charlie_x's review against another edition
5.0
This was amazing! Best book I've read this year. It was super interesting to read about events throughout the Original Trilogy from different perspectives. The pacing was great, loved the characters - Ciena and Thane were such interesting characters to follow. Plus there was just the right amount of references/cameos of characters we've seen before in the films. I think the cameo with the biggest impact was definitely
I'd love to read something else by Claudia Gray in the future.
Spoiler
Darth Vader's scenes. Every time he appeared there was this brilliant sense of dread and tension. Scary guy.I'd love to read something else by Claudia Gray in the future.
jmcrockett78's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved it!! Looking forward to reading more of her Star Wars books! 😊
jagussow's review against another edition
5.0
Ashamed it took me this long to read this book as I love Star Wars and am a huge fan of Claudia Gray. A star crossed love story set across the timeline of the original trilogy. Two imperial hopefuls from the same planet but from different socioeconomic backgrounds meet, become friends and push each other to become better. They find themselves to be in love when they join the imperial academy and have different reactions to the Death Star and Alderaan's explosion.
A bit of When Harry Met Sally, John Hughes 80s movies and Star Wars all mixed together. Propulsive plots, fantastic characters and heartbreak. I loved this book and would recommend it to non Star Wars fans
A bit of When Harry Met Sally, John Hughes 80s movies and Star Wars all mixed together. Propulsive plots, fantastic characters and heartbreak. I loved this book and would recommend it to non Star Wars fans
allisonjpmiller's review against another edition
3.0
More Star Wars! The new canon is coming at us fast and furious lately. Some has been great, much has been average, but very little has been outright bad - which is, I'd like to believe, a testament to the Story Group's collaborative efforts. You can tell a lot of thought has been put into each of these titles, and it's fun to see how each piece fits into the unifying picture LFL is trying to build.
Lost Stars is aimed squarely at a YA audience, which is both a great thing (there's some major crossover appeal here) and a hindrance (Gray's prose doesn't make much of an effort to be more than pedestrian, and I think it could've). What works are the characters and themes. Ciena and Thane are more than just star-crossed lovers. One is an idealist in service to the Empire, and the other's a cynic who doesn't share the Rebellion's hopes for a better world, but joins the fight anyway out of hatred for the Empire. They're both in conflict with their positions as much as in conflict with each other, and their story paints the original trilogy in the shades of gray we always knew were there. The way Gray ties her story into the larger events that define the films - from ANH to ROTJ and beyond - is seamless and impressive.
I just couldn't get over the feeling that much of the book was stuck on rails, and not just because it's designed to tie into existing events. Too many scenes read more like sketches, stating character motivations instead of showing them and reaching unearned conclusions when just a bit more development might've made them click. I understand that the attempt to cover so much ground means skimming through certain details is necessary on some level, but I think it could've been handled better overall. Even though I objectively liked the story, I was never fully drawn into it.
That said, your mileage may vary; the book seems to be finding an enthusiastic audience, which is awesome. Also:.
Lost Stars is aimed squarely at a YA audience, which is both a great thing (there's some major crossover appeal here) and a hindrance (Gray's prose doesn't make much of an effort to be more than pedestrian, and I think it could've). What works are the characters and themes. Ciena and Thane are more than just star-crossed lovers. One is an idealist in service to the Empire, and the other's a cynic who doesn't share the Rebellion's hopes for a better world, but joins the fight anyway out of hatred for the Empire. They're both in conflict with their positions as much as in conflict with each other, and their story paints the original trilogy in the shades of gray we always knew were there. The way Gray ties her story into the larger events that define the films - from ANH to ROTJ and beyond - is seamless and impressive.
I just couldn't get over the feeling that much of the book was stuck on rails, and not just because it's designed to tie into existing events. Too many scenes read more like sketches, stating character motivations instead of showing them and reaching unearned conclusions when just a bit more development might've made them click. I understand that the attempt to cover so much ground means skimming through certain details is necessary on some level, but I think it could've been handled better overall. Even though I objectively liked the story, I was never fully drawn into it.
