Dark Disciple

Just finished and I'm still wiping tears from my face, wow that was a ride. Vos + Ventress had such a fun dynamic and I loved watching them grow. Pacing and dialogue are TOP notch. What a beautiful story for these two characters. I'm happy I got to be a part of this love story for Asajj and Quinlan ❤️ a true star wars adventure that you should not miss.

I read that this was based on some unfinished scripts from the Clone Wars TV series and it fits right in the time frame and with the characters of the series. But, based on the story of the novel, it seems like a whole season of show, there is so much to the book. The only thing is that some of the events might have been a little mature for a cartoon.

The audiobook performance that I listened to from Audible was fantastic, the different voices brought me back to the Clone Wars characters. I also appreciated the use of the Duel of the Fates music behind the battle scenes, it seemed even more justified than in Episode I.

I enjoyed the story, some was intense, some things I didn't expect, but if you liked the Clone Wars like I did, I think it is a safe bet that you'd like this book as much as I did. Plus, it featured Asajj Ventress, one of my favorite characters from the Clone Wars and one of the best villains in all of Star Wars.

(spoiler) One thing I expected during the later part of the book was that it would lead right into the first scene of Revenge of the Sith, alas it did not, it ended more like a Clone Wars arc, with nothing really changed at the galactic level.

WHY: Following from [b:Kindred Spirits 26147458 Kindred Spirits Christie Golden https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1479639588l/26147458.SX50.jpg 46102280] and supplementing my Clone Wars TV show experience, Dark Disciple was one of the parts I was really looking forward to - 8 abridged episodes spanning a massive arc featuring a Jedi and Sith working together.STORY: This opens with a massacre by Dooku, and with the war dragging on the Jedi council make a dark decision against the Jedi code - sending Quinlan Vos, a Jedi, to assassinate the Count with the support of ex-apprentice Asajj Ventress. As he attempts to win her trust, acting as a bounty hunter and going on shared missions, he finds himself falling in love with the changed villain. This was unfortunately the weakest part of the plot for me, as I found it hard to believe how quickly things happened - although this led to two great twists, at the midpoint and conclusion of the book. I also found myself in disbelief at certain actions made during other key confrontations of the story, but from a bigger picture perspective the writers could not kill characters who need to appear later in the saga. On the other hand, the dark side is also explored more deeply here but in a newly-depicted restrained manner which was liked.WRITING: I loved the seamless integration of TV series characters and locations, which made it easy to read and visualise these as a set of actual 22-minute episodes. The writing was minimal in this sense, as the reader should know a lot about these characters and story archetypes before beginning the book. However, I enjoyed how Golden was able to uncover more about Vos and Ventress's individual personalities through their perspectives, with the latter especially becoming one of my favourite characters from the Star Wars saga.WHO: This is really for the die-hard Clone Wars TV show fan who wants to know absolutely everything about the series cut short due to cancellation. It is harder to recommend for even broader Star Wars fans, as it relies a lot upon knowledge of the show and characters established in it. I'm now keen for the Son of Dathomir graphic novel, and plan on reading The High Republic: Light of the Jedi after finishing the Clone Wars, but am unsure of my Star Wars reading media plans beyond that...