Ahsoka

This was a nice fill-in fic to show where Ahsoka was between the end of the Clone Wars cartoon and her reappearance in Rebels. Having listened to the audiobook, hearing Ashley Eckstein narrate the story was really nice as well.

If you're not a dedicated fan of Star Wars in general, and Clone Wars specifically, this probably would not be an enjoyable read. This is meant to be connective tissue, and it does that job well, but someone not already well-versed in the story would find it almost incomprehensible at times.

4.5

Ahsoka has become one of the most appealing characters in the Star Wars saga. This book helps cement her status.

I've been wanting to read this novel for a long time, as Ahsoka Tano is my favorite character from the Clone Wars cartoon, and second-favorite in the entire Star Wars series. (Because General Leia exists.) I picked the book up at a used book store in