Queens Peril takes us on a journey to Naboo, where we see the first days of Amidala’s reign as Queen. We learn about the origins of her handmaidens, and we get to learn and grow with them as they discover their role as bodyguards to the Queen. Throughout the story, we learn about Padme and why she wanted to be Queen, we see what her beliefs were, and learn how she interacted with her royal court. Towards the final third of the book, we get to see how the Queen and her Handmaidens work together to keep the Queen safe in times of peril. This story even has a few cameos from other well loved characters from the era, showing us what some of our favorite characters were up to before the Trade Federation Blockade of Naboo. The last third of the book also contains a fantastic surprise, but we won’t spoil that here for you! If you are a fan of Star Wars Prequels, this is a story for you!

This review will appear in episode 43 of SWAI, premiering 6/3/2020

Welcome back to Padme is the most intriguing character in Star Wars. (Don't @ me!) First, let me say that if you are looking to read this series, start here with Queen's Peril and then read Queen's Shadow as that is the true order of the story. I might reread Shadow just to catch things I did not get beforehand.

The Amadala's Handmaidens in the movie are used as props and decorations. Most casual fans do not know Keira Knightley played the decoy maiden and most people do not know the name of this handmaiden (it is Tsabin/Sabe). We meet the five handmaidens, how they were picked, why they were picked, and how they ended up with matching names. It really goes to a private and personal look into a group of highly capable teenage girls who make the perfect team. How they got decaying down and how each has a role to play in the new government.

It starts with the events leading up to the election to the events running parallel with the Phantom Menace. Parallel as we do not rehash the scenes in the movie but the behind the curtain conversations pertaining to these events as well as events not shown.

Kudos to the author for not shying away from honest content about periods. Also, bonus points for showing us how a medically advanced civilization would take care of a woman's cycle.

Lastly, on a fun note, if you are playing the game of Disney nods in Star Wars books there are the lion's share of points to be had early on in this book.

Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide and NetGalley for the ARC. This book comes out on June 2nd.

Padmé Amidala is young and ambitious, ascending to the throne as Queen of Naboo at the age of 14. Though the pacifist planet of Naboo seems entirely peaceful, General Panaka does not take his responsibility of protecting the Queen lightly. At Amidala’s suggestion, he finds her five handmaidens who support and protect the Queen, even serving as body doubles when necessary. These six teenagers must put aside their squabbles, families, and personal desires to rule a planet and administrate its foreign relations. What they prepared for but never expected comes to pass – Naboo is invaded and the Queen must protect her citizens at all costs, even as her handmaidens protect her.

Queen’s Peril, a new Star Wars novel by E.K. Johnston, takes place prior to and during The Phantom Menace, providing us the perspective of Padmé and her handmaidens. For me, this connection to Episode I was both the best and the worst part about this book. Padmé’s relationship with her handmaidens has always been intriguing to me, and I was eager to learn more about them. This provided me with an attachment to the characters before I even got started. I enjoyed getting to know each of the handmaidens and how they, together with Padmé, created the persona of the Queen. This character development is the main focus of the novel, along with some political subplots. This was perfect for what I wanted but might seem a bit slow to those looking for a more plot-focused read.

In the final fourth of the novel, the events of The Phantom Menace take place. This is the first true action we see and, to me, the weakest part of the book. It’s merely a quick replay of events I’d already watched (and read about) with a slightly different perspective. It feels rushed and forced. I imagine it’s hard to rewrite part of a movie without it feeling forced, but personally I’d rather this section was just left out and replaced with an original, somewhat more minor crisis that the girls had to work through together.

We also got single brief glimpses of perspective from other characters in The Phantom Menace such as Palpatine, Obi-Wan, and Jar Jar. These seemed very out of place and unnecessary. They contributed nothing significant, and the book would flow much better without them.

If you like Padmé already, then you’ll probably enjoy this book. I loved learning more about Naboo’s culture, seeing Padmé’s ascent to the throne, and finding out who each of her handmaidens were. Otherwise, however, the story doesn’t contribute much to the Star Wars canon, nor is it a great read on its own merit (if you don’t care about Star Wars). Altogether, I give Queen’s Peril 3 out of 5 stars for being an enjoyable but unremarkable read for Star Wars fans.

Many thanks to Disney Publishing and Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

WOW. I loved this book. I've always loved Padme Amidala, and I felt like she didn't get to shine as much as she could in the Star Wars prequels. This was kind of like her superhero origin story. I love that you got to know about her AND her handmaidens. For the first time, I got to see them all as individuals. And I got to see them as actual teenagers. It was so much fun seeing the woman behind the stiff politician. And my favorite part was the female friendships. So often, girls in books try to bring each other down, but in this book, all of the girls trust each other completely. I love the first one that came out, but this one fills in so many gaps. Plus, it was cool to read about the events of Phantom Menace (the last part of the book) from different perspectives.

Hope and Family. Historically, that is what lies at the core of Star Wars. Queen’s Peril is no exception, and author E.K. Johnston masterfully tells of these themes through the eyes of six young girls--strangers to each other--yet thrust into extraordinary circumstances that shake the entire galaxy.

Queen’s Peril, the newest young adult novel added to the expanding Star Wars universe, invites readers into the story of Padmé Naberrie becoming Queen Amidala with the help of her newly selected handmaidens. This brave young group are forced into an unthinkable struggle when confronted with the invasion of the Trade Federation, their droid army, and the return of the Sith.

I’ll be honest. At first I wasn’t thrilled about a prequel book to Queen’s Shadow. It is a prequel novel to a prequel novel, which isn’t a strong selling point for me. However, after Queen’s Shadow I realize It is impossible to have too many stories of Padmé and Sabé, no matter when it takes place. And it wasn’t long into starting Queen’s Peril that I realized this is the prequel story we truly need. It is a must read for any fans of this era in Star Wars.

The bulk of the book is about Padme and her handmaidens. Together, they use their individual specialties to master the intricacies of the Naboo monarchy and seek to establish good relationships with other systems in the Chommell sector. At the same time, they struggle to find time to just be themselves, without the mask of royalty. Johnston masterfully balances scenes of these young women becoming mature leaders of Naboo with scenes where they can hide from public view and allow themselves to be kids. Both sides of the scale are written with great care and honest insight into what these characters are experiencing and how they are changing.

Padmé and her handmaidens are unsung heroes in mainstream Star Wars. We need trailblazers like E.K. Johnston to bring these girls’ lives into our world. It seems far fetched to have a group of 12 to 14-year-olds lead a planet through war. Yet, this is Naboo: a world full of artists and progressive young adults. It may seem unbelievable, but Johnston tears down that veil and gives readers a large set of characters to empathize and find inspiration.

What this story is about is simply a group of young--very unique--teenagers who want to make a difference. They each have tremendous talent and dreams, and they want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. On one level, each girl is a part of a unified royal family. On a larger level, they are leaders of a planet during a time when the galaxy needs them most.

It is during this time in the story, where the larger conflict of the Trade Federation takes place, that didn’t work for me as much. Granted, I enjoyed every page, but the events of the invasion, the war, and the resolution all felt a little rushed. I understand why. These events are in The Phantom Menace, and this novel isn’t an adaptation. For those who haven’t seen the film prior to reading Queen’s Peril, the events in the last third of the book could be confusing.

Where Johnston brushed over in retelling events, she gave greater devotion to the handmaiden’s perspective of the conflict. As much as I would love to have read more about Qui-Gon, Palpatine, Darth Maul, and little Anakin, their stories are meant to be told elsewhere. This story is for Eirtaé, Yané, Saché, Rabé, Sabé, and Padmé.

E.K. Johnston crafts a world where young teenage women can make a difference. They can be completely different, yet they can be a unified leadership for an entire planet, leading the galaxy through a major controversial transition. I can only hope Johnston is given the opportunity to tell more stories with these characters. This new era of canon for Star Wars is still young, only beginning in 2014. So far, the best part of these new stories that stand higher than those of the time before are the diverse characters. This fresh pool of authors are bringing incredible depth to the franchise. I’m eager for the next story.

Padme Amidala has quickly become one of my favorite characters in the entire Star Wars universe and this book took another deep dive into her character and her past before she became known as the wife of Anakin and the senator of Naboo. I loved how much we got to learn about her and how she really is her own character. I loved the writing and the setting and E.K. Johnston always manages to make the characters come to life.

Queen’s Peril starts as the story of how Padme becomes queen of Naboo. What I expected to be a feminine focused book on the beginnings of Padme, quickly became more than just that in surprising ways.

A prequel to Queen’s Shadow, this novel takes place in the year 32 BBY, not long before The Phantom Menace. While the focus is on Padme and how she becomes queen, it is also heavily focused on her handmaidens and their relationships (especially Sabe). I began reading this story expecting the previously mentioned topics and also understanding that this YA novel is focused on female readers and reads as much.

What I was not expecting was how this story is much more than just a prequel to Queens Shadow, but also a prequel to The Phantom Menace. Not only does it lead into the movie, but it overlaps and shows things from new perspectives.

But, the surprises did not stop there. While you mostly read from Padme’s perspective, you also get into the heads of around ten others, and some were an absolute delight to read.

I believe this book was written with YA girls in mind, and I think it is written well. However, I have to compliment E.K. Johnston because, with this novel, I believe she has added just enough elements to appeal to a much wider audience than her previous novel.

While this novel will never be considered one of my favorites, I give it a high recommendation for any young woman who is interested in Star Wars, or maybe is looking to get interested. For everyone else, there are enough surprises and new additions to the lore that I believe everyone should give it a chance.

EK Johnston is getting better with each entry in the Star Wars universe. I did not enjoy Ashoka, but Queen's Shadow was decent, albeit a bit bland and devoid of conflict. This was a much more enjoyable read with a bit haphazard of an ending. I wish the ending had the same attention to detail that the rest of the novel did as it felt extremely rushed. It painted a much clearer portrait of the handmaidens individual personalities and I wish this had released before Queen's Shadow as it would have added a lot to the sequel book.. Overall, definitely worth taking the time to read and explore as it adds depth to characters that were barely developed in the prequel films.

Among the first Star Wars books that I read were the prequel novelizations. What I loved about these was the added depth of storytelling and insight into the perspective of the characters in the films, especially their emotional lives. I also appreciated how characters whose scenes consisted of walking down the hallway or standing in the background suddenly came to life. This added context changed how I viewed them, made the Galaxy Far, Far Away seem more real and in some cases, all the added insight almost made it feel like watching the film again for the first time.

In Queen’s Peril, Padmé transitions from an independent and confident teen to a powerful woman that has considerable influence over the future direction of her planet. And while the transformation to Amidala was fascinating and new insight into Padmé is certainly provided, the stars of this book are the handmaidens. Who they are, where they came from, how they related to each other and also, how important they actually were to the events that we witnessed in the films. If you found Sabé interesting in Queen’s Shadow I recommend reading this book. I also loved learning more about Naboo and the culture, customs, and politics.

Interestingly, this book integrates into a film to a degree I have not seen before. If it has been a while since you watched The Phantom Menace you may want to consider revisiting to refresh your memory before reading. There is considerable overlap with the timeline, though the these are largely the events that happen in the background. There were a few moments when I had to stop and think about where we were at in the timeline of the film but there are prompts to guide you. Overall, I thought that this was a creative approach and I appreciate the risks taken to try something more experimental.

This book was an all-around decent read. I read Queen's Shadow a few months after its release, so it's been a while and I had to take a moment to remember who the characters were. I enjoyed the handmaidens' dynamic, and being back on Naboo was wonderful - it's my favorite planet from the SW universe.

However, this story was not as engaging as the first. It wasn't nearly as fleshed out as book one. I didn't feel like we got to see the beginning of Padme's relationship with her handmaidens in any detail. Same with the plot. Everything was just very skimmed over. The events that unfolded in The Phantom Menace were glossed over in this book, and at times I was quite confused by the time jumps since these important events weren't described at all; the book relied solely on readers' knowledge of the movies.

Some OG characters were visited but hardly touched on - Maul and Palpatine/Sidious, in particular. as well as Anakin + Shmi and the Jedi, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. I feel like they were shown so briefly that the author shouldn't have even bothered. I remember wishing, as I read Queen's Shadow, that we could see the beginning of Padme's reign since we explored the end of her reign. But with Queen's Peril, we really didn't get into any details most of us fans already know.

I was confused by Yane and Sache's relationship as well because from the very start they didn't get along very well, but there was no explicit reason for this. I still am not sure why they avoided each other. What was the reason?! If it was stated or implied somewhere I don't recall reading about it, and don't they also start seeing each other at the end of Queen's Shadow once their time as handmaidens came to an end? Very confused.

I wish this story had gone more in-depth with the events of Padme's ascension to queen of Naboo. We see some new things with the handmaidens and a few "behind-the-scenes" with Padme as Amidala, but otherwise I don't think this book was enlightening at all. I was pretty disappointed.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

~Quick Statistics~
Overall: 4.5/5 Stars
Plot: 3/5 Stars
Setting: 5/5 Stars
Characters: 4/5 Stars
Writing: 5/5 Stars
Memorability: 5/5 Stars

~Quick Review~
I absolutely loved Queen’s Peril by E. K. Johnston and cannot wait to see other Star Wars novels that E. K. Johnston will release in the future. However, fans and/or readers who have not watched The Phantom Menace (Episode 1) will most likely be confused in the second half of the novel.

~Other Information~
Publisher: Disney Lucasfilm Press
Page Count: 288 pages
Release Date: June 2, 2020

I would recommend reading Queen’s Peril only if you have watched the Star Wars movies (at least The Phantom Menace). The first half of the novel is focused entirely on Padmé becoming queen and how she acted thereafter. Halfway through the novel it starts overlapping with the events in The Phantom Menace, so watching the movie before reading Queen’s Peril is a really good idea.

~Quick Synopsis~
Padmé Naberrie is a young girl from Naboo who becomes queen at the age of fourteen. She takes on the personality and life of Queen Amidala, relying on her handmaiden’s friendship and skills to not only keep her safe, but provide her with a life outside politics. Everything is going well until the Trade Federation, run by Viceroy Nute Gunray, invades and takes over Naboo, causing her citizens to suffer. Now Padmé must take back her planet before it’s too late. And with the help of her handmaidens, it might just be possible.

~Characters~
Queen’s Peril has multiple points of view throughout the novel. These include Padmé, her handmaidens (honestly, I forget the names but I’ll get to that later), Padmé’s parents, Captain Quarsh Panaka (and his wife, Mariek), Senator Palpatine, Jar Jar Binks, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Darth Maul, Darth Sidious, etc.

However, our main character, Queen Padmé Amidala Naberrie, is amazing. Obviously, if you are a Star Wars fan you most likely know about how incredible and powerful Padmé is. If you don’t, well, let me just say that Padmé is a strong, empowering, protective, compassionate, selfless woman. I think we should just appreciate that Padmé became the queen of Naboo at the age of fourteen, and she rocked at it. Seriously. Her love for Naboo is unparalleled, and that love for her home planet fuels her to solve all of it’s problems. I can’t express enough how strong and powerful Padmé truly is. Also, since I grew up watching her in Star Wars episodes 1-3, it was really awesome to get to see how she became queen and what she did in her new position immediately after.

An issue that I had with the characters was that there are so many introduced in Queen’s Peril, and yet we hardly get any information about them. Pretty much the other characters besides Padmé are in the novel purely because they were in the movies. Even Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Anakin Skywalker do not get any huge recognition or parts in the novel, even though in The Phantom Menace they are a huge part of the movie and it’s ending. Considering that Anakin Skywalker was the entire reason they won the Battle of Naboo, I find it odd that him winning the war for Padmé isn’t even mentioned. However, many parts in The Phantom Menace were skipped over in Queen’s Peril, which I’ll talk about later.

Personally, it was really hard for me to keep all of the handmaidens straight, which I guess their plan was to make it hard to distinguish who was who for the safety of Padmé, but still. I constantly had to go back to the page where the girls decide what their new names are going to be so I could understand who was who throughout the book. It was inconvenient but I guess their plans worked? Anyways, I loved how there was more attention on the handmaidens than there was in the movie. Also, I should mention that there is LGBTQ+ representation in the novel, which I loved (as there is very little representation in the Star Wars universe). Sabé falls in love with the daughter of a neighboring planet’s ruler, and Yané and Saché confess their love for each other before the Battle of Naboo.

Overall, the character building was good, just not perfect.

~Writing and Setting~
I had no issues with the writing; E. K. Johnston described everything perfectly, and I had a clear understanding of what was going on throughout the book.

The setting in Queen’s Peril is amazing. Practically every planet mentioned was described to some amount of detail, even the ones that weren’t necessarily important to the plot. The entire novel is about Padmé doing what she can for Naboo, her home planet, so I’d say that the setting definitely affected Padmé and her choices. We learn a lot more about Naboo than we do in The Phantom Menace, which I greatly appreciated. Not only do we learn about its politics, but we also learn about what Naboo is known for throughout the galaxy, what the citizens do for a living, and how involved Naboo is with other planets in its sector. While not everyone might find this information interesting, it satisfies me to finally be able to learn more about Naboo and how it made its mark on Padmé.

