Star War: The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark FULL REVIEW WITH SPOILERS!

 

You've seen every episode, none of this should be spoilers, but just in case SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Star War: The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark was released today. Each story has a character who’s the narrator or the main focus. At the start of each one is a drawing of the main character by Ksenia Zelentsova. There’s a good chance your favorite has one since there are eleven different tales. As Zelentsova’s beautiful cover attests, clones are an important part of this anthology right from the very first story, “Sharing the Same Face” by Jason Fry. However, that one is from Yoda’s point of view.

“Made for war these children were. Made by the millions. Disposable their makers consider them.”

One of the more important issues raised by The Clone Wars are the moral implications of the clones themselves. They were the same shared embryo grown over and over in a rushed fashion that denied them a childhood; just for the purpose of being soldiers in battle. Is it right to consider living beings no different than a battle droid? Yoda doesn’t think so. He makes a point to learn their individual names and point out how different each appears when seen with the Force. This is later contrasted by “The Shadow of Umbara” by Yoon Ha Lee. A different Jedi general, Pong Krell, leads Rex and his brothers. Krell calls each clone by their designation instead of their name and doesn’t care that his command always has the highest mortality rate. When some of the clones carry out insubordination in order to save others, Krell wants them executed. It’s a relief to have him revealed as a Sith. This means that most Jedi are like Yoda, right?

Children taken away at an early age. Maybe they don’t even remember their biological family. Their clothing is identical. The classes are identical. All are working toward the same destiny. It sounds like the First Order, but it’s also Younglings under the Jedi. Yet Yoda spoke highly of children and showed such care to the Clones who reminded him of the younglings, were things really that bad? “Almost a Jedi” by Sarah Beth Durst proves that children in the Jedi temple were raised to be individuals. Her protagonist, Katooni, thinks of Ahsoka as her hero. She’s drawn posters of her and put them on her walls. This simple reveal lets the reader know that Jedi children were allowed leisure and that they made decisions over their quarters. Are there any novels that delve into this more? It would be nice to learn more about the padawans and their lives before being chosen for that role in current canon.

Fry’s story is a rare treat. Despite being one of the most popular characters, Yoda is rarely laid bare in prose despite the possibilities. Here’s a character alive for centuries, but without the moral ambiguities of a vampire.

“Raucous and impatient creatures humans are. And too brief their lives are. End they do just as maturity and wisdom becomes possible.”

It’s these new insights into the characters everyone thinks they know so well that’s the best part of the book. Other stories focus on pacing and curt descriptions by terse characters. It’s fun, but also a disappointment when new information could be so easily inserted. This is the same franchise that revealed that Hux lost favor with the First Order in books related to their newest theme park land. The opening of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was confusing to all but Fortnite users. Greg Grunberg didn’t even know his character was married in the comics and novels. They can’t come up with some little something new about Cad Bane?

“Maybe it was the end of the Republic, maybe she would lose everything else, but she would not lose her soul.”

Padmé Amidala is a personal favorite and the “Pursuit of Peace” by Anne Ursu met expectations. It’s always a pleasure to see her in action, both defending herself and as senator. However, it’s also sad. She fought so hard to protect the galaxy from a fate that now seems inevitable. Then, her daughter followed in her footsteps so completely that she also fruitlessly tried to protect the republic from hostile forces, only to have others finish what she started. Both plans hatched by Palpatine even. So many of their friends died. At least there’s the fun of Ahsoka palling around with Padmé. Did Ahsoka ever realize who Leia really was?

It’s funny how Hondo Ohnaka has evolved from a random villain to anti-hero to person Chewbacca would trust with the Millennium Falcon on Batuu. He’s one of the few characters to be found in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Rebels and novels during the Resistance. He pops up often in these stories from the Clone Wars. Some readers already know that his ship on Batuu is named Katooni, just like the Jedi youngling he once knew. Did he meet her later as a woman? Or did their brief time together in the Clone Wars make that much of an impression. One hopes the answer will be revealed one day.  Other questions remain. Will other anthologies address them? The Mandalorian? The Bad Batch? In the meantime, there are multiple re-reads of Star Wars The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark at your favorite bookseller or library. It’s worth it.

*”Bug” by E. Anne Convery wasn’t included in preview copy

8.0 out of 10

Star Wars Poe Dameron: Free Fall FULL REVIEW SPOILERS

SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS BIGGER THAN JABBA THE HUTT!!!

Star Wars Poe Dameron: Free Fall by Alex Segura, with cover art by Phil Noto, answers many of the questions we’ve been asking since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker or even before. How did Shara Bey die? Why wasn’t Shara Bey’s A-Wing in the final battle? How come Kes Dameron hasn’t been involved like Wedge Antilles? When did Poe learn that “shifty stuff”? Who is Zorii? Does Poe being a Spice Smuggler retcon his time in the New Republic Navy established in Star Wars: Before the Awakening? When will Poe and Finn kiss already? All of these questions are answered in the new book except that last one which continues to only happen in our hearts and imagination.

The fourth moon of Yavin has lush jungles, exotic creatures, and mysterious temples, but even less friends Poe’s own age than Luke had on barren Tatooine. Shara Bey’s A-Wing came with her from the Rebellion. It was where Poe learned how to fly by sitting on his mother’s lap. Now eight years after her untimely death, it’s the only place where he can feel like she’s still around and he’s destroyed it in a crash that should have killed him as well. His almost death isn’t as important as his mother’s A-Wing or his argument with his father over flying. Of course, Kes doesn’t want to lose him the same way he lost Shara. Poe has too much of his mother in him to be a farmer…a gender-bent plot that’s all too familiar to original fans of the series. Lacking an old Jedi Master, Poe heads for the local equivalent of Chalmun’s Spaceport Cantina and accidentally agrees to be a pilot for the Spice Runners of Kijimi.

In Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Amilyn Holdo declared of Poe, “That one’s a trouble-maker. I like him.” She spoke for most of the audience, too. This book gives us the chance to see him progress from that grieving, yearning sixteen-year-old to a wiser, experienced eighteen-year-old. Segura does an excellent job characterizing who Poe was and what made him into the person we know while also incorporating those tidbits that the last film dropped about Zorii and Babu Frik. Zorii could have fallen into a Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope that so many assumed she was with her mysterious gold helmet and scenes that furthered Poe’s backstory more than anything. Segura lifts her above that. She’s just a teenager, about the same age as Poe, with her own motives and her own decisions to make about her future. It’s almost a shame that we already know how it’ll turn out, but it doesn’t kill the suspense of the story. Just to warn you, if you’re looking for romance, this isn’t your book. Go read Star Wars: Lost Stars again. Zorii and Poe kiss, they hug. They kiss. Whether they have sex seems to be ambiguous.

 Kes Dameron may not have that many pages to himself. However, he's a constant presence in the book driving Poe’s actions just as much as Shara even if Poe doesn’t want to admit it. Kes doesn’t often receive the same fandom love as Shara since he’s not a pilot or known for special skills. He’s not even confirmed to be on-screen on Endor with the rest of the Pathfinders like Lucasfilm did with Rex. What Kes does have is tremendous love for his son even if he can’t show it the way Poe wants. It’s a very lovely moment later in the book when they’re reunited again and makes one all the more curious about what happens to him after that and when Poe joins the Resistance. He doesn’t appear to lose his Pathfinder skills or prowess. There are lots of wonderful details to expand on previous canon knowledge of Yavin IV, the Rebellion, the New Republic and these characters. On first reading, they can blend into the story so well as to be overlooked, but less casual fans will to take their time discovering all this new information like what Shara did after the Rebellion, Zorii’s parentage and that Poe once had a fear of droids. It’s been almost three months since I received my Advanced Reader Copy and it’s been hard to keep the spoilers to myself. Well, there’s my mom, but even she has her limit of how much I can discuss Poe being with Zorii compared to Poe being with Finn. Pick up your copy today at any bookseller!

9.5 out of 10

https://books.disney.com/book/poe-dameron-free-fall/

Star Wars The Clone Wars Stories of Light and Dark Review

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark is the latest anthology to be published in that fandom. There’s a long tradition of books reliving classic scenes from the films but seeing them from a different point of view; maybe even a minor character. In July 1995, what’s now known as the Legends canon released Star Wars: Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina with assorted stories. Twenty-five years later, Stories of Light and Dark has the distinction of being the first anthology based off a television series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Each story comes from a different episode. It’s also aimed towards younger readers, aged 8-12 years old unlike the other adult compilations.

In a proper ice cream store can be an endless number of choices. Sometimes, they might even give away a sample in small spoons. Some ice cream is scrumptious. It must be had in a proper size. Some ice cream isn’t an individual’s personal taste. It’s too sweet, too bitter, too much bits or too little. Stories of Light and Dark feels like those sample servings. The stories are about thirty pages long. Almost half the authors have their own Star Wars book, and all have other works. The short stories are like a sampler for finding which style a reader likes better and who a reader should look for at their bookstore or library.