That said, your mileage may vary; the book seems to be finding an enthusiastic audience, which is awesome. Also:
Spoiler
The explanation for the crashed Star Destroyer we see on Jakku in The Force Awakens was unexpected and super coolkhobson1's review against another edition
4.0
All I’m saying is Thane deserved better than Ciena and I don’t blame Nash for being in his villain era
rosemariereads's review against another edition
5.0
LOVE 10/10
If you’re a Star Wars fan please PLEASE I beg of you to read this it’s so good
If you’re a Star Wars fan please PLEASE I beg of you to read this it’s so good
rachelmcg2004's review against another edition
2.0
It was good! I've read better Star Wars novels and I've read worse ones. This one was pretty middle of the pack.
Unlike many of the reviews I've seen, I wasn't particularly drawn into Ciena's moral conflict until I believe this was because I had previously read reviews which stated that that was one of the most compelling parts of the book, which caused me to desperately force it to be compelling, which ended up with me...not...finding...it...compelling. You know what I mean?
The character of Ciena is definitely the better of the two protagonists. Thane is a bit too violent and rageful for my liking - sure, it fits his backstory and character, but it was not to my liking. But Ciena's personality and overachieverness was *cough cough* a little too relatable! LOL.
Neither of the main characters ended up being my favorites because not only did Thane's character put me off a bit, I kept having trouble suspending my disbelief with regards to Ciena's constant rationalization of the Empire. Throughout the book we are constantly reminded that Ciena is talented and intelligent...if that was the case she would have been able to see the Empire's crimes in a clear light. Though some may argue that her father's indoctrination of her with regards to the Empire greatly swayed her ideals and opinions with regards to them (which is a valid argument), there are great swaths of time (years, even) that pass in this story. It seems quite illogical and unrealistic to me for her to blame the on the Rebellion while not giving the Empire the exact same treatment for their destruction of Alderaan. In a way, this could be a fascinating exploration of propaganda and how that creates severe double standards in those who swallow it up, but the way it is presented comes across more as a hammering home of "CIENA IS ACTUALLY A GOOD PERSON, SHE'S JUST MISGUIDED AND MISUNDERSTOOD!!!" This too, was told, not shown. We are never given any concrete examples of Ciena standing up for or defending anyone, including her best friend. Though she may possess good traits, kindness and basic humanity are never shown to us. We are told she has a moral conflict, but are never given any concrete, down to earth examples of this besides the larger conflict of planet erasure. This led to an emotional divide between myself and Ciena, who I had really wanted to love.
Though these reasons did dampen my enjoyment of this novel, I must share the final nail in the coffin for me (and what ultimately booted 2 stars off my review), and that was the book's self-praise.
For those of you who have seen the movie "Inception," you cannot deny that the film is spectacular. The settings, the characters, heck, even the convoluted plotline ended up being spectacular. And while this movie definitely considered itself spectacular, it well deserves that accolade.
However, Lost Stars does not.
Lost Stars is ultimately a book that is held together by cheesy romance cliches ("it was meant to be for us to meet again...and again...and again in increasingly contrived and unrealistic ways"), cheesy Main Character Priviledge ("Oh! I didn't die! You didn't die! Even though we should have about 15 times by now! Yay!), and the disaster that was its ending. Its attempt at delving into the complex psychological warfare that goes on between one's personal identity and conviction towards government and authority figures that are wrong seemed at once repetitive and shallow. Though I do appreciate Ms. Gray's great efforts at creating this story, I do think she should have focused on creating a more original plotline with depths instead of giving us glimpses of old material (ANH, ESB, and RoTJ) while adding in new characters that somehow don't provide any new insights to the world of the Empire and the world of the Rebellion instead of making this entirely character-based story.
While I do enjoy character-based stories, the characters focused on must hold my attention and capture my emotions for the entirety of the book. Ciena and Thane both rarely did so, however, when they did so, it was STELLAR (not to make a star pun hehe ;D).
To close, I have a few nitpicks that lessened my enjoyment even more:
- There is reference to a 'risque' holo that Thane Kyrell watched five times with his fellow roommates. It is strongly hinted at that this was a pornographic holo and that he had an inappropriate reaction to it. This caused me to feel revulsion and disgust towards this character and his participation in this gross and misogynist world of filth.
