SWBC: Star Wars books I want to give another chance

Plus: Updates on what I've been reading and writing.

Jan 19, 2024

Star Wars books that deserve another chance

I’ve read a lot of Star Wars books. I’ve read most of the “new canon” books published since Disney bought Lucasfilm, and I’m slowly making my way through Legends.

I like all of the Star Wars books I read and many of them I love and consider among my favorite books of all time. But some Star Wars books didn’t live up to my expectations, fell flat, or just didn’t excite me as much as I wanted them to.

I want to give these books another chance in hopes I will like them better the second time around.

The High Republic: Out of the Shadows

Out of the Shadows is my least favorite High Republic book so far, and that makes me sad to say. There are so many great High Republic stories that just keep coming, but Out of the Shadows didn’t live up to the expectations I (and other readers) had set based on reading the books that came before it.

The young adult novel is a follow-up to Into the Dark and follows Padawan Reath Silas, his Master Cohmac Vitus, Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh, and young cargo hauler Sylvestri Yarrow as they navigate galactic politics and Nihil machinations to undermine the Republic’s government.

In my original review from July 2021, I said Out of the Shadows excelled with character development and focus and left off with a suspenseful ending. That sentiment still holds, but now that I’ve read all of Phase 1 and Phase 2, and currently reading the start of Phase 3, I look back and realize how inconsequential the book was.

Still, I want to give the book another chance, especially since my favorite parts were spent with Vernestra, the youngest Jedi Knight at the time.

A New Dawn

I’m a huge Rebels fan, and it pains me that I only gave A New Dawn three stars. I loved the beginning, and I was hopeful for a solid Kanan origin story along with details of how he met Hera.

The book delivered that and was full of classic Star Wars action. But it was just…fine. I expected more emotional depth and development, but it read like a compilation of Rebels-esque missions starring Kanan and Hera.

Did I not enjoy the book because I read it via audiobook first? It’s possible that I zoned out at key moments or struggled to keep tabs on what was going on. But I want to give A New Dawn another chance — this time the old-fashioned reading a hardcover way.

What Star Wars books do you want to give another chance? Share them in the comments!

Reading and writing updates

I’ve had a busy start to 2024. That’s why this newsletter is hitting your inbox on a Friday instead of a Wednesday. I’m sure you don’t mind.

Last week, the spring semester started, and I again have two in-person classes to teach. Luckily, I’ve taught these classes before, so it’s just a matter of making small adjustments to the material as I go. I’ve got two great groups of journalism students, and they’ve already come up with some fantastic story ideas for the semester.

With my freelance work, I’ve got a couple of exciting stories that I’ll finally finish and hand in later this week.

What else I’ve been working on: Updating my library/office area and these shelves! They look so much better now.

What I’m working on

For Creative Loafing Tampa Bay: Gasparilla story featuring an interview with an author who wrote a historical romance inspired by the legendary pirate. If you don’t know what Gasparilla is, I highly recommend looking it up — it’s a giant weekend-long pirate party celebrating Florida’s most famous (possibly mythical) pirate.

For Star Wars Insider: The Phantom Menace 25th anniversary feature, including SO MANY fan memories. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to my call for memories. I cannot wait for you all to read this one. Keep an eye out for issue 225!

First reads of 2024

The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon: This Reylo fanfic-turned-traditionally published fantasy romance was honestly a struggle for me to finish. I fell in love with the original world-building and magic system, but about halfway through, I didn’t understand what the main story was. Other than pieces falling into place to get the two main characters together. I wanted to love this book, but it did not meet my high expectations. Will I read the next book? Of course.
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree: Everything everyone says about this book is true. It’s the epitome of cozy fantasy with decadent details and a super sweet romance subplot. I cannot wait to get to Bookshops & Bonedust.

When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker: My first five-star read of 2024 and now one of my favorite fantasy romances of all time. Holy cow, this book is good. It’s got dragons, a badass FMC with a mysterious and heartbreaking past, a brooding simp MMC, and an incredible elemental gods-based magic system. It’s a long book, but I flew through my digital ARC (thanks, The Nerd Fam!). It’s a cliche, but if you’re looking for your next dragon fantasy obsession, When the Moon Hatched is it.
The Eye of Darkness (reread) by George Mann: Thanks to being invited as a guest on the Star Wars Book Community Podcast again, I got to reread The Eye of Darkness. The podcast episode will be up soon, but one of the final points of the discussion with JournalsoftheWhills and VadersCastleLibrary (find them both on Instagram!) was that we learned how much we enjoyed this book by talking about it. I gave The Eye of Darkness five stars, but having our roundtable discussion reminded me of all the little details, scenes, and character work I loved so much. Our discussion came on the heels of my first book club meeting, where we spent a surprising amount of time discussing all the things we liked and disliked about our monthly book pick. Anyway, all this to say is that I’m a big fan of book clubs and talking about books with other people.

Currently reading/priority TBR

Psychology of The Mandalorian: At the end of last year, a source I used for a previous Star Wars story reached out and asked if I could read and blurb a book about the psychology of The Mandalorian. Of course, I said yes, and I’m having a great time reading the anthology of scholarly articles. I should have a print copy soon, and I’ll keep you all posted on when and where to snag a copy when it’s finally published. I’m almost finished reading, and I already highly recommend this book to all Star Wars fans.
The Legend of Gasparilla by S.T. Fernandez: Lovers of pirate romances, this one’s for you. But above all, this book is for the people of Tampa Bay, Florida, who take pirate lore and culture very seriously.
Escape From Valo by Daniel Jose Older and Alyssa Wong (Jan. 30): The next High Republic book arrives in two weeks! This one’s a middle-grade novel set on the planet Valo, which is behind the Stormwall in the Nihil-controlled Occlusion Zone. It’s not a great place to be a Jedi — or anyone, really — but Jedi like Ram Jomaram are fighting back in…interesting ways. Ram is known for being loveable, goofy, and an incredible mechanic and tinkerer, so I’m excited to see what havoc he wreaks to disrupt the Nihil’s unjust occupation.
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas: One of the most anticipated fantasy novels in the last couple of years finally arrives on Jan. 30. I’ve already read the A Court of Thorns and Roses series and Crescent City 1 and 2, but I’m about halfway through the Throne of Glass books. I likely won’t read all of the Throne of Glass series before House of Flame and Shadow arrives, but you bet I’m going to a midnight release party and starting the third Crescent City book that night.

What do you think of me including writing and reading updates in newsletters? Do you want to see more or less of what I’m reading and working on? Let me know in the comments!

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