Star Wars A New Hope The Princess the Scoundrel and the Farm Boy by Alexandra Bracken

I am a huge Star Wars fan, which could mean I could love the middle grade series of books based on the original three movies or I could hate it since each fan has a deep, personal bond to the original story. The first book up for review is STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE THE PRINCESS, THE SCOUNDREL, AND THE FARM BOY by Alexandra Bracken.

To be honest, it took me a chapter or two to really get into this book, but not as a fault of Bracken’s storytelling, but rather my getting used to the voice of Princess Leia’s subconscious. Once I understood the direction the book was taken, I felt I was sitting beside Leia in her detainment cell and feeling her hurt as she watched her home planet being destroyed by the Death Star.

Bracken gives the reader an insight into Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Luke Skywalker that might have missed when watching the movie. Each of the section of the book provides each character’s unique perspective to convey the story as a whole. In doing so, the reader is privy to the characters’ flaws, emotions, and backstory that isn’t part of the original story.

In the end, I had a strong desire to re-watch the first movie, but this time, having looked behind the curtain, I will now see these iconic characters as real people with all the depth, doubt , and dreams we all possess. For this reason, I recommend this story to those who grew up with on Star Wars and those who just love a great story.