she will be named the Queen of Alderaan. In this book of self-discovery and the unintentional discovery of political unrest as she uncovers her parents secrets. Leia needs has to be extra careful and play it cool around her peers. The secret of the rebellion is a heavy burden.

Leia and other youth around the galaxy attend the Apprentice Legislature, a program designed to shape future government officials. The program allows the youth to mingle, to get to know each other and learn more about the Empire and Galactic Senate.

We learn a lot about Leia’s rise to power. She’s got the best intentions, but it seems no matter what she does, she’s always at the wrong place at the wrong time. Leia’s efforts definitely didn’t go unnoticed by the Empire… or the rebel alliance.

CHARACTERS: As always, there will be a mention of a few characters. I will mention two that we already know, but explore further in this book. One surprise character from The Last Jedi

Leia: She is brave, honorable, and daring. She feels distant from her parents lately. The feeling comes as she prepares for the royalty trials of Alderaan, to be recognized as the proper heir to the throne. Leia is a smart young lady. She loves her parents and is saddened by the distance between them. She’s able to reveal these feelings after finding trouble on a humanitarian effort, meddling in business.

Princess of Alderaan

Bail: The adoptive father of Leia and viceroy of Alderaan. We know him from the prequel trilogy. He’s an original member/founder of the rebel alliance. He is stern and confident. For a long time, he has been building up a rebellion against the tyranny of the Empire. Bail wants the best for his daughter, wanting her to remain ignorant of the plans to overthrow the Empire, to remain innocent. However, when Leia starts putting pieces together, he does have a bit of a temper.

Amilyn Holdo: She’s from the planet, Gatalenta. She serves in the Apprentice Legislature alongside Leia. She is super weird, most of time she annoys everyone with her strange behavior. Her view on life is abstract, she approaches situations differently. She gets quite a few eye rolls from Leia. She’s highly fashionable in the strangest sense, donning bright colors and extreme hair colors.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: I’m convinced Claudia Gray is the supreme writer of the new canon. She’s 3 for 3 when it comes to superior storytelling in Star Wars. Her books are deep, the characters well fleshed out, and her books are laced together in subtle ways.

While this story wasn’t action packed, it was political and entertaining. There are a few nuggets referencing the film The Last Jedi such as Amilyn Holdo and the planet, Crait. I’ve complained in the past about writers handling Leia wrong, Gray understands the character and does a fantastic job.

As I like to remain as spoiler free as possible, I will say that I was pleased with the new planet, Crait. It’s used a rebel base, from The Last Jedi footage we’ve seen as the time of this review, looks like either snow or sand… it’s actually salt.

I couldn’t help but smile at the tie in to Lost Stars and the link to Bloodline. I mentioned there wasn’t much action, which is perfect. Why does every Star Wars book have to have loads of action? This story focuses on Leia at the age of 16 and her introduction to galactic politics. As for the climax… there really wasn’t one, but the story wraps up nice with some tragedy.

Do I recommend you read Star Wars: Leia – Princess of Alderaan? Absolutely yes!

RATING: I will give this book a 5 out of 5.

If you enjoyed this review, you should check out my book review on PHASMA!

 

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Star Wars: Rebel Rising Book Review

Star Wars: Rebel Rising Book Review

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SPOILER FREE

Rebel Rising was written by Beth Revis. It was published by Disney Lucasfilm Press. It is the third YA novel in canon.

SUMMARY: The life of Jyn Erso, it’s her prequel story to Rogue One. When the Empire splits up the Erso family, Saw Gerrera comes to her rescue. He raises her as his own, to be a warrior and a weapon against the Empire. She’s an expert when it comes to forging imperial codes. Sadly the day came when Saw abandons Jyn and she’s forced to figure out how to survive on her own at the age of 16. We meet new characters that she comes to call family. We follow her transition of working against the Empire… and with the Empire. The cat and mouse game is ever present in this entertaining biography of Jyn. The story leads up to her introduction in Rogue One.

CHARACTERS: There are several characters in the book, a few from Rogue One, most that aren’t. I’m going to talk about Jyn Erso and Hadder Ponta. I was going to mention Saw, but I’ve talked about him on previews reviews and his character has remained consistent.

Jyn: She isn’t really the person I thought she was when we meet her in Rogue One. She’s had a rough life since childhood after her parents were torn from her by the Empire. She keeps her guard up and her identity secret. She’s an exceptional fighter yet she’s pretty hesitant. Jyn’s broken, yet she’s most certainly a survivor.

Hadder Ponta: He’s the son of a cargo pilot. He’s not allowed to fly, because his mother fears he may become sick with Bloodburn. He’s a lonely teen, until Jyn shows up. He’s a good kid with good intentions. He’s a little pushy through when it comes to the flirting. He desperately wants off his home world, but with restrictions, all he can do is dream and hope for a way to get off the blasted world of Skuhl.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: This book wasn’t that bad, I enjoyed it. I believe this is the first character in Star Wars in which we have their entire life story. Jyn Erso was in Catalyst, Rebel Rising, Rogue One. Her full arch completed. I think now, after this YA novel, we won’t be getting anymore Jyn for a while. I don’t know what else they can cover with her.

