Review: Star Wars: Bloodline by Claudia Gray

Title: Star Wars: Bloodline
Author: Claudia Gray
Publisher: LucasBooks
Publication Date: May 3, 2016
Rating: 5 STARS!!!

WITNESS THE BIRTH OF THE RESISTANCE

When the Rebellion defeated the Empire in the skies above Endor, Leia Organa believed it was the beginning to a lasting peace. But after decades of vicious infighting and partisan gridlock in the New Republic Senate, that hope seems like a distant memory.

Now a respected senator, Leia must grapple with the dangers that threaten to cripple the fledgling democracy — from both within and without. Underworld kingpins, treacherous politicians, and Imperial loyalists are sowing chaos in the galaxy. Desperate to take action, senators are calling for the election of a First Senator. It is their hope that this influential post will bring strong leadership to a divided galaxy.

As the daughter of Darth Vader, Leia faces with distrust the prospect of any one person holding such a powerful position — even when supporters suggest Leia herself for the job. But a new enemy may make this path Leia’s only option. For at the edges of the galaxy, a mysterious threat is growing… - Summary from Goodreads

Let me just begin this review by saying that every Star Wars fan should read Bloodline.

Not only was the characterization of Leia fantastic, the politics of the time (5 years before Episode VII) were completely believable, interesting, and sounded a little too familiar. I was hooked from the first chapter, which rarely happens to me. As fans of the movie we only see the surface of everything that’s going on, Claudia Gray digs into the world and makes it work logically while giving it diversity and flavor. I will never stop being impressed. 

One of the most important things to me as a SW fan and a booklover is that I could hear the voices of beloved characters like Leia, Han, and C-3PO while reading. Not only did the author capture this, she helped to develop Leia’s character more by presenting a whole new story in which the stakes were both political and personal. We get to see inside her mind and understand the heartbreak of losing Alderaan, the tumultuous feelings she has towards Vader, the frustration she feels at being trapped in a political process that no longer works, and her determination to take action to get something done. This is the Leia we know and love and, with all the benefits that the novel form of storytelling has, we get to know her better than ever before. 

On a side note, with novels it’s so much easier to add in backstory and explanations of things that the movies should have addressed. For example, the fact that Leia and Han are married. THANK YOU! Obviously Bloodline also deals with much more than this small detail since it has the freedom and the time to, but their marriage was something that was not established in the new canon until now and I am thankful for it, no matter how small of a detail it may be. 

I was a bit surprised that the story followed more than just Leia’s POV and I thought I would get bored reading the “extra” characters’ chapters, but it was great seeing the universe through their eyes and learning more of their stories. I came to love the side characters like Greer, Joph, and Ransolm; it was amazing to watch each of them grow and change over the course of the novel. Especially the young Senator Ransolm Casterfo (who I imagine looks like Loki). I started off hating his guts and by the end of the book he was my favorite character, second only to Leia. Because he belongs to the political opposition he and Leia get off to a rocky start, made worse by the fact that he has a thing for collecting Imperil artifacts for fun. If you can’t imagine Leia’s horror, just imagine a WWII veteran meeting a young punk who collects Nazi memorabilia. It was like that. But over the course of the book Leia (and the reader) begins to understand his character, which is so interesting and layered! I would love to see a companion novel that focuses on Ransolm after the events of this book. There are brief cameos and occasional mentions of established SW characters besides Leia, but they aren’t used as a crutch. This makes the appearance/reference of said characters *cough* Han *cough* even more rewarding.

Bloodline managed to balance political games with high stakes action while also slowing down just long enough to delve deep into the minds and backstories of beloved characters, both old and new. It is a great novel by its own merit, but the fact that it is a great SW novel makes me love it even more. This has been my favorite book of the year. I literally loved every page. I hope the future is filled with many more Star Wars books written by Claudia Gray.

                   -Christina

Review: Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott

Title: Ivanhoe

Author: Sir Walter Scott

Publication Year:1819 

IVANHOE (1819) was the first of Scott's novels to adopt a purely English subject and was also his first attempt to combine history and romance, which later influenced Victorian medievalism. Set at the time of the Norman Conquest, Ivanhoe returns from the Crusades to claim his inheritance and the love of Rowena and becomes involved in the struggle between Richard Coeur de Lion and his Norman brother John. The gripping narrative is structured by a series of conflicts: Saxon versus Norman, Christian versus Jew, men versus women, played out against Scott's unflinching moral realism. --Summary from Goodreads

Ivanhoe, like many classics I’ve read, is a combination of things I liked, things I didn’t like, and things I wish the author could have done differently. Instead of trying to work my thoughts out coherently into some kind of review, I decided just to make lists.

Good Things About Ivanhoe

• It set in medieval times with knights and castles and ideas of chivalry. There are well known characters such as Prince John, Richard the Lionheart, Robin Hood and his merry men.
• It is obvious that Scott did his research. The world is full of rich details and is definitely worth a read if you ever plan on writing about this era.
• The story provides a good account of the class differences between the Normans and the Saxons as well as the persecution of Jewish people in England at the time. Also uses the history of the English language to illustrate the class differences between Saxon and Normans. The Normans brought over the idea of chivalry and knightly games, and yet Wilfred Ivanhoe, a Saxon, embodies the knightly ideal better than every Norman in the novel. It’s just great!
• The female characters, Rowena and Rebbeca, are awesome. Rowen is a Saxon lady who is somehow related to Alfred the Great, which made her Saxon royalty. She is the ward of Sir Cedric who has treated her like a princess her entire life and, as a result, she is used to being in a position of power. The only time Cedric opposed her was when she fell in love with his son, but that didn’t matter much because she had already made up her mind and there was no way he was going to change it. Rowena is a lady who knows what she wants and won’t back down. Rebecca is a Jewish lady whose family is being persecuted for their faith. She is intelligent and calm and wise. She is always willing to help someone in need and will take action to see that the right thing is accomplished. Both ladies take action when the head of their household is being unjust and see that everything is dealt with honorably.
• Urfried is old and mean and bitter, has a dark past, and a taste for revenge. She’s barely in it, but she is one of the most interesting characters in the book.
• Beautiful relationship between a fool and his master. Seriously, it brought a tear to my eye.

Issues I Had With Ivanhoe

• I could literally name off 10+ characters that had more page time than Ivanhoe. He’s one of the only characters that the reader never gets a look inside his mind. He’s the perfect embodiment of chivalry, nothing more.
• It lacks focus because there are ton of characters that the story follows. I think its purpose was to focus on the time, not any specific character(s)… which I find annoying.
• While it was painting a sympathetic picture of the Jewish characters and addressed the persecution they faced, Isaac still managed to be built out of stereotypes. That being said, I think it made his character similar to Cedric in many ways. Both of them followed the letter, not the spirit, of the law of their culture while their children embody everything that they are supposed to be.
• It’s so LONG! And there’s so much dry description! And you keep waiting for Ivanhoe to do something, but he only has two moments of glory which are jousting scenes. (If you haven’t noticed, the lack of the “main character” really bothers me)

It’s an interesting books and I’m glad I read it, but if you’re just looking for a random classic to read this probably shouldn’t be the one you pick up. If you are interested in the time period or topics, are studying 19th century literature, or just have a ton of patience: go for it!

                   -Christina

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Title: Station Eleven

Author: Emily St. John Mandel 

Rating: 4 Stars

 

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed. - Summary from Goodreads

 

Station Eleven is a dystopian novel set fifteen years after a plague outbreak which killed a large percentage of the population. Kristen is part of a traveling drama group that performs Shakespeare in the towns they come across. Unlike most post-apocalyptic stories, Station Eleven is not just a story about survival, it’s about what it means to be human. Kristen’s favorite quote is one from Star Trek: "Because survival is insufficient." This quote works as a theme for the novel.

The story is told from multiple POVs and is non-linear. While this was an interesting way to do it, I felt like Kristen and the other characters from the present seemed very distant and static. I cared more about the characters in the past than the ones post plague. Likewise, I didn't really care about the main conflict in the present. I found that the majority of the tension in the story comes from the backstory’s rate of reveal rather than the progression of the front story. All of the characters are connected in at least a small way and (eventually) all of the connections are revealed. The revelation is what kept me reading.

In the end, all the puzzle pieces come together to form one picture. I was impressed by the writing and the way the story came together, it truly is a masterpiece. That being said, the disconnect with Kristen and the dystopian world makes me think that I probably won't read it again.



          -Christina

Statistics Survey 2015: Sarah's List

I got this wonderful Survey over at bookaddictsguide (THANKS!) and had the best time doing it. Here's my year in book:

• Number of books read…
  • Under 250 pages (not including novellas): 12
  • Between 400-449 pages: 13
  • Between 450-499 pages: 5
  • Over 500 pages: 4
  • Over 1000 pages: 0
• Number of…
  • Audiobooks: 5 Full; 4 Partial
  • Re-reads: 13
  • DNFs (did not finish): 4-5 (I normally don't count these)
• Number of books rated…
  • Five Stars: 33
  • One/Two Stars: 4
• Number of authors met in 2015: About 13... I think
• Number of book events attended in 2015: 1 Book Fair + 2 Author Events
• Number of books you read in one day: I am a slow reader so probably 1
• Number of books that made you cry: I guesstimate tears in about 7-8 books
• Number of 2016 books you have on pre-order: 0

• Book read furthest away from home (vacation reads?): 0
• Book that took you the longest to read: Wuthering Heights (10-13 to 12-9)
• Book that you personally connected with the most: How do you Personally Connect?
• Book that made you love the villain: Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson.
• Book you said you’d come back to but still haven’t picked up again: Woman in White
• Book you read waaaay before it’s publication date: Heart of Betrayal... 4 months
• Book you read on your birthday: Isla and the Happily Ever After (because All Fall Down hadn't come in yet)
• Book with a character who shares your name: Can't think of one
• Book you weren’t entirely truthful about when rating (Fluff up any ratings? Rated even though you didn’t finish?): I usually rate up.... but I think I rated The Storyspinner higher than I liked it.
• Book you read in 2015 but already want to re-read: So many: The Fixer, Heart of Betrayal, Compulsion, etc.
• Book you borrowed from a friend a long time ago and still have: I really don't borrow books from friends.
• Book you which you could go back and read for the first time again: Texas Gothic
• Most books read by one author this year: Counting Rereads: Ally Carter (6); New to Me Books: Jennifer Lynn Barnes (4)

• Happiest & saddest: I really can't tell
• Longest & shortest…
  • By page number:Winter (824 pg.), Legacy Lost (32 pg.)
  • By title: Rook (4 letters); I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (39 letters)
  • From buying to reading: I don't buy books often so I really can't answer
• Best & worst…
  • Average rating on Goodreads:Queen of Shadows (4.65); Atlantia (3.38)
  • Books you read/your rating: Heart of Betrayal (5 Stars); Wuthering Heights (1 Star)
  • Series enders: I only finished 2 series this year and they were both awesome: The Lunar Chronicles and Fire and Thorns
• First & last…
  • Reads of 2015: Talon (1st); Etiquette & Espionage (last)
  • Books on your bookcase (1st book on the top left and last book on the bottom right): Blood Red Road; Venom
• Most disappointing & biggest pleasant surprise: The Storyspinner was the most disappointing for me and I was most pleasantly surprised by Texas Gothic (I LOVED IT!)
• Fandom you joined & one you abandoned: Well, I am now a Jennifer Lynn Barnes fan.... not sure if I abandoned any but I'm hanging on by a thread to a few.
• Series you picked up & series you quit: I started 19 new-to-me series this year. About 5 or 6 I won't continue.
• Most lenient & harshest ratings: Probably most lenient is Spirit and Dust (I had issues with the writing but had fun with the story so I gave it 4 Stars); Harshest is Wuthering Heights with 1 Star (I know some people like it but I DESPISED it!)
• Most hyped & furthest under the radar that you read: Most hyped was probably Queen of Shadows or Winter..... Furthest under the radar I'm not sure.

• Book you read that is red: 3 (others have red in them)
• Starts with X, Y, or Z: 0 (those were the last 3 letter's I needed to get the alphabet!)
• Book you hugged when you finished it: Heart of Betrayal, Lonely Heart Club
• Book you wanted to throw across a room: Thirteenth Tale, Wuthering Heights
• Food you craved while/after reading a certain book: Don't know
• Book that became an instant go-to recommendation: Heart of Betrayal, The Fixer, Lonely Heart's Club
• Furthest out of your comfort zone:Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (I normally don't read epistolary format)
• Read on a recommendation (that you may not have picked up yourself): The Fill-In Boyfriend (I don't read a lot of this type of contemporary)
• Forced yourself to finish: Thirteenth Tale, Wuthering Heights.
• Series or author’s works you binged (whether all at once or throughout the year): Gallagher Girls series, The Lunar Chronicles