The book, 'Leia: Princess of Alderaan' was released just over a week ago.
It was written by Claudia Gray, already known for her excellent work on Lost Stars and Bloodline.
The latter book was about Leia in the final years before The Force Awakens and the birth of the Resistance.
This new story is about Leia as a teenager
in the final years before the Galactic Civil War and the birth of the Rebellion.
I just finished it
and now it's time to talk about whether or not 'Leia: Princess of Alderaan' is worth your time and money
and this video will be spoiler free.
The short version is, yes, absolutely.
It's wonderful.
When it comes to Star Wars books, Claudia Gray is batting one hundred.
This almost feels
- is that a sports term? -
when it comes to Star Wars books, Claudia Gray is batting one thousand.
This almost feels like a mix between her previous two stories.
The obvious connection with Bloodline being that it's all about Leia rising into an important leader.
But this is also a young adult book and has some romantic elements to it, just like Lost Stars.
Don't let that dissuade you though, because Claudia Gray wrote everything superbly.
I often joke that reading Lost Stars turned me into a fifteen-year-old swooning girl.
Leia did the same thing.
It probably helps that Leia's love interest wants to be a historian studying the Clone Wars.
He's literally a Star Wars nerd within Star Wars.
Something I was not expecting was the role played by Queen Breha Organa.
Barely anything was previously known about her, even in Legends.
This is only her second real canon appearance
and she hardly did anything in Revenge of the Sith,
so I was excited to see her play such a major part in the book
and even more excited that she is awesome.
It's easy to see where Leia gets her strength from.
Not only do we get to see Breha for pretty much the first time
but we also see another side of Bail.
The man we see in the films is like his public face.
Courageous and devoted to the cause, but we get to see him behind closed doors.
He has doubts and fears and hopes that open war will not be necessary.
He wants to shield Leia and keep her safe
and it's often Breha that gives him the resolve to know what must be done.
As part of the 'Journey to The Last Jedi' line, there are plenty of references and hints about what's to come.
Discussion of the planet Crait, a fairly major part for Vice Admiral Holdo and more.
And of course there are connections and Easter eggs and references to other stories including the films,
Bloodline and Lost Stars.
I will say I think one time, it went a little too far, and I kinda rolled my eyes.
Most of the connections made sense but this one felt kind of like 3PO and R2 in Rogue One to me.
Unnecessary and made the galaxy seem a little too small,
but it was very subtle and fast and completely forgivable.
The rest of the connections to the larger galaxy not only made sense but could be downright thrilling.
There is an interaction with one unexpected but familiar face that had my heart pounding out of my chest.
Which is nuts if you think about it.
We know in the back of our minds that Leia, Bail, Breha,
and many of the other characters in this story will be fine by the end of the book.
But Claudia has such a talent for writing
that I was able to forget about all that and have real concern in the moments that mattered.
To restate the obvious I think this book is amazing.
Lucasfilm or Disney Publishing, or whoever is in charge of this sort of thing,
please keep Claudia Gray on standby.
Do whatever you have to do, but keep her writing Star Wars books for us.
So now you know my opinion on the book
but if you're still on the fence about spending your money well, hey maybe you'd like to get the audiobook for free.
The Leia, Princess of Alderaan audiobook is out now.
And you can get it for free by clicking on the link in the description or by going to
www.AudibleTrial.com/StarWarsExplained
If you sign up for a trial, you'll get a credit for one free book and you can use it on Leia
or a number of other Star Wars books, or get any book you want.
The point is, you get a free book and you'll be supporting the channel when you do.
But that's it for today
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As always, thanks for watching and may the Force be with you