April Reviews

It'll be a quick intro and outro for the reviews this month, because I unfortunately do not have the energy for much more. Had a little bit of rough week health-wise that knocked me on my ass, so enjoy the general degradation of these reviews as we get to closer to the end of the month.

Let's go!

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

This book. I saw it in a Twitter thread once, maybe, and sort of forgot about it until I stumbled upon it in a little bookstore in the mountains. My friend and I both purchased a copy. I devoured it in three days.

Anna is a data analysist henchman doing freelance work for a minor villain when an encounter with the most powerful hero in the world puts her in the hospital, permanently damaging part of her body. Unemployed, indebted as hell, and angry, Anna turns to the thing she does best; data. She runs the numbers on supposed heroes, tallying the damage done to both human lives and physical property, and her discoveries lead to a new framing, a new narrative to the story of heroes and villains. Picked up by the biggest villain of all, Anna's put to work trying to change the world, for the better or the worse.

Hench is angry and petty and compelling, full of grey morality and outright brutality and framing. It's a look at heroes and villains that is creative and new and the closest comparison I can make with genuine affection and seriousness, is Megamind. This is like Megamind for adults; there's swearing and scrambling for employment and a desire for healthcare and a desperate bid to change the world around you. It's full of witty phrases and moments that make you pause to wonder what side the world is truly on.

Anna is a brilliant narrator. She's mostly honest, if only with herself, and dedicated. She's headstrong and moves toward what she thinks, what she knows, is right, even if it means going against the most powerful man in the world. I respected the hell out of her, especially when she broke and had very human moments. Anna goes through a lot of trauma throughout the book but comes out of each swinging. She's smart, finding patterns and data and twisting it until it works for her, and that was a hell of a fun time to witness, even as a person who doesn't really like numbers. Anna is also bisexual, which is brilliant. The whole novel was very open, with several queer characters, characters of color, and even several disabled characters (including Anna herself). I loved getting to see all the characters in action, building complicated relationships and developing Anna's tragedy into something powerful.

The book spans the course of over a year, maybe two, but it always felt fast-paced. Even the beginning was speedy, setting things up in an entertaining and throat-punching way. And the world-building, with heroes and henches and Meat was absolutely brilliant. It felt realistic while also remaining in the realm of fantastic, with the superpowered folks running (or flying) around. It was so normalized, which really came down to Anna's narration and annoyance.

I had such a fun time reading this book, but be warned it doesn't pull punches. Anna is hurt several times, other people are hurt, are killed. It doesn't shy away from the devastation leveled on the world by folks with super powers, whether accidental or deliberate. And as Anna becomes a bit more hardened by it all, she still maintains some humanity, and the emotions in some places are very raw and very real. I felt a little squeamish at one point, but nothing unmanageable. Very compelling, and very, very good.

Similar to The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick ness and Megamind

Ahsoka by EK Johnston

In case you didn't know, I fell in love with Star Wars during the pandemic. More aptly, I fell in love with The Mandalorian during the pandemic, and then allowed the rest of Star Wars to swallow me up. Since then I've consumed most of the watchable Star Wars content and moved to books, of which I knew I had to find more Ahsoka stuff, since she's hands down a tie with Din Djarin for my favorite Star Wars character. So when I found this book, I knew I was in for a good time.

Ahsoka, abandoned by the galaxy and presumed dead, is just trying to survive. Hopping from planet to planet to avoid the empire, she keeps her head down and tries to forget. But when she lands on the little farming moon Raada, she starts to see that maybe hiding and forgetting isn't enough. When Raada is invaded by imperials, Ahsoka must decide who she is and what she will become in this new galaxy, and the people she'll save or hurt in the process.

This was a great look at the transition between the prequels and the original trilogy. I LOVE the Clone Wars animated series, and this carries a lot of that energy; it's full of heart and new parts of the galaxy while still showing the dangerous violence of the new empirical galaxy. Ahsoka was the heart of that series, and getting to see her in the almost immediate aftermath of world altering violence was both a triumph and a grief all it's own. She's young and still reeling from the loss of everything she knew, the betrayal (known and unknown) of her dearest friends.

Johnston portrays her in a familiar but growing way, showing who she was after leaving the Jedi behind but before she took up the mantle of Fulcrum in Rebels. There's an entire rich span of time ripe for the picking there, before Luke's story really begins, and I love that so much of it is being explored. Ahsoka is brilliant and growing and grieving and so much of that is depicted in this book. But she's also a strategist, and so much of her wit is given room to flourish in these pages. I also liked the new characters (and a handful of the familiar) included, especially the way Kaeden made the possibility of a bi Ahsoka just a bit more possible.

