Name: Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens Lost Stars
ISBN: 9781484724989

Claudia Gray

This thrilling Young Adult novel gives readers a macro view of some of the most important events in the Star Wars universe, from the rise of the Rebellion to the fall of the Empire. Readers will experience these major moments through the eyes of two childhood friends--Ciena Ree and Thane Kyrell--who have grown up to become an Imperial officer and a Rebel pilot. Now on opposite sides of the war, will these two star-crossed lovers reunite, or will duty tear them--and the galaxy--apart? Star Wars: Lost Stars also includes all-new post-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi content, as well as hints and clues about the upcoming film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, making this a must-read for all Star Wars fans.

Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens Lost Stars

The Empire can be seductive, particularly if you're an aspiring young pilot... Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree both know this very well when they enroll Imperial Academy, eager to pursue their dreams. When Thane discovers the darker side of the Empire, though, and defects to the Rebellion, the pair's lifelong friendship will be put to the ultimate test. Will Thane and Ciena's relationship -- or even they themselves -- survive this galactic conflict...?

Star Wars Lost Stars, Vol. 1 (manga)

chloe rae

Dimitris Papastergiou

Yeah. This is ok.

Was SUPER excited to read this and started reading about this guy, Thane, also got me excited, especially starting to read about when he was little, so we get to see him grow up and stuff, just like reading about Kanan growing up, and also since this guy is trying for the Empire and to be a damn Stormtrooper. Sounds real promising.

But...

It's not. It's ok. It's not interesting, it personally at least not interest me at all, it reads not like a Star Wars themed manga, but like a sci-fi over the top drama manga ( aren't they all? ) that exaggerates every single feeling the characters have ( aren't they all? ) and that's just too much of everything ( Aren't. They. All. )

Basically it feels like reading One Piece in space (w/o the powers). And I wanted to read Star Wars.

This is ok I guess if you're a kid. Other than that, I'm really hoping once he grows up it'll get better, so I'm gonna continue reading hoping!

Will the end of the conflict mean the end of their story...? Thane and Ciena have survived to see the destruction of one Death Star and the construction of another, but as they watch from opposite sides as the Empire crumbles, can anything but tragedy await them at the end of their journey?

Star Wars Lost Stars, Vol. 3 (manga)

It was ok.

Great idea, ok story, meh dialogue. The over the top reactions of the manga style chars and all that is clearly NOT fit for a Star Wars story to be told. 

*SPOILERS FROM NOW ON*

Had my problems with the characters too,in many occasions, for example, Ciena watches footage of how the AT-ATs got destroyed on Hoth, and she immediately goes "THAT'S THANE!" "only HE could be flying that way", "Only HE could find a way to bring down the AT-AT's" No. --fuck outta here-- that you know that it's him because you were childhood friends. A huge no. 

So right after that, Ciena goes - HE PROMISED, I'LL GET REVENGE ON THANE - (that he wouldn't join the rebels), well, he didn't you dumbass, he just said he wouldn't join, cuz he didn't like either side, and if he did?! So what? You're not even talking, you haven't seen each other in ages, he changed his fucking mind, how fucking unrealistic for the writer to expect us to believe that she's spending all the time throughout her fucking life talking and thinking about Thane but OH when she suspects that HE joined the good guys, now he has to die. fuck outta here.. that's lazy writing.

Then, at the end I'm waiting for a pay off, and Thane goes to the ship that's going on purpose down or something with Ciena in it, and she's like... go... save yourself.. I'll stay and go down with my ship... the captain always goes down with the ship is what they say.. they have my parents so I have to stay and die." Really? 

And then at the end the villain who's going to fuck shit up over dramatically and shit... sucked. So fucking bad. Like, let's finish this off with that shit so we can get off work.

Yeah. This was ok. This was at best something to read if you're 15. If that was the target group, then ok!

The idea and the whole plot being intertwined with the events from the movies is good. Even Thane as a character I liked, but everything else was mediocre or just plain bad.

