Anyone else need a year-long rest after the past month? 

At the beginning of July, life blew up in an awful way, and it turned out to be just the start of a chain reaction. Though my writing time dropped straight to zero for a little while, thank God for books! I found so many wonderful pockets of rest, whether big or small, when I could read. 

But you know me. I didn’t just read; I learned. So let’s take a look at what some of these books can teach us—from how to write great characters to how not to structure the middle of a story.

(Spoiler alert: I’ve been on a Star Wars kick thanks to my amazing haul from the used book store!)

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: No Prisoners by Karen Traviss

Rating: 10/10

Torrent Company’s Captain Rex agrees to temporarily relieve Anakin Skywalker of Ahsoka, his ubiquitous—and insatiably curious—Padawan, by bringing her along on a routine three-day shakedown cruise aboard Captain Gilad Pellaeon’s newly refitted assault ship. But the training run becomes an active—and dangerous—rescue mission when Republic undercover agent Hallena Devis goes missing in the middle of a Separatist invasion.

Dispatched to a distant world to aid a local dictator facing a revolution, Hallena finds herself surrounded by angry freedom fighters and questioning the Republic’s methods–and motives. Summoned to rescue the missing operative who is also his secret love, Pellaeon—sworn to protect the Republic over all—is torn between duty and desire. And Ahsoka, sent in with Rex and six untested clone troopers to extract Hallena, encounters a new and different Jedi philosophy, which shakes the foundation of her upbringing to the core. As danger and intrigue intensify, the loyalties and convictions of all involved will be tested. . . .

Let’s start with the one that surprised me the most.

I’m a simple woman. I see Clone Wars, I buy. I honestly wasn’t expecting much from this book—or the three other Clone Wars books I got at the same time, for that matter. I just wanted a happy romp from some of my favorite characters.

Flash forward to me finishing No Prisoners, my mouth hanging open because did I just read that?

It was, in a word, amazing. Not only were the main Star Wars characters masterfully handled, but many interesting new characters were introduced who I actually cared about. And it wasn’t just some pew-pew, bang-bang Clone Wars story. It posed deep questions and challenged the core beliefs of the Jedi.

There was, of course, plenty of enjoyable pew-pew stuff, too.

Biggest lesson: Challenging your characters and forcing them to wrestle with their beliefs leads to the most engaging stories.

Because when the main characters are challenged, so are their relationships with each other. It has a ripple effect that travels throughout the entire story. When their backs are against the wall, when they don’t know who or what to trust, characters might make vastly different choices than they would under normal circumstances.

And that’s when a story really gets interesting.

Star Wars: Reign of the Empire: The Mask of Fear by Alexander Freed

Rating: 5/10

“In order to ensure the security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire! For a safe and secure society!”

With one speech, and thunderous applause, Chancellor  Palpatine brought the era of the Republic crashing down. In its place rose the Galactic Empire. Across the galaxy, people rejoiced and celebrated the end to war—and the promises of tomorrow. But that tomorrow was a lie. Instead the galaxy became twisted by the cruelty and fear of the Emperor’s rule.

During that terrifying first year of tyranny, Mon Mothma, Saw Gerrera, and Bail Organa face the encroaching darkness. One day, they will be three architects of the Rebel Alliance. But first, each must find purpose and direction in a changing galaxy, while harboring their own secrets, fears, and hopes for a future that may never come, unless they act.

This book is nearly a tome, coming in at 463 pages. That excited me when I first picked it up—I love sci-fi political dramas (though I couldn’t care less about real life political dramas, funnily enough.) I was also looking forward to delving further into the life of Mon Mothma; I think the way Star Wars writers have been fleshing out her character recently is fascinating.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite deliver like I wanted it to. Freed did a wonderful job on the Rogue One novelization, which I read earlier this year, but I was disappointed with his work on this one. The added characters weren’t compelling, and the main side character who took POV for a good third of the novel, at least, got downright annoying pretty quickly because there was absolutely nothing likable or relatable about him. I got frustrated when so much time was spent on him rather than the main three characters of the novel; they were who I wanted to read about in the first place.

