Lost Stars

A fantastic adventure in the Star Wars Universe. I loved the Romeo & Juliet theme that ran throughout. This book is for all those that want a "practical" adventure in the world of Star Wars. There is very little little use of the "Force" although it is mentioned many times. Lost Stars has everyday heroes with timeless human problems that make them very familiar. I was a bit hesitant going into the "New Canon" that Disney and Lucasfilm have commissioned, but I enjoyed it tremendously. In any of these Star Wars universe books it's easy to throw in a cameo of Luke or Han and really get an instant thrill. But that was not a tactic used by Gray in this book. This story rests very much on the shoulders of the main characters, and I had no problem with that as I quickly became a fan of them.

I thought this was such a fun novel that really did start the series of to bang. It is set at the tale end of the new hope saga but it was such a great read. I loved the subtle tie backs to characters and worlds that we know. i really loved the timeline of this book because it streached years and followed these two characters throughout the battle between the rebellion and the empire. I loved the two characters in this read. There realtionship was very unique and found it to be a nice balance between friends and maybe something more. This book also tackled loyalty and staining up for what you believe in. I really flew through this read! excited to tackle more reads in this long series soon.

Whilst Lost Stars might feature some unremarkable prose, it's examination of the larger scale conflict through the eyes of two soldiers on either side is captivating. Thane and Cienna are a great pair of characters and seeing their developing relationship against the backdrop of war was thrilling.

The first few chapters of this book seemed really disjointed. However, I felt very attached to the characters and was eager to see where the narrative took them. With every chapter and every event I knew about, I couldn't put the book down. I slowly got used to the split points of view, and how they reflected and echoed each other is a poetic way. The realisation that the Empire isn't what Ciena thought it was was written so well. I knew at some point that it would happen, it had to, but I felt the emotion of that betrayal. I felt like I watched Ciena Ree and Thane Kyrell grow up. This narrative gave me strong Romeo and Juliet vibes but so so much better. Ciena and Thane's relationship showed the flaws in their idealist views, how easy it was to be trapped, and how hard it seemed, albeit mentally, to get out of the Empire. This is a book that will be on my recommendations list. It has its flaws, but I've never been as invested.