Star Wars: Victory’s Price was written by New York Times Best Selling Author, Alexander Freed. It was published by Del Rey.
Victory’s Price concludes the Alphabet Squadron trilogy.
SUMMARY: After the events that took place in the Cerberon System, the New Republic has the 204th Imperial Unit Shadow Wing mostly on the run playing defense. Between each run in, the 204th strikes its judgment on select Imperial holdouts in the galaxy. Operation Cinder phase II, has begun. The New Republic, specifically the group lead by General Syndulla, is to put an end to the 204th. The mission gets tricky, as it appears there is a mole within Syndulla’s New Republic ship, as well as one within the 204th!
Victory’s Price is a fast paced nail-biting conclusion to the Alphabet Squadron trilogy.
Many twists and turns entangle the opposing sides, all the way up to the epic, final battle of the Republic and the Empire – over the sands of Jakku.
CHARACTERS: The cast of characters is great, I’m only picking two to discuss.
Wyl Lark: He’s been commanding the squadron, and he’s still homesick. He doesn’t have the fight in him anymore. He want’s the war to end and just go home already. His relationship with his unit is on the rocks, but they still have a bond that holds them together, even by the weakest thread. Whyl is the one character that actually made me feel anger and bitter. Alexander Freed’s writing is just too good.
Kairos: She’s always been the odd one, the mysterious female with something going on internally. She’s unique, the mystery continues with Kairos. She’s a hunter, which makes her an excellent tracker.
The desperation for victory or death drives the plot!
Yrica Quell: All I’ll say in this review, is that she surprised me.
Chass Na Chadic: She’s a wild one, after her wild adventure in the Cerberon system, she’s left scarred and emotionally on edge. She’s a bad A, with an attitude, and shows no fear of anyone or anything. She’s my favorite character in this trilogy.
OVERALL THOUGHTS: I liked this book. It was mostly everything I was hoping it would be. The last time we saw these characters, they were all put in really tough and surprising situations. That element continues as many of the cast goes through extreme changes and adjustments. By the time the story concludes, I found some of the character arcs satisfying, while some were left open or just a tad too awkward.
Alexander Freed’s writing is outstanding. The novel feels more than just sci-fi/fantasy – it feels real. From the dialogue to the descriptions, every moment was fleshed out nicely. The way Freed creates characters and what he puts them through is just incredible. The war has changed people, there’s no easy walk in the park for anyone, the hero’s suffer. The desperation for victory or death drives the plot!
The book read quickly, not one moment did I feel I was wasting my precious time or drift off from boredom. I was glued to the pages all the way to end! The only negative I have to say, is there is one moment in the end that feels like a “check the box, gotta include that thing” in the story, it came across unnatural and as an afterthought. However, Overall – Victory’s Price is a fast paced nail-biting conclusion to the Alphabet Squadron trilogy. Freed’s brilliance and storytelling ability is just, next level.
RATING: I give this novel an A.