ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVE Star Wars, so I thought I would love this book, but alas, I did not. There was nothing remotely “bad” about it, but after finishing it, I feel like it was a very unnecessary read.

You see, Queen’s Peril tells the story of Padmé’s life as Queen of Naboo, BEFORE any of the events in The Phantom Menace take place… it’s a prequel of a prequel! But the problem is this: it doesn’t really add anything to Padmé’s story. I don’t know if it was the vague storytelling, the lack of action, or the bland characters we were introduced to, but something about this book just made it feel so (for lack of better words) empty.

Let’s talk about that first thing I mentioned, because that’s as good a place to start as any: vague storytelling. I was surprised by how indifferent I was about E.K. Johnston’s writing, because I’ve only heard great things about it! Maybe her other books are much stronger than this one, and having only read Queen’s Peril, I can’t immediately rule her out as an author I’m not interested in reading from again. However, there was something about her storytelling that made me feel like it was missing something. I just wanted more. I felt as though everything was written incredibly vaguely. Important events in the book weren’t well explained, and I find that pretty ironic considering it’s supposed to be a further fleshed out version of Padmé’s story.

Padmé herself read off as quite bland, which was such a bummer! I get that it’s hard to compare E.K. Johnston’s interpretation of her character to the talented Natalie Portman’s performance in the movies, but I just couldn’t help it. And it’s not like the author didn’t have the opportunity to really explore Padmé’s character and show a new aspect of her personality in her book. In this book, I was expecting to see a side of Padmé that wasn’t shown very much in the Star Wars films– the side of her that is young and inexperienced, yet eager to do anything for the good of her people. But I saw no such thing. It pains me to say this, but E.K. Johnston’s Padmé was so boring and watered down. I wanted to connect with her like I did in the movies, but I just couldn’t. I never understood her thought process and motives… Why was Padmé’s desire to be Queen of Naboo so strong in the first place? What aspects of her childhood sparked her passion to serve her planet as queen? These are questions I really wanted to see answered in this book, but, alas, they never were. We only get to see Padmé AS queen, not before she was crowned. Frankly, this was quite disappointing, as I would have enjoyed finding out more about Padmé’s motivations to become the Queen of Naboo before she was even elected.

Not only was Padmé incredibly boring to read, but all of the other supporting characters in the story were just as bland. This might just be the most disappointing thing of all, because the supporting characters were the reason I wanted to read this book in the first place! This book was supposed to give a voice to Padmé’s decoys/handmaids that appear briefly in The Phantom Menace. We didn’t get to see much of them in the movie, so I was looking forward to reading from their perspectives in Queen’s Peril. And while we DID get to see the events of the story through the handmaids’ eyes, their character development was simply non-existent. All of the handmaids’ personalities just blurred together, and if E.K. Johnston had switched one girl’s name with another’s, I highly doubt I would have noticed.

I think part of the problem is that Johnston focused all of the limited character development on Sabé, Padmé’s first handmaid and the decoy who gets assassinated in The Phantom Menace. To a certain degree, I understand why Johnston made Sabé her primary focus. She is, after all, the main decoy shown in the Star Wars films. But, with that being said, wasn’t the whole point of this book to tell the stories of the other handmaids as well? With no unique qualities to distinguish the girls from one another, the author’s attempt to do this fell short.

It didn’t help that the pacing of the story was agonizingly slow. This is a short book… It’s under 300 pages. Yet it was a battle to finish it! Fast pacing is one of the things I value most in a novel, so it’s no surprise that this book’s slow moving plot wasn’t for me.

Overall, Queen’s Peril was a huge let down. I knew going into this book that there was no way I would enjoy it as much as the Star Wars movies, but I didn’t expect it to be as disappointing as it was.

This book lacked everything I had hoped it would have, and as a huge Star Wars lover, it really pains me to say that!

I hope other Padmé fans enjoy this book more than I did!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of this book - detailing Padme's relationships with her group of handmaids - was very interesting to me, and I think was initially well-executed. However, about halfway through the book, the plot was fumbled with a good deal of point-of-view shifts that were not clear or necessary. I realize that this was to cover plot overlap with Phantom Menace; however, I think a consistent narrative from Padme and the handmaids would have better served the initial point of the story. 

Additionally, the Kindle edition of this title is full of formatting errors, making this difficult to get through; I hope that this is straightened out prior to publication.

Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide and Netgalley for this ARC!

E.K. Johnston is no stranger to the Star Wars universe, nor is she a stranger to writing about Padme Amidala’s story. In her 2019 story, “Queen’s Shadow,” she wrote about Padme stepping down from her rule as queen and her transition to a senator. In “Queen’s Peril,” though, Johnston takes a step back to view the beginning of Padme’s rule as queen of Naboo, creating a fun, though at times lackluster, story about the beginning of the Skywalker saga that fans of the series will have a great time revisiting. 

“Queen’s Peril” primarily follows the newly elected Pamde and her handmaidens as they meet and come together for the first time, and how they navigate the overlooming problem of the book, the forces of the Trade Federation. 

What I found particularly great about this book was how it showcased Padme’s personality and abilities at such a young age. Amidala's resilience and flexibility are two of her main driving personality traits in this book as well as her kind heart and the care she shows for her handmaidens.

Her handmaidens are another great part of this book that was interesting and new. 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. 

It wouldn’t be E.K. Johnston either without a couple of character perspective changes, and this book is no exception. There are a couple of times the book switches perspectives to show characters such as Darth Maul, Qui Gon and a young Obi Wan, as well as a very young, pod racing Anakin Skywalker. Whatsmore, there are even more cameo appearances by a couple of other beloved characters from the prequels, which brings up another fascinating point. 

While I am in agreement the prequels were not the greatest movies in the history of film, I still believe the story they tell is both important to the Star Wars universe and has a very interesting story to tell! This book, which happens during the time of Episode I, fills in some of the gaps and makes them easier to look fondly at. 

That being said, no book is fully perfect and there were some minor problems with it. The main one being that the middle is a little lackluster and had me dozing off at times. It was easy to read the words and not process what was happening which made me a little confused later on in the story, but it was easy to guess what was going on. 

To fans wanting to learn more about the extended Star Wars canon and about the characters of the prequels, specifically Amidala, this is a great book to read. It’s a quick and easy read that is not only fun, but enjoyable and will have you wanting to go watch the prequels or the Clone Wars series again. It brings back attention to a lesser-loved movie trilogy and is another win for author E.K. Johnston.

Queen's Peril follows Padmé Amidala right after being elected Queen of Naboo. We get to see the establishment of the Royal handmaidens, delving deeper into each individual and what exactly their role is, while also learning more about how Padmé governs. As someone who isn't the biggest fan of Padmé, the book did a good job of keeping me engaged with her story. The development of each Handmaiden was also done well, with each Handmaiden receiving a chapter talking about their past. However, I'm not all about praise as I do have criticisms which I address below.

This book serves as a prequel to E. K. Johnston's past novel Queen's Shadow, which highlights Padmé's transition from Queen to Senator. I think Queen's Shadow was more interesting to me because Padme has to tackle problems that she has little to no control over. The problems that Padmé face in Peril are relatively inconsequential when compared to the bold problems in Shadow.  Also, in Shadow, there's a greater opportunity to show the first time characters meet Padme, such as Bail Organa or Clovis. 

At some point the novel does cross over with The Phantom Menace, very much in the vain of the Siege of Mandalore by showing us moments we didn't get to see in the movie & extensions of certain scenes. Going into the book, I was most excited for this crossover. However, so many interesting arcs were beginning to develop, such as Padmé coming to grips with being the queen, her relationship with the handmaidens and Chief of Security Quarsh Panaka, and a romance. These are all story threads that get cut off when the book overlaps with Episode 1; from that point, the book either forgets about those past story arcs or they get a hasty ending. While seeing the movie in a different way was fun, it wasn't worth the sacrifice of the prior developing story. 

One of the last things I want to cover is a bit nitpicky but I thought I'd address it anyways. During some chapters, I felt like some of the problems characters had were more in the vein of our world rather than a galaxy far far away. It's similar to when you see a word that's apart of our society, such as computer or phone, in a Star Wars book and it completely takes you out of reading. If you read or have read the book, hopefully you'll know what I'm talking about.

The book ends pretty abruptly and I was hoping for a bit more in terms of a conclusion. After reading the novel I can't really say I learned anything new about Padmé that I didn't already know. In a time where we are getting amazing Star Wars stories so often, I see Queen's Peril being overshadowed quickly. I would recommend reading Queen's Shadow first, and if you enjoy that then going on to read Queen's Peril.

