Star Wars: Lost Stars

*All posts in the Star Wars Canon series contain minor spoilers

 

16 weeks until Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

“Sometimes we’re loyal to more than one thing. When there’s a conflict, we have to choose which loyalty to honor.” – Ciena Ree, Star Wars: Lost Stars  

Star Wars: Lost Stars is about the budding romance between rebel Thane Kyrell and Imperial officer Ciena Ree as they fight during the battles of Yavin, Hoth, Endor, and Jakku.

Written by: Claudia Gray (author of Master and Apprentice, Leia, Princess of Alderaan, From a Certain Point of View short story, and Bloodline)

Published: September 4, 2015

When does Lost Stars take place?

Lost Stars begins eight years after the events of Revenge of the Sith in 11 BBY and ends one year after the events of Return of the Jedi in 5 ABY (during the Battle of Jakku)

Synopsis:

The outer rim planet of Jelucan has been annexed by the Imperial Empire. At eight years old, Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree meet at the celebration and quickly bond over their love for flying.

Years later, they attend the Imperial academy on Coruscant together before joining the Imperial navy. Soon however, Thane realizes how truly corrupt the Empire really is and leaves to join the growing Rebellion.

Now apart, Thane and Ciena must decide between their loyalty to each other or loyalty to their respective sides of the galactic war.

~

Lost Stars is my favourite canon Star Wars book. Claudia Gray does an incredible job of weaving in new characters and storylines with the events of the original trilogy. And I love that this book follows the original trilogy so closely; it really adds depth to these stories I already know so well. Lost Stars was published along with Aftermath as part of the Journey to The Force Awakens series.

The premise of Lost Stars is a Romeo and Juliet story. First Thane and Ciena are separated by class and then by opposite sides of the war. And since the book spans almost 20 years of their lives, the readers really get to know these characters which makes Lost Stars all the more immersive.

Lost Stars is action packed and despite being such a lengthy book, the pace never drags. It really is a page turner until the very end. My favourite part is how real the main characters are. It shows how so many people can join the Imperials despite the Empire being so evil. Ciena dreamt about being an Imperial officer her until life after being exposed to their propaganda at an early age. Once she finally achieved her goal, despite feeling uneasy about what the Empire was actually like up close, she sticks to her commitment. Thane on the other hand, struggles with not knowing which side of the war to choose. He sees the good and bad of both and even tries to have no part in it before realizing how impossible that is.

My only issue with Lost Stars is how abruptly it ends. There really is no ending or conclusion, either happy or sad.

Lost Stars is a YA novel, but I would recommend it to any Star Wars fan.

 

Next week: From a Certain Point of View

Complete list of Star Wars Canon novels