- The man's storyline focused on him "doing the right thing" and joining the Rebellion, and the woman's story focused on her "being ultimately misguided and wrong" and staying with the Imperials. This kind of messaging is overtly misogynist and reinforces the wrong stereotype that men are more likely to be in the know about what to do/what should happen, and therefore should be taken as the authority about what should be done/believed. In turn, this stereotype degrades women by adding that women are more likely to be misguided and wrong about what to do/what should happen, and therefore should be disbelieved and gaslit about their own personal actions and beliefs. IF Ms. Gray had instead had Ciena be the one who joined the Rebellion, we could have seen a far more interesting arc about how someone with deep honor had had their honor betrayed and is learning to place her trust and belief in a new source (the Rebellion), with Thane Kyrell going on the dark side arc of learning to accept the authority pressed onto him by the Imperials, giving both of them deeper and more impactful arcs while at the same time combatting gender sterotypes.
- And finally, when it came to Thane's Rebellion arc, we are introduced to various new and wonderful side characters that cement his story as the "more enjoyable" one since it has the "good guys" on it and, quite frankly, those guys are amazing characters. HOWEVER, when it comes to Ciena's Imperial arc once Thane has left and there are no enjoyable side characters in her arc, making it a bit harder to slog through as it is simply her moral struggle that motivates the plot. As well as the lord of slime Nash Wind-For-Brains (who I had had such high hopes for!!! I wanted him to defect as soon as Alderaan blew!!) whose creepy stalker crush on her just increased my squigginess as I read her side of the story.
Anyway, despite all of these major flaws, there were some REALLY AWESOME characters who I will give a shoutout to and who I will be awarding three medals to (one for each star in this review ;D)
First and foremost, we have the INCREDIBLE AND AMAZING CAPTAIN OF THE MIGHTY OAK APOCALYPSE, LET'S HEAR IT FOR LOHGARRA THE WOOKIE!!!!!
I think I misspelled your name and I am so sorry because despite some stereotyping with regards to your character, you are the best character in the book AND I LOVE YOU SO FRICKIN MUCH, CAN YOU BE MY WOOKIE MAMA?????
THANK YOU!!!
Second, we have Jude Edivon!!! Get on up here, Jude!!!
Oh Jude. You were the best part of Ciena's arc and you drew me in from the first mention of you. But in the end, your great gala debut made you a favorite character!! Thank you so much for existing!! :)))))))
And third but not last: KENDY!
I forget your last name, but I can never forget your loyalty, impeccable sense of humor, and sharp shootin' skills made you an invaluable and amazing part of the book! And your moral journey was so much more interesting to me than both Thane's and Ciena's. ;)
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!
Unlike many of the reviews I've seen, I wasn't particularly drawn into Ciena's moral conflict until
Spoiler
she realized that the Imperials were actually at fault, then it became fascinating.The character of Ciena is definitely the better of the two protagonists. Thane is a bit too violent and rageful for my liking - sure, it fits his backstory and character, but it was not to my liking. But Ciena's personality and overachieverness was *cough cough* a little too relatable! LOL.
Neither of the main characters ended up being my favorites because not only did Thane's character put me off a bit, I kept having trouble suspending my disbelief with regards to Ciena's constant rationalization of the Empire. Throughout the book we are constantly reminded that Ciena is talented and intelligent...if that was the case she would have been able to see the Empire's crimes in a clear light. Though some may argue that her father's indoctrination of her with regards to the Empire greatly swayed her ideals and opinions with regards to them (which is a valid argument), there are great swaths of time (years, even) that pass in this story. It seems quite illogical and unrealistic to me for her to blame the
Spoiler
destruction of the Death Star and her best friend, Jude,Though these reasons did dampen my enjoyment of this novel, I must share the final nail in the coffin for me (and what ultimately booted 2 stars off my review), and that was the book's self-praise.
For those of you who have seen the movie "Inception," you cannot deny that the film is spectacular. The settings, the characters, heck, even the convoluted plotline ended up being spectacular. And while this movie definitely considered itself spectacular, it well deserves that accolade.
However, Lost Stars does not.
Lost Stars is ultimately a book that is held together by cheesy romance cliches ("it was meant to be for us to meet again...and again...and again in increasingly contrived and unrealistic ways"), cheesy Main Character Priviledge ("Oh! I didn't die! You didn't die! Even though we should have about 15 times by now! Yay!), and the disaster that was its ending. Its attempt at delving into the complex psychological warfare that goes on between one's personal identity and conviction towards government and authority figures that are wrong seemed at once repetitive and shallow. Though I do appreciate Ms. Gray's great efforts at creating this story, I do think she should have focused on creating a more original plotline with depths instead of giving us glimpses of old material (ANH, ESB, and RoTJ) while adding in new characters that somehow don't provide any new insights to the world of the Empire and the world of the Rebellion instead of making this entirely character-based story.
