Star Wars: Lost Stars Paperback – August 1, 2017

"Two households, both alike in dignity,"Star Wars: Lost Stars is pretty much Romeo and Juliet in space...and that is a verygood thing. Our dashing hero and heroine, Ciena and Thane (really, though? Thane? ...sounds like he just stepped outta Twilight with that name...) hail from similar households on the same planet, and they both have similar dreams and skills, and the setup is cute - not the kinda cute that it makes it stupid, but the kinda cute that makes the readers invested in the two main characters, their growth, and most importantly their friendship."In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,"Actually, it’s on Jelucan, a typical Star Wars planet with some peace-loving traditional folk, and some more modernized slightly snobby folk. But it’s set up well, and the changes that take place to the planet itself are just as tragic and heartbreaking as what happens to Ciena and Thane (Thane...perhaps he just stepped out of someone’s D&D session...?). Oh, should I tag this with a spoiler alert? ...it is Romeo and Juliet (in space), after all..."From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,"Actually, the grudge isn’t that ancient because at the beginning of the book the Empire is just starting out. I really appreciated how Gray shows the Empire trying to be good, and running its propaganda so that, in the aftermath of the Clone Wars, some galactic citizens were genuinely happy to be ruled by the Empire (until, inevitable, they were’t). It was a very refreshing perspective."Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean."Brother fighting brother! Lover fighting lover! Oh, the humanity!!"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes"Actually, unlike Romeo and Juliet, after the “households” are established, they only show up again to move the plot along - but when they do show up to move the plot along, the readers are emotionally invested and so their few scenes work remarkably well."A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;"Ah, spoiler alert. (Or is it?)"Whose misadventured piteous overthrows"Star Wars: Lost Stars does a marvelous job of using the events of the original trilogy to anchor the plot, but it never becomes a gimmick or a crutch. There are more than enough scenes and locations that don’t appear in the original trilogy so you never feel like Gray couldn’t come up with her own ideas (that is certainly not the case in this book)."Do with their death bury their parents' strife."Ah, spoiler alert. (Or is it?)"The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,"At the beginning of the novel I was afraid that the relationship would be a typical YA romance (read: shallow). It was not. Do understand, that this is still Star Wars, and it is still YA, but the struggles, joys, fears, and devastations of Ciena and Thane (...didn't Batman fight a Thane once or twice...? Oh, no that was Bane...) are very real."And the continuance of their parents' rage,"Well, more like the continual rage of Empire and Rebellion..."Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,"Ah, spoiler alert. (Or is it?) (How many times can I use this cop-out...?)"Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;"The plot of the book moves very quickly, and often months pass between chapters. As a result the relationship between Ciena and Thane (sigh) get time to grow naturally. It’s not, unlike the actual Romeo and Juliet, a relationship that is a thirty-six hour fling. In fact, the romance of Lost Stars is much more believable because it endures time, real growth, hardship, and the joys that follow."The which if you with patient ears attend,"Some might find the book a bit rushed, especially if you’re looking for super insights into what’s been going on in the Star Wars Universe since the destruction of the second Death Star. But you gotta understand, Star Wars: Lost Stars is a character study, a look at a wonderful relationship between two characters as they grow from kids to adults, a look at why some people found the Empire to be the savior of the galaxy, a look at why some people found the Rebellion to be misguided, and a look at how a Star Wars novel can work wonders when it’s focused on the normal people rather than always being focused on the lightsabers or X-Wings.Also, great ending. FYI."What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend."Star Wars: Lost Stars easily romances itself right to the top of the Best Star Wars Novels of All Time list. Go read it, and give Claudia Gray your money so that Disney gets the hint and commissions more Star Wars novels like this one.Claudia Gray, this is wonderfully written, and beautiful book. Fantastic job.

Lost Stars is not as talked about as it should be. It is by far my favorite book in the new canon, and may possibly be my favorite Star Wars book of all time, including the old expanded universe books that I was so fond of. It was gripping and enthralling all the way through. The character depth is staggering. You get inside the mind of these characters more than I can recall ever seeing before in another book in this universe. Even when there are decisions made that go against what you may decide if it was you, you always understand why they are being done. There is never any disconnect from the adventure since everything is smooth and belongs exactly in it's place. There are some favorite characters from the original trilogy inside, but none of them feel out of place or thrown in just to get a "wow" from the reader. Everything feels very organic and natural all the way through, and every move they do makes sense and matches up to what we see on screen.As the name of the novel implies, this takes you on a journey to The Force Awakens. I read this after I've seen the movie in theaters and absolutely loved this book, so there's no reason not to read this after the movie. And there are no real spoilers for those who haven't seen it, so no excuse not to read this either way. I've also read that this novel is in the Young Adult category, and while it is a good read for younger readers, it is still a must read for adults. If none of the other new books do it, this novel certainly gives me a feeling of excitement at the new direction and the new life of Star Wars.The book begins at a time prior to A New Hope, and continues on and past the end of Return of the Jedi. It follows two very new and unique characters from a new world with customs we have yet to see in Star wars, through the Imperial academy and beyond. The characters may grow as the story progresses, but they start off as fully developed on the page. I can't remember the last time I've connected so quickly to the people I'm reading about. The pace is perfect and the world building is beautifully done. And as these characters move forward to the Imperial Academy, the detail really draws you in, and gives you an incredible inside look at the Empire and the people that are a part of it. Not everybody is a Darth Vader or Emperor, and it's fun to see why people join and how the world looks in their eyes.The story flows through major events we've seen before, but now with a new perspective. It adds even more meaning to events we've already seen, but it's done very smoothly. (Some prequels for example don't line up with what happens in the original movie, like The Hobbit movies may not line up with LOTR perfectly. Why was this a surprise? Why wasn't this? Etc.) It's like finding a couple missing jigsaw pieces that you didn't realize were missing, but help to complete the picture.There is a bit of a love story in Lost Stars as well. Now, I'm not a reader of romance novels (although my wife will drag me to all the Nicholas Sparks movies), but I can tell you that this relationship is worth the read. This is built entirely with a very real and believable approach. Everything makes sense and this is another example of something that feels very organic as you read it. This may technically be a fantasy novel, but it all feels very tangible and real.I can't say enough good things about this book, and I strongly encourage anyone to purchase this and give this a shot. The stars aren't the only things "lost" in these pages, because as soon as I started it I was lost and caught up in the story too.