Manga: Star Wars Lost Stars

Star Wars: Lost Stars
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

The Empire can be seductive, particularly if you're an aspiring young pilot...

Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree both know this very well when they enroll Imperial Academy, eager to pursue their dreams. When Thane discovers the darker side of the Empire, though, and defects to the Rebellion, the pair's lifelong friendship will be put to the ultimate test.

Will Thane and Ciena's relationship -- or even they themselves -- survive this galactic conflict...?

For those of you who don't know, this is adapted from a book by Claudia Gray, which I haven't actually read, but I have read one of her other series so I was expecting big things from this and I wasn't disappointed! 

Lost Stars starts with action as we enter on a X-Wing/TIE Fighter battle, chase kind of thing, before we head off to Hoth where things crossover with the movies and we get to briefly see Han and Leia which had me squealing! 

Our MC Thane smoothly slots in with them, he's out to rescue and save Ciena, his old friend...but she's with the enemy and she's kind of out to kill him. Awkward. They make their declarations pretty early on and it's almost comic, the contrast. You know "I'm going to save her" "I'm going to kill him". 

Interestingly, we jump back in time for most of the volume, seeing Thane and Ciena's friendship, how it started, their education and training at the Imperial Academy and so on. They and the other cadets don't really scream evil so it kinda changed how I looked at them. I didn't look at them and thing "Wow the Empire, they're terrible characters". I even momentarily looked at the Empire a little differently. Momentarily. Like for a few seconds. 

Nash intrigues me, he's Thane's old friend and he's from Leia's planet Alderaan and you can't tell me he's cool with what went down. I'm interested to see if he joins Thane or if he sticks with the Empire. He's a fun supporting character though! 

The story is paced nicely, there's a good amount of world building and building up of the characters as we go back in time to get to see how they became friends, how they ended up working for the Empire and in Thane's case...how he came to end up leaving. This volume shows us what sparks all of that off, and gets us ready for what's to come next because this is just the first part...the first little chunk actually, I think! 

Lost Stars smoothly ties in to the Star Wars original trilogy, and I squealed whenever I saw Leia or Han! I also particularly liked the art work, not just the OC's to the story, but Han and Leia are brilliantly drawn too and there's a lot of attention to detail to make sure it matches up with the canon! This is definitely going to be an interesting and fun story!

Review: Star Wars Bloodlines

Bloodline
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

When the Rebellion defeated the Empire in the skies above Endor, Leia Organa believed it was the beginning to a lasting peace. But after decades of vicious infighting and partisan gridlock in the New Republic Senate, that hope seems like a distant memory.

Now a respected senator, Leia must grapple with the dangers that threaten to cripple the fledgling democracy — from both within and without. Underworld kingpins, treacherous politicians, and Imperial loyalists are sowing chaos in the galaxy. Desperate to take action, senators are calling for the election of a First Senator. It is their hope that this influential post will bring strong leadership to a divided galaxy.

As the daughter of Darth Vader, Leia faces with distrust the prospect of any one person holding such a powerful position — even when supporters suggest Leia herself for the job. But a new enemy may make this path Leia’s only option. For at the edges of the galaxy, a mysterious threat is growing… 

So, I'm still very new to Star Wars books, I haven't read as many as other reviewers, but this is one of the best that I have read! Honestly, I'm a fan of Claudia Gray's anyway, but if Lost Stars is as good as this book then I need to pick it up immediately! This book is set about 5 years before Episode 7 (I think) and shows us how the First Order rose to power, and how the Resistance was born. 

Bloodlines is all about Leia, as expected, she is older and more weary. She's thinking of retiring from politics and being done with it all and just flying around the galaxy with Han. She's not entirely the Leia we all know, but there are still glimpses of the old Leia from A New Hope and so on. Jaded as Leia may be when it comes to politics, she will still fight for peace with everything she has. I liked seeing this new Leia, it gave insight in to her in The Force Awakens and how she came to be where she was when we saw her in that film. It was also interesting to see her struggling with the knowledge that Darth Vader was her father, with how to tell her son and so on, and I can't say more because of spoilers, but it was very interesting and very well done to see how it effected other relationships. 

There's a lot of politics in this book, Leia is a Senator on The New Republic senate, and when Mon Mothma left the New Republic it descended in to stagnation. Everyone arguing about everything, nothing getting done, and in the midst of all of this, two factions have emerged. Populists (Leia) and Centrists. An idea is brought before the Senate to appoint a First Senator, spearheaded by the Centrists who want things to change and who think some things from the Empire where correct. This First Senator would be given a lot of power, and that's something that really doesn't sit well with Leia after everything she's been through, although she is her parties obvious choice for leader, being a celebrated war hero and you know....Princess. 

Just as Leia is thinking of retiring, she's offered the chance at one last mission when the Senate is made aware of a criminal organisation run by a shady kingpin, that's filling the void the Hutts left. But Leia's dream mission turns in to a babysitting job when a Centrist Senator volunteers to go with her. 

This Senator is Ransolm Casterfo and boy did I have an interesting relationship with this character. Princess Leia is my favourite okay, and so I really didn't care for how he was in the beginning and how he spoke to her and so on. They're both on rival parties and they definitely do not get off to a good start, but Gray shows you both sides of the argument. Both characters view points, so it's not long before you can see that Casterfo has a point or two, that despite his questionable taste in decor he doesn't truly mean any harm. It's not long before you find yourself liking him, much like Leia does. I really enjoyed reading about the friendship forming between the two and the end of the book broke my heart, I was so disappointed. It's a complex friendship, right up until the end and it was one of the best parts of the book to read about! 