While I do enjoy character-based stories, the characters focused on must hold my attention and capture my emotions for the entirety of the book. Ciena and Thane both rarely did so, however, when they did so, it was STELLAR (not to make a star pun hehe ;D).
To close, I have a few nitpicks that lessened my enjoyment even more:
- There is reference to a 'risque' holo that Thane Kyrell watched five times with his fellow roommates. It is strongly hinted at that this was a pornographic holo and that he had an inappropriate reaction to it. This caused me to feel revulsion and disgust towards this character and his participation in this gross and misogynist world of filth.
- The man's storyline focused on him "doing the right thing" and joining the Rebellion, and the woman's story focused on her "being ultimately misguided and wrong" and staying with the Imperials. This kind of messaging is overtly misogynist and reinforces the wrong stereotype that men are more likely to be in the know about what to do/what should happen, and therefore should be taken as the authority about what should be done/believed. In turn, this stereotype degrades women by adding that women are more likely to be misguided and wrong about what to do/what should happen, and therefore should be disbelieved and gaslit about their own personal actions and beliefs. IF Ms. Gray had instead had Ciena be the one who joined the Rebellion, we could have seen a far more interesting arc about how someone with deep honor had had their honor betrayed and is learning to place her trust and belief in a new source (the Rebellion), with Thane Kyrell going on the dark side arc of learning to accept the authority pressed onto him by the Imperials, giving both of them deeper and more impactful arcs while at the same time combatting gender sterotypes.
- And finally, when it came to Thane's Rebellion arc, we are introduced to various new and wonderful side characters that cement his story as the "more enjoyable" one since it has the "good guys" on it and, quite frankly, those guys are amazing characters. HOWEVER, when it comes to Ciena's Imperial arc once Thane has left and
Spoiler
Jude has died,Anyway, despite all of these major flaws, there were some REALLY AWESOME characters who I will give a shoutout to and who I will be awarding three medals to (one for each star in this review ;D)
First and foremost, we have the INCREDIBLE AND AMAZING CAPTAIN OF THE MIGHTY OAK APOCALYPSE, LET'S HEAR IT FOR LOHGARRA THE WOOKIE!!!!!
I think I misspelled your name and I am so sorry because despite some stereotyping with regards to your character, you are the best character in the book AND I LOVE YOU SO FRICKIN MUCH, CAN YOU BE MY WOOKIE MAMA?????
THANK YOU!!!
Second, we have Jude Edivon!!! Get on up here, Jude!!!
Spoiler
YOU LIVE ON IN MY HEART!Oh Jude. You were the best part of Ciena's arc and you drew me in from the first mention of you. But in the end, your great gala debut made you a favorite character!! Thank you so much for existing!! :)))))))
And third but not last: KENDY!
I forget your last name, but I can never forget your loyalty, impeccable sense of humor, and sharp shootin' skills made you an invaluable and amazing part of the book! And your moral journey was so much more interesting to me than both Thane's and Ciena's. ;)
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!
shaxx's review against another edition
4.0
Bylo milé vrátit se zpět do známého prostředí. Moje první Star Wars kniha a snad ne poslední :)
Kniha se převážně odehrávala na straně Impéria, což byla fajn změna - vidět to i z druhé strany.
Občas jsem ale kroutila hlavou nad Cienou, zejména tedy na konci - asi jsem holt rebel scum :D Ale četlo se to dobře, když pominu nešťastný výběr fontu. Nicméně mě to úplně na nějaký Star Wars maraton a na knihu Rogue One, co mám doma :3
Kniha se převážně odehrávala na straně Impéria, což byla fajn změna - vidět to i z druhé strany.
Občas jsem ale kroutila hlavou nad Cienou, zejména tedy na konci - asi jsem holt rebel scum :D Ale četlo se to dobře, když pominu nešťastný výběr fontu. Nicméně mě to úplně na nějaký Star Wars maraton a na knihu Rogue One, co mám doma :3
thebernie's review against another edition
5.0
A fast paced space love story that spans the Star Wars Universe both old and new. The characters become so real you can't help but relate to them. It strikes your heart strings and pushes the worst of your buttons and ends with you wishing for more.
abbasaurusrex's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0