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A review by roenfoe
Queen's Peril by E.K. Johnston
adventurous
fast-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? Yes
4.5
My friend and I read this for our first book club book, and it was an excellent choice! I have read many Star Wars EU novels in the past, but none from the new EU. The old EU had a distinctly masculine flavor, reminiscent of pulp sci-fi, that is infamous for its weak female characters, dry expo-dialogue, and "good guy gets the girl" narrative. Queen's Peril is so far removed from that canon and feels like the start of something really great for the Star Wars expanded universe!
There is so much to love about this novel. Johnston has a concise, yet detailed writing style that I really enjoyed. I read this book in three sittings because the book slid by so easily. Queen's Peril takes Padme's origin story seriously, characterizing her as an intelligent, hardworking political candidate. However, Johnston has no problem illustrating Padme's anxieties and inexperience as a leader that the handmaidens navigate alongside her. She feels like someone I could be friends with, a real girl; this feeling is absent in The Phantom Menace, where Padme largely serves as a set piece to be manipulated by Palpatine. This brings me to arguably the best aspect of the novel: it has seamlessly integrated itself into the prequels canon by delicately addressing or further developing the "holes" in The Phantom Menace. The Phantom Menace is crammed full of happenings, and yet we don't see a large chunk of them on Naboo until the very end. Queen's Peril not only fills in these gaps, but provides reasoning behind several of the movie's infamous quirks and even some extremely minor details. My two favorite examples are the explanation for Padme's "voice" she uses while in royal garb and the implementation of a code word used by actual dialogue in the film! So so cool. The focus on political intrigue in the novel was great, as it matched the flavor of The Phantom Menace without treading old ground. Finally, I appreciated that (despite being marketed as a young adult book) heavy/dark themes were addressed, such as torture of political dissidents and assassination attempts. These themes raise the stakes and put the consequences of "war" back into Star Wars.
I am a character driven-narrative lover, and there was a lot for me to love here. Padme is excellent, but the handmaidens rival her for great characterization. Their roles, relationships, and conflict are some of the most interesting things explored in this book. I really enjoyed that Padme's guards and staff also got fleshed out. By the time I finished the book, the palace felt like a tangible place with real people inhabiting it. I loved the effortless implementation of LGBTQIA+ relationships in this book; the representation was neither forced nor lampshaded. It was about as real as it gets in a universe where the force exists :)
Overall, an ace Star Wars novel that stands as great sci-fi on its own. I'm reading Queen's Shadow now and immensely enjoying it; can't wait to enjoy the rest of the trilogy!
There is so much to love about this novel. Johnston has a concise, yet detailed writing style that I really enjoyed. I read this book in three sittings because the book slid by so easily. Queen's Peril takes Padme's origin story seriously, characterizing her as an intelligent, hardworking political candidate. However, Johnston has no problem illustrating Padme's anxieties and inexperience as a leader that the handmaidens navigate alongside her. She feels like someone I could be friends with, a real girl; this feeling is absent in The Phantom Menace, where Padme largely serves as a set piece to be manipulated by Palpatine. This brings me to arguably the best aspect of the novel: it has seamlessly integrated itself into the prequels canon by delicately addressing or further developing the "holes" in The Phantom Menace. The Phantom Menace is crammed full of happenings, and yet we don't see a large chunk of them on Naboo until the very end. Queen's Peril not only fills in these gaps, but provides reasoning behind several of the movie's infamous quirks and even some extremely minor details. My two favorite examples are the explanation for Padme's "voice" she uses while in royal garb and the implementation of a code word used by actual dialogue in the film! So so cool. The focus on political intrigue in the novel was great, as it matched the flavor of The Phantom Menace without treading old ground. Finally, I appreciated that (despite being marketed as a young adult book) heavy/dark themes were addressed, such as torture of political dissidents and assassination attempts. These themes raise the stakes and put the consequences of "war" back into Star Wars.
I am a character driven-narrative lover, and there was a lot for me to love here. Padme is excellent, but the handmaidens rival her for great characterization. Their roles, relationships, and conflict are some of the most interesting things explored in this book. I really enjoyed that Padme's guards and staff also got fleshed out. By the time I finished the book, the palace felt like a tangible place with real people inhabiting it. I loved the effortless implementation of LGBTQIA+ relationships in this book; the representation was neither forced nor lampshaded. It was about as real as it gets in a universe where the force exists :)
Overall, an ace Star Wars novel that stands as great sci-fi on its own. I'm reading Queen's Shadow now and immensely enjoying it; can't wait to enjoy the rest of the trilogy!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture