Lost Stars: a Star Wars story that every fan should read

A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away…. Lost Stars by Claudia Gray is a youth novel as a part of the Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens series. Eight years after the fall of the Old Republic, the Galactic Empire reigns over the known galaxy and any resistance is easily silenced. Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree grew up on the Outer Rim planet of Jelucan. Thane, from a aristocratic family, and Ciena, a rural villager. The two were worlds apart and yet fate made them unlikely friends. They would find ways to be together, to practice flying and to study as their dream was to attend the Imperial Academy. The two become inseparable, knowing each other so well that they often finish each other’s thoughts. But when Thane sours on the dream after he sees firsthand the horrifying tactics the Empire uses to maintain order; the two friends are on the opposite sides of the war. Thane puts them at odds when he joins the Rebellion and Ciena now must decide between her duty, her oath and her loyalty to the Empire and the man she has loved since childhood.

Lost Stars was given to me by my cousin when he learned that I had read Ms. Gray’s other Star Wars titles. I enjoyed Lost Stars much more than I did her other titles. Lost Stars takes the reader on a journey through the original trilogy through the eyes of the nameless characters fighting in the background. It was exciting, thrilling and opened the Star Wars trilogy in ways that I’ll see the movies in a new light. I loved the characters of Thane and Ciena. Ms. Gray has written two characters who felt like real people with strengths, flaws, love, conflicts, and moral dilemmas. They could easily be us as we face difficult decisions and must decide between conflicting loyalties. The blooming romance between the two was equally beautiful and while Ms. Gray kept much to the imagination, she wrote the romance better than most romance novels I’ve read. I am slowly working my way through the numerous Star Wars novels; Lost Stars is by far my favorites so far. It is a story I will revisit again. If you are a fan of Star Wars, I highly recommend Lost Stars!

 

Lost Stars is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook