Reviewed by inlibrisveritas on
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AHHHHH!! The movie needs to be here already, and a good chunk of my raving has little to do with the newest teaser trailer that released and everything to do with this book. Lost Stars is what Star Wars books should all be like. It has all the desired emotions, all the heart-wrenching moments, all the tension and stress, and more than enough reason to make you excited to see even more from both the author and the future of the franchise.
I’ll be honest and say I wasn’t looking forward to reading this one after I saw the Romeo & Juliet angle it was going to focus on. I like romance, but I also prefer my Star Wars books to be focused on the bigger picture. I was worried it’d focus too much on the love and fluff and not enough on what makes Star Wars great. It doesn’t do that…at all. The story of Ciena and Thane is one of, yes romance, but more importantly it’s about honor, friendship, loyalty, and the ambiguity of where those loyalties lie. It takes place over the course of the three original trilogy movies, and gets us even closer to the upcoming seventh movie….and yes, gives us clues as to what we’re going to see in it. And guys…the plot….*curls up and sobs* the plot!! When I say this book is an emotional roller-coaster I really mean it. It takes scenes familiar to me from the original trilogy and gives me a new perspective..and makes them something entirely new and fresh. It makes me excited to re-watch movies I’ve seen hundreds of times, so I can imagine these characters as those faceless people in the background.
Ciena and Thane are a rare pair indeed, as they are two people with different approaches to life and different ways of thinking and they are both incredibly likable. We are privy to their thoughts as they witness the Empire’s strength and the Rebellion’s tenacity…and we get to see how they grow in their view points and how they handle it differently. Their friendship and subsciquent romantic relationship is one that really surprised me with how much I was invested in it. Through some of the tensier moments I could feel myself wondering how things would change between them, if they would change. And through out everything I really rooted for them as a pair, because despite their very large differences in opinions they are a good match for each other. I also loved that we didn’t get to see them for just one section of their life but instead a while range of years. We get to see them grow up, go to academy, and become fighters…and it gives us plenty of time see those important developments in both their relationship and the world as a whole.
If I had to recommend one book to the mass public to try out in the Star Wars universe, it would be this one. It’s highly approachable and is great for both teens and adults. This is definitely a favorite of mine now, and it’s made my excitement for the movie ten times larger than before. I can’t wait to see what her next Star Wars novel will be like!
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 20 October, 2015: Finished reading
- 20 October, 2015: Reviewed