Would NOT recommend, unless you really wanna read about Thane I guess. 

Star Wars + Manga = NO

The conclusion of the thrilling manga adaptation of Claudia Gray's Star Wars Lost Stars novel! What does destiny have in store for Thane and Ciena?

Star Wars Lost Stars, Vol. 2 (manga)

Gets better than the first one! 

I like the plot. Much more interesting and gets into the story and between Star Wars events and whatnot. 

Really want to see how Thane's life gonna turn out in the end.

Audrey Lord

I absolutely love the way Gray writes in the star wars universe. I fall in love more and more with star wars with every page. I want more

Gillian Rose

I loved this book so much. Thane and Ciena were absolutely perfect.

Ashley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Please excuse me while I rewatch the original trilogy because this book has reignited my desire. 

Thane & Ciena have definitely made it into my top Star Wars romances. Granted, there isn’t a ton of them, but still. The way this book is almost all of the best love tropes but is also VERY Star Wars is just… *chefs kiss* 

⚠️ Spoilers past this point ⚠️

We have best friends, to enemies, to forbidden love. But we also have, THE CLASSICS. I wasn’t surprised at the first Leia cameo or Han name drop, but when Wedge was the person to recruit Thane I was shook. I love getting more of Wedge! I also love that Thane’s squad was on both Hoth and Endor. I can’t wait to rewatch the movies and see if I can pinpoint an x-wing to head cannon as Thane. (Or maybe he’s already confirmed in the movies and I don’t have to head canon???) 

I also adore how Claudia, our dear author, has given us a transition between all three trilogies. We have all references to the Clone Wars, the time period of the OG’s, and the set up for the New Republic. Possibly some set up for Rey’s intro at Jakku also? 

BUT OK - CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE ENDING?? Because 1. WHAT HAPPENED TO THANE AND CIENA?? And 2. WHAT HAPPENED TO NASH LOL HES WITH PALPS??? 

Anyways this book is amazing and a must read for anyone wanting to dive deeper into the Star Wars universe.

Ryan LaFerney

a great adaptation of one of the best books from the Disney Star Wars cannon era. I desperately want this adapted to live action as well!

This is a manga adaptation of perhaps one of the best new canon Star Wars books, Lost Stars. Let's just say this: This story is wonderful and should be made into a movie. But, at the very least, this manga adaptation is the next best thing.

Lost Stars is a rather solid entry in the Star Wars canon, although I personally found the YA romance tropes to be a bit strange within the Star Wars universe. My prudish tendencies aside, I found the intertwining stories of villager Ciena Ree and upper class Thane Kyrell both from the Outer Rim planet Jelucian to be rather engaging. The pair are brought together by a chance childhood encounter and bond over their shared dream of being Imperial pilots. The novel chronicles their training in the galactic capital but it is when they graduate and witness one of the Empire's most despicable acts, that the novel kicks in to gear. This act prompts very different reactions from Ciena and Thane, as one gradually loses faith in its totalitarian governance of the Emprie and other rationalizes the effort to bring a decisive end to Galactic Civil War. Taking place over the course of the original trilogy, the climax of the book happens during the battle of Jakku, bringing us slight insight into the new era of The First Order vs. The Resistance. 

Reading this book will forever challenge how one views the original Star Wars trilogy because Gray's novel gives us more insight into the suffering that many endured (including those fighting for the cause of the Empire) for the sake of restoring justice and peace within the galaxy.

Pretty much my first star wars novel, really liked how it used the stuff shown in movies and go more in depth and fleshing it out without overwhelming stories plus the characters were quite interesting overall def a great read 

Param Makwana

The reign of the Galactic Empire has reached the Outer Rim planet of Jelucan, where aristocratic Thane Kyrell and rural villager Ciena Ree bond over their love of flying. Enrolling at the Imperial Academy is nothing less than a dream come true for both of them. But Thane sours on the dream when he sees firsthand the horrific tactics the Empire uses to maintain its ironclad rule. Bitter and disillusioned, he joins the fledgling Rebellion--putting Ciena in an unbearable position between her loyalty to the Empire and her love for the man she's known since childhood. Now on opposite sides of the war, will these friends turned foes ever find a way to be together, or will duty tear them--and the galaxy--apart?