There's other new characters, or at least ones that are new to me, okay! We have Greer, one of the pilots who Han took under his wing, and who is now working for Leia for mysterious reasons. And we have Joph, who's a bit of a Han Solo fan boy if I do say so, and it made him incredibly endearing when we first meet him. I really liked both of the characters, Joph made me laugh and I liked watching the relationship between the two grow, I'd love to read more about them! 

I think that Gray captures the essence of the characters perfectly and brings them to life for this story with absolute perfection. She writes compellingly, and gives you intrigue and adventure. She gives you a complex relationship that's interesting to read and explore. She fills in the blanks and answers questions I'm sure some of us had after watching The Force Awakens. She gives us the historical and political context that the film was lacking, and it rounds out the film and our knowledge of what happened after Return of the Jedi and how after everything, the First Order could be allowed to rise. We see only a bit of the First Order, how it was being set up and started to rise to power but it was enough. Gray shows us how the Resistance was formed, and I'd love to read more about what happened before The Force Awakens with the Resistance! I just loved getting questions answered and getting to see more of the universe. 

Like I said, there's a lot of politics in the book, we spend a lot of time with the Senate getting to grips with what the political climate is at the time of the book. I found it all to be easy to understand, Gray writes so that while it's complex, it's not too easy and it's not too complicated. We also spend time getting to know more of the galaxy, as we hang out in the criminal underworld on various different planets, and try to work out what the hell they're up to and why! 

Honestly the book is completely brilliant, and the final line sent a shiver up my spine, it was the perfect ending for the book. I realise I'm not as widely read in the Star Wars universe as others so it probably doesn't mean much when I say it's the best one I've read, but it's true! I also need to fangirl about Han in this book, because he and Leia gave me so many feels. SO MANY. 

Wishing For Wednesday #87

It's Wednesday again! 
Not surprising seeing as it's a weekly occurrence ya know! I'm really excited for this week's reads, I mean I'm excited every week but yeah. 
First up is the next book in a series by one of my favourite authors ever! I'm so excited to see what happens to the characters next, and I'm anticipating pain and angst! Although I'm not sure if this is the right cover! 
Second is a book for all you fellow nerds! It's a new Star Wars book by yet another of my favourite authors, and I'm so excited to read it! I still need to read her other Star Wars book though! 

Soldier

A fighter dedicated to saving humankind from dragons in strictest secrecy.

That was what Garret Xavier Sebastian thought he was part of as a soldier of the Order of St. George. What he learned from a fiery dragon hatchling twisted all he believed in and set him on a collision course with certain death-but not without a chance to put things right.

Betrayed and on the run again, Ember and rogue dragon Riley discover an unthinkable truth about Talon and St. George. They'll need Garret's skills and insider knowledge of the Order to negotiate an impossible deal-and if they fail, there will be no way to stop all-out war.

Soldier is out May 5th, pre-order your copy....here! 
Add it to your TBR....here! 

Star Wars: Bloodline

From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Lost Stars comes a thrilling prequel to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, set roughly six years before the events of the film.

That's legit all I can find about it! But ya know....Star Wars and Claudia Gray so it's gonna be awesome!

Bloodline is out May 5th, pre-order your copy....here! 

Add it to your TBR....here!

Wishing For Wednesday #13

Soooo this week, I'm really, really excited for the next in a series of mine that I've been reading for YEARS and I always go ages and then I'm like "oooh I wonder if there's a new one yet" and so yeah. Woo!
Then there's a new book by a favourite author of mine, I've read all her other series and so I'm excited to see what's in store with this one!
Finaaallyy I have got the second book in a series, by another favourite author of mine, which is looking to be an exciting one!
I should note now, that there's not many books out this month that have made my WFW, sooo there's gonna be a week with only one and a couple weeks with only two, and so far December is shaping up to be the same! I'll try and stretch them out but I do like doing them the week before they're released if possible!

Anyways on with things!

Reap The Wind

You’d think that being Chief Seer for the supernatural world would come with a few perks. But as Cassie Palmer has learned, being Pythia doesn’t mean you don’t have to do things the hard way. That’s why she finds herself on a rescue mission skipping through time—even though she doesn't entirely understand her dimension-bending new power. 

Rescuing her friend John Pritkin should have been an in and out kind of deal, but with the near-immortal mage’s soul lost in time, Cassie has to hunt for it through the ages—with Pritkin’s demon dad in tow. He’s the only one who can reverse Pritkin’s curse, but with the guardians of the time-line dead set on stopping anyone from mucking about, Cassie will have to figure out how to get her friend back without ruffling too many feathers—or causing a world-ending paradox or two...

Reap The Wind is out now! Buy your copy here.

A Thousand Pieces Of You 

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

A Thousand Pieces Of You is out now! Buy your copy here

Waterfall

Eureka’s tears have flooded the earth, and now Atlantis is rising, bringing with it its evil king, Atlas. Eureka is the only one who can stop him, but first she must learn how to fight. She travels across the ocean with Cat, her family, and Ander, the gorgeous and mysterious Seedbearer who promises to help her find Solon, an enigmatic lost Seedbearer who knows how to defeat Atlas.

Once on land, Eureka is taunted by gossipwitches, a group of displaced Atlantean sorceresses, and ambushed by locals struggling to survive amid the destruction her tears have wrought. And she feels no closer to facing Atlas or saving the world when Solon lets slip that love is Ander’s weakness, and that any affection he feels toward her makes him age faster.

Trying to make sense of the dark world her sorrow has created, Eureka receives startling insight from an enchanted pond. Her bewildering reflection reveals a soul-crushing secret: if she’s strong enough, Eureka can draw on this knowledge to defeat Atlas—unless her broken heart is just what he needs to fuel his rising kingdom...

In Waterfall, Eureka has the chance to save the world. But she’ll have to give up everything—even love.

Waterfall is out November 6th, pre-order your copy here.