Hello, Fellow Bookworms and Star Wars Fans,
Star Wars: Lost Stars is written by Claudia Gray (A Thousand Pieces of You), and joins the many published pieces out there that are part of Disney's "Journey to the Force Awakens" campaign. Lost Stars presents us with the novel we have been waiting for: what happened after the Battle of Endor! It is a unique book that tells the story of the beginnings of the Rebellion to the formation of the New Republic through the eyes of two characters, Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree.

Thane and Ciena meet as children eight years after the formation of the Empire on the mountain planet of Jelucan. They become friends as they bond over their love of flying and Imperial ships. One day Thane stops local boys from bullying Ciena as they stand outside of a Lamda Class Shuttle. Both are approached by Grand Moff Tarkin, who seems to admire both of their bravery, and invites them aboard to check out the ship. After that the two preteens decide to start training to fly together, and enter the Imperial Academy.
Fast forward a few years and we see our two leads have been accepted to the Imperial Academy on Coruscant. They work hard to accomplish top rankings, while continuing to stay friends. Along the way they acquire new friends in the forms of Nash Windrider (of Alderaan), Jude Evidon (of Bespin), and Kendy Idele (of Iloh). The friends band together through three years of difficult training, Imperial loyalties, and raging hormones. Wide-eyed and idealistic, Thane and Ciena are both seemingly oblivious to the Empire's true face. They graduate just as Episode IV: A New Hope is about to begin.
The Death Star plays a major role in the conflict within Ciena and Thane the day Alderaan is destroyed. The Imperial propaganda machine masks the genocide as vital to the survival of the the galaxy's order. But the incident leaves Ciena and Thane devastated, and questioning their loyalty to the Empire. Closely thereafter the Death Star is destroyed, and with it many of their friends. But who is right? The Empire destroyed billions of lives on Alderaan, but the Rebellion also killed hundreds of thousands on the Death Star. This divides Thane and Ciena.
As we continue through the years of Episode V and Episode VI, we see many of our favorite film moments retold through the eyes of our main characters. As the Empire Strikes Back, we see the Return of the Jedi in ways we never thought possible. Claudia Gray weaves a delicate tapestry of characters together that she is constantly testing and strengthening through her amazing ability to present excellent character development. The story of Thane and Ciena is heartbreaking, and had me choking back emotions as I saw these two star (wars)-crossed lovers be constantly pulled apart, only to never let go of their loyalty to one another.
This book skillfully showed us both sides of the Galactic War, and the ever-lasting effects it had on all involved. We see worlds destroyed by the Empire, and the Rebellion's struggle to stay alive during the years of conflict. And then we are brought into new territory... the Battle of Jakku. If you remember that crashed Star Destroyer in the trailer for the Force Awakens, then you will love the ending. We see how it crashed and who was at the helm. Plus we are introduced to the beginnings of the First Order that has replaced the Empire in the new film.

This book was a major welcome to the Star Wars universe. It covered many aspects of not only the original trilogy, but gave us a chance to discover what happened after the second Death Star was destroyed. Filled with beloved characters, sweeping scenery, and planet-shaking battles this novel was a refreshing read. This is a five star book for me, and I was sad to leave these characters.
Hopefully Claudia Gray will be writing more Star Wars books with Ciena and Thane in the future. They are, in my opinion, two of the strongest and likable characters ever introduced into the Star Wars universe. To make this their only story would be a literary crime. Claudia Gray definitely knows this universe well. She is a true fan writing for fans. Spectacular! Run, don't walk to buy this book! You will not be disappointed.
As a side note: I also recommend the Audible audio book of this novel, read by Pierce Cravens. It is a wonderful production complete with sound effects and music by John Williams.
Because there is always room to read,
Xepherus3
Website: http://www.xepherusstudios.com/
At Twitter at: https://twitter.com/XepherusStudios
At Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/XepherusStudios
At Goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/11975160-xepherus3
All written content (c) Copyright 2015 by Thomas Bahr II
Star Wars and Force Friday logo © Copyright Disney-Lucasfilm
Hello, Fellow Bookworms and Star Wars Fans,
Many Bothans died to bring you this review....
Star Wars: Lost Stars is written by Claudia Gray (A Thousand Pieces of You), and joins the many published pieces out there that are part of Disney's "Journey to the Force Awakens" campaign. Lost Stars presents us with the novel we have been waiting for: what happened after the Battle of Endor! It is a unique book that tells the story of the beginnings of the Rebellion to the formation of the New Republic through the eyes of two characters, Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree.