Star Wars Lost Stars

Thomas Rock

Works really well as a YA novel and a SW novel, best SW novel I've read

Lisa Benavides

Being my first Star Wars book I read, I am impressed! Everything I expected. Characters with extreme depth, and ones I grew up with from the original movies and of course, suspense. I loved how Claudia Gray ended each chapter intensely, leaving the reader wanting more. Bravo!

Alexia Cambaling

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Never again will I take for granted a full day just for reading. It's been so long since I finished a book in one day that I forgot how it feels.

Lost Stars is a good book, but it's also a frustrating one. I get it, because we know what happens in the movies, in some ways, we know more than these characters do. Still, it's very frustrating to see characters you've grown to like turn a blind eye to fascism and even justify it.

Thane Kyrell was someone I can relate to on a personal level. He's a very cynical person and to a certain extent, so am I. He is very naive and idealistic when it comes to love, though. He really did believe in Ciena and in some cases, his belief was justified. I feel sad for him though, knowing that someone you love could grasp at straws trying to defend something that's evil. His POV was enjoyable. He struggled at first, but then he found something he could really believe in.

Ciena was more of a mixed bag. I admire her competency and to a certain extent, even her honor. However, I refuse to believe that honor is more important than the lives of people or than freedom. I understand that it's her culture and all that, but it's so unhealthy. She was grasping at straws trying to defend the genocide of an entire planet, of building a Death Star in the first place and she was being an apologist for fascism.

In the end, she was broken, depressed, and suicidal because she couldn't take it anymore. And instead of finally accepting everything she believed in was wrong and she could right it, she decides her honor is more important, her "loyalty" to the empire is more important. That's not loyalty- it's being self-serving because it makes you feel better.

Nash Windrider takes the cake for the worst person in the book though. What kind of person sees his planet and everything he loves get destroyed and then decide that giving in to fascism is the better option?

Still, despite my frustrations with the characters, I really did enjoy this book. I liked seeing through the eyes of Imperial officers and what they thought. At some point, they probably believed they were the good guys. Maybe at the end, they refused to acknowledge they weren't. Perhaps that's the real tragedy- every side in the war believed they were right, until they were proven wrong. Honestly, I would have given this a higher rating if the apologism for a fascist regime didn't annoy me so much. 

The ending was more open-ending than I usually like for a standalone, so I'm hoping for a sequel. Or at least some acknowledgment of what happens to the characters elsewhere.

stuck between 4 and 4.5, Claudia Gray is a SW queen. This book has broken my heart too much, especially the last chapters, that I don’t think I can recover anytime soon.

This is a love story in Star Wars universe but this is not the fluff you’re looking for. It’s friends to lovers to...I wouldn’t call that enemies. Just bitter and at different sides. What I loved the most is that the love they had
for each other didn’t change when Thane joined Rebel Alliance. 

Claudia has an amazing way of combining emotions and actions. She understands the way of SW very well, that’s how the force works! She’s also incredible with SW OCs. They’re all so lovable and have interesting backstories, you can feel their emotions. These two totally deserved better but the war never lets that, huh? It was a salad of emotions and at the end, all I need is a new heart because the current one is dead thanks to Lost Stars.

b.andherbooks

Another of the "new canon" Star Wars novels, and again I was very happy! I slightly agree with the Romeo and Juliet comparison, but there are elements that make this far different. What I loved the most was the way Grey made me challenge my beliefs about the Empire, storm troopers, and how I feel about the Death Star(s) blowing up. Way to go!

I'll be writing a real review soon, hopefully for my library's blog.