Star Wars “Empire’s End” in full disclosure, my first time through, I was not very impressed with this book or the series. Second time through it proved to hold it's weight in story telling and action. Empire’s End is one of the many final showdowns that take place after the fall of the second Death Star. The action in this book is awesome. The characters are coming to the ends of their journeys in a lot of ways. Some of those journeys have been fairly surface level, while a few have grown significantly. The book paces itself pretty well, making it a faster read than its predecessors. The story wraps up the trilogy almost satisfyingly. I would say the ending is relatively sad the second time through. The first time, I was like, “Yeah, I simply don’t care.” But the second time I read this, I understood the characters a bit better, and it hit more than I expected. In the end, it does what a final book should do. As a reader, you can close the pages and feel like there is at least some resolution to what was a much larger conflict. Whether or not that finish is fully satisfying is a different matter. 4/5 (Upgraded from 3/5) #starwars

Star Wars: Coruscant Nights is one of my most highly recommended series. This is a Legends novel but strong in storytelling, characters, and direction. This book takes place right after Order 66, maybe give or take about a year. It centers around Jax Pavan, a bounty hunter, ex-Jedi at this stage. What’s super cool about this book is that it is related to Star Wars: Darth Maul – Shadow Hunter. The events of that book, which seem very standalone and singular in their happenings, turn out to really be a huge part of this book. Jax Pavan is down and dirty in the down-and-dirty levels of Coruscant. He’s looking around for bounties when he happens to come across information regarding his Jedi Master, Even Piell, who has died and left him with a mission to finish. Vader is in this book. You’ve got Typho in this book doing some investigating of his own. Sentient droids, Gray Jedi, and more. This book does an excellent job of radiating environment and oozes personality. There isn’t necessarily a ton of action, but the pacing is fast and situations are tense, so it stays engaging throughout. It’s an honor story. It’s a Jedi honor story. 5/5 #starwars

Star Wars “Crimson Climb” is a freaking cool book. This is about Qi’ra’s climb through Crimson Dawn and what ultimately leads up to that great shot at the end of the solo movie. This is one of the sneaky good ones. I did not know that I was going to become such a Qi’ra fan. This book takes place shortly after the early events of Solo. Where Han and Qi’ra on the other side and the door closes, it essentially picks up there. But it goes into her background from when she and Han were younger, though Han’s not a big mainstay in this book. Qi’ra kind of has a “red room” type of situation in Crimson Dawn, and Dryden Vos is running a spy group of ladies. They go through their trials to eventually become agents. It’s fairly mundane in that, but the book really captures Qi’ra’s personality, which we really don’t get a lot of in on screen. This really gets to the heart of her motivations. Qi’ra is relentless. She’s a participant because there isn’t a better choice. It’s like, “Oh, Crimson Dawn? Okay, we can do this.” It is filled with a lot of… not a ton of action, but it falls more into the treachery, espionage side of things. This does a very good job of filling in some gaps that are desperately needed regarding Crimson Dawn as a whole, Vos, and where Crimson Dawn is in relation to the other factions of the universe. Ultimately, this is a super solid story. It may tick a tad too slow in pacing otherwise it’s a great addition to this era. 4/5 #starwars

Star Wars: “X-Wing: Iron Fist” is like playing D&D with squadrons. Story centers around Wraith Squadron, which is not Rogue Squadron it’s the next awesome squadron. A bunch of badass rejects who have all types of skills: stealth, explosions, demolition, flight. But they all fly. The plot of the story is that Admiral Rae Sloane is thought to be dead. She was one of the last Imperial leaders, and the warlord Zsinj is looking to take over. The entire book, which is about 13–14 hours long, takes place over about four or five unique battles, each with a goal, mission, and plan laid out. It’s really well structured, really detailed, and super awesome. Wedge Antilles, one of the great Star Wars characters, plays a leading role in this one. His presence really provides a central sense of steadiness toward the mission, and that’s what we get again in this book. Battles are super descriptive in their explanations of ship and character motivations in battle. It’s very detailed in that aspect and it’s super cool. All of the characters are fairly likable. There’s not a non likable character in the bunch. You get what you would typically get in Star Wars a lot of action. Admiral Ackbar is in this book doing Admiral Ackbar things awesome. Han’s in this book. Not a lot, but Han being Han. He’s a general, so he’s in charge of things here. That’s a different type of Han than we normally see. The ending was actually a bit surprising. I did not really expect it to end the way it does. Overall, it’s a great addition to the series details are awesome, but then is detailed. Otherwise, a damn near perfect book. 4/5 #starwars