~Plot~
The major issue with Queen’s Peril lies with the plot. Honestly, I feel like E. K. Johnston tried to pack too much into one novel which ended in leaving key details and events out. As mentioned before, Queen’s Peril takes place before and during The Phantom Menace (Episode 1 of Star Wars). The beginning of the novel was at a perfect pace for me and all made sense. However, once you get to the second half of the novel (where it overlaps with The Phantom Menace), it is really hard to keep track of what is happening, even if you have watched the movie. So many events and information is left out during the second half of the book that I constantly had to refer back to my knowledge of The Phantom Menace to understand what was happening. For example, all in one chapter we see Padmé get captured by the Trade Federation, then all of a sudden she is in space with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, then they’re stranded on Tatooine, and all of a sudden they’re at Coruscant. Not a chapter later they’re back on Naboo and in the next chapter they’ve won the battle, but Qui-Gon’s dead so they have to host a funeral for him. There is no mention of how Padmé escapes the Trade Federation, why she’s stranded on or gets off Naboo, why Anakin is at Coruscant and the battle with them, how they win the war, or even how Qui-Gon dies. There’s so many places where critical information is missing that it was slightly confusing to read (even though I’ve watched the movie a bunch of times and knew what was supposed to be happening). I don’t know whether E. K. Johnston didn’t want to bore fans with information they already knew, but then why have the second half of the novel overlap with The Phantom Menace? It would have been much better for the novel to recreate The Phantom Menace but have it from Padme’s point of view. However, I was able to overlook the fact that major events were missed and appreciate the first half of the novel.

~Overall Review~
I really enjoyed Queen’s Peril by E. K. Johnston, but would recommend that the reader be familiar with The Phantom Menace and Star Wars before reading, otherwise they most likely will be confused with the second half of the novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney Lucasfilms Press for providing this eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Queen's Peril shows Padme Amidala's becoming the Queen of Naboo including moments before her election to the selection of her handmaidens and molding the group of girls into her own personal body doubles and bodyguards if need be. It runs just up to and parallel to The Phantom Menace so there is a lot to digest in the later half of the book.

First I'm going to talk about what I liked. In contrast to Queen's Shadow, there was a lot more action and less politics, even though politics do take up the first half of the book give or take. I felt the pacing was a bit better and it was less dry. I understand something that revolves around intergalactic politics would be a bit dry and boring and it was great to have that perspective in relation to The Phantom Menace, especially with the various figures, Palpatine for one pulling a certain set of strings.

Other than the pacing I did feel like E.K. Johnston captures the characters well. I could almost hear Padme's voice when I read her words the same went for Obi-wan and Qui-gon when they made an appearance. I really liked their banter.

As for everything else. I'm going to parrot other reviewers that I peeked at and say that it does gloss over The Phantom Menace when it is slowly building up the events in the first third or so of the book. All the players were slowly stepping into their places and I felt like there was going to be more of a adaptation or perspective than there really was. You know, from a certain point of view. The events were rushed through at such a rate that I had to wait for certain landmarks from the film to figure out where we really were in the timeline, but maybe that was just me.

That and I felt that some of the plot points were a bit contrived, especially with the selection of Padme's handmaidens before she was elected, this isn't a spoiler it happens within the prologue. Also, the girls do seem to be a bit juvenile but I overlooked it because Padme was 14 years old even though she did carry herself as much older in some ways. The girls bickered and fought at a couple points and while I did enjoy seeing what happened to her handmaidens during The Phantom Menace when Padme was off with Qui-gon and Obi-wan, I did want to see more of her and Sabe who is the current rising star of the era.

In true Star Wars fashion, while the pacing was good the plot did meander but that is kind of the style of the writing and the movies. They gave you glimpses that stitched together to tell a larger story over the vast expanse of space. I just felt like it was building up, as I said earlier and kind of puttered out. I would have liked to see more.

The handmaidens like in Queen's Shadow were a blur to me. I could really only pick out a couple of them other than Sabe and I did appreciate having them around because it did show how the girls would interact, protect and cover for each other in a way. Some of the girls kind of blended together in my imagination to become one handmaiden. More time or focusing on one other than Sabe might have benefited the plot instead splitting them up and jumping around during The Phantom Menace events.

You're looking at my review then at my rating and going, wait, you gave it four stars. Well, I love Star Wars. I eat this up and I get teary eyed when I read about my favorite characters. I feel this did the era and the characters justice and I did enjoy it and felt like it resonated with me more than Queen's Shadow. I know others are having differing opinions, but those are mine.