Biggest lesson: There are no “unimportant characters.” Every character needs to be treated like it’s the one that will pull every reader in.

Additionally, the middle of the book was sluggish, and in the end, I didn’t feel like the story had a significant enough impact on the Star Wars universe to warrant its own giant book. It is, apparently, the start of a trilogy, so I’m not sure if reading further books would make me change my opinion on that last point.

The insights into Mon Mothma were interesting, though, I’ll give it that.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Rating: 10/10 stars (reread)

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl’s castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there’s far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.

My current response to the question “What’s your favorite book?” is “I don’t know,” so I set out to remedy that this year. My goal is to have at least five favorites I can point to, since I don’t think it’s possible for me to choose just one. I suspected Howl might be one of these five, so I did a reread to check.

I was only a few pages in before I confirmed my theory. Silly, serious, compelling, and suspenseful, Howl just has everything. The story is all over the place, yet you never find yourself lost. It is a truly fun book, one that’s hard to put down even when you know the story by heart. And of course, you can’t help but be drawn to the hate fest between Howl and Sophie…which doesn’t really stop once they realize their love for each other.

Biggest lesson: Go big with creativity. The sky’s the limit.

A big part of Howl’s charm is its outlandishness. It’s so fanciful, so out there, and yet the characters are so relatable, and their relationships are endearing.

Needless to say, this book secures a sure slot in my top five favorite books.

Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones

Rating: 4/10

Young merchant Abdullah leads a humble life. Or he did until a stranger sold him a threadbare—and disagreeable—magic carpet. Now Abdullah is caught in the middle of his grand daydremas. Waking one night in a luxurious garden, he meets and falls instantly in love with the beautiful and clever Flower-in-the-Night. But a wicked djinn sweeps the princess away right before Abdullah’s eyes, leaving the young man no choice but to follow. This is no ordinary quest, however, for Flower-in-the-Night isn’t all the djinn has stolen. Abdullah will have the so-called help of the cantankerous carpet, a cranky genie in a bottle, a dishonest soldier, and a very opinionated black cat. Will this motley crew be able to find the djinn’s mysterous dwelling and rescue a castle full of princesses?

I finally got my hands on the “sequel” to Howl’s Moving Castle. I say “sequel” because it has a totally different main character and an entirely separate story, but Howl and Sophie do make their appearances and continue their story a bit. (The third book, House of Many Ways—which I’ve already read—is different yet again.)

Unfortunately, I really didn’t find the main character or his plight compelling enough to enjoy this book. Halfway through I started skimming just to get to Howl and Sophie. The end was surprising, though, and I do want to go back and reread it after knowing the ending.

Biggest lesson: Don’t rush the beginning of a story. If the reader doesn’t buy into the main character’s plight from the start, their interest will only continue to dwindle.

Star Wars: Jedi: Battle Scars by Sam Maggs

Rating: 0/10

Cal Kestis has built a new life for himself with the crew of the Stinger Mantis. Together, Cal’s crew has brought down bounty hunters, defeated Inquisitors, and even evaded Darth Vader himself. More importantly, Merrin, Cere, Greez, and faithful droid BD-1 are the closest thing Cal has had to a family since the fall of the Jedi Order. Even as the galaxy’s future grows more uncertain by the day, with each blow struck against the Empire, the Mantis crew grows more daring.

On what should be a routine mission, they meet a stormtrooper determined to chart her own course with the help of Cal and the crew. In exchange for help starting a new life, the Imperial deserter brings word of a powerful, potentially invaluable tool for their fight against the Empire. And even better, she can help them get to it. The only catch – pursuing it will bring them into the path of one of the Empire’s most dangerous servants, the Inquisitor known as the Fifth Brother.

