Padawan by Kiersten White

Coming-of-age but make it Star Wars

Another week, another book read here at the Star Wars Book Club. This time we’re delving into the newest offering this vast galaxy of books has to offer: Padawan by Kiersten White. This review will be entirely spoiler free, so read on at your leisure.

My rating: 4.5/5

Pub Date: July 26, 2022

Legends/Canon: Canon

Timeline: 41 BBY

Padawan is a solo adventure revolving around sixteen-year-old Obi-Wan Kenobi. I loved the coming of age aspects of the story, and the fact that they’re set against the classic Star Wars backdrop only made it better. I mean, imagine the struggles of being a teenager, then multiply it by the paralyzing fear of failing an entire galaxy and you get the basic feel of what Padawan is.

Reading this book so close on the heels of Master & Apprentice made the experience all the more fun for me. I’ve been taking in so much Obi-Wan content lately that reading this book was like visiting an old friend. I’m accustomed to his fighting style, his logic, and, of course, his most iconic line.

This is only the second YA Star Wars book I’ve read, and it was a refreshing change of pace from all the adult content I’ve been reading lately. The stakes were a lot less galactic, and the cast of opinionated and stubborn teenagers were the perfect challenge for Obi-Wan to take on. Obi-Wan meets said teenagers after he discovers the markings of a planet in a dusty corner of the Jedi Temple. It turns out that an old Jedi Wayfinder named Orla had already visited this planet and marked it for future exploration. Exploration that never happened. 

So, naturally, Obi-Wan’s curiosity is piqued, and he wants to get out there and have one of those cool adventures that other Padawan’s get to have. But when Qui-Gon is a no show to their scheduled departure, Obi-Wan takes matters into his own hands. Que the solo adventure and a lot of teenage angst. Okay, maybe angst is a little dramatic, but there’s certainly a minor identity crisis (Who wants to be a Padawan anyway?) and a fair bit of complaining about Qui-Gon’s teaching methods.

This book was full of questions. Questions Obi-Wan asked about his identity. Questions about this mysterious new planet, Lenahra, and its aggressive streak. Questions about the source of the young inhabitants' abilities. And, of course, questions about Jedi of old, Orla in particular. (I need to know more about these Jedi who were Wayfinders, and I need to know immediately).

But have patience, my young Padawan, all will be revealed in time. (See what I did there?)

I liked a lot of things in this book: the children acted like children when they made somewhat irrational decisions, the creatures on Lenahra were very cute and would make marketable merch, the plot had the perfect amount of mystery, and there was a cameo I was absolutely not expecting but totally loved.

But my very favorite thing about this book had to be the little hints at a future relationship for Obi-Wan. Please, Star Wars, give the people (me specifically, though) what we want: Obi-Wan and Satine.

Which leads me to Obi-Wan’s very own words, and one of my favorite quotes from the entire book:

“I would never want to be in a relationship with a leader. Too close to politicians or royalty. I’m sure if I ever fell in love, it would be with someone calm. Peaceful. Easy to get along with.” ~Obi-Wan Kenobi

If that’s not a direct lead-in to Obi-Wan + Satine then I don’t know what is. Just saying.

Anyways, that pretty much sums up everything. Except, I guess, for the villain of the story, who was actually my least favorite part. While the motivations behind the villainy were explained, they felt a little bit villainous for villainous sake, if you know what I mean. And that’s why this book gets a 4.5/5 and placed just slightly below Master & Apprentice in my newly created Master Rankings List.

To close us out today, here are two quotes that sum up the whole book pretty well:

“Becoming a Padawan had always been his goal - the most important step toward his final destiny as a Jedi Knight - so why did it feel so much like a loss?”

“It wasn’t about not feeling fear or ambition or anything else he didn’t think was right for Jedi. It was about whether or not he gave those feelings power.”

So, the moral of the story is… Padawan is a must read Star Wars book.

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And before you go, I need to know. Are you a fan of Obi-Wan and Satine? Do you think there’s ever a chance for them? Let me know in the comments!