Lost Stars
by Claudia Gray
2015
by Claudia Gray
2015
When
I started reading “Lost Stars” I thought it would be the YA Star Wars version of “Romeo
and Juliet” or “Twilight”. The reality is that “Lost Stars” is so much more and
so much better than that.
When
Ciena Ree and Thane Kyrell first meet each other they are small children and
bond over their dream to one day fly starships for the Imperial Navy. Nothing
however, is predictable about this novel. I spent the first part of the book
trying to figure out which one would eventually defect and join the Rebel Alliance.
Thane seems like an obvious choice because he is a skeptic and willing to
question everything. But then again Ciena is such a kind person who loves her
family and her village above all else. Could she really stay in the Empire
after the Death Star destroys Alderaan?
The
truth is that there are no easy answers in this book. There are only shades of
grey. Yes, the Empire is corrupt, but it is also full of good people who
believe in law and order. Yes, the Rebel Alliance is a terrorist organization
full of religious extremists, but it is also a volunteer army that respects the individuality of its members. Is Darth Vader a terrifying monster or is he just
a war veteran with “different needs”? This novel addresses those types of
issues.
This book is strongest when it’s about character relationships and the morally ambiguous decisions that they make. Claudia Gray does an amazing job portraying people with different viewpoints who are trying to understand each other. There are so many parallels between the galactic war and the world we live in today. This story could easily be set in 2017 America where one character is a Republican and one a Democrat. Or one character a Christian and one a Muslim. The way the characters are able to justify their own world-views to themselves feels especially relevant.
This
book is weakest when Ciena and Thane are the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (or
the Nikki and Paulo) of the Star Wars universe. The second and third acts of
the book shows us what Ciena and Thane were up to during the battles of Yavin,
Hoth, Endor, and Jakku. Most of the time it doesn’t feel too strained, but
sometimes when they place Thane or Ciena just off-screen from some major
moments of the movies, I had to roll my eyes a little.
That
said, “Lost Stars” focuses very little on the Legacy characters. Combine these
new characters with the fact that this is the first YA romance novel in the
Star Wars universe, and you get a novel that feels fresh. This is untrodden
ground.
The
novel is very popular among Star Wars fans and it has even received its own
Japanese Manga adaption. The first chapters can be found here- http://www.zingbox.me/manga/10302/STAR+WARS:+Lost+Stars
but remember to
read from right to left (like the Japanese do). Unlike the original novel, the
Manga reveals pretty quickly which character ends up defecting from the Empire,
so *Spoiler Alert*
Claudia
Gray is a veteran YA novelist, but “Lost Stars” is her first entry into the
Star Wars universe. However she crafted this book so meticulously, that I can’t
wait to read “Bloodline”, her ‘Princess-Leia-has-a-mid-life-crisis’ book.
Until
then… Happy Reading Star Wars Fans!
Brock’s Star Wars Book
Reviews
The
Aftermath Trilogy by Chuck Wendig
http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-aftermath-trilogy.html
http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-aftermath-trilogy.html
The
Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn
http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2013/02/star-wars-renaissance-thrawn-trilogy.html
http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2013/02/star-wars-renaissance-thrawn-trilogy.html
Shadows
of the Empire by Steve Perry
Galaxy
of Fear by John Whitman
http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2014/10/spooky-star-wars-halloween-special-part.html
http://roadto7.blogspot.com/2014/10/spooky-star-wars-halloween-special-part.html
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