hstapp's review
3.0
Books about young Anakin tend to bring up moments where it is clear that his emotions are in the way, and it's something that is regularly noted and then forgotten about by other Jedi. Maybe not so much forgotten, but thought of as we're working on it perhaps. Anakin seems to have a lot of leeway because of his strength in the force, when really he should probably have less. That is of course from the jedi's standpoint. Not from a person one. It just seems really weird to me that he didn't get pulled aside and taught by someone else for a while or simply kicked out of the order like others have been.
Anyway, I enjoyed the book. Just when the Jedi turn a blind eye to Anakin's anger it always drags me out of the story a bit.
Anyway, I enjoyed the book. Just when the Jedi turn a blind eye to Anakin's anger it always drags me out of the story a bit.
amber_c's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
agleamofgrace's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
waden34's review
3.0
Average story, but great characters
The story was nothing special. It wasn't bad, just average. Overall, it was nothing we haven't read previously. It did set up some plot points for future novels, so hopefully those will pan out well.
The characters were very well done however. Jude has a gift for writing Anakin. The turmoil and conflict inside him is very interesting.
The villain in the story is also very likable. He is a much better bad guy than Xanatos was in the Jedi Apprentice series.
The story was nothing special. It wasn't bad, just average. Overall, it was nothing we haven't read previously. It did set up some plot points for future novels, so hopefully those will pan out well.
The characters were very well done however. Jude has a gift for writing Anakin. The turmoil and conflict inside him is very interesting.
The villain in the story is also very likable. He is a much better bad guy than Xanatos was in the Jedi Apprentice series.
verkisto's review
4.0
The Master of Disguise returns us to the quest for Granta Omega, the mysterious character who is hunting Jedi. We finally learn why he's trying to capture them, and it's much darker than we would have thought. While the search for Granta makes up a large part of the plot, the real focus of the story is on Anakin's development, and it's there that the book shines.
In their search for Granta, Obi-Wan and Anakin split up, with Anakin staying behind at the temple while Obi-Wan follows up some leads. While at the temple, Anakin receives training from Soara, another Jedi Master, and it's through this training that we start to see the Dark Side manifest in Anakin. This is important to me, since the movies never explained to me how Anakin could have that much darkness inside him, and Watson captures it pretty well. She shows his ego and his arrogance, his petty jealousies and his anger, and how he uses all that to channel the Force in the wrong way. This is evident in the movies, but we never see the origins of that part of his character, and this book reveals it. We still don't see what led him to that arrogance, but we at least see how it shapes him.
A continuing theme in the Jedi Quest books is showing how Anakin may be more skilled than the other Padawans, he's not more developed than them. Part of it is how he came late to Jedi training, and he winds up being more like a regular teenager than the other Padawans. The long-time Padawans have had more training and are more in control of their emotions, and they have more maturity than Anakin. This creates a rivalry between Anakin and Ferus, though it's a rivalry that only Anakin seems to carry.
The Master of Disguise shows how well Watson can understand her characters. It's still not a perfect story, but it reminds me of some of the better books she wrote in the Jedi Apprentice series. I'm hoping she will keep the focus on Anakin the way she does in this book, because that's where my interest lies for Jedi Quest.
In their search for Granta, Obi-Wan and Anakin split up, with Anakin staying behind at the temple while Obi-Wan follows up some leads. While at the temple, Anakin receives training from Soara, another Jedi Master, and it's through this training that we start to see the Dark Side manifest in Anakin. This is important to me, since the movies never explained to me how Anakin could have that much darkness inside him, and Watson captures it pretty well. She shows his ego and his arrogance, his petty jealousies and his anger, and how he uses all that to channel the Force in the wrong way. This is evident in the movies, but we never see the origins of that part of his character, and this book reveals it. We still don't see what led him to that arrogance, but we at least see how it shapes him.
A continuing theme in the Jedi Quest books is showing how Anakin may be more skilled than the other Padawans, he's not more developed than them. Part of it is how he came late to Jedi training, and he winds up being more like a regular teenager than the other Padawans. The long-time Padawans have had more training and are more in control of their emotions, and they have more maturity than Anakin. This creates a rivalry between Anakin and Ferus, though it's a rivalry that only Anakin seems to carry.
The Master of Disguise shows how well Watson can understand her characters. It's still not a perfect story, but it reminds me of some of the better books she wrote in the Jedi Apprentice series. I'm hoping she will keep the focus on Anakin the way she does in this book, because that's where my interest lies for Jedi Quest.
groundedwanderlust's review
4.0
Spoiler
I have to say, the more I read about how the different Jedi masters interact with Anakin, the more his fall to the dark side makes sense. Anakin has a difficult personality, and is put in a difficult position as the 'chosen one'. But the way that others interact with him only makes things worse.irasobrietate's review
3.0
I feel like these books (both the Jedi Apprentice series and the Jedi Quest series) just prove that the Jedi don't know how to teach children/teens in a healthy manner. The way that Soara just refused to continue teaching Anakin after he used anger when fighting Ferus was so frustrating. You don't just label a child a failure and a danger after you see them fuck up once. Like no wonder Anakin was such a hot mess in AotC if this is how he's being taught to manage his emotions and how adults are responding to his missteps. I've always hated the fact that Jedi only accept toddlers, because it means not a single one of them learned how to handle and respond to personal injustices and difficulties as opposed to more impersonal social injustices that don't involve them. Basically, Anakin was done dirty and the Order straight up set him up to fail because they were too rigid and narrow-minded in their teaching.
toggle_fow's review
3.0
Obi-Wan: Anakin is so talented and tries so hard but he has no friends :(
Everyone else who ever gets close to Anakin: Sweet FORCE this kid is going to kill us all one day.
So. Now we know that Granta Omega is a Sith cultist, desperately trying to attract Palpatine's attention. What a weirdo.
The most interesting part of this book was seeing Anakin train with another master, and the exercises she put him through. And the conclusion she reached, that he is dangerous.
Anakin is just a teenage boy, and if you didn't know his future, you could imagine that his frustration and anger are just typical of being a teenage boy. But normal teenage boys don't have the ability to harness the life force of the universe, I guess. Being well-adjusted is a matter of life and death for the Jedi.
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