Reviews
I love Leia, but Ransolm Casterfo really steals the show for me in this book. The politics can be a little slow and drags on a bit. However, I am addicted to the relationship between Leia and Ransolm!! I also love how this story portrays Leia and Han’s relationship. You can see how by the sequels they split, but that there is still a lot of history and love between them.
Loved it!!!!! so many plot twists, ties into the force awakens really well.
Claudia Gray's "Bloodline" provides vital links between the Original Trilogy and "The Force Awakens," with an excellent mix of political intrigue and action, giving readers enough details to infer just how the First Order comes to power (turns out they got a lot of their empire era ships from the outer rim were a certain emperor planned for them to be stored if he was to die but I digress) . We join Princess Leia in her role as a New Republic senator six years before the events of the new movie and find she has been negotiating a challenging political landscape since the fall of the Empire. The New Republic is now the political status quo with a Galactic Senate (or universal senate if you will) as its governing heart and the Senate is divided by Populists and Centrists, both of which share opposing ideals. The Galactic Senate, based on the doomed Hosnian Prime, has been divided into two distinct factions. Leia's side, the Populists, wish to see individual planets maintain autonomy, while the worryingly Imperial-sounding Centrists are pushing for a centralized galactic government backed by military might. The New Republic needs a leader, and as she wrestles with the truths of where she comes from, Leia is thrust into a position that she fears may tear the galaxy apart once again, especially if individuals discover exactly who her father was. Gray is perhaps the best writer in the new canon Star Wars universe and she demonstrates a clear understanding of Leia's personality. This was a riveting read, with some insightful tidbits regarding Leia's emotions about her father, her relationship with Han, and her love and concern for Ben (who is training with Luke in this novel). Gray immerses readers into the world of Star Wars. Bloodline is a fun novel that fills in some of the blanks about what happened between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens and is highly recommended.
I enjoyed Lost Stars a bit more than Bloodline, but this book is still a clear 5 star read for those that love the Star Wars universe. This book is a Lea story, pure and simple. And honestly, had I known that at the start, I'm not sure I would have read it. Lea is the politician and Han is the adventurer. I happen to prefer reading about the adventurer. However, this book has plenty of action and plenty of intrigue. Claudia Gray has a skill at bringing fictional characters to life with great depth and passion. And I think my 5 star rating is based almost entirely on the fact that the characters in Bloodline were so well written.
