I think what upsets me the most about this trilogy is that it really had potential! You see it shining here and there in some of the scattered scenes and I don't know if those little bursts of interest save the book a bit or just make me mad.

There is, at the same time, too much and too little going on. Hoping around povs is justifiable if they are adding important information or perspectives but here just happens because...I guess the author wanted to?

And "I guess the author wanted to" perfectly sums up every aspect of all three books. She just goes through the motions and it seems like it didn't get trimmed around the edges at all.

There's a one page random scene with Anakin on the front solely to present a trans clone. Who has one line. That is "hi, I'm different, I'm a girl". Like there isn't a clone character who actuality is integrated on the story? Who could've provided the representation without the blatant grab for cookie points? How did this pass the editoral process??

And that's exactly why this book is so... Meh. It doesn't bother me enough to be bad, but I don't think I enjoyed a single moment of the experience. Sure there's some interesting representation. Some small points that could've become good plots. But she never picked one so there isn't really a story? At all? If you skip this book there isn't a single thing you miss for the overall story of the galaxy or the characters portrayed. It's 100% irrelevant. Isn't this the biggest fail a story could ever achieve?

PS: and again we have a reference to the tuskan massacre as just like "oh well a bad thing happened. Never really got around talking about it tho" ???? Padmé??? ( )

I thought this was a thoroughly satisfying conclusion to the trilogy about Padmé Amidala. I loved seeing how this story fit into the gaps of the movie stories, how Johnston fills in little backstory stuff. We get to see her again as Senator but also, more tellingly, as fiancée and wife to Anakin. Love it! I also adore how the author writes poetic fairytale-like interludes ("Once there was a girl who...") about other female characters of the saga. Those made me smile and also tear up a little. And the story is just as much about her handmaiden and best friend Sabé as it is about Padmé, which was cool. I want more books about Padmé! ( )