I loved Queen's Shadow, and while there were things I loved about Queen's Peril, on the whole it fell a little short for me. I enjoyed the first two-thirds much more than the last third. Seeing the handmaidens come together, learn each other, build their functional cohort out of their disparate skills, that was all magnificent. But I kept waiting for *more* than never came -- some challenge that involved all of them, that would let us see them click together and synchronize. We never quite get there, though. The sector-wide summit which might've given us that opportunity is instead a somewhat stunted affair.

Instead, the last third of the novel careens into the plot of The Phantom Menace. If you do not know TPM very, very well, you're going to be lost. I'm a huge Star Wars fan, a lifelong memorizer of trivia and world-building details, I last watched TPM a few months ago, and I still had trouble tracking what was going on. The scenes jump place and time with no preamble and very little stage-setting. Because, to its credit, it's not trying to novelize the movie, we instead get scenes that feel like they were left on the cutting-room floor, but with no material to stitch them back into a cohesive narrative.

I was also confused by the inclusion of side viewpoints that never went anywhere. Chancellor Valorum, for instance, gets a POV segment early on, and then we never hear from him again. We're inexplicably treated to insights from Jar-Jar and Darth Maul, among others. All the side POVs led me to wonder who this book is supposed to be written for -- and I imagine Johnson was trying to thread a somewhat bent needle, addressing fans of TPM, those who don't know it well, those who know Queen'Shadow well, those who don't, fans of The Clone Wars and its expansions to the Star Wars mythos... It's a lot to keep up with, but the random POVs didn't add anything to the overall story of Queen's Peril, and they're all things that, I feel, get covered elsewhere in Star Wars canon. This book would've been stronger with a narrower focus, never turning the camera away from the cluster of handmaidens.

I so wanted to love this book, I really did. I'm so excited for more female-focused entries into Star Wars canon, and there really is some magnificent material in here, showcasing the political applications of traditionally feminine skills. On the whole, though, I kept feeling like something wonderful was being dangled in front of me and then yanked away.

I could not get into this. The writing was disjointed and jumped around between characters so often, and when it did, it was super confusing. I really wanted to learn more about Padmé but I couldn’t get through the writing, and I didn’t feel like sticking through to the end.

For reference, I think I would consider myself a mild Star Wars fan. I have seen all the movies except the latest, though I'm not sure I could tell you what happened in each one. Based on my somewhat limited knowledge, I think this book takes place between Episode I and Episode II. Obviously it follows Padme, but it really dives into her scheme with her maids dressed as her. 

I think the intended audience of this book is avid Star Wars fans because I always felt like I only 75% understood what was going on. I followed the main story line easily, but the subplot was very confused me. Also, the synopsis tells us that Naboo is invaded - that doesn't happen until you're 60% through. However, I do recognize that the bulk of the beginning was dedicated to the relationships between Padme and all the maids and her security detail. 

I did really enjoy the relationships in this book and the character development, especially between Padme and Sabe. The last 30% or so was so intense and I loved how connected I felt to the characters during that part. I would totally recommend this book if you're into Star Wars and want to understand more of Padme's past. It's a pretty quick and fun read. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Disney Publishing for an advanced readers copy.

A fun four star read. It answers a question I’ve always had: How did Padme become Amidala? Well, as it turns out, not alone. She won the election on Naboo and from the beginning instituted changes that would have greatly aided Naboo had the Trade Federation and Darth Sideous not been part of the equation. 

One of the best things about it is the way we get to know her entire retinew of handmaids and the way they work. Each girl is as distinct as the skills she brings to the group. Their relationships are complicated and real. And the almost overbearing guard 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. 

I’ll keep this spoiler free: it’s a really fun read. We learn more about Naboo, young Padme and everything and it took to make Amidala the queen she was. It wraps up with the invasion of Naboo, the appearance of the Jedi and Jar Jar Binks, nothing that isn’t already familiar to anyone who will read this book. Those well known events aren’t the only point. How the girls deal with it, with the fall out of the invasion and what it costs them and their people are the things we never would have had a chance to see otherwise. 

I’d recommend this book to any Star Wars fan.

Star Wars fan here and very excited to share this book with everyone. The author did not disappoint whats so ever. My favorite Star Wars character is and always will be Padme. I truly believe that Star Wars would not be anything without this character, Padme is and the reason why Star Wars exist. There is no Luke Skywalker, without Padme there is no Princess Leia and that also means no Darth Vader.