On one hand, having an anthology with very different authors and styles means a little something for everyone. If one story isn’t your cup of tea, perhaps the next one will be. On the other hand, it can be annoying or jarring to go from a story with depth of character and vivid descriptions to one where the author focused on dialogue and pacing. It can also be a bit hard going from an omniscient narrator to first person. However, this could make the book work well as a book just before night-time, with just one story a night instead of binging it in one go.

One of the stories that stands out the most is “Dark Vengeance” by Rebecca Roanhorse. It’s a tale told by Darth Maul himself. At times, it feels like a ghost story told around a campfire while gorging on s’mores. Creepy word usage, life beyond death, ruined bodies, revenge and “witches” makes for a traditional gothic horror story within its Star Wars confines. It’s a treat to behold. Maybe one day there could be a gothic romance?

Another favorite was “The Lost Nightsister” by Zoraida Córdova. Of course, Córdova has a definite advantage in writing about the Witches of Dathomir and one that’s found herself far from home. Still, the images painted by her words and the emotions captured feel like it’s part of a much larger book than just a short story. Not all the authors treated their contributions the same way.

“Kenobi’s Shadow” by Greg van Eekhout must also be mentioned. Kenobi is forced to question his beliefs and morals in a way he never had before. He feels the pull of the Dark Side. It’s a wonderful character study. Other favorites will have to wait for the spoiler ban to be lifted.

Star Wars The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark contains just about everyone’s favorite character from Anakin to Hondo to Huyang, the droid voiced by David Tennant. For those less familiar with the series, it could cause renewed interest. For others, a re-watch will be needed to see what they missed that the stories have pointed out. It’s a beautiful marriage that’s sure to be followed by the other series, like Star Wars: Rebels. Be sure to pre-order Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark at your favorite book seller before August 25^th!

https://books.disney.com/book/the-clone-wars-stories-of-light-and-dark/

Star Wars Poe Dameron: Free Fall Review

Star Wars Poe Dameron: Free Fall by Alex Segura, with cover art by Phil Noto, follows one of our favorite newer Star Wars character in his teen years with all that entails. There comes a time in every teenager’s life when they’re away from home for the first time and trouble comes where they can’t just call mom or dad to come pick them up or tell them what to do. They have to decide what to do for themselves. Do they pick the easiest way? Do they do what feels right? Is it the ethical thing to do? Would it make their parents proud? Would it impress that person they have a huge crush on? Of course, it would be Poe to find himself in this kind of situation when it’s literally a life or death situation.

What doesn’t happen so often with books about teenagers is their parents’ perspective. The older I get, the more I feel for Owen and Beru Lars, just trying to do their best the only way they know how and keep their adoptive son from harm, including who his father really is. Kes Dameron, like most parents, doesn’t want to be the villain. He loves Poe, but Shara’s death broken him, too. How can you keep a person close to protect them when you’ve pushed everyone who cares about you away because it hurt too much? How can that rift mend? Can it mend? “What have I done?” ask several characters which reinforces the theme, but almost feels too forced and repetitive.

Yeah, it’s a bildungsroman, but this is Star Wars so it’s a little different when you’re becoming an adult in a universe with the same growing pains. Poe was just seven when the Empire was destroyed for good in the Battle of Jakku. His parents had already retired to civilian life on Yavin IV. However, the destruction of the Empire led to a plethora of opportunities for criminal organizations taking advantage of a young government without a widespread Navy with the proper budget and numbers to keep watch. Bad for them, but good for the reader wanting excitement because this book also happens to be a crime novel with double crosses, triple crosses and crosses that are later revealed not to have even been crosses at all! Very few of the chapters can be predicted from the chapter before it. Anything can happen and anyone can show up. Alex Segura’s writing doesn’t waste a word either progressing the characterization or keeping the momentum although sometimes, the shifts in character perspective could be a little more clear or even eliminated with the less important characters.

There are times when facing your fears can lead to some of your greatest friendships and put you right on the path where you were always supposed to be. It’s a reassuring message and even nicer disguised in a Star Wars book. Being a Young Adult novel, it brings up the idea of wonderful topics for a parent and child to discuss together.

