Star Wars: Queen’s Hope
A peace-loving senator faces a time of war in another thrilling Padmé Amidala adventure from the author of the New York Times best-sellers Queen’s Peril and Queen’s Shadow!
Padmé is adjusting to being a wartime senator during the Clone Wars. Her secret husband, Anakin Skwyalker, is off fighting the war, and excels at being a wartime Jedi. In contrast, when Padmé gets the opportunity to see the casualties on the war-torn front lines, she is horrified. The stakes have never been higher for the galaxy, or for the newly-married couple.
Meanwhile, with Padmé on a secret mission, her handmaiden Sabé steps into the role of Senator Amidala, something no handmaiden has done for an extended period of time. While in the Senate, Sabé is equally horrified by the machinations that happen there. She comes face to face with a gut-wrenching decision as she realizes that she cannot fight a war this way, not even for Padmé.
And Chancellor Palpatine hovers over it all, manipulating the players to his own ends…
Author: E. K. Johnston
Release Date: 5th April 2022
Page Count: 352 pages
ISBN: 9781368075930
The newest Star Wars release from Disney-Lucasfilm Press is Queen’s Hope, the conclusion to E.K. Johnston’s trilogy of books highlighting the characters of Padmé and Sabé. Set soon after the events of Attack of the Clones, the novel covers previously unexplored time in the lives of Padmé and Anakin before and after their marriage. With their lives changing quickly in the face of a growing war, each of the characters must grapple with what they want for the future.
One of my biggest problems with the last two books in this trilogy was their odd pacing, which gave the feeling of stories that ended before they really began. This book has both a promising start and an engaging premise that could make for an interesting narrative, but it ultimately still feels like it ends without exploring its ideas to their full potential. It feels closer to a first half than a conclusion to a trilogy.
With the plot not hitting as hard as it could, the main appeal then comes from the book’s character work, which is its main focus. I was a little worried going into this book about how Johnston would handle the relationship between Anakin and Padmé, since it hadn’t been a part of the previous books at all and I wasn’t sure what her take on Anakin would look like. This was actually the part of the book that pleasantly surprised me the most; I liked a good deal of the scenes that the two shared and the tragic, romantic way the story treats them. I’m also always happy to see Sabé and the handmaidens getting the full attention of a story, because they’re interesting characters that never got explored as much as they deserved.
Something I noticed in Queen’s Peril and in here is how Johnston is also pretty good at writing other characters and bigger picture ideas that aren’t focused on in these books. For example, I really liked how she handled Maul in the last book and there’s a particularly memorable scene focused on Barriss Offee in this one. These periphery moments often stand out for me when compared to the story the books are actually telling, which can feel thin. I still think there’s interesting ground she could cover and I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing her tackle some completely different concepts.
Another aspect of the book that deserves mentioning is the strides forward it takes in representation, giving us our first explicitly trans female character in the franchise with Sister, a female clone. I’m really happy with the idea behind her and I would have liked to see her get a bit more to do in this book since she only has a short appearance, but I am excited by the idea of her recurring through other projects.
Overall, I’m not sure this trilogy or book reached the heights I would have liked from them, but I did find a good deal to enjoy in this book. If you liked the last ones, this one won’t disappoint you. If you thought the last ones weren’t for you, I don’t think this one is different enough to completely change your mind. If you were on the fence about it, I do think it’s a step up and I would recommend giving it a shot.
Guest review by Numidian Prime.
- Hardcover Book
- Johnston, E.K. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 288 Pages - 04/05/2022 (Publication Date) - Random House/Star Wars (Publisher)