Kiersten White

Padawan

I received an ARC from Edelweiss, I would give it a 4.5/5 :) 

To start a story about Obi Wan is a sure way to my heart, especially young Obi Wan. It was a coming of age story, while being completely relatable to someone who has entered the world of adulting a while ago. Not only where the characters relatable, but they were very capable and made choices like actual people would (big boon for me!). 
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Star Wars, but also if someone wanted a space adventure book with a super cool planet! :)

Emma Daniels

Dimitris Papastergiou

Set in 41 BBY 

It was (unfortunately) an ok read. And (sadly) I'm being generous here. Mainly because this is a character I really liked since I was a kid, and here we don't get that character. We get a story written for teenagers I guess, which I guess they would like? Maybe? I wanted to like the story, but it's not that interesting, there were some good moments but to get to those moments, there was plenty of Obi Wan being a kid and bitching and crying about everything, constantly feeling not good enough and not worthy of Qui-Gon or being a Jedi. 

I would get that being mentioned once or twice, like, we get it, he's a teen and he doesn't trust himself, there's no need to mention this every other page for half a book, so unless you're in a group called Readers With Amnesia, then this will get too repetitive too fast. The worst thing is it felt nothing like Star Wars, especially if you come from the Legends era novels, this isn't an adult read.

I didn't have any problems with characters and whatnot, and the main plot was good and interesting at first, and I was really excited for the adventure Kenobi was to embark to, without questioning how's and why's with all the conveniences about the story and Obi Wan being able to leave the temple unnoticed and not followed by anyone. But, there was no payoff, the whole plot wasn't fun and pretty much nothing happened. The only thing I liked and felt something at all was that Dex makes an appearance and that was a nice surprise. Other than that, Obi Wan didn't feel like Obi Wan most of the time, the kids were boring, the main villain was nothing to write home about and the whole story was written like a YA novel which I'm not a huge fan of.

If you really need to read about Obi Wan, read something else, if you really  need  to read everything that includes Obi Wan, then by all means.

TL/DR: It was ok, just an adventure for teenagers that doesn't feel like Star Wars.

Kimberly Burgess 

Was this book perfect? 
No.
Did I love it anyways? 
YES. 
Would I have loved it if it was the same story about a Padawan who was not Obi-Wan? 
Maybe.

But it was very enjoyable and added more layers to Obi-Wan's character AND you get to see him meet Dex, which is so fun! If you're an Obi-Wan fan, it's worth a listen to the audiobook!

Rebecca Raven

Star Wars: Padawan by Kiersten White is a stand-alone novel in the expanded Star Wars universe. Obi-Wan has just been apprenticed to Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. As his fellow Padawan friends leave on missions and go on adventures, Obi-Wan feels left out and frustrated with his master's teaching methods. When Qui-Gon finally sanctions a mission Obi-Wan is ecstatic, but his master doesn't show up. Impulsively, Obi-Wan leaves on the mission alone soon finding himself on a faraway planet surrounded by force sensitive kids. But young Obi-Wan feels that something is not right on this planet. His will and connection to the force will be tested and only time will tell if Obi-Wan will come out a Padawan when all is said and done. 

I have grown up completely in love with Star Wars and with Obi-Wan Kenobi. This novel was a refreshing read about a youthful Obi-Wan and showed that he wasn't always the patient and wise Jedi Master he is known to be. This book had the magic of Star Wars while adding something new to the story. 


The only negative thing I can say about the audiobook specifically is the background music. I love the Star Wars soundtrack but at times the music and sound effects were distracting and I missed words. The music also sounds odd when listening to the audiobook at anything other than 1x speed. I normally listen at 3x but had to turn it down to 2-2.5x because of the sound effects. 

All that being said, I would recommend this book and audiobook to anyone who is a fan of Star Wars and Obi-Wan Kenobi. 


Thank you to Disney and Netgalley for a review copy of this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Padawan

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