By Christian Corah
Descriptives
Page count: Hardcover, 356
Author: E. K. Johnston
Timeline: Follows Revenge of the Sith, precedes A New Hope
Main character(s): Ahsoka
Brief synopsis: Ahsoka’s life has drastically changed and she is working to stay safe from the Empire while attempting to find her identity.
Gut Feeling
I really enjoyed reading this book. I love Ahsoka, like many fans do, so I am not surprised that this book was so good. E.K. Johnston would have really had to mess it up to make a book about Ahsoka unappealing to me. But she did not mess it up, she delivered a very good book that would have still been quality if it were about a different character. It was a pretty quick read though, I finished it within a week of starting it (which is quick for me). The audio book is also fairly short, only being six hours. But even though it was quick, there was a lot packed into it. Johnston was economical with each page used. It seemed like every section had something important happening in it. There was no wasted space and no meaningless sections. Because of that, there were not many lulls throughout the book. Ahsoka was a hit, so let’s get into the details of the book.
Characters (10/10 pts)
Because this book was centered around a beloved character in the Star Wars universe, Johnston’s job was a little easier because most of us already love Ahsoka. She is also a character that already has much depth to her. So because of that, I look for what the book adds to the character. Ahsoka is obviously in a drastically different part of her life than we are used to. She is no longer a Jedi and on the run from the Empire. It is really interesting seeing how her character must adapt and change to the world that is changing around her. There is much development in her character in Ashoka and her character arc fits well within her Clone Wars and Rebels versions. Ahsoka’s character alone would receive a high score for this section, but it would not quite be perfect.
There were also other characters important to the story that were developed well, but what puts this book over the edge is the perspective from other major characters in the Star Wars universe. I won’t mention who they are to avoid spoilers, but we do get short sections from other characters that had character development all over them. It was an excellent use of space in the book and did not take away from the main storyline; these sections supplemented it. So for these reasons, I am giving a perfect score for characters.
Writing Style (8/10 pts)
E. K. Johnston’s writing styles in Queen’s Shadow and Ahsoka were vastly different, but had similar quality. They were both excellently written books- no Star Wars novel is poorly written- but Ahsoka had less depth to it and relied more on dialogue. This caused it to read a little easier, as it was intended for a slightly younger audience. In some cases, I’ve taken away a point for the writing style being simpler, but Johnston did it very well in Ahsoka so I will be giving 8 points for the writing style. This would be above average for the common book, but it is on par with other Star Wars books.
Plot (7/10 pts)
The biggest strength for the plot is that I don’t have much bad to say about it. It started out a little slow as the setting was developed, it slowly built up as the reader became more familiar with the story, and it climaxed near the end with a satisfying conclusion. There were peaks and valleys throughout the book that worked well with each other. The peaks weren’t too climatic and there was time to breathe between each big event. I never really had a great idea of where the plot was headed, but I knew enough to want to keep reading. It wasn’t a complete mystery. But, the plot also wasn’t extraordinary. It was a little on the simple side and even though I enjoyed it, I can understand that it could come across as boring in parts. So despite it not having any real significant flaws, I am only giving 7 points.
Intrigue (9/10 pts)
There were a few things that were adding to the intrigue. The book is about Ahsoka, so obviously this caused me to be interested early on in the book. The writing style was easy to read, so I could read much at a time without feeling like I needed a break. And finally, when the plot was exciting, it was very good and motivated me to keep reading. This caused me to not want to put the book down and read it fairly quickly. And even in the more boring sections, I knew there was something exciting probably coming up. Even if the reader does not love Ahsoka, I think the intrigue will still be rather high for them because the quality of the book was so good. That is why I am giving 9 points for the intrigue.
What does it add? (10/10 pts)
A prominent reason why I decided to read this book (other than loving Ahsoka’s character) was to learn more about kyber crystals. I knew there was some really cool information about them in this book. It is likely you know what I am referring to, but, in case you don’t, I won’t mention it specifically. You’ll just have to read it for yourself! There was also more about the kyber crystals than what I knew was in the book, so that was a pleasant surprise. Ahsoka easily scores 10 points for this section.
Logic (0 pts)
Ahsoka neither adds to nor takes away from logic within the Star Wars universe. So, I am neither adding nor taking away extra points.
Final Thoughts
My final score for Ahsoka is an 8.8/10, or a B+. This ranks Ahsoka pretty high up there with my favorite Star Wars novels. The score is actually a little higher than what I expected based on my gut reaction, so it is entirely possible you’ll enjoy it even more than I did. If you like Ahsoka’s character, it’s a no-brainer to check this book out. If you’re just wanting another cool Star Wars story that adds to the universe, you should like it too. However, I will say that if you’re only really concerned with the story, there may be other books to read if you’re not interested in Ahsoka’s character. But if you do have a reason to pick the book up, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!
I hope you enjoyed this book review and if there is a book that you want me to read or review, please let me know at christiancorah@gmail.com. As for now, I will only be doing Canon books (but in the future that might change).