Overall this was a fun new way to look at Star Wars through the lens of someone already familiar. I'll probably be reading EK Johnston's books about Padme next, just to keep the streak alive.

Similar to (I gave up trying to find a similar book because it's Star Wars, it's like other Star Wars things and also not, because they're all unique)

Queen's Peril by EK Johnston

So now I'm on an EK Johnston Star Wars kick and I have no regrets, mostly because I love Padme with my whole heart and she does deserve more story and more perspective.

Fourteen year-old Padme has been elected the queen of Naboo, and in doing so sheds her identity to become Amidala. Her new security advisor, Panaka, in the interest of protecting Padme from potential threats, proposes something new; instead of one handmaiden, the queen will have multiple, all with skills to teach her, advise her, and even become her decoys should it be necessary. And while each girl is carefully selected by Panaka, Padme is the one who brings them together, creating not just a group of protectors, but of friends. And as a new threat emerges against Naboo and Padme, the handmaidens must face unexpected danger, and prove that they have what it takes to protect and keep the throne.

So, Phantom Menace is probably the Star Wars movie I've seen the least amount of times (not including the sequel series, because I don't talk about the sequel series). It's a weird movie, but it sets up a lot, and this book gives so much more depth of character to that movie and to Padme and her handmaidens. Their ability to become one another with ease is what allows Padme to play a bigger role in the movie, and so to catch a glimpse of the lead up to that, the careful planning and scheming and friendship that bloomed before everything else was even int he picture was such an enlightening process.

The handmaidens are each given a chance to shine with their respective skills, and even though they're an almost interchangeable group of girls to any outsiders, they are all dedicated and loyal girls. They're also all between the ages of twelve and fifteen, which allowed for some hilarity and moments of youth that really added to the story. They're training to become faces for the queen, but they're also annoying their security advisor and sneaking out and dealing with their periods. Truly, the inclusion of mensuration in the Star Wars canon is something I will never stop being grateful to Johnston for.

I also loved the seamless inclusion of events from the movie without overplaying or feeling tedious. It was mostly references to major parts, so I never felt like I could have watched the movie for the same effect. In fact, this makes me want to watch the movie with a new perspective in mind, so maybe I'll do that later this week. Overall, this was a very fun read with a lot of heart, and I'm very excited to read the rest of the series.

Queen's Shadow by EK Johnston

I'm reading the whole series, I just love Padme so much.

Padme has grown in her time as queen of Naboo, but as her term ends she must face the next challenge: what she will do after leaving the throne. Her beloved handmaidens have each found their purpose, and so when the new queen approaches Padme about becoming a senator for Naboo, she finds a new road towards public leadership. But the senate is vastly different from queendom, and Coruscant far from Naboo, where Padme will need new handmaidens, new allies, and many, many new plans. Sabe helps her both offworld and on, but Padme must do her best to show the galaxy what she is capable of, both in terms of changing the universe and keeping herself alive.

I will admit, I did like the previous book better. I'm not sure if it was the royal intrigue verses slightly more complicated galactic politics, but Queen's Peril just had a youth to it that I adored. That's not to say that I didn't love this book too! Padme is older now, trying to find her way now that she's finished ruling a planet. I really enjoyed the beginning parts where she wondered what to do next, which is something so quintessential to growing up while also sort of hilarious because she was elected queen at fourteen and still doesn't really know what she wants to be when she grows up. But she grows a lot, learning to adapt the pieces of herself and her projected leadership role of Amidala to better serve the senate and it's new wild rules and cliques.

Also, with this book my love for Sabe grows. She really does deserve more stories about her (they all do, really, but Sabe is special). She's the handmaiden Padme has had the longest, the one who's doubled for her most and is the closest to her. Watching their relationship change and mold to become what they both need was interesting and heartbreaking all at once, since I knew how the story ended. The ending of this book was actually really, really emotional, and I love the parallels that Johnston uses to begin and end the books in this series.

The writing remains beautiful and paced well, though this one felt a bit slower than the last. That did accurately reflect the change in Padme's vocation, and set her up for the success she would later find in the senate. Johnston does a really interesting (affectionate) job of showing this transition of Padme's life. I feel like her stories give the ones we are already familiar with a weight that the movies were, not exactly lacking, but this is Padme's story. She's given more space to think and feel and be, to become the Padme that the Star Wars universe knows and loves.

Overall, this was a good continuation of the series (even though I think it was released first). Very excited to read the next one while I'm full of Padme and Sabe feelings.

Queen's Hope by EK Johnston

This was such a bittersweet end to this trilogy, because it gives a lot of closure and insight while also leading up to the tragedy we all know is coming.

