Lost Stars – Review
“The reign of the Galactic Empire has reached the Outer Rim planet of Jelucan, where aristocratic Than 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 first-hand 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?”
Originally Published: 4 September 2015
Author: Claudia Gray
Publisher: Del Rey Books
Cover artist: Phil Noto
Star Wars Lost Stars by Claudia Gray. Courtesy of Del Rey Books
If you hadn’t guessed by the blurb this is a Star Wars book with Star Wars things so it’s not going to be everybody’s cup of tea. But going into this book, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew it was a new-canon Star Wars book, so I was expecting a joyful romp though space and to planets I knew well. I had also heard really good things about this book from many other Star Wars fans, so naturally it was the first book I ordered. Overall I expected a simple Star Wars adventure, one I would enjoy but wouldn’t really remember (like Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel).
What I didn’t expect, however, was how emotionally powerful this book was. From the very first page this book had me hooked. Now, I’m going to try and explain why.First of all, the characters. I didn’t expect to really care for the characters as they weren’t the ones from the films. They were completely new, unimportant people and they were just children! I thought ” I have to follow these kids as they grow up? There’s no chance this is gunna work”. But it did. You literally feel as if you grow up with these two children. You go through the same feelings they do. You try to work out the same problems they have. And you try to help make them do the right thing. The worst thing about this book is the inability you have to go into this world and tell them what’s really going on.
At the centre of this book is a love story. Plain and simple. It’s not a Sci-Fi action romp through space that I expected. It’s a beautiful, brutal, love story between two people who are torn apart by the war they have to fight. The moral dilemmas each of them face are understandable and you can see how each one reacts and why they react, but no matter what, you always want them to be together.
As well as these characters, the plot is also interesting. It is effectively the plot of the original trilogy except, it’s told by the individuals. Faces and personalities are given to members of the Empire and the Rebellion, making you really understand the gravity and loss that both sides suffer during the battles, something that you just can’t understand from watching the films.
Another nice little addition is the cameos. With this book running literally alongside and intertwined with the Original Star Wars trilogy I could expect some small references, but this book was filled with them. But the beauty was that although the cameo’s and references were abundant, they didn’t overshadow the story and the two main characters.
This book is really my favourite book I have ever read. I feel like I have lived the lives of these two characters through the course of this book. Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree will always be people who I shall remember and they will always be the lives I’d like to live. This book moved me in so many ways, it made me emotional in ways I thought I couldn’t be when reading a Star Wars book. This book is absolutely magnificent and it pains me that I finished it, and it hurts me even more that there’s no continuation.
That’s the books one con, it ends. I wanted this book to just keep going, to see how the characters continue on and to see what happens afterwards, and of course, maybe I will, but it is very unlikely.
If you like Star Wars or if you like Romance, if you love both. This is definitely a book you should read.
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