This story is out of this world bringing you back to the very beginning of the story before there was a Darth Vader in the galaxy. The author brought us into Padmes world and how she was elected as Queen of Naboo. If you didn't know Padme was only 14 years old elected as Queen. That's a huge responsibility to have for a girl at her age.

The story focuses on Padme also known as Queen Amidala and her handmaidens. Captain Panaka finds a group of girls each with different personalities. Padmes' intentions with her handmaidens are to have them protect her with there identities rather than using a blaster.

"No monarch has had a bodyguard like that since the last dispute with the Gungans, and that was generations ago."

The first handmaiden was Tsabin. The Queen and Tsabin reached a strong bond between the two sharing everything to understand each other. Four more girls had joined the Queen, Rabene Tonsort who is a gifted artist and actress, Eirtama Ballory a scientist and engineer, Sayan Higin a seamstress and maker, and Sashah Adova the smallest one in the group.

The story shares the bond between the young girls with big responsibilities to the Queen. The author did wonderful putting this story together sharing with her readers a bit more about Padme and where she comes from and what she did once she was elected as Queen of Naboo. I enjoyed every second of this book and looked forward to the release date to have this beautiful book cover added to my Star Wars book collection.

Star Wars: Queen's Peril offers a deeper look at Padme in her early years as Queen Amidala. It showcases her relationships with the handmaidens and also looks at how each of them were recruited into the Queen's service. I did not think that it would take us into the events of Phantom Menace, but it did, though it was very fast and sometimes I had to remind myself at what point in the movie the events were taking place in. The characters felt as though they could have been fleshed out a bit more, though I liked the relationship between Padme and Tsabin (Sabe). The novel truly shows how their friendship is formed, and that friendship is shown even further in Star Wars: Queen's Shadow. 

While this book is definitely young adult, there were times when it felt more middle grade. The writing was simplistic and quite easy to read, but at the same time there were moments when the teenage characters seemed very grown up, and I had to remind myself they were teenagers and not in their twenties! 

Overall, a good addition to the Star Wars canon, especially for those that are fans of the prequels and want more knowledge into the background of Phantom Menace. I definitely recommend to young fans of Star Wars and fans of Padme/Amidala.

Queen’s Peril Review - please note that I am not featuring this review on my blog until the day of release (with appropriate spoiler tags). I did, however, write this review early so I could submit it to you so you would have record of it (before I forget to submit later, too). I will probably run this review on both chriswerms.wordpress.com and mynockmanor.com. 

In the past few years, Padmé has been the subject of quite a renaissance. After not appearing in much material for quite a while, Padmé started showing up in adult novels, comics, and even became the subject of a new series, of sorts, from Disney Press. In the first novel, Queen’s Shadow, we learned about Padmé’s transition from Queen of Naboo to Senator for Naboo. In the sequel-prequel book, Queen’s Peril, we follow Padmé as she is elected Queen of Naboo, works to solve a particular problem, and deal with an invasion of her planet by the Trade Federation. Unfortunately, this book should have probably been named Queen’s Shadow, as this book lives in the shadow of much better works that put roadblocks in front of this book’s success. 

I’ll first talk about the characters, since they were one of the strengths of the novel, but also hampered pretty heavily by future works. Padmé was a very warm character in the novel, and I appreciated reading about her growth toward the monarchy. The bits where she and Sabé practiced “the Queen’s voice”, the voice modulation which hides their identities, really stood out in the entire novel. Unfortunately, even these felt repetitive after reading Queen’s Shadow, where the handmaiden switch-gimmick was explored with a lot more fun contexts and a lot higher stakes. I can’t say that I would forego a book about Padmé entirely, but I wish we could read about her in a new context than the one that came before. (But I guess I should also blame the movies for doing this, as well!)

The rest of the cast is rounded out by Padmé ‘s handmaidens. The book gives each handmaiden time to shine, showing why they were hired, and what skills they specifically bring to the table. Especially rife for conflict and storytelling is how they come together as a team, which comes with some conflict, even with Padmé herself. In The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, Padmé’s handmaidens were featured heavily, but few had speaking lines outside of Sabé and Cordé. One of the strengths of these novels is that they are given much more room to speak and grow as characters. Unfortunately, none could grow past The Phantom Menace, and a lot of the handmaidens made significant character growth in Queen’s Shadow, so every character felt like they were shadows of their future selves - the selves I have already read and grown to appreciate. In light of this, I felt as if every handmaiden was a bit blurry, and had trouble remembering who was who at some points until the second half. The second half, during the Invasion, some of the handmaidens are given a lot more to do, and the young handmaidens show incredible bravery in the face of one of the biggest threats to the planet ever. I just wish some of these defining moments came sooner.