Star Wars: Path of Vengeance has some of the most dire stakes of anything I’ve ever consumed in the Star Wars universe. This one picks up right after the events of Jedha and Planet X. The Mother has made her way back to Dalna, she’s making plans, and we finally get answers to the one plot hole we’ve all been wondering about in this series. It’s satisfying and unexpected. The Mother and the Path are in shambles, the Jedi are coming, and it still doesn’t go as planned for them. The Jedi get wrecked in this series. Its tension, atmosphere, and action are simply relentless, and Star Wars does a fantastic job building that kind of energy across the series. Pacing-wise, it does drag in spots as it builds tension, but it works. The characters are fantastic and written exactly how they should be. I don’t know where the series goes from here, but they could have made it the swan song and didn’t. A can’t-miss experience. 5/5 #starwars

Star Wars: The Bad Batch “Sanctuary” didn’t quite live up to my very high hopes. It’s not bad, but it never fully captured me. The story picks up right after the water event on Pabu, with the Batch cruising around with Phee trying to acquire funds for Paub to help with the clean up. Of course, anything with Phee tends to go sideways and naturally, that happens here. This book has a flaw that’s almost inherent to the Bad Batch: the story starts out at a very frenetic pace and stays that way for the majority of the book. There’s very little contrast between events. Unfortunately, there’s no real character growth or arcs here. Hunter is pretty much just not happy through the entire book, and it’s like, man, you’re kind of a downer to travel with. It didn’t quite live up to my hopes, but it’s definitely not a bad book. If you are a Bad Batch fan and want to hang out with the Batch, I’m not necessarily going to say they’re in a good mood but you can be with them, and that in itself is super cool.3/5 #starwars

Star Wars: “The Last of the Jedi Dark Warning” is a sneaky good book. Story-wise, we pick up with Obi-Wan and Ferus crossing paths. Ferus, who’s no longer a Jedi, learns the full truth of what’s happened and makes a decision the Order needs to be rebuilt. That’s what makes him such a cool character. He wasn’t the Chosen One, but outside of Anakin, he was the best of the best. For him to walk away, only to now say, “We need to find the Jedi and put things back together,” is an unexpected twist that adds real stakes to the story in it’s present stage. The action here is fantastic very Clone Wars in tone. Obi-Wan ends up operating on the fringes while Ferus and Trevor develop a bond that feels like a Jedi/Padawan relationship, even though Ferus has stepped away from the Jedi and Trevor isn’t one himself. We also get the introduction of the Grand Inquisitor, who catches wind of the birthing facility tied to Luke and Leia and becomes determined to uncover it. So, this book is cool and hitting on many threads we don’t see in live action. Overall, this one hits hard. It delivers on Clone Wars vibes, Jedi/Padawan dynamics, and surprise appearances from characters we haven’t seen in a while. This is a sneaky good book. 4/5 #starwars

Star Wars: "The Last of the Jedi" is a happy surprise. I wasn’t expecting it, but I suppose everything comes from somewhere. The story starts with Kenobi on Tatooine watching over Luke when he hears there’s a Jedi in trouble. His interest is piqued, but with his duties, he feels he should stay put. Qui-Gon makes an appearance, and we’re off on an adventure. The book’s structure feels a lot like the Clone Wars series, with serial arcs that could easily span two, three, or four episodes. On this adventure, Kenobi encounters new characters, including a younger guy named Trevor, who’s a bit all over the place but still a cool addition. It even calls back to the Padawan/master dynamic. The pacing is solid, and the action that exists lands well. The story definitely harks back to earlier installments of the Young Jedi series. That said, you could also pick this book up and jump in anywhere, and it flows fairly well. Overall, this book was a happy surprise. It feels like an extension of the prequel era. It’s good, though a little slow and heavy on setup. 3/5 #starwars