I didn’t enjoy Queen's Peril as much as Queen’s Shadow. It felt a little too scattered and like it was trying to do too much. Queen's Peril takes place a little before and during the events of The Phantom Menace; in which we see Padme be elected and then try to navigate Naboo’s political sphere. I did really enjoy learning more about the queens of Naboo, and seeing Padme’s relationships with her handmaidens develop. They are all just young, teenage girls underneath the hoods and the make-up and I loved being able to see that. There is even a fun scene where they sneak out to go to a concert and Padme ends up covered in glitter. Did we need that in a Padme book? No, but it was still fun all the same.

Where I think this book suffers is that nothing really happens and yet it’s also trying to do way too much. Where Queen’s shadow was pretty much all quiet moments with all the plot stuffed in at the end, Queen’s Peril tries to do a bit more foreshadowing. Unfortunately, this takes the form as unnecessary extra POVs from Obi Wan, Yoda, and Maul, to name a few. All of which take time away from Padme. Then when we get into The Phantom Menace, it’s basically just a retelling with huge chunks missing. Specifically the PADME chunks.

I think this could have been better if it had just focused on Padme learning to be the queen and building relationships with her handmaidens. Because at the end of the day, that’s what we are here for. Overall, Queen’s Peril is a solid 3 stars; it’s fun, but definitely could have been better. And I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to see what a different author could do with Padme.

3.5 stars!

I was pleasantly surprised when this novel took place from Queen Amidala’s Election Day. I absolutely love reading about politics in Star Wars so it was wonderful to see how Naboo’s elections work. Because of this starting point, you also get to see how Padmé’s group of handmaidens was formed.

I think my favourite thing about the Padmé novels by E.K. Johnston, Queen’s Peril and Queen’s Shadow is getting a deeper look into the group of handmaiden bodyguards. My favourite aspects of the novel were when we got to dive deeper into the handmaidens lives before The Phantom Menace film. The bonds between the girls was so interesting. I laughed, I almost cried, and I found myself always wanting more from this group of fiesty teenagers.

Some of the comedic relief also came from Panaka’s wife, Mariek. There were some decisions and comments that Panaka makes that she rebuttals with humour. I don’t want to go into details and spoil anything but Mariek is truly a wonderful character that I’m so glad was included in this novel.

Despite me loving the parts about the handmaidens and absolutely loving Panaka’s wife, I didn’t enjoy the parts that referenced the film as much as I expected to.

THE BOOK VS THE PHANTOM MENACE

Despite the fact that I was excited to read the invasion of Naboo from Padmé’s perspective, this was the part I was most disappointed with. It was clear there was an assumption that the reader has a deep understanding of the first chronological film in the Star Wars universe. This is where the novel fell short for me.

While I enjoyed the novel overall, it could have benefited from spending a bit more time in the events from the film. Anything that is included in the film is quickly glossed over, including crucial information being left out. This ruined the pacing of the book for me as the time jumps in the second half of the story felt unnatural, which could have been fixed with a little bit more information about the plot of the film included.

In fact, if you aren’t extremely familiar with the events of The Phantom Menace, a lot of the second half of the book could be extremely confusing. It is assumed that the reader has a deep understanding and strong memory of the film. It would have helped the story a lot if the jumps in time were connected by a quick summary paragraph describing what happens in the film. I know some readers may not enjoy that but I feel a bit of exposition here would have greatly improved the reading experience.

Because of these things, the ending of the book was ultimately unsatisfying for me. After reading Queen’s Shadow, I had a lot of expectations for this book because of how much I enjoyed it. I think I enjoyed Queen’s Shadow more because it was not grounded so strongly in a main film. A novel heavily grounded in an existing film and popular canon comes with a lot of expectations.

One of the things that I did enjoy was the little details that I missed in previous viewings of the film. Before reading this book, I never noticed that only 3/5 handmaidens fled Naboo to avoid the Queen being killed and to plead to the senate. After finishing the novel, I immediately started to rewatch The Phantom Menace because I wanted to verify a few facts. This is one of the things I was paying close attention to and was surprised it was a little details I didn’t notice before.

I like that Johnston took that small details and created another storyline from it. It was interesting to see the handmaidens work in camp four (referenced in the film) to prepare for their fights against the invaders. In my rewatch of the film, it really makes me wish that the main films had spent more time diving into the handmaidens. I can only hope that we get a film (like Solo) to go into these strong and fascinating women more.