Moving from the characters to the plot, I had one major issue with Queen’s Shadow: the plot felt light when compared to other books. I couldn’t tell you what the main plot was in a traditional sense. Instead, the emotional core, and the trajectory of the book, was more of a character study, watching Padmé develop into a Senator, with a handful of events sprinkled throughout the book. Queen’s Shadow works similarly - rather than having a central conflict, we again follow Padmé and her handmaidens as they transition from regular life on Naboo to royalty (or being a bodyguard for royalty.) Roughly, the book can be grouped in two portions: the first, Padmé’s transition to royalty and a possible food shortage on Naboo, and the second, the Crisis on Naboo (also known as the events of The Phantom Menace.) Unfortunately, the two events are not drawn together as strongly as I would have liked, with the second seemingly coming out of left field, with the first shuffled to the side as the novel corresponded with the film. This may not be an issue for a lot of readers, those who prefer to read about characters than events.

Yet, I still can’t feel like the second half, the half that corresponds with The Phantom Menace really worked too well for me. The events of the movie are skipped over in the novel, which makes the book jump from the end of one portion to the next without situated itself in the movie too well. I was jarred by the transition at times, and I had to do quite a bit of work to position the portions within the events of the film. I think the novel would’ve been served well by including more from the film itself in order to prevent these gaps from feeling too large. 

I also wish that the novel would have gone more in depth with the events of the Trade Federation’s blockade of Naboo. Instead, the novel speaks hazily about failed bills and new bills and vaguely about Darth Sidious’s plan. As far as the book is concerned, the Blockade of Naboo is a coincidence, conveniently timed with the election of Padmé. It would have been really cool to see why the Trade Federation targeted Naboo specifically, and maybe feature more explanation to the opening crawl of The Phantom Menace. Of course, the novel is not aiming to be the canon version of James Luceno’s pre-TPM works, but it would have brought a lot more cohesion and substance to the novel.

The first part of the story, the unique to the novel portion about the possible food shortage and Padmé’s attempts to unify the Chrommel sector were far more interesting to me than these were. The first half of the story might be stronger simply because it was all original material, letting Johnson work in freedom with her own story, rather than being forced to work around others.

Related, the novel featured a few interludes that brought us scenes with Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Maul, Darth Sidious, and more. These scenes were nice snippets of the lives of these characters before the events of The Phantom Menace, but I’m not sure they added much to the characters or the novel. In fact, most of the interludes could be removed from the novel and I’m not sure any of the characters, or the novel, would be impacted much. In my opinion, they felt like overly prepared scenes to set up exact moments in the film that I’m not sure required that much set up. I would explain more, but I want to avoid spoilers on this review. (If you have read it, I’m thinking about the second scene featuring Darth Maul.) 

So, in short, as much as I appreciate a new Padmé novel, I wish I could give this one a higher score. Unfortunately, this novel hands its hands tied too often, and isn’t given a lot of space to grow on its own. Paired with Queen’s Shadow, right after, might make a strong pair, but I’m not sure either stands completely on its own.

Wow! This book was great! I loved the way Padme was portrayed before we meet her in The Phantom Menace, and how once those two timelines intersect, it continues to show us a different side and tells us a new story than that we have known.

Two little-known facts about me: 1) I love Star Wars lore and 2) I think Padme Amidala is vastly underrated.

And so obviously, I had to read this prequel about Padmé's first days as the Queen of Naboo. It follows the selection of and growing bonds among Padmé and her handmaidens up through the events of The Phantom Menace (the last 25% of the book rehashes the film in a new light). The main downside for me, aside from the appearance of Jar Jar Binks towards the end, was that the more I came to love Padmé and her fierce brilliance, the more annoyed I got knowing where her life is headed.

This was a light read, but it still included nice elements of lore and interplanetary politics. Personally, I found the background of Naboo's culture and government most fascinating. I think this story would appeal to Star Wars fans of all intensities. However, if you're looking for something really in-depth, it might not be the book for you.

