A review by creditsandcanon
Black Spire, by Delilah S. Dawson
2.0
Black Spire is what happens when you try to sell a theme park instead of a good story.
An entire book advertising Galaxy's Edge with weak conflict and mostly one-dimensional characters. The motivations and actions of the main character also make little sense because they serve the purpose of exposition so readers can learn about the theme park. Vi Moradi is an incompetent spy because characters in Black Spire have to teach her how to act and say things like "Bright Suns" because that's what employees/citizens in the Galaxy's Edge theme park do. Nevermind that a spy would act completely different and not be so easily found out. There is a lot of time spent in shops and bars that exist in Galaxy's Edge instead of moving the plot forward or character development. Reading this novel was to constantly suspend disbelief as everything seemed so forced.
There are a few good things about the novel. I do like that it touches on the importance of taking care of your physical body but also taking time to heal from traumatic events. I don't think it stresses this enough with regards to Vi and she almost goes through too much (is it necessary to have one of the few black female characters take this many punches and hits to the face, especially from male characters?). The saving grace is the likeability of a few of the morally grey characters like Oga (the crime boss who runs Black Spire and with whom Vi comes to an understanding) and Archex's arc, formally Captain Cardinal.
Overall, the story is stifled with having to place certain characters on Batuu so that their existence in the theme park can make sense...but it does not. Even with the events that occur it makes zero sense for Kylo Ren or General Hux to be on Black Spire. I really did love the characters of Vi Moradi and Archex/Captain Cardinal (two BIOPIC characters) and I wish that they got a sequel novel that was not beholden to advertising a theme park.
Like Galaxy's Edge itself, the story is at the mercy of merchandising. Pass on this one.
An entire book advertising Galaxy's Edge with weak conflict and mostly one-dimensional characters. The motivations and actions of the main character also make little sense because they serve the purpose of exposition so readers can learn about the theme park. Vi Moradi is an incompetent spy because characters in Black Spire have to teach her how to act and say things like "Bright Suns" because that's what employees/citizens in the Galaxy's Edge theme park do. Nevermind that a spy would act completely different and not be so easily found out. There is a lot of time spent in shops and bars that exist in Galaxy's Edge instead of moving the plot forward or character development. Reading this novel was to constantly suspend disbelief as everything seemed so forced.
There are a few good things about the novel. I do like that it touches on the importance of taking care of your physical body but also taking time to heal from traumatic events. I don't think it stresses this enough with regards to Vi and she almost goes through too much (is it necessary to have one of the few black female characters take this many punches and hits to the face, especially from male characters?). The saving grace is the likeability of a few of the morally grey characters like Oga (the crime boss who runs Black Spire and with whom Vi comes to an understanding) and Archex's arc, formally Captain Cardinal.
Overall, the story is stifled with having to place certain characters on Batuu so that their existence in the theme park can make sense...but it does not. Even with the events that occur it makes zero sense for Kylo Ren or General Hux to be on Black Spire. I really did love the characters of Vi Moradi and Archex/Captain Cardinal (two BIOPIC characters) and I wish that they got a sequel novel that was not beholden to advertising a theme park.
Like Galaxy's Edge itself, the story is at the mercy of merchandising. Pass on this one.