By: Christian Corah
Descriptives
Page count: Hardcover, 348
Author: Rae Carson
Intended Audience: Young Adult
Timeline: 13 BBY (before the battle of Yavin)
Main characters: Qi’ra and Han Solo
Brief synopsis: Each hoping to become a new Head of the White Worms, Qi’ra and Han go on a daring mission that nearly gets both of them killed.
Gut Feeling
As soon as I finished this book, I just had to watch Solo. I love it when a book gives me that kind of energy and new perspective on a Star Wars film. Also, going into the book I really liked Qi’ra and this book only increased my love for her character. At the end, I was rooting for her with everything inside of me and that was pretty cool. But emotional reactions aside, the book was a really quick read. Perhaps too quick. The font size of the book seemed larger than normal and the writing style was a bit simple, so I tore through it. So it may have lacked some details that I wanted, but the quick read also made it enjoyable. I have recommended this book to others before and I will keep doing so, but it is mostly a fun read instead of having really strong Star Wars details. That being said, I’m glad I read it and I really hope we get more Qi’ra content soon (we already have a lot of Han content).
Characters (9/10 pts)
Characters were one of the stronger points for this book. We already know a lot about Han, but we did learn more about his upbringing in Corelia. It is good to see how one of the more iconic Star Wars characters grew up and how that defined him as a character. But like I said, we already knew a lot about Han so my focus will instead be directed towards Qi’ra. Since all we know about her is what we see from Solo, we don’t really understand her motivations for wanting to team up with Maul. But through the exciting story in Most Wanted, there are many character-defining moments for Qi’ra (and Han) that dive into her character’s motivations and desires. And as I mentioned earlier, I found myself rooting for Qi’ra heavily at the end because of my emotional attachment to her. This emotional attachment is because of her character’s depth and relatability (which Han’s character also possessed, but again this is more impressively done with Qi’ra). Characters were definitely the strongest point for Most Wanted, largely because of Qi’ra, but also because of Han.
Writing Style (7.5/10 pts)
I don’t want it to seem as if I’m suggesting this book was poorly written, it really wasn’t. It just seemed less than average when compared to other Star Wars books, which are all very well written. Rae Carson is still a bestselling author, she’s very good. Most Wanted was just written a bit too simple for the young-adult crowd in my opinion. However, since I could read it fast, it added a bit to the intrigue because I never felt the need to put it down. That’s the upside for the simple writing style, but I prefer something more detailed and complex. The writing is still good and doesn’t take away from the quality of the book, just compared to others it is slightly below average.
Plot (6.5/10 pts)
I don’t want to give away much, but the plot was pretty simple and didn’t explore as much of Qi’ra and Han’s lives as I wanted. The whole book essentially explores one mission they go on that, yes was exciting, but also greatly limited the scope of the book. I think to more complicated plots like that of Lords of the Sith, and it really shows me how simple this one was. Now, again, simple isn’t always bad because it made the mission much more fun and exciting than it would have been if fewer pages were devoted to it. Carson also made the most of the plot by including character development into it, which helped to create some depth for the story. But overall, it was a bit too simple for what I want in a Star Wars story.
Intrigue (9/10 pts)
As I touched on in the weaknesses of the writing style and plot, they come out as strengths when it comes to the intrigue. I tore through this book turning page after page because it was so easy to read and because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Before I knew it, I was 30,50,100 pages in and still going fast! From almost the very start of the book, I was hooked and it continued throughout the rest of it. Most Wanted is certainly a fun book to read, and it scores highly in this section.
What does it add? (6.25/10 pts)
This was kind of a hard section to score for me. What Most Wanted adds to Solo is pretty cool, giving background to not just Han and Qi’ra, but also the White Worms and Lady Proxima. It gave me a new perspective and appreciation when watching Solo. But beyond this one standalone film, it doesn’t really add anything to the rest of the Star Wars universe. The scope was fairly limited in that regard. Books written to just supplement a single movie or a couple of characters usually fall into this trap. That is why I’m only giving 6 points for this section. What it adds is good, but it does not add that much.
Logic (0 pts)
There is nothing from Most Wanted that either adds to or takes away from the logic in the Star Wars universe.
Final Thoughts
So my final grade for Most Wanted is a 7.65/10, or a C. I seemed fairly critical of the book in this review, but it shouldn’t take away from the fact that I really enjoyed reading it! This is probably because I am both a fan of Solo and Qi’ra. If you are too, you’ll enjoy this book! I have already recommended it to a few people on Twitter who have also shown interest in Qi’ra’s character. However, if you didn’t enjoy Solo, there really isn’t anything in Most Wanted that will cause you to want to read it. Unless you have an open mind, then Most Wanted may actually give you more of an appreciation for Solo. Either way, if you decide to pick up Most Wanted, you will have a fun read on your hands!
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).