Queen’s Peril is E.K. Johnston’s second novel about Padmé Amidala and her handmaidens and, in true Star Wars fashion, it takes place chronologically before her previous book, Queen’s Shadow. I guess that makes Queen’s Peril the prequel to a prequel era novel.

(I’m having too much fun with this.)

Anyway, back on target, Queen’s Peril takes place when Padmé is elected Queen of Naboo and follows her reign up through the events of TPM. In Queen’s Shadow we got to see how Padmé and her handmaidens operated like a well-oiled machine, but Queen’s Peril shows the work these young girls put into developing their roles and relationships in the group, and not everything is smooth sailing. I loved seeing how each of the girls were recruited by Panaka and the people they were behind the unified front of handmaidens.

There are many POVs throughout the story besides Padmé and handmaidens (Palpatine, Panaka, Maul, Shmi, etc.) and each show a different aspect of the events leading up to and during TPM. I have mixed feelings about how the story was told concurrently with TPM. I do like that we get to see the events from different perspectives, but this part of the novel cannot stand on its own without a knowledge of the movie. Although I don’t want all of TPM retold to me, the style of vignettes meant that at one point you’re reading about Padmé the night before Anakin’s pod race, and the next moment she’s already called to replace Chancellor Valorum. It’s possible that it won’t bother me whenever I read the novel again, but I found it jarring and disappointing on first impression. That being said, the events aligned with TPM are only about one-quarter of the total book.

Johnston delivers another great installment in the adventures of Padmé and her handmaidens. I would love to see another novel before the events of ROTS or even one with just Sabé after ROTS. I also want to mention that Johnston writes the most beautiful beginnings and endings to her Padmé novels. I was in tears with a smile on my face. If you loved Queen’s Shadow then you’re going to enjoy Queen’s Peril as well. If you haven’t read Queen’s Shadow, then you get to decide between chronological order and release order—that should be a familiar decision at this point.

EK Johnston artfully crafts a story from popular culture. This is just the kind of book that would have captured my attention as a young reader -- and I continue to enjoy books like this as an adult reader. Perfect for fans of this series and readers who enjoy science fiction.

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<p>I've always been a fan of the handmaidens of Naboo. A group of kick-ass teenage girls charged with protecting the young queen of a sovereign nation will <em>always </em>be one of my favorite tropes to read, and I had high hopes for my first venture into the Disney <em>Star Wars</em> extended universe. Ultimately, while I wish certain plot threads could've been changed from the original Lucas films, this was still an enjoyable introduction to Star Wars novelizations, and I'm looking forward to reading more of E.K. Johnston's work in this universe.</p>
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<p>The highlight of the story is, of course, the relationship between Padmé and her handmaidens. While some of the girls blurred together due to the lack of time spent developing their personalities, I found that the most essential relationship between Padmé and Sabé, her chief decoy, was compelling and thoughtful. I wish we could've spent more time developing their bond, but I suppose, due to the shortness of this novel and the constraints placed on Johnston by the original canon, I can't expect too much in the way of worldbuilding. That being said, I did like that we got more of a glimpse into the goings-on of the palace, even if it did mean that some of the events felt rote and dull compared to what could've been a much more intrigue-filled look at the goings-on of the Naboo court.</p>
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<p>In the end, this is a fun book. Is it one of my favorites, or one I'll be returning to? No. But I don't think every book needs to be the best book I've ever read to be enjoyable on its own merit. I'd recommend this one to any other Padmé Amidala stans out there, or anyone looking for a fun and light-hearted adventure in our favorite galaxy far, far away.</p>
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Let me preface this by saying that I am a huge fan of E.K. Johnston and Queen's Shadow, however this one missed the mark a little. It had some very strong moments but there was definitely some weak points. 

Queen's Peril takes place at the beginning of the reign of Padme Amidala and in flashbacks, the selection and early life of her handmaidens. These were the strongest chapters- how she crafted her persona, the talents of each of the handmaidens, and the political brilliance of Padme. However it falls a part when it runs into the events of the Phantom Menace. The issue was less the story and more the pacing, it went very quickly from event to event with not a lot of transition and main characters were briefly mentioned. There is a lot of opportunity here - the story told from Padme and her handmaidens perspective is a great idea and when it was given time to develop, it really worked. I think a longer book or one broken up into two books - one before Phantom Menace and one a retelling of Phantom Menace from different perspectives would have been a better choice.  


