Star Wars: Most Wanted

I had so many feelings about this book. I love, love, love that this was not a love story but about the burgeoning partnership and friendship that could later lead to falling in love. I love that we do see the desperation of these circumstances and how they will lead to who both the main characters are by the end of the book, but also by the time we reach the first trilogy of movies and then, more recently, to the Solo movie. That all of these things are already shaping their choices, their will, and the necessity of survival.

Live plurk notes below:

ɑรรɑรรiɳcɑptɑiɳ
“When I’m doubt, brazen it out”

ɑรรɑรรiɳcɑptɑiɳ
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ɑรรɑรรiɳcɑptɑiɳ
Pause to turn on Solo before listening to this one. show more Haven't rewatched it since originally seeing it in the theatre and thinking maybe never to again. But doing it before reading the Han & Qi'ra story.

ɑรรɑรรiɳcɑptɑiɳ
Back from the watching of the movie and it held up better in a rewatch. Maybe because I wasn't expecting more from it than I knew would be coming, which I absolutely was in the theatre
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ɑรรɑรรiɳcɑptɑiɳ
Back to the book now.

ɑรรɑรรiɳcɑptɑiɳ
I like that they aren't friends in the beginning.

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I really would love this book to tell me more about Qi'ra. I'd really actually love a book about Qi'ra after Han made it out, between his making him it out and her all the way up to their meeting. Tell me more about her dark ascent, and the world after it.

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Bring me all the stories of these women and what happens to them, too. How did she get to that position? What all is her training? What are all those sins on her shoulders?

ɑรรɑรรiɳcɑptɑiɳ
Alll of this. I want need to know more.

ɑรรɑรรiɳcɑptɑiɳ
More references to The Force 'religion'

ɑรรɑรรiɳcɑptɑiɳ
Also, WeHeartIt Boards
Qi'ra - basically made itself
Lando - only just started
(Han's was already made back during reading Smuggler's Run.)

ɑรรɑรรiɳcɑptɑiɳ
Also, on questions.

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Define "spoken for," which is how the brand is refered to as in that conversartion in the cockpit, but never clarified on exactly what the conntation edges and rules and etc are on that.

ɑรรɑรรiɳcɑptɑiɳ
All I've done today is work and listen to Most Wanted. It's been my only really good thing available in my world (or answer to the not so great stuff going on in my head).

ɑรรɑรรiɳcɑptɑiɳ
This thing where really we are learning more about Qi'ra than Han in all these pieces, and really I love learning more about her, her lack of safety, her want for any control. It sets out her last choice in a lot of ways (even with the big empty gap still there).

ɑรรɑรรiɳcɑptɑiɳ
I really like that this book does not end with EPIC ROMANCE. I like that Qi'ra earns the head spot. I like that they end as friends. I like that I believe this slow shift from antagonistic adversaries to people who have to rely on each other to uneasy partners to partners to fledgingly friends.

ɑรรɑรรiɳcɑptɑiɳ
I can absolutely see this would slowly bleed into their relationship. show less

Rae Carson, who previously contributed to the Canto Bight story collection, returns to a galaxy far, far away in Most Wanted, a tie-in novel to Solo: A Star Wars Story. The plot focuses on Han and Qi’ra working to spare themselves Lady Proxima and the White Worm’s wrath while navigating the back alleys and sewers of Corellia when a deal that comes with a promised promotion goes wrong.
The story itself, like that in Solo is essentially a heist tale, but Carson uses the opportunity to reference other elements of the Star Wars saga and foreshadow Han’s later personality. For example, CorSec (pg. 37), which previously appeared in several of the Legends novels and was once again made canon in Solo, plays a large role throughout show more Carson’s novel. In examining Han’s character, she writes, “He preferred direct confrontation to innuendo, sneaking around, or the complicated planning Qi’ra seemed to prefer” (pg. 121). This discussion recalls Han’s later quip to Luke in the Death Star control room. Further, Han’s lack of belief in the Force or other systems of faith is a recurrent theme (pg. 127) throughout the novel. This ties in with his growing cynicism the more he interacts with the powerful (pg. 338). In another callback to (foreshadowing of?) A New Hope, Carson has Han describe the ideal vehicle as ugly, but one that will “have it where it counts” (pg. 151).
References to other elements of Solo: A Star Wars Story include the Droid Gotra, which recalls L3’s activism on behalf of droid liberation throughout the film (pg. 180). Further, Qi’ra wants to be a player, being able to use power and resources to exert her influence (pg. 237, 303). There’s also a “version of sabacc that used a couple of dice” (pg. 307).
As a tie-in novel, Carson offers a fun story that makes Corellia feel like a real place. Her work compares to other recent YA Star Wars books like Claudia Gray’s Leia, Princess of Alderaan, Beth Revis’s Rebel Rising, and E.K. Johnston’s Ahsoka. Fun as it is, my only complaint is that, like Solo, it never develops a sense of tension or stakes as the reader knows which characters are likely to be fine the whole time they read. show less

Disappointingly boring, if it wasn’t an audiobook I don’t think I would have made it through to the end. The stakes were quite low, and even more so since the two main characters both feature in a movie after the events of this book, so obviously nothing happens to them. I expected more character/relationship development and was sorely disappointed. Particularly by the fact that Qi’ra doesn’t have the same behavior/personality that she had in the movie.

It was a bizarre experience to say the least.

Full review here: https://thebeerthrillers.com/2024/07/25/book-review-star-wars-most-wanted-rae-ca....
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Excerpt:

Plot Overview

The story centers on Han and Qi’ra before they became the figures we know from the Star Wars saga. They are both “scrumrats,” orphans who must rely on their wits and street smarts to survive in the criminal underworld of Corellia. Their ultimate goal is to escape their oppressive circumstances and find freedom beyond the stars. But when a heist goes wrong, the two must team up to survive against the odds, racing against time to outmaneuver rival gangs, corrupt officials, and the ever-looming presence of the Empire.
Character Development

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its portrayal of show more Han and Qi’ra as complex, multifaceted characters. Han is the scrappy, reckless dreamer we’ve come to expect, but Carson gives him layers of vulnerability and determination that make his journey all the more compelling. Qi’ra, on the other hand, is cunning and ambitious, yet haunted by the harsh realities of her world. The dynamic between them is electric, filled with tension, camaraderie, and a touch of romance...............

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Full review: https://thebeerthrillers.com/2024/07/25/book-review-star-wars-most-wanted-rae-ca.... show less

- I feel that the author really failed to capture the POV of teens who have grown as poor and deprived as Han and Qi'ra, on the streets, as part of a criminal gang. Their daily life, what they're exposed to, and the logistics behind... even just something as simple as a young girl who lives in the sewers and wasn't given a chance to take a shower, for her to suddenly be presentable and not draw attention at a luxury hotel/center. Qi'ra's POV in particular was consistently unconvincing. The characters all sounded a bit too hopelessly naive, even when taking into consideration Star Wars' typical, lighter tone and that this book is a YA, adjusting one's expectations. The "romance" or hints of it were also permeated with an odd innocence show more mixed with contemporary speak, that made the characters feel half their age.

- The prose was extremely simple and repetitive. The same concepts get reiterated over and over again.

- I did enjoy the plot and most of the secondary characters—in particular, I enjoyed how this book (slightly) deepened the lore on the droid issue, which we rarely see in Star Wars media and thematically echoed what happened in the Solo movie. show less

It was an interesting look into Han's life before Solo, but it was pretty boring too. I just didn't really get into it, and there was a lot going on but nothing happening.