For the hard-core Star Wars fan, there is so much revealed that it will probably need to be read at least twice, probably more like 3-5 times to fully appreciate and write down everything learned within for use in fanfiction, fandom essays and more. After downloading my Advanced Reader Copy a week ago, I’ve read it twice and am looking forward to my third reading. Pre-order your copy now wherever books are sold for August 4, 2020!

https://books.disney.com/book/poe-dameron-free-fall/

BOOK REVIEW: Warrior Desire; Love Poems to Inspire Your Fiercely Alive Whole Self

Warrior Desire; Love Poems to Inspire Your Fiercely Alive Whole Self just released today! Author Laura Di Franco is on a roll this month. It's only been a week since her book with Donnie Boivin,Your High Vibe Business: A Strategic Workbook for BADASS Entrepreneurial Success, topped multiple Amazon best-selling charts.This time, it's a journal of poems to embrace your passions.

The journal aspect of Warrior Desire was a surprise. It shouldn't have been. Laura Di Franco always strives to make her books into an interactive experience. A book can't simply be read as a passive experience but the reader has to exercise all parts of themselves when reading them. In a way, it's like an art gallery. Some artworks are presented with minimal explanation; maybe not even a title. The art lover has to come up with all the context and meaning themselves. Other artworks spend paragraphs about how the piece was made and what it means to the artist. Either methods have good and bad points. Di Franco employs both in this book. Some poems have a lengthy description of her emotional state at the time and why that poem needed to come out. Other poems end simply with a question of the reader to suggest action on their part. The physical copy even has blank pages for the reader to fill in their own thoughts.

As a Aromantic-Asexual, the poems often feels like stepping forth into an unfamiliar country. They hold nothing back in their passion and sensuality. While some poems contain lengthy stanzas of lingering licks, most of the poems are melted ice cream. The words drip down the page; demanding attention one by one.

I trust I'm here
for a reason
but I'm tired
spent
bleeding

That quintain is from Di Franco's poem, "The Next Move". While the whole book contains poems to again and again, this is one of the most memorable. The raw emotions feel more naked and vulnerable than the more explicit verses.

Hopefully, there is an audiobook in the works. There was also some small disappointment in not finding cover artist, Jeanette MacDonald, inside as well. In the meantime, Warrior Desire; Love Poems to Inspire Your Fiercely Alive Whole Self by Laura Di Franco, the previous poem anthology journals and other books are all available at multiple locations online, including Amazon. For more information:
https://lauradifranco.com/

BOOK REVIEW: Your High Vibe Business: A Strategic Workbook for BADASS Entrepreneurial Success (Kindle Edition)

Your High Vibe Business: A Strategic Workbook for Badass Entrepreneurial Success just released today! It's the latest non-fiction work from Laura Di Franco and the first published book with Donnie Boivin who she's worked with for several years. 

Laura Di Franco's last book was Brave Healing: A Guide for Your Journey. I was a little apprehensive before reading that one. I associated "self-help" with those authors during the PBS pledge drive telethons. They were the ones with dry books where the reader was lectured to and rewarded by paying large amounts of money to be lectured to in person surrounded by other people just like them. It felt like a scam to make money off depressed people. 

Di Franco isn't that traditional kind of self-help person. She feels like a friend who's just super concerned about you and wants you to be the best person you can be. Brave Healing was all about focusing on small steps that lead to bigger ones and self-empowerment. It also held concrete steps to build yourself into a "brave warrior" along with an online community after the book is finished.

Your High Vibe Business is the logical next step after becoming a brave warrior; becoming your own boss with financial freedom and a better ability to help others. This time, Donnie Boivin joins her. Not everyone might connect with Di Franco's health industry background so Boivin has the traditional sales background for others to relate. Some of it was a retread of skills already learned but some of it placed those skills into a different context so that networking or sales wouldn't seem so scary. The chapter on figuring out your ideal client avatar was revelatory. 

The most important part to this book is that it is a workbook. Each of the sixteen chapters has 2-5 exercises to reinforce that chapter's lesson. These are exercises that can be repeated as many times as necessary. For additional help, there are also online resources. The paperback version allows for writing and highlighting directly on the pages. However, the ebook allows for clicking the enclosed links and going right to that site. The paid services are encouraged the most but both authors offer a variety of cost options, including free articles. I recommend her Facebook group to find others improving themselves, too. 

About the Authors

With almost three decades of expertise in holistic physical therapy, seven published books and a third-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Laura Di Franco, MPT, is known for her contagious and inspiring energy and methods.

