Lost Stars by Claudia Gray (Review)
The Plot and My Initial Thoughts
My rating: 4.5/5
Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2015
Legends/Canon: Canon
Timeline: 11 BBY - 5 ABY
The Elevator Pitch:
Lost Stars is a space opera romance set against the backdrop of a rising Empire. When two wannabe pilots meet as children they form an instant bond, and together work their way through the Imperial Academy and into the ranks of the vast Empire. But, when one of them becomes disillusioned with the supposedly infallible Empire, will their love last?
The Lovebirds:
Thane Kyrell: A second-waver from the Outer Rim world of Jelucan. He loves flying, but his family doesn’t really get it. Joins the Imperial Academy with the goal to be a pilot and succeeds. But quickly changes course and abandons his post after been witness to slavery perpetrated by the Empire. (Thanks, Thane, for having morals)
Ciena Ree: A valley native from Jelucan. The only thing she loves more than flying is obeying the rules of her culture, which include but are not limited to: keeping your word no matter what and remaining loyal to an absolute fault. (Stick with ‘em even after the Death Star, she does)
“Ciena had been raised knowing that her word was her bond and her honor the only possession that could ever truly matter.” ~Claudia Gray
The Plot and My Thoughts:
It’s an intergalactic love story. And, like all good love stories, it starts on a middle of nowhere planet far in the Outer Rim called Jelucan.
The Empire has arrived with all their pomp and circumstance to annex Jelucan. It’s a day full of speeches and festivities, but to Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree it’s a chance to finally see a real space shuttle up close. The excitable eight year olds, hailing from two very different Jelucani cultures, are brought together by their love of spacecraft when they both decide to sneak away from the festivities to get a closer look at the shuttle parked nearby.
Their bond is pretty much immediate. From that day forward, Thane and Ciena promise to help each other study in order to make it into the Imperial Academy and achieve the all important dream of being pilots.
Well, it turns out that having a best friend that’s as invested in something as you are has its perks. Thane and Ciena push each other to be the best they each can be, and in turn they each make it into the Imperial Academy. Competition and teenage antics ensue to the nth degree, and running through it all are feelings that are, dare I say… deepening?
The plot continues plotting forward, until finally Thane decides he’s seen one too many uncomfortable situations from the Empire and ends up deserting and joining the ragtag group of rebels, who may not be as ragtag as he, or the Empire, believed. Ciena is a different story, though, and it’s all because of her upbringing. She was raised in a home and culture where honor and loyalty are the most important values a person could have. She pledged herself to the Empire, and so with them she will stay, even if things aren’t exactly as they were described on the brochure.
From there we get the classic light vs dark, Rebel Alliance vs Imperial Forces. But the best part is that we get to see it from both sides. Thane from within the Rebel Alliance. Ciena from the forces of the Empire. And the friendship turned love that holds them together.
That friendship turned love is what made me extra excited for this read. It was great to watch Thane’s and Ciena’s relationship develop, and it was well written and fit the story very well. But for those who don’t love love as much as I do, I think it’s important to note that Thane and Ciena spend a good portion of the book apart from each other on various assignments for the Empire. They have their moments, and there’s definitely some pining, but I don’t think it’s overdone, especially for a book that’s really character driven. Their love story comes second to the other factors in their lives.
This was my first foray into written Star Wars, and let me just say that I enjoyed it. It was really interesting to see events, like the destruction of the Death Star, happen from the point of view of someone who actually had something to lose with the destruction of the station. (Ciena, I’m looking at you.) Seeing characters grow up under the care of the Empire, and seeing them fully believe in it, is a point of view that isn’t really explored in the visual content available at this time.
A little random, but it was really fun to see the chaos and panic from the inner ranks of the Empire when the Rebellion started to win some battles. Ciena received promotions way earlier than regulations stated. There weren’t enough people left to chase down every single desertion. Each battle we saw became a little more tense as the Empire started to slip. It was just interesting to see behind the curtain a little bit.
The other unexpectedly fun part was the cameos. We see Leia briefly at a Coruscant event. We see Luke fighting AT-ATs on Hoth. Grand Moff Tarkin is there in all his stiff-necked glory. And of course we see the ever intimidating Darth Vader aboard his Death Star and on the Super Star Destroyer Executor, which just so happens to be where Ciena is based.
We follow Thane and Ciena through it all, until finally we reach the Battle of Jakku. This is a fitting place for the final battle of the book to take place, especially since Lost Stars came out as part of the “Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens” event, as far as I can tell. The Star Destroyers that are shown on Jakku at the beginning of the movie came from this battle. That’s the best part of consuming Star Wars. Little, and very big, details pop up everywhere. Everything is connected so deeply, and it’s really impressive what the various authors, directors, etc. come up with to keep everything tied together nicely.
My Recommendation:
Definitely a Star Wars book I would recommend to anyone, super fan or not.
A Few Questions Before You Go:
Have you read Lost Stars? What did you think?
Thane and Ciena move from the rural world of Jelucan to the bustling city planet Coruscant. Where would you rather live, Coruscant or Jelucan?
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