E.K. Johnston delivers what is, without a doubt, a bonafide hit in Star Wars Queen's Peril! Following up on the wildly successful and beloved Queen's Shadow, Johnston takes us back in time to the foundation and formation of our favorite Queen and handmaidens in that galaxy far, far away. Many of the things we loved about Queen's Shadow are here, but with some refreshing twists.

Wholly fun, and sometimes heartbreaking, Johnston deftly gives us the set up to and Queen's cut edition of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Shortly after becoming queen, at only 14 years old mind you, Amidala has to deal with an impending crisis on her home planet of Naboo. Queen's Shadow gave us some teases as to what the handmaidens experienced during this time, but Queen's Peril spells it all out quite clearly. From hijinks to horror, it is all here.

Of course, at the forefront are Padmé, Sabé, Rabé, Eirtaé, Yané, and Saché. In this novel, we get into each of their minds a bit more. Recruited individually to serve the Queen, we get to watch the parts become the whole. Quarsh and Mariek Panaka are also back, and they are surprisingly becoming two of my favorite characters in the expanded universe. The banter and camaraderie explored between them and alongside the handmaidens are fun to witness. There are also many background characters in play here, but I'll save those surprises for you to discover!

If this book did anything for me, it reminded me why I fell in love with Padmé all those years ago. She is strong, smart, brave, compassionate, and relentless. She is prepared for anything and everything and sensitive to the changing of the tides. Most importantly, it reminded me that we wouldn't have the Skywalker Saga without her.

I read this cover to cover in about two days. It is an absolute page-turner that will send you hurtling towards a re-read of Queen's Shadow immediately. Please do not discount it because it is a Young Adult labeled book. As of late, the YA books in the Star Wars universe are some of my absolute favorites. When you finish, you'll want to pick up Queen's Shadow and Ahsoka (also by Johnston), and Leia: Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray. These are all great novels, featuring the empowered female characters we love who absolutely own their place in this universe.

"There are things I cannot do."
- Queen Amidala

When I watched The Phantom Menace for the first time in '99 I was a happy dude. While it's easy to imagine how excited I was for triple lightsaber fights and more backflips there was more I something else I enjoyed. Watching a young queen doing what she must to protect her people. Seeing her make decisions and adapt as her faith in democracy is tested. Witnessing her take up arms herself to join her people in their battle for freedom. There are a lot of reasons that Queen Amidala made an impact on me back then. If you've read E.K. Johnston's previous book Queen's Shadow, then you already have an idea of how well she is able to write Padmé but in this book we really get to know the Queen.

And a lot of teenage girl-highly-trained-loyal-decoy-bodyguards.

Which is a good thing.

This story has a lot of humor and an entirely different tone than any other. I don't wanna credit it all up to being basically about teenage ninjas but... here we are. I'm a pretty hardcore Star Wars fan who is pretty good with details if I don't say so myself, but the names of these handmaidens have eluded me for a while so the fact that I can now identify each and every one of them (besides Sabé) should really say something I think. Once again Johnston handles Padmé's character wonderfully and really brings a lot of character to everyone in her world. She also puts in lots of details that I loved like the hallikset player, taxation bills, election results, unlikely romances with the local nobility, the queen bee's sting, the apprentice in the dark, podracing crash, teenagers and concerts, ALL THE BIBBLE, Jar Jar and the worst day ever, carbon scoring, the little boy and the angel, Shmi, and the girl in the white dress.

For fans of Padmé, this is definitely a must-read. For anyone serious about the antics and scheming that a group of teenagers can get into, also a must-read. As a father, a few things struck VERY close to home. For anyone else who's looking to see the galaxy through some fairly unique eyes, I would definitely recommend this.

“My hands are yours.”
- Sabé

Full review will be up at http://theroguerebels.com/2020/06/02/star-wars-queens-peril-review

E.K. Johnston’s third Star Wars YA novel is, in my personal opinion, her best to date. In this book she picks up the story not long before the events of The Phantom Menace as Padmé Naberrie becomes Queen Amidala. Captain Panaka, her captain of the guard who we already know from TPM, has the idea for Padmé to have a handmaiden to act as a bodyguard. The new queen takes the idea and runs with it, asking him to find more girls to make a team of highly skilled handmaidens.