Received copy from NetGalley, Thank you!

**4.5-stars**

Queen's Peril, when it releases on June 2, 2020, will be the newest addition to the Disney Star Wars Canon.

The events in this novel take place after the events of Master and Apprentice and just before the film, The Phantom Menace. In fact, to my surprise, the last quarter of the book runs parallel to The Phantom Menace. It is not a novelization of the events in the movie, it's more of an expansion.

With that bit of timeline info out of the way, let's get into this story, shall we?

At just 14-years old, Padme Naberrie is elected Queen of Naboo. Her parents exposed her early to civic duty and the idea that she could one day be Queen never felt far-fetched to her.

After her election, the Head of Security Forces for Naboo, Quarsh Panaka devises a plan to select special handmaidens for the Queen. These handmaidens will be a lot more than meets they eye. They will actually serve as body doubles and protection. Each one, chosen with care by Panaka himself, brings a different skill to the table. Together they make quite a team.

A large portion of the story is learning about the girls and how they contribute to the function of the Queen's reign. It was interesting to follow as these girls go from being strangers, to companions and ultimately, to friends.

As Naboo becomes threatened by the Trade Federation, maneuverings take place to secure the Queen and gain help for Naboo. Once the events begin to align with those of The Phantom Menace, we get more insights into what was going on behind the scenes during Padme's flight from Naboo.

E.K. Johnston writes with such care and skill within the Star Wars universe. You can tell that she knows the ins-and-outs of this world, complex as it is, and that she is equally passionate about it as we are as readers.

I loved the subtle feel of the narrative. It's a character driven story, although the action does pick up towards the end, and I feel like I learned a lot. Some of the highlights for me were learning about each of the handmaidens, why they were chosen and what their specific skills were. I also liked the little cameos of beloved characters popping up throughout, including Yoda, Anakin, Qui Gon and Jar Jar Binks.

Senator Palpatine is also explored in greater depth here which I loved. The duality of his character is so freaking interesting and the way Johnston wrote from his perspective was perfection!

Overall, this book is a joy to read and for Padme fans, an absolute gift!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney Lucasfilm Press and NetGalley, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

I had already preordered my copy prior to receiving my ARC and was beyond the moon excited to be able to get my hands on it early!

nless you are a big Star Wars fan, Star Wars: Queen’s Peril probably won’t excite you. 

I, unfortunately, was wholly disappointed. After reading and enjoying Queen’s Shadow last week, I had high hopes that the prequel would be even better.

It wasn’t.

Most of the book is slow and uneventful. Captain Panaka’s recruitment of Amidala’s handmaidens peaks some interest, but it is largely addressed in a handful of pages. I was excited to explore rich backstories of, and interactions between, Eirtaé, Saché, Yané, Rabé, Sabé and Padmé, but their introductions are dealt with swiftly and loosely. Instead, the book drones on with mundane political exchanges and a random outing to a night club that adds little to the story’s progression.

The pace does not pick up until well after the halfway point. It then speeds through some of the events of The Phantom Menace with hodge-podge detail and befuddled storytelling. It requires the reader to have clear recall of the invasion of Naboo orchestrated by the Trade Federation and the role and positioning of key characters during that time. 

For example, one subsection of a later chapter comprises only of one sentence without any written context: “Anakin Skywalker liked flying.” Another reads: “Anakin Skywalker really liked flying.” Unless you remember specifically what the heck is happening at this point in the film, you won’t be sure where this information came from or what to do with it.

Ultimately, Queen’s Peril does not do enough to develop the front end of the story and tries to pepper in too much towards the back end. Sure, we don’t want a retelling of The Phantom Menace, but we do want new perspective. 

The story idea behind Queen’s Peril had great potential but this book is unfortunately a half-baked and humdrum read.

I loved this book. It’s from Padmé’s Election Day  to the end of The Phantom Menace, my favourite Prequel. And it’s a prequel to Queen’s Shadow. I enjoyed that one but this was several degrees better. I enjoyed getting more insight about Padmé and her handmaidens especially Keira Knightley’s Sabé. It also has some surprising scenes from other characters that blew me away. The Roger Roger B1 droids are actually menacing. I’m looking forward to the audio version by Padmé actress Cat Taber. The end got me teary eyed at 3 in the morning. I couldn’t put it down. I look forward to the possibility of a fourth Star Wars novel from EK Johnston.