Padme Amidala, Republic senator, has just married a Jedi in secret. Learning to balance their new life together with the secrets they must keep from a galaxy newly at war, Padme finds herself withdrawing from her handmaidens. With Corde and Verse lost, Padme starts a new kind of relationship with the women around her, drawing a firm line between personal and work lives. Sabe, still on Tatooine working to free slaves, is brought back into the world of Senator Amidala when Padme is sent off on a stealth mission. Living as Amidala once more, Sabe feels for the first time, uncomfortable in her role, driving a rift between her and Padme, one that is only increased when Sabe learns of Padme's secret marriage. The two are then force to confront their identities--both individual and intertwined--and where it is they go from here.

One little personal bit before I get into the review; I genuinely cannot imagine picking Anakin over Sabe. I don't mean romantically (maybe I do), but also I just cannot imagine having to choose a romantic relationship over one of the strongest bonds forged. How Padme conducted it required a lot of secrecy, so I understand why she felt she had to hide it, but it was a powder keg in a room already on fire, and the sort of last thing Sabe needed to push her into emerging from the queen's shadow.

I think I maintain that Queen's Peril was my favorite of the books, but I did also really like Queen's Hope. It brings Padme back to the action, running secret missions undercover and going out into the wider galaxy to try to do good. Padme is an active activist at heart, and even when she's doing good in the senate arguing and putting together bills, getting to follow her into the field again was very fun. And even with the looming ending of Revenge of the Sith, it was still nice to see Padme's relationship with Anakin and her new handmaidens grow from her perspective (and from Sabe's, of course).

Sabe continues to be a brilliant character, and she grew so much in this book, really becoming all she could beyond how she could help Padme. And as heart breaking as it was to watch her walk away from all of it, she found a freedom that she wouldn't have been able to find otherwise. I would absolutely love more Sabe content, even if I have to write it myself. I also really enjoyed the little snippets about Shmi, Beru, and Breha. Johnston is just a very good writer, especially when it comes to the ladies of the prequel trilogy, and I just think they deserve the world and also more page time.

Overall, this had a good mix of action and politics, including a romance that wasn't overly dramatic or romantic, despite it's propensity to be portrayed as such in Star Wars media. Padme still felt like her own person, making her own decisions and mistakes, which was brilliant because she's a fantastic and flawed character who is endlessly optimistic. I would read another, but I am afraid I know how the story ends.

Playing the Palace by Paul Rudnick

This will probably be a pretty short review because my dumbass threw up not long ago, and that means it's time to lay down and be miserable. But I told myself I'd get this written before I went to bed, so here goes.

Carter Ogden is a bit of a disaster. Recently dumped, he decides he's sworn off love, only to run into literal prince Edgar. The two have undeniable chemistry, but between the chaos of both their families, a rather brutal media, and the fact that Edgar is actual royalty, they face a lot of bumps on their roadmap to love.

I didn't really like this book all that much. And I might be bitter because, again, I recently went through an unpleasant body experience, but I was kind of disappointed as I was reading it as well. It has a lot of really fun chaos and ridiculous characters, which are normally some of my very favorite things, but in this case it just felt very over the top. Carter is a voice with a lot of character, but I found him just a little too...I'm not really sure how to phrase this, but I guess kind of like a male Mary Sue? He had a lot going on, for sure, and not all of it was good, but the way he phrased certain things or behaved just made everything feel very fake, and a bit like he was playing up the inability to see his own worth.

Prince Edgar felt a bit like a caricature, fluctuating between perfect prince guy and overly upset puppet. He and Carter argued a lot over things that felt blown out of proportion and overly dramatized. It sort of felt like the whole thing was a subpar Netflix rom-com blown up to ten and on a speed run. They met, knew each other for like a month, already decided they were in love, had a big blow out fight and were separated for months, then decided to get married. I was sort of appalled at the speed at which they made all decisions, but maybe love is fast. I don't know.

Sorry, this feels like an overwhelmingly negative review, and normally I try so hard to find the positive in books and play off parts I didn't like as the book just not being for me. I think I spent a lot of time comparing this book to several other royalty books I've read and was just overall disappointed. I skimmed the last third of the book because I can't handle that level of drama in this manner. There were funny parts that made me laugh and certainly a lot of quirky characters and events, but I think there was too much of it ungrounded for me to really sink myself into.

That's all I've got in me, I'm just going to go lay down now.

Similar to Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall, I guess? I won't even say it's near the same caliber as Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuistan, and if nothing else you should actually go read that book (either for the first time or again, either is acceptable)

So, not to be repetitive, but I will probably go lay down again.

Keep writing, friends!

Sam

Literary recommendation: Since I read so many Star Wars books this month, check out From A Certain point of View, the other Star Wars books I'm obsessed with

Media recommendation: I did spend one of my sick days binging the entirety of Heartstopper on Netflix, and it was so cute and happy and I highly recommend it