Most Wanted

Goodreads Synopsis:    Set before the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story! Han and Qi'ra don't have a lot in common other than not having a lot. They're street kids on the industrial planet Corellia, doing whatever it takes to get by, dreaming of something more. They each jump at a chance to prove themselves in the perilous world of Corellia's criminal underbelly, only to discover they are on the same mission for the same unscrupulous boss. When the job goes disastrously wrong, Han and Qi'ra are on the run--from pirates, a droid crime syndicate, the Empire, and their boss--and will have to learn to trust each other if they are going to survive.






My Thoughts:

-    I enjoyed this a lot. I liked getting to know Qi'ra and this new take on Han. I liked getting to know this new Corellia too.

-    I liked learning how Qi'ra and Han met and started working together. They are a good team. I like that Qi'ra has the strategy and Han has the instincts. 

-    The other characters were fun as well.

-    The story was really fun. It was full of intrigue and social climbing. There were so many decisions that Han and Qi'ra had to make. I liked all the chasing and hiding too.

-    I think this was a good Star Wars story. There are certain expectations for the Star Wars universe, and I think this delivered. 

Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure

Goodreads Synopsis:    A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

Reeling from their disastrous defeat on Hoth, the heroic freedom fighters of the REBEL ALLIANCE have scattered throughout space, pursued by the agents of the sinister GALACTIC EMPIRE.

One rebel task force protects PRINCESS LEIA, bearing her in secrecy from star to star. As the last survivor of Alderaan's House of Organa, Leia is a symbol of freedom, hunted by the Empire she has opposed for so long.

The struggle against Imperial tyranny has claimed many rebel lives. As the Empire closes in, Leia resolves to make a sacrifice of her own, lest the cause of freedom be extinguished from the galaxy....

My Thoughts:

-    This is one of those books that I don't have a lot to say about.

-    I liked it. It was a fun Princess Leia adventure.

-    I've never read a Star Wars book that takes place after Empire Strikes Back. Most of them happen after A New Hope, so it was nice to get a book in a different time frame.

-    It is always fun when Nien Nunb is on the scene.

-    I loved Leia's resolve to find Han at the end of the book. 

The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure

Goodreads Synopsis:    A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....

The REBEL ALLIANCE has destroyed the Empire's dreaded DEATH STAR, but the galaxy remains convulsed by civil war, and the Imperial starfleet is hunting the rebels throughout the galaxy.

LUKE SKYWALKER, the pilot who destroyed the Death Star, is now hailed as a hero. But Luke seeks only to support the freedom fighters, serving the Rebellion behind the controls of his X-wing fighter.

Even as he flies alongside the pilots of Red Squadron, Luke feels stirrings in the mystical energy field known as the Force. And this farm boy turned fighter pilot begins to suspect his destiny lies along a different path....

My Thoughts:

-    I don't have a lot to say about this one. 

-    It was good. I liked learning about how Luke learned to use his lightsaber. 

-    It was fun.

-    I liked the C-3P0 was telling the story.

Smuggler's Run: A Han Solo and Chewbacca Adventure

Goodreads Synopsis:    It is a period of civil war. The heroic freedom fighters of the REBEL ALLIANCE have won their most important victory thus far with the destruction of the Empire's ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR.

But the Rebellion has no time to savor its victory. The evil Galactic Empire has recognized the threat the rebels pose, and is now searching the galaxy for any and all information that will lead to the final destruction of the freedom fighters.

For the MILLENNIUM FALCON's crew, who saved the life of Luke Skywalker during the Battle of Yavin, their involvement with the rebels is at an end. Now HAN SOLO and CHEWBACCA hope to take their reward and settle some old debts....

My Thoughts:

-    The hardest reviews to write are the ones where you don't have anything to say about the book. This is one of those books.

-    It was a fun Han and Chewy adventure. That is all.

-    I did like that old man Han is telling the tale and reminiscing of his younger rebel days. 

