Star Wars Rebel Rising

This one surprised me. Really good for a young adult novel.

For all those wondering what Jyn Erso was up to before the start of Rogue One, this is the book for you. Covering the time period directly after her mother's death and her subsequent rescue by Saw Gererra, a haunting sadness prevades the story, as young Jyn is raised by Saw, a man who obviously cares about her but is torn in many directions by his beliefs. Told strictly from Jyn's POV, I was definitely left wanting more but as a YA novel I can understand the narrow focus. The inclusion of a bit of romance was completely unnecessary in my opinion, but it at least was handled in a way that made sense. A fine read for those wanting a bit more of a glimpse into Jyn's character, but don't expect any stunning revelations or inside knowledge.

3.5

As a huge fan of Rogue One, I was excited to read Rebel Rising. This is the story of a stolen childhood, the tragedy of war, and the innocents' price. There is a lot of back and forth in this book, but the writing is clear and consistent. I really got to see the perspective of Saw Gerrera and explains Jyn's trust issues about her father. This answered so many of my questions. I loved seeing the galaxy of Star Wars from the perspective of everyday people. Having read James Luceno's Catalyst, I already had strong feelings about Jyn's situation. It is a tragedy for sure. From everything, she went through as a child, the forced participation with Saw, then everything between to how her story ends. This is a fairly quick and easy read, but it is dark -- like a lot of people die.

Such a compelling insight on how Jyn became who we see in Rogue One. Almost knocked a star off for the obligatory romance, just because I thought it detracted/distracted, but it didn’t take up much of the book.