Can the Imperial deserter truly be trusted? And while Cal and his friends have survived run-ins with the Inquisitors before, how many times can they evade the Empire before their luck runs out?

This is absolutely the biggest disappointment on the list. As a huge fan of the Jedi video games, I’d been looking forward to getting my hands on this book for a few years. I did wonder why I kept seeing it massively discounted and piled up in used bookstores, but now I get it.

Out of the scores of Star Wars books I’ve read, this one is undoubtedly, and unfortunately, the worst.

It’s hard to imagine how such a fantastic story with incredible characters was handled so badly in this book. The great content was already there, and all the author had to do was come up with a compelling new story around it.

The reality is that I only got about 50 pages in before I had to stop. Firstly, the writing was so sloppy that it felt like the book didn’t have an editor. Instead of presenting a clear, logical flow of events, the paragraphs (which oftentimes were massive), were like the author’s unchecked stream of consciousness. It was difficult to read, and made the story—especially action sequences—unclear.

I maybe could have survived the bad writing, but what really lost me was how little the author understood the characters. Their choices, relationships, reactions…they weren’t quite right from the get-go. The main character of the novel, Merrin, was especially off. And from what I’ve gathered after researching the rest of the book, the story doesn’t deliver on the adventure in its description, mostly focusing on Merrin’s random romance with a new side character.

Biggest lesson: Don’t let yourself get in the way of a good story. Being an author means writing a book that you’ll like, but also recognizing when you need to sacrifice what you want for the sake of the story and its characters.

I have so many questions about what happened to this book. It’s such a shame, given it’s the only novel from this game series. And even worse—it’s canon.

The Fatal Unpleasantness at Netherfield by Claudia Gray

Rating: 7/10

**Spoilers for the Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney Mystery series ahead!!**

Jonathan Darcy has recovered from the wound he received in a duel three months prior, during a disastrous London Season. But his parents aren’t over the shock, and they remain convinced that, no matter how many murderers have been caught via their investigations, Jonathan must end his association with Miss Juliet Tilney—particularly now that she is a young lady of ruined reputation. He prays for some opportunity to be with her again, but unfortunately, the answer to those prayers comes in the form of murder: his uncle Charles Bingley’s brother-in-law, Mr. Hurst, is found dead from poisoning at Netherfield Park. Aunt Jane is desperate for answers, which means Miss Tilney must be invited to Netherfield to investigate! 

Juliet, still reeling from her newfound ruination, is happy to be back in the thick of an investigation. The reunion with Mr. Darcy is difficult—Juliet has missed Jonathan terribly, but she is tormented by the knowledge that his parents will never approve their match. Adding to her troubles are the scheming Caroline Bingley Allerdyce and her daughter Priscilla, whose machinations threaten any hope Juliet might have of societal rehabilitation, much less an engagement. Then, Mr. Hurst proves to be only the first victim at Netherfield, casting a pall of danger—and worse, scandal—over the Bingleys’ household. Jonathan and Juliet must find the culprit, and will ultimately be called to make a final choice between respectability…and love.

I’ve been loving this Jane Austen murder mystery series by Claudia Gray, and the latest installment has me checking frequently to see if there’s an update on the next book.

(Sadly, there is not.)

While the plots of these books vary in strength—with this one being one of the weakest, actually—Gray shines in her character writing. Much like in Jane Austen novels themselves, the character interactions in Gray’s book are so good that you can’t help but be drawn in.

There were many holding-your-breath, sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat moments in this one. Gray has built these characters up brilliantly, and this book was the most shocking yet.

Biggest lesson: Characters are king!

I can’t wait for the next book! This series is just pure fun.

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All right, you’ve heard enough from me.

What have you been reading lately? Any great books? Horrible ones? Any writing lessons learned?

And…I always love recommendations! (*hint hint*)

Happy reading!
—E.J.

Coming Up Soon on the Blog:

• Review of Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender
• The biggest writing lesson I’ve learned from the mistakes of Kingdom Hearts
• WIP update
• …and more!!

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