"Star Wars: Aftermath" revisit. It’s not “freaking amazing,” but definitely solid. I originally gave this book a 3/5, reading it near the beginning of my Star Wars journey. Back then, I didn’t enjoy it characters felt unlikable, the story seemed irrelevant, and the series as a whole was a pass for me. Re-reading it now, with the wealth of Star Wars stories around me, the book holds up much better. The characters are still not the most likable, but seeing how they interact within the broader Star Wars universe makes them more enjoyable. They make sense now in a way they didn’t before. The story takes place right after the fall of the Empire on Endor. The Empire is scattered, while the new Rebellion is finding its footing. The focus is mostly on the Empire’s power struggle. Familiar names like Admiral Sloane appear alongside new ones, and there’s a big bad whose presence is more impactful on a second read. I do still wonder how much of this connects to current Star Wars canon. Many characters exist only in these books Wedge is here, Norra Wexley doesn’t appear elsewhere, and Admiral Sloane is one of the few who carries over. There’s plenty of room for expansion. Overall, Star Wars: Aftermath has tension, atmosphere, and real stakes. It captures the chaos of the Empire’s collapse and the challenges of a fledgling Rebellion. Star Wars: Aftermath earns an upgraded 4/5. #starwars

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire” is solid meal with lack of flavor. The main plot surrounds a power struggle between Xizor of the Black Sun and Vader, all while Palpatine is overseeing it and being like, “Yeah, this is great. Why don’t you guys fight over Skywalker?” Unfortunately, a lot of the book leans into Xizor fawning over Leia. It’s written in a way that felt unnecessary and distracting. Now, he’s the head of Black Sun, so maybe it tracks with his character but it didn’t land for me. That said, there are still some strong parts. Luke is finding himself and growing into his powers. Vader is at the heart of Vader, separated from Skywalker, and I’m here for that all day. And anytime Palpatine and Vader are on the page together, it’s fascinating. Vader is fully aware he’s being manipulated, but there’s nothing he can do about it and that struggle never gets old. Where this book falls short is pacing. It feels disjointed, like the focus is in the wrong places. Take away Xizor and Leia’s plotline and you lose about a quarter of the book and honestly, that wasn’t the strongest part anyway. You end up wishing you could spend more time on the edges of the story, in the places the book never really lets us linger. So, while Shadows of the Empire has a cool premise and some solid character beats, it didn’t hold up for me overall. It’s part of Legends, so check it out if you’re curious but you can probably skip it without missing much. 3/5 #starwars

Star Wars: Guardians of the Chiss Key is freaking cool! Honestly, the entire Secret Missions series is freaking cool, and I dig the idea of other secret mission operations. This one serves as the wrap up to Nuru’s story, and it sticks the landing. What’s really great about this book is how it closes Nuru’s quest. What started with him trailing his master’s mission ends up coming full circle on Coruscant. All the roads come together here: Palpatine, Yoda, the Jedi, and this secret squad operating out on the fringes. The way it’s set up feels like a precursor to something like The Bad Batch. The pacing in this book is good. There’s not a ton of action, but it never left me feeling like I needed more of it. The way the story flows and the way the series concludes makes up for that completely. By the end, we’re left with this squad still out there on the edges of the galaxy, and it makes me wish there was more to come. My only small critique: Nuru is around twelve years old, yet pulling off Jedi level eye popping powers. Do I wish it were canon? Sort of. Could they shoehorn it in? Absolutely and if they did, it would be fantastic. As a series, Secret Missions is a high four out of five for me. There are some dead spots that don’t necessarily need to exist, but the introduction of the Chiss is fantastic. It even plants the seeds of what could be a Chiss grand plan in canon. 4/5. #starwars