I’m a little disappointed in her character though. We meet her for the first time in Rogue One, she’s an excellent fighter and doesn’t hesitate. In this book, even though she’s raised as a warrior… she can’t bring herself to do certain things involving violence. Is this to make her seem more compassionate just for some political correctness agenda? Why can’t she just be compassionate for the ones she loves? Why can’t she be cold and strong against her enemy? She doesn’t have to have compassion for everyone, I didn’t get that from Jyn in the film, or the novelization of Rogue One.

It was cool getting to see how her life did play out in her younger years. Can’t say that I’m interested in reading a novel based on the entire life of another character from the films.

RATING: I give this book a 3 out of 5.

 

Star Wars: Ahsoka Book Review

Star Wars: Ahsoka Book Review

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SPOILER FREE

Ahsoka is the 11th novel released in Star Wars canon, the second Young Adult Novel. It was written by first time Star Wars writer, E.K. Johnston.

Summary: This story is focused on the life of the Ahsoka and it takes place after the Clone Wars. Order 66 has been issued and the Empire has been formed! Ahsoka is doing her best to avoid imperial entanglements by moving from one planet to the next once the Empire’s presence grows. She finds herself making friends on the moon, Raada, and actually helps them resist the Empire’s grip on their home world.

Characters: If you’ve ever watched my YouTube videos, you should know by now that I’m not a big fan of the Clone Wars era, especially when it comes to characters! I thought the creation of Ahsoka actually damaged the relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin. After reading this novel dedicated to this character, my feelings remain. I still don’t like Ahsoka. We meet a few new characters in the book, but none of them save Kaeden,were interesting. The others, you read them then forget them.

Overall Review: I read this book with an open mind, wanting my dislike for Ahsoka to turn around. The book started out great, but half way though it, I felt it turned into an episode of the Clone Wars. There are flashbacks scattered throughout the book, I don’t think we really needed those. The writing was decent, mostly dialog and brief descriptions. There was nothing to really there to make me feel like I was in the “real” Star Wars galaxy. It’s silly when a character can understand what an astromech droid is saying without a translator. The book was highly predictable and sadly anticlimactic. I do believe Clone Wars era fans or fans of the Clone Wars TV series will like love book. I need to make it clear, this book wasn’t awful. I just feel I wasn’t the target audience.

Rating: I give this book a 2.5 out of 5

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Star Wars: Lost Stars Book Review

Star Wars: Lost Stars Book Review

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SPOILER FREE

Lost Stars is the first Young Adult novel released in the new Star Wars canon. It was written by New York Times Best-Selling Author, Claudia Gray.

After reading Lost Stars… I’m really looking forward to Claudia Gray’s next book!

Summary: Lost Stars starts off with our two main characters, Therin and Ciena as eight year old children. They watch as the Empire makes its first appearance on Jelucan to declare the planet as part of the Galactic Empire. Tarkin’s inspiring speech gives hope to the poor and security for the wealthy. The children are in awe and hope that one day they may serve the great Empire, as pilots.

Over the years our main characters become best friends, they study and practice flying together, preparing for the day they’ll have a shot at applying for the Imperial Academy. The day comes when Therin and Ciena are welcomed into the Empire, and through those years, their friendship goes through trials but the love they have for each other, flourishes.

The events unfolding in A New Hope have now crossed into Lost Stars. We celebrated with the rebellion when the Death Star blew up, now we get to see the affects the destruction has caused through different eyes.  One character eventually sees the “true” colors of the Empire, and must get as far away from it as possible. While the other character, must stay true to their honor. They can no longer be with each other, but it doesn’t mean they can’t love each other.

Characters: Claudia Gray does an excellent job introducing us to two new characters and a planet we’ve never heard of. Both Therin and Ciena are from this new planet, Jelucan. Jelucan is a beautiful world with grey skies, valleys, and a mountainous terrain – reminiscent of Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Our lead male character, Therin, comes from a wealthy family that lives in the mountains. Our female lead, Ciena, is from a poor family that lives in the Valley. We have plenty of side characters, written just as well as our leads, everyone in this book feels like a real individual.

Overall Review:  Lost Stars is now my favorite Star Wars book. Although the original trilogy ties into the tale, it works perfect. The dialogue is great; it doesn’t fall flat at any time. The love story works, it feels organic and it’s not a total cheesefest. Plenty of other Star Wars books in the new canon and in Legends have love stories, Lost Stars gets it right. The book begins before the events of A New Hope and by the end of it; we’re on our journey to The Force Awakens.

Rating: I give this book a 5 out of 5