Thane and Ciena meet as children eight years after the formation of the Empire on the mountain planet of Jelucan. They become friends as they bond over their love of flying and Imperial ships. One day Thane stops local boys from bullying Ciena as they stand outside of a Lamda Class Shuttle. Both are approached by Grand Moff Tarkin, who seems to admire both of their bravery, and invites them aboard to check out the ship. After that the two preteens decide to start training to fly together, and enter the Imperial Academy.
Fast forward a few years and we see our two leads have been accepted to the Imperial Academy on Coruscant. They work hard to accomplish top rankings, while continuing to stay friends. Along the way they acquire new friends in the forms of Nash Windrider (of Alderaan), Jude Evidon (of Bespin), and Kendy Idele (of Iloh). The friends band together through three years of difficult training, Imperial loyalties, and raging hormones. Wide-eyed and idealistic, Thane and Ciena are both seemingly oblivious to the Empire's true face. They graduate just as Episode IV: A New Hope is about to begin.
The Death Star plays a major role in the conflict within Ciena and Thane the day Alderaan is destroyed. The Imperial propaganda machine masks the genocide as vital to the survival of the the galaxy's order. But the incident leaves Ciena and Thane devastated, and questioning their loyalty to the Empire. Closely thereafter the Death Star is destroyed, and with it many of their friends. But who is right? The Empire destroyed billions of lives on Alderaan, but the Rebellion also killed hundreds of thousands on the Death Star. This divides Thane and Ciena.
As we continue through the years of Episode V and Episode VI, we see many of our favorite film moments retold through the eyes of our main characters. As the Empire Strikes Back, we see the Return of the Jedi in ways we never thought possible. Claudia Gray weaves a delicate tapestry of characters together that she is constantly testing and strengthening through her amazing ability to present excellent character development. The story of Thane and Ciena is heartbreaking, and had me choking back emotions as I saw these two star (wars)-crossed lovers be constantly pulled apart, only to never let go of their loyalty to one another.
This book skillfully showed us both sides of the Galactic War, and the ever-lasting effects it had on all involved. We see worlds destroyed by the Empire, and the Rebellion's struggle to stay alive during the years of conflict. And then we are brought into new territory... the Battle of Jakku. If you remember that crashed Star Destroyer in the trailer for the Force Awakens, then you will love the ending. We see how it crashed and who was at the helm. Plus we are introduced to the beginnings of the First Order that has replaced the Empire in the new film.

This book was a major welcome to the Star Wars universe. It covered many aspects of not only the original trilogy, but gave us a chance to discover what happened after the second Death Star was destroyed. Filled with beloved characters, sweeping scenery, and planet-shaking battles this novel was a refreshing read. This is a five star book for me, and I was sad to leave these characters.
Hopefully Claudia Gray will be writing more Star Wars books with Ciena and Thane in the future. They are, in my opinion, two of the strongest and likable characters ever introduced into the Star Wars universe. To make this their only story would be a literary crime. Claudia Gray definitely knows this universe well. She is a true fan writing for fans. Spectacular! Run, don't walk to buy this book! You will not be disappointed.
As a side note: I also recommend the Audible audio book of this novel, read by Pierce Cravens. It is a wonderful production complete with sound effects and music by John Williams.
Because there is always room to read,
Xepherus3
Website: http://www.xepherusstudios.com/
At Twitter at: https://twitter.com/XepherusStudios
At Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/XepherusStudios
At Goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/11975160-xepherus3
All written content (c) Copyright 2015 by Thomas Bahr II
Star Wars and Force Friday logo © Copyright Disney-Lucasfilm
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