Leia: Princess of Alderaan

Goodreads Synopsis:    A LONG TIME AGO IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY....THERE WAS A PRINCESS WHO BECAME A LEGEND.

Sixteen-year-old Princess Leia Organa faces the most challenging task of her life so far: proving herself in the areas of body, mind, and heart to be formally named heir to the thrown of Alderaan. She's taking rigorous survival courses, practicing politics, and spearheading relief missions to worlds under Imperial control. But Leia has worries beyond her claim to the crown. Her parents, Breha and Bail, aren't acting like themselves lately; they are distant and preoccupied, seemingly more concerned with throwing dinner parties for their allies in the Senate than they are with their own daughter. Determined to uncover her parents' secrets, Leia starts down an increasingly dangerous path that puts her right under the watchful eye of the Empire. And when Leia discovers what her parents and their allies are planning behind closed doors, she finds herself facing what seems like an impossible choice; dedicate herself to the people of Alderaan--including the make she loves--or the galaxy at large, which is in desperate need of a rebel hero.

My Thoughts:

-    I didn't feel like the author captured Leia's character. When you write an iconic character like Leia, you need to nail her personality. 

-    The story was really slow. Leia was supposed to be proving herself worthy to be princess, but she spent a lot of time hiking with friends. 

-    I didn't like that Leia's parents were keeping the rebellion a secret from her. She is perfectly capable of handling the truth. I was so bugged, and I didn't feel like it was in Bail's character to hide that from Leia. 

-    I wish the story had covered more of the early days of the rebellion and Leia's role in that. 

Lost Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:    A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Eight years after the fall of the Old Republic, the Galactic Empire now reigns over the known galaxy. Resistance to the Empire has been all but silenced. Only a few courageous leaders such as Bail Organa of Alderaan still dare to openly oppose Emperor Palpatine.

After years of defiance, the many worlds at the edge of the Outer Rim have surrendered. With each planet’s conquest, the Empire’s might grows stronger.

The latest to fall under the Emperor’s control is the isolated mountain planet Jelucan, whose citizens hope for a more prosperous future even as the Imperial Starfleet gathers overhead…

My Thoughts:

-    This book went by quickly. It was easy to read, and it was really good.

-    I liked seeing famous events from the original trilogy, and I enjoyed seeing them from both the Empire's side and the Rebel's side. It was cool to get both perspectives.

-    I liked both of the main characters, but they could get dramatic at times, and I rolled my eyes at a lot of the romance parts.

-    I can't believe this is my first Claudia Gray book. Her books have been on my TBR list for a long time, but I never got around to them. She does a good Star Wars story, so hopefully I'll like her other stuff.

Rebel Rising

Goodreads Synopsis:    When Jyn Erso was five years old, her mother was murdered and her father taken from her to serve the Empire. But despite the loss of her parents she is not completely alone—Saw Gerrera, a man willing to go to any extremes necessary in order to resist Imperial tyranny, takes her in as his own, and gives her not only a home but all the abilities and resources she needs to become a rebel herself.

Jyn dedicates herself to the cause—and the man. But fighting alongside Saw and his people brings with it danger and the question of just how far Jyn is willing to go as one of Saw’s soldiers. When she faces an unthinkable betrayal that shatters her world, Jyn will have to pull the pieces of herself back together and figure out what she truly believes in…and who she can really trust.

My Thoughts:

-    I really like Rogue One, and the characters are so intriguing to me. I want to know more about all of them.

-    I loved learning more about Jyn. Since I read Catalyst, I know her whole life story now. I can't say that for any other Star Wars character.

-    I liked getting to know Saw better. I liked his relationship with Jyn, and it is sad that his ambitions were greater than his love for her. 

-    I liked seeing Jyn learn how to fight, learn how to take care of herself, and become who she is in Rogue One.

-    I liked how there were chapters of her time in prison mixed in with the story. 

-    I kinda want to read the Rogue One novelization now. I wonder if it adds anything to movie.