May Reviews

It's Star Wars month! So I just read Star Wars books! That is all I have to say about that, we're just gonna get right to it.

Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray

Happy Star War!! I've had this book for a little while and not was the time to read it!!

Jedi Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi and his Master Qui-Gon Jinn have never quite seen eye to eye, and when Qui-Gon receives an invitation to join the Jedi Council, amthe acceptance of which would move Obi-Wan to another Master, the rift between then only seems to grow. Thrust into a mission with a tumultuous Jedi and a planet is political turmoil, the two of them must work together now more than ever, or risk more than just their Master and apprentice relationship falling apart.

This was a really fun and interesting look at a relationship we only see the tail end of in the prequels. I read the Obi-Wan centric book Padawan the year before last and that was a great look at young Obi-Wan and his fears and frustrations with his cryptic Master, but this one had him a bit older and gave us insight into both sides so we could watch the disconnect spark between them. I love Obi-Wan as a character and think Qui-Gon is interesting, so both of their perspectives were fun. I also liked the Jedi lore and new characters introduced, especially the jewel thieves Rahara and Pax.

The universe of Star Wars is absolutely huge, so new planets and dynamics and histories can be created easily, and this one settled right into Star Wars lore, with glimpses of an outer world and Republic policies leading up to the prequel trilogy. This'll be a short review because it was truly a very Star Wars book and I had a great time with it. 

Rebel Rising by Beth Revis

It's no secret that Rogue One is maybe my favorite Star Wars movie, so I was excited to read more about the main character, Jyn Erso, and how she got to where she was when the movie began.

Jyn Erso's story begins on in a small bunker, waiting to be rescued after the death of her mother and capture of her father. But Saw Gerrara isn't looking for trouble, and after being left behind by him after a decade of teaching her how to fight, Jyn has to decide what she's willing to fight for, if anything.

This book certainly adds some fun and heartbreaking context to Rogue One, showing us how Jyn went from the little girl in the bunker to the woman being pulled from a prison transport to serve the rebellion. She's scrappy and disillusioned, but she's also a brilliant code forger and fighter. She loses sight of hope along the way, but that makes it burn all the more powerfully when she finds it again.

I mostly liked the look at how the rebellion came together, violent factions and relief missions fighting for control of how to beat the empire or die trying. The organized coalition that we find in A New Hope is certainly not the scattered company present throughout the bulk of this book. But the empire's cruelty is a present enough reminder that something needs to change. 

Overall this was an interesting character study and look at a changing galaxy under the rule of evil. 

Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn

I've never read a Legends book before, but this one was a very vintage gift (1991 baby) and I knew it was perfect for Star Wars month.

Five years after the Battle of Endor, and the galaxy is still recovering from the wound of the empire. New Republic leadership is squabbling and a new threat is on the rise, chasing Luke and a pregnant Leia across the galaxy. It'll take some clever maneuvering and a clear head to see what's coming their way, or if they have any hope of stopping it.

I will say that I liked certain parts of this book more than others. Thrawn is a cool player, especially since I've seen him in Rebels and Ahsoka, and his clever creativity is really only rivaled by his complete and utter lack of empathy. On the other hand, I wasn't super into Mara Jade, though that could just be my bias of knowing vaguely about and already disliking her character before reading the book (sorry Mara, I promise I don't hate women in Star Wars I just think your background doesn't really make sense). 

I did get a little lost in some of the space battle or just battle in general scenes (sci fi jargon can just be kind of a lot sometimes) but I loved the characters interactions and each paired and solo adventure coalescing. I am also biased against Kylo Ren so Leia being pregnant with twins was kind of a fun twist for me. Plus we got more Lando! And got to see a lot of fun or weird worlds. The rebuilding of a government after the collapse of a dictatorship is not easy, and I thought the politics of it was interesting.

Overall this was a decently entertaining read, though I will likely not continue the series (it is apparently a trilogy? I think? Regardless, I'm good with just this one).

And that's it! Happy Star Wars! Time for pride!

Literary recommendation: if you want more Star Wars books, I had the best time with Queens Peril and the others books in the series by EK Johnston

Media recommendation: I've been consuming so much Dropout content lately, genuinely go watch everything on their platform