Star Wars “Quest for Planet X” is a break from the frenetic pace of its predecessor Cataclysm. That’s not a bad thing it just feels like a breather after the roller coaster we just came from. The story centers on the hunt for a planet and a hyperlane. It’s part of an annual contest, which is a super cool concept I’d love to see expanded on. Where this book shines is in the cast of characters. Yes, it’s a younger mix the Graf and Padawan but the real intrigue is in seeing a Jedi and a Path of the Open Hand member stuck together in close quarters for an extended time. That dynamic creates some interesting dialogue about where the story is overall and how these factions clash ideologically when forced into proximity. There’s not a lot of action here. It’s relatively dialogue heavy, and while the pacing is fine, it could have been tightened up a bit for what it ultimately delivers. Still, it wraps up nicely and gives important background that sets up what’s coming next. 3/5 #starwars #highrepublic

Star Wars "Jedi Search" I remember this book fondly this was my first venture into anything Star Wars after Return of the Jedi and I have great memories of reading it. Does it hold up? Not really, but that’s okay. It’s not a bad book. It is a little short, thin, and doesn’t really leave a lot to sink your teeth into. Essentially, right after Return of the Jedi or sometime after Luke heads off to the Senate, says, “Hey, you know what? It’s time for me to restart this Jedi school thing.” And they go, “Yeah, go do that.” You expect a fun-filled Luke adventure, and… it’s all right. He meets a couple of Jedi, but the interactions aren’t super memorable. Leia and Lando are in the book, but the best thing this book has going for it is Han and Chewie finding themselves on Kessel in quite a pickle. Everything to do with Kessel and what’s going on with them is super entertaining. There aren’t any real slow beats, but the book does have a pacing problem. The bonus is that this is the first of three it’s a trilogy so this isn’t the end of the story. But as far as big bang, awesome hype? Eh, it’s all right. Overall, I’d say yes, read it, check it out. It’s part of the Legends storyline, not necessarily canon, but some of it may come back up in the future. Hoping so. 3/5 #starwars

Star Wars’ Jango Fett vs. The Razor Eaters’ is a short book that packs in a surprising amount. We’re with Jango on a mission, and a young Boba (seven or eight years old) tags along. Boba’s like, “Hey man, can I go?” and Jango actually lets him. Bad idea. We also see Bossk and his father, who try to recruit Boba into the thieves’ guild, giving us a rare look at the Star Wars criminal underworld And the Razor Eaters themselves? They’re droids, but even after listening, I’m not exactly sure how to describe them just know they’re nasty and tough. Overall, it’s short but packed with cool lore and some nostalgic moments. We almost never see Jango and young Boba interact like this, and it sets up a lot of Boba’s future as a bounty hunter. Solid entry. 4/5 #starwars #thrawn #badbatch #jedi #darthvader #deathstar #rebels #clonewars #ahsoka #bookstagram #anakinskywalker #kenobi #lightsaber #bookreview #sith #bookstagram #bobafett

Star War Cataclysm is one of the special ones! If you’ve been with me for any amount of time, you understand I’ve been frustrated with the High Republic and its storytelling. Cataclysm in some ways makes up for all of that. I can’t believe I just said that sentence, but yeah, I think that’s true. From the word go, this book is wrapping up the last book (The Battle of Jedha*), which I was questionable about. It picks up after Jedha, the Path of the Open Hand has thrown monkey wrenches everywhere. The first half is setup, but the second half is a pure crap show. A freaking epic battle! The Jedi are getting it handed to them. Spoiler alert, it’s fantastic! Like any good Star Wars story, this one knows how to rip your heart out. Finally, I enjoy these characters, even though it took four or five books to get here. Everything makes sense now. By the end, they start piecing together things that happened 13 books ago. The battle is intense feels like half the book (but probably isn’t). The Jedi work with very little and are overwhelmed. It’s awesome and terrible. Cataclysm is a must-read. 16 hour audiobook. Even if you’re new to the High Republic, I’d say, ‘Listen to this by the end, you’ll be hooked.’ 5/5. #starwars #thrawn #badbatch #jedi #darthvader #deathstar #rebels #clonewars #ahsoka #bookstagram #anakinskywalker #kenobi #lightsaber #bookreview #sith #bookstagram #highrepublic

