SWBC: My favorite Star Wars books of 2022
Plus: Favorite non-Star Wars reads of the year and some reading goals for 2023.
My favorite Star Wars reads of 2022
With so many great Star Wars books released in 2022, it was difficult to pick favorites. All of the new Star Wars books released this year I gave at least four stars. This year was also an exciting time for fans of all eras of Star Wars — from the original trilogy characters and the Clone Wars to the sequel era.
Here are my favorites of the year — with my reviews.
New releases
Midnight Horizon: The concluding YA book in Phase 1 of The High Republic was a surprise hit for me after a slow start and a focus on new characters on Corellia. But I cannot stop thinking about the beautiful and gut-wrenching scene of Reath Silas becoming a Jedi Knight. I tear up and get chills just thinking about it.
Queen’s Hope: The final book in the Padmé trilogy finally gives us the story we’ve wanted and the story she deserves. These books add much-needed depth and details that are sorely missing from the films, providing a bit of hope amidst so much tragedy.
Brotherhood: Like the Queen’s trilogy, Brotherhood gave us the Clone Wars/Anakin-Obi-Wan story we’ve waited 20 years for. Mike Chen deftly captures the actors’ and characters’ spirits on the page, presenting key moments and challenges as their relationship evolves from master and apprentice to brothers in arms.
Shadow of the Sith: It’s been a few years since The Rise of Skywalker, but it feels like we’ve been waiting forever for answers about Rey Skywalker’s parentage and what exactly happened to Luke Skywalker before The Force Awakens. Adam Christopher’s chunky novel answers those questions and more while giving a dark and intense Luke and Lando adventure.
The Princess and the Scoundrel: If I had $1 for every time I smiled and giggled while reading this book from Beth Revis, I’d have a lot of dollars. It’s a beautiful and romantic story, but it’s also an important one that shows the grief, heartbreak, and trauma experienced by Princess Leia and Han Solo in the aftermath of Return of the Jedi.
Path of Deceit: This YA novel by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland was the perfect way to kick off Phase 2 of The High Republic. It’s giving secretive Force cults and star-crossed romance while teasing more heartbreak and destruction to come.
Convergence: An enemies-to-lovers romance mixed with a war story and set in space, driven by morally gray characters you can’t help but fall for. The first adult book in Phase 2 of The High Republic is as action-packed as it is quietly intimate.
Legends and previously released books
Rogue Squadron and Wedge’s Gamble: Thanks to the Essential Legends Collection, this year I finally got into the X-Wing series — reading the first two books following Rogue Squadron’s missions post-Return of the Jedi. I can’t recommend these books and their new unabridged audiobooks enough.
Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter: This Legends prequel book was the sleeper hit of the year for me. I’m forever yelling about the incredible new audiobook narrated by Darth Maul voice actor Sam Witwer. It’s dark and chilling and shows Maul in his prime as a Sith apprentice.
Revenge of the Sith: Hands down, the best film novelization in all of Star Wars — and probably in the history of film novelizations. Whether the physical copy or audiobook, Revenge of the Sith is necessary reading for every Star Wars fan.
Thrawn and Thrawn: Alliances: I can’t believe I waited this long to get into the Thrawn trilogy that reintroduced the EU character into the new canon. Thrawn (2017) was a great story fleshing out Imperial characters, and Alliances provided a fantastic Thrawn POV tale that explored his past and present relationship with Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader.
Top books of 2022 — non-Star Wars books
Beyond Star Wars books, I also read pretty much all other genres of books — excluding Westerns, which are not my jam. Surprisingly to no one, my favorite genre is fantasy — epic fantasy, high fantasy, fantasy romance, and sometimes sci-fi fantasy.
These are my top non-Star Wars reads of the year — most of which I gave five stars.
The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy: A quirky, steampunk-esque fantasy romance that’s as much about darkness and death as it is about love and life.
A Kingdom of Stars and Shadows and A Kingdom of Blood and Betrayal: The first two in a new fantasy romance series that tackles fan-favorite fae and vampire tropes in a fresh and spicy way.
The Bonds That Tie series: An urban paranormal romance series that’s sweet, spicy, and full of thrills and mystery from the very first page.
Hester: A witchy, feminist retelling of key plot points of The Scarlet Letter, this time told from the POV of the woman who inspired heroine Hester Prynne.
