Review: Star Wars- Queen’s Shadow

Quick Summary

Pros: The entire book is fantastic in developing Padmé Amidala as a character and explaining nearly everything about her. The character-driven narrative is good.

Cons: The book offers very little when it comes to action, tension, or excitement.

Overall: This book is wonderful in some regards but disappointing in others. The entire book is highly interesting and elaborates on everything you could want to know about Padmé, most of which is great to see. However, the narrative is not that captivating and fails to capitalize on all but a few opportunities for excitement. In the end, this book is for readers who want to learn more about Padmé Amidala and are fine reading a story that doesn’t have much excitement.

Story

The main reason to read Star Wars: Queen’s Shadow, by E. K. Johnston, is to see more of and learn more about Padmé Amidala. This book takes a deep dive into nearly every aspect of this former queen’s character. It details her behind-the-scenes actions in Episode I- The Phantom Menace, establishes the complex relationship she maintains with her handmaidens, elaborates on her view toward politics, introduces her family, and even explains her complex wardrobe. All of this is interesting and helps truly give readers a grasp for who Padmé is as an individual.

Along with this focus on Padmé is a solid, character-driven narrative. Readers see how she went from a queen to a senator and learn of all the discomforts that came with this transition. This creates some intrigue and a bit of drama. Plus, it helps make Padmé’s actions near the book’s conclusion feel like a worthwhile end to this book. In addition, many of Padmé’s handmaidens undergo a similar level of growth as the book progresses, most of which is great to see.

However, though all of this is very interesting, it isn’t that compelling or exciting. The book’s biggest conflict comes from threats Padmé faces within the Capital and even this ends up not being utilized to its full extent. Besides this, the majority of the book is standard dialogue, mundane political dealings, and scenes that feel very slow for a Star Wars book. In Bloodline, the political maneuvering is tense and exciting, with each conversation having the possibility to change the course of everyone’s lives; meanwhile, in Queen’s Shadow, the political maneuvering is far more understated and far less engaging. This type of writing may work for some but will definitely not work for everyone.

Continuity

Star Wars: Queen’s Shadow takes place before the events of Episode II- Attack of the Clones but after the events of Episode I- The Phantom Menace. However, the book’s final chapter takes place shorty after the events of Episode III- The Revenge of the Sith.

The story in this book continues in two other books. Queen’s Peril (Review) is a prequel to Queen’s Shadow, though it was published after. Queen’s Hope takes place after the main storyline in Queen’s Shadow.