Star Wars “Queen’s Hope.” This one took me a while to get through probably four or five months. I cruised through the other two books in the trilogy. Queen’s Shadow and Queen’s Peril, which were excellent. But Queen’s Hope felt more like a wrap-up story, covering Padme, her guards, specifically Sabé, and Anakin. The main focus here is Anakin and Padmé getting married you know, that iconic Clone Wars scene on Naboo where they’re holding hands. It’s a very political book not in the good sense either. Like the backdoor conversations, we didn’t really need to hear. There are a couple of adventures, but honestly, nothing really exciting. It almost felt like filler. That said, there are some beautiful, iconic moments that fans of Padmé will appreciate. But compared to the first two books? No comparison. This one didn’t quite hit the same way. They probably could’ve stopped at the second book and just added this as an addendum or epilogue. It’s not bad definitely not terrible but it doesn’t quite hold up to the first two and feels like a lighter entry overall. 3/5 #starwars #thrawn #badbatch #jedi #darthvader #deathstar #rebels #clonewars #ahsoka #bookstagram #anakinskywalker #kenobi #lightsaber #bookreview #sith

Star Wars Canto Bight is a collection of “okay” short stories, I’m wondering why and if there’s a follow up. There is about a masseuse and his adopted daughter caught up with the Kanto mob—gangsters and favor racing. It ends well, like the others, except for the fourth story, which I can’t remember clearly. The another story is about sommelier an expert drink maker. As a foodie, I liked that. It’s set in a shady club with two twin sisters from another galaxy. They reminded me of the daughter in the Mortis gods arc. They don’t explain much about them, but it hints at another part of the galaxy. The most entertaining: a down-on-his-luck gambler with 24 hours to make some cash. It’s a fun adventure with three interesting characters helping move the story. The the last story is about a salesman who won a trip of a lifetime. It’s kind of funny but ultimately falls flat. Overall, it’s a good read not bad, just what it is. The whole thing is pretty long, maybe too long. If you’re a fan looking for the average people of the galaxy, this could be a good read. 3/5 #starwars

I said “ I don’t like this line that’s forming on my forehead.” My friend said a wrinkle? Dammit, I guess that may be what this is.

Star Wars: Victory’s Price sticks the landing. Hard. This is a coherent, cohesive, and concise wrap-up to a story that honestly felt all over the place in the first two books. Somehow some way we’re still dealing with the fallout from Operation Cinder, mostly in terms of relationships. The question of what someone’s capable of, the person standing next to you in the trenches, that hits and that theme runs deep through this book and the whole trilogy. The action? Fantastic. There are two standout scenes with TIEs and X-wings going one-on-one, and in the audiobook version, it was like Dolby. Absolutely cinematic. This is that very rare third book that somehow makes the first two so much better. I felt like I needed to go back and reread books one and two just to fully appreciate the arc. Now, as good as this book is, it does have to carry a lot of weight the others didn’t quite manage. That’s the only real downside. But because it does that heavy lifting and does it well this trilogy becomes a must-read for any Star Wars fan. 4/5 #starwars #empire #newrepublic

I was coming off the Young #Jedi series and thought I was done. Then I stumble across TWC: Secret Missions and I’m like… wait, there’s more Clone Wars content I missed? Yup and it’s dope!!! Breakout Squad, it’s a short read, like an hour and twenty minute audiobook. It kicks off with something I didn’t see coming. A young Chiss Jedi, Nuru, gets thrown into a mission that goes sideways fast. This kid Jedi might be the first real link between the Republic and the Chiss Ascendancy. Deep-cut Thrawn fans, take note. Now, don’t get me wrong—it’s good, but it’s short. Like, too short. I wanted an entrée and they gave me a solid appetizer. Still, it surprised me in the best way. If you’re into pre-Thrawn, Chiss meets Republic kind of stories, this one’s definitely worth checking out. 3/5 #starwars #clonewars