This is such a fun story of a group of teenage girls thrust into positions of power and authority, and making it their own. We see how Padmé builds her own team to trust with her life, and how they work together to overcome the odds and free Naboo from the Trade Federation and Palpatine's machinations. It blends into the events of The Phantom Menace, tying in the story from a different point of view, and seamlessly including the main characters from the movies in flashes and glimpses which will leave you wanting to watch it again. Whilst we do still get the descriptions of Padmé's fashion, it is less than in Queen's Shadow, and doesn't detract at all from the story. Highly recommended.

Padme Naberrie is fourteen-years old and the new Queen of Naboo. After she wins the election, she takes on the name Amidala and leaves her family and her old life behind in order to rule from the royal palace. As another means of protection, Padme and her advisors devise a plan to recruit a group of girls who slightly resemble the new Queen to serve as handmaidens, personal guards, and if the occasion calls for it, decoys.

Each girl brings their own special set of skills to the table, and have a particular talent that Padme could benefit from. Whether that is lock picking, engineering, or breathing tactics that hide her true feelings. Though the girls were brought together as separate entities, it'll be up to Padme to unite them as one. While trust is slowly building within the group, Naboo is invaded by forces from the Trade Federation. Queen Amidala and her handmaidens have no choice but to face the attack head on, or else let Naboo fall.

If you're a fan of the prequels, namely The Phantom Menace, than this is a book for you. Although, this came out after Johnston's other Padme book, Queen's Shadow, the events in this one actually happen before that. Queen's Peril highlights how Padme came into her power and the formation of her handmaiden security detail. You really get a feel for how much love Padme has for her people and world in this. I loved seeing the backstory for all the handmaids, and how they got recruited to Padme's cause. Every single one is so strong on their own, but when you put them together it takes it to a whole other level. I also liked all the little foreshadowing sprinkled throughout in regards to Palpatine. I loved seeing the events of TPM play out through Padme/the handmaid's perspectives. I did get slightly confused at times with the different perspectives, but other than that I thought this was very solid.

E.K. Johnston's first Star Wars young adult novel, Ahsoka, hit #1 on the New York Times best-seller list, and the companion to this book, Queen's Shadow, debuted at #4 on the New York Times best-seller list in March 2019. Queen's Peril is the prequel to the novel Queen's Shadow, further exploring the life of the iconic Padmé Naberrie Amidala. To put it in further perspective, the events in this novel take place after Master and Apprentice and includes parts of the film, The Phantom Menace.


Even though most people were annoyed with Jar Jar Binks for his over the top theatrics, it was characters like Queen Amidala, Qarsh Panaka, Senator Palpatine, Qui-Gon, Yoda, and Obi-Wan Kenobhi that won me over. It was the villainous Darth Sidious and his apprentice Darth Maul. It was the little boy who would grow up to become Anakin Skywalker as well as his mother Shmi. But, now, readers get an inside look into Padmés hand picked handmaidens Eirtama, Suyan, Sasheh, Rabene, and Hiyon.


Captain Panaka finds a group of girls each with different personalities. Amidala’s handmaidens were each chosen due to their abilities and the book goes through each of them to explain how and why they were picked. Padmes' intentions with her handmaidens are to have them protect her with there identities rather than using a blaster. The first handmaiden was Tsabin (Sabé). The Queen and Sabé reached a strong bond between the two sharing everything to understand each other. In fact, the two are near images of the other.


Four more girls had joined the Queen; Rabene (Rabé) Tonsort, a gifted artist and actress, Eirtama (Eirtaé) Ballory, a scientist and engineer, Sayan (Yané) Higin, a seamstress and maker, and Sashah (Saché) Adova the smallest one in the group. Each girl is as distinct as the skills she brings to the group. Their relationships are complicated and real. Captain Panaka is tossed into the deep end when it comes to dealing with a group of teenage girls; when he thinks he’s in control, he’s usually not.


The Phantom Menace is rehashed in the final 25% of the book but from a different prospective which I think most readers will find enlightening. Do you need to watch The Phantom Menace first? I think it's a good idea since much of the movie doesn't fit into this story. Especially the invasion of Naboo, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan fight with Darth Maul, and the final fight between Amidala's new allies and the Trade Federation.

I really enjoyed the first book, Queen’s Shadow. Queen’s Peril tells the earlier story of Padmé Amidala’s election and how the handmaiden team was formed. This book is focused more for younger readers and has action, a bit of romance and fun, where the girls learn, grow and find the strength that each needs to work together. Characterizations are great and this book is a lighter read, great for introducing teens and youth to the saga, especially if they are new.. The narrative flows easily as well. You see the compassion and determination Padmé has that Leia will inherit and embody later on.