Queen's Hope (Padmé Amidala, #2)

by E.K. Johnston

A peace-loving senator faces a time of war in another thrilling Padmé Amidala adventure from the author of the New York Times best-sellers Queen's Peril and Queen's Shadow!

Padmé is adjusting to being a wartime senator during the Clone Wars. Her secret husband, Anakin Skwyalker, is off fighting the war, and excels at being a wartime Jedi. In contrast, when Padmé gets the opportunity to see the casualties on the war-torn front lines, she is horrified. The stakes have never been higher for the galaxy, or for the newly-married couple.

Meanwhile, with Padmé on a secret mission, her handmaiden Sabé steps into the role of Senator Amidala, something no handmaiden has done for an extended period of time. While in the Senate, Sabé is equally horrified by the machinations that happen there. She comes face to face with a gut-wrenching decision as she realizes that she cannot fight a war this way, not even for Padmé.

And Chancellor Palpatine hovers over it all, manipulating the players to his own ends…

• ISBN10: 1368075932
• ISBN13: 9781368075930
• Publish Date: 5 April 2022
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Disney Lucasfilm Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781368075930

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Queen's Hope is the third (and final) installment in E.K. Johnston's Padmé Amidala series. It has been an absolute delight to read, so I confess that I did put off reading Queen's Hope, if only for a bit. I wasn't quite ready for it to end, you know?

The war has only just begun, and by its looks, it's going to be here for a while. This means the lives of everyone are about to change – especially those in the senate and on the front lines. This includes Padmé and Anakin.

Padmé is used to secrets – her whole life has been a series of secrets and shadow games, in a way. Yet she's never had to keep so much of herself from her friends and those she loves. Until now, that is. It's taking some getting used to, but she's finding the balance. All while keeping up with her duties as a senator, of course.

"Missing Padmé was like missing the sun, and she was currently on a planet with two of them."

Ohh, why did I wait so long to read Queen's Hope? More importantly, do you think we'll ever see this series get an adaptation? I would go into full fangirl mode if that happened. Regardless, I officially love what E.K. Johnston has done with Padme's legacy and can't wait to see her next Star Wars project (please let there be more on the lineup).

Queen's Hope is nuanced and complicated, portraying a more political side of the universe that we don't always get to see in detail. Likewise, it is so very human. I don't mean that it is full of humans – but rather the intricate details that come from a network of people working together, weaving in and out of each other's orbits.

As with the previous two novels, Queen's Hope does a fantastic job capturing everything that makes Padme and her handmaidens shine. It does justice to her character, giving her perspective on the stories we thought we knew so well.

Honestly, I'm torn. Part of me wants as many books as E.K. Johnston can write. The rest of me knows the end is near, and I can't bear to see that happen. Not right, not, at least. I know it would be heart-wrenching (all over again!).

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks