A review by serenyty
Lost Stars by Claudia Gray

5.0

It's a good feeling when you get to the end of the book and never want it to end, but it makes me hope that Claudia Gray revisits these characters. Lost Stars takes place over the course of the original Star Wars films, focusing on two characters, Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree, and their relationship as they attend the Imperial Academy and then their paths diverge. Lost Stars is easily what I'd recommend to anyone wanting a great Star Wars read - it puts the scenes of the original trilogy into a new context, adding a level of depth and gravitas, but also puts forward two phenomenal protagonists in Thane and Ciena. The morality of Lost Stars is complex, focusing on if it's possible to be a good person working within a fascist dictatorship, if it's possible to work to change things on the inside, and what it's like to form a relationship with someone with a very different ideology. It doesn't defend or justify the Empire at all (something I worry that Star Wars media does), but it takes a look at individuals who got caught up in it in a really interesting way. Thane and Ciena are two well-realized characters that I just want more from, and their relationship is a beautiful, bittersweet thing. Wholely recommend this for Star Wars fans who want a book to read.