Hook, Line, and Sinker: A fun, sweet, and spicy contemporary romance set in a small fishing town from love story queen Tessa Bailey. The followup to her It Happened One Summer.
Defy the Night and Defend the Dawn: My favorite new YA series I started this year is full of fresh takes on the fantasy genre, with touches of Robin Hood but without magic or fae.
Our Crooked Hearts: A contemporary YA paranormal tale perfect for fans of The Craft and teens messing with dark magic with dangerous consequences.
The Poppy War: A dark, violent, and heartbreaking military fantasy inspired by brutal historical moments from 20th century China — with lore-filled magic.
We Carry Their Bones: A nonfiction novel by Dr. Erin Kimmerle, a forensic anthropologist at the University of South Florida, who led a team in a project to find, exhume, and identify undocumented graves at a former boys reform school in Florida. Read my story and interview with Dr. Kimmerle for Creative Loafing.
Piranesi: One of the strangest books I’ve ever read, but also one of the most fascinating and heartbreaking. If you love lore-inspired puzzle boxes, give this one a try.
Elektra: Reimagined Greek mythology from Jennifer Saint. This one follows Clytemnestra, Cassandra, and Elektra — three women linked to one another over the decades through a curse and the wheelings and dealings of men and gods.
A Shadow in the Ember: The first in a spin-off series of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash world — a retelling of sorts of the main character’s ancestor but with more magic, drakens (dragons, basically), and angsty, intense romance.
Reading resolutions for 2023
Read more diversely: This needs to be on everyone’s list of reading resolutions ever year. In the new year, I want to read more books by authors and about characters who don’t look like me. I want to read more from BIPOC authors and queer writers as well as from those whose life experiences are completely different than my own.
Read a few more nonfiction books or memoirs: Having spent most of my 20s in school and reading nonfiction, I needed a break from history tomes. But I’m ready to add more to my TBR for 2023 — especially books about pop culture history and space.
Read more Star Wars Legends: I’m a prequel kid, but I did not obsess over the former Expanded Universe of Star Wars books as they were coming out in the 1990s and early 2000s. But I want to work on catching up with the essentials next year, starting with continuining the X-Wing novels.
Read Star Wars authors’ other books: If I love Claudia Gray’s and Beth Revis’s and Mike Chen’s Star Wars books, I’m sure to love their non-Star Wars books right? Anyway, I’m excited to read Beth’s Museum of Magic and Mike’s Vampire Weekend (Jan. 31) next year.
Patronize the library: 2022 was the year I finally got a library card — but I didn’t use it nearly as much as I should. I want to change that in 2023 — mainly because my bookshelves are more than overflowing.
Holiday book haul
Between Christmas gifts, Thriftbooks, and Barnes & Noble’s two-day hardcover sale, I’ve acquired A LOT of books in the last week.
I’m particularly excited about growing my Tolkien collection with the beautiful new illustrated The Silmarillion and The Hobbit. I also can’t wait to dive into The Dinosaur Lords, which I’ve heard is a mix of Game of Thrones and Jurassic Park — absolutely sold.
What books did you get for the holidays? Share your favorites in the comments!
Star Wars books and comics out this week
Dec. 27
Dec. 28
Release updates:
The High Republic Adventures #2 is moved to Jan. 11, 2023.
Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories #4 is moved to Jan. 18, 2023.
The High Republic Adventures: The Nameless Terror #1 is moved to Feb. 22, 2023.
Coming soon to Space Wizard Books
The Battle of Jedha review
This time next week, there will be a new audio original Star Wars story out in the world. This one is set during Phase 2 of The High Republic and sees characters and storylines converging on Jedha for a historic peace treaty between long-warring planets Eiram and E’ronoh.
My recommendations for reading before digging into The Battle of Jedha — Path of Deceit and Convergence.
I’m currently listening to audio files for The Battle of Jedha (the story is about 5 hours long), and my full review will arrive in next week’s newsletter.
Reminder: The Jan. 3 release is for the audio version; the script book of The Battle of Jedha is due out on Feb. 14.
Star Wars books and comics arriving in January 2023
Top releases:
The Battle of Jedha (Jan. 3)
The Book of Boba Fett Junior Novel (Jan. 3)
Darth Vader #30 (Jan. 11)
Star Wars Legends: The New Republic Omnibus Vol. 1 (Jan. 24)
The Revenge of the Sith novelization is amazing!! One of my top reads from this year too!