Length: 409 pages, hardcover Genre: Science Fiction
The premise (from Goodreads):
A young adult novel, written by New York Times Best-selling author Claudia Gray, about sixteen-year-old Princess Leia, set before A New Hope.
My thoughts:
“Apparently, every once in a while, leadership meant abandoning decorum and yelling as loud as you could.”
Well, since the blurb up top isn’t much of a premise, let’s add this as well. This book is about Leia’s transition from princess to heir of the Alderaan throne. In order to inherit, she must prove herself as worthy by completing three challenges: of the body, the mind and the heart. In the process, she finds out more about the galaxy at large, the reach of the Empire, and why her parents are suddenly so busy with dinner parties and political 
meetings to ever talk to her. It’s really a great book if you want to read more about Leia, and I feel the author completely nailed her characterization.
Yes, this novel is a young adult book (not that I have any problems with that), and it’s a compelling story that’s tightly written; a surprising amount of the plot all ties together. I’m certain many adults would enjoy this as well as teens.
Also, because we all know what happens to Alderaan, I felt gutted every time the author describes how Alderaan is such a beautiful planet, and of course the people seem absolutely perfect. They’re hopeful and moral and trying to do what’s right, and they have such optimism. Right. I’m heartbroken again.
I love how this novel ties in with the newest movie, The Last Jedi, and introduces us to Amilyn Holdo and the salt planet (which was in the trailers, so shouldn’t count as a spoiler). Holdo is absolutely brilliant and completely eccentric and I want to read more books about her adventures now that I’ve gotten a chance to know her better. When I watched The Last Jedi, I had no idea who Holdo was, but I know when I re-watch it I’m going to care a hell of a lot more.
There’s also a love story as Leia allows herself to think a little about what she wants and not just what she needs to do as princess and heir, and it felt so natural. She’s sixteen. It’s a lovely story and complicated by the fact that he has an Alderaan-first mindset, while Leia’s adopted parents are looking to save the entire galaxy; Leia has to decide what she believes.
“We hate the Empire’s cruelty and violence. How can we claim to be morally superior when we stoop to violence ourselves?”
Mon Mothma answered him. “There comes a time when refusing to stop violence can no longer be called nonviolence. We cease to be objectors and become bystanders. At some point, morality must be wedded to action, or else it’s no more than mere…vanity.”
They kiss, and it alludes to more, and apparently that enraged a few fans who read the novel since they were under the impression that Leia was “untouched” when she met with Han Solo. Really? We’re keeping track? I wasn’t and I was totally invested in this first relationship, despite knowing who she eventually ends up.
If you are looking to learn more about Leia, I completely recommend this book. She’s brave, feisty, incredibly clever, and yet she makes mistakes, gets manipulated and tricked, and occasionally lucks out with the Force. She grows and learns, and we see exactly how the Leia we met in A New Hope got her start.
“We look at our challenges—at our lessons—as things we master in order to achieve our goals. But the most important lessons in life sometimes have to do with what happens when we fail. How do we know when to surrender and walk away? How do we judge our own part in our failures? Is it something to learn from, or just bad luck? And how do we pick ourselves up again afterward?“
Interested in reading this book? Check it out on Goodreads, and/or your favourite bookseller.
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