Donnie Boivin, who is based in Fort Worth, Texas, is an expert sales professional and top 200 iTunes podcaster who served in the Marine Corps. He also runs Success Champion Magazine. He has been featured in more than 150 media outlets.

Contact:Laura Di Franco, (703) 915 3653 228487@email4pr.com www.BraveHealer.com; DonnieBoivin.com

DISCLAIMER: I was given an Advance Reader Copy of this book. I strive for honesty but the only flaws I could find were a few editorial ones with sentence structure. I even worried the advice might only work for those with money or mobility but the book stresses how all income levels can build their brand. 

9.5 out of 10

Tristan Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

Tristan Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia is the latest novel from Rick Riordan's Disney-Hyperion imprint, Rick Riordan Presents. Riordan's personal branch of the Disney-Hyperion family publishes around four books a year that continue to teach children through reading about the myths, folk tales and creation stories found throughout the world. Even more important, these books are written by those who grew up in those same cultures and know it best just as Riordan revolutionized Greek and Roman mythology a decade ago.

Kwame Mbalia chose a tall task for his first novel. Tristan Punches a Hole in the Sky has the title character navigating a strange new world where Anansi, John Henry, Brer Rabbit and other American folk heroes are real. Brer Rabbit has become a controversial figure in recent years. The trickster and the stories involved evoke many comparisons with Anansi and Nanabozho. However, many now believe that Brer Rabbit is based on Leuk, or Luk. In Senegal, an oral tradition has passed down many tales about this hare who's a trickster just like Brer Rabbit. Enslaved people from Senegal bought these tales to the New World and adapted them. The subject of slavery and racially degrading depictions of these enslaved people in adaptations, including Disney's Song of the South, have made Brer Rabbit more appealing to scholars than actual children. This book doesn't shy away from slavery but it reaches back to that oral tradition of turning real fears and hurt into monsters that can be defeated or at the very least...tricked; encouraging the middle grade readers it's aimed toward to rediscover the old characters.

Tristan Strong is a contemporary young man and that can often feel like navigating two worlds. His family has certain expectations about what a man should be while his friends and society have other ideas just like many of the book's readers. Strong is grieving the death of his best friend which he blames on himself. When he's sent to his grandparents' Alabama farm for the summer, his only consolation is his friend's notebook of old folktales and legends. One night, it's stolen by a magical creature and in the fight to get it back, Strong finds his inner fight between two worlds is now a literal one. To make matters even worse, the new magical land is in the middle of a battle that will need him to team up with Brer Rabbit and everyone his friend had always told him about.

It's going to be an exciting read!!!

Title: TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY

Author: Kwame Mbalia

Pub. Date: October 1, 2019

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion, Rick Riordan Presents

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 496

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD

Want to win your very own copy?
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY, US Only.

Want to know more about Kwame Mbalia?

Mbalia is a husband, father, writer, and pharmaceutical metrologist in that order.  His debut middle-grade novel, TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY (October 15, 2019) is published by Rick Riordan Presents/Disney-Hyperion.  A Howard University graduate and a Midwesterner now in North Carolina, he enjoys impromptu dance sessions and Cheezits. 

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

Come visit the rest of the blog tour!

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

10/1/2019- BookHounds YA- Excerpt

10/2/2019- Little Red Reads- Excerpt

10/3/2019- Spoiled Girl- Review

10/4/2019- A Backwards Story- Review

Week Two:

10/7/2019- Lifestyle of Me- Review

10/8/2019- Sometimes Leelynn Reads- Excerpt

10/9/2019- Books a Plenty Book Reviews- Review

10/10/2019- Kait Plus Books- Excerpt

10/11/2019- Kyera's Library- Review

Week Three:

10/14/2019- The Reading Corner for All- Review

10/15/2019- Feed Your Fiction Addiction- Review

10/16/2019- Eli to the nth- Review

10/17/2019- Feed Your Fiction Addiction- Review

10/18/2019- PopTheButterfly Reads- Review

Week Four:

10/21/2019- Savings in Seconds- Review

10/22/2019- Always Me - Review

10/23/2019- Fictitiouswonderland- Review

10/24/2019- Nerdophiles- Review

10/25/2019- Confessions of a YA Reader- Review

Week Five:

10/28/2019- Two points of interest- Review

10/29/2019- fictitious.fox- Review

10/30/2019- Jena Brown Writes- Review

10/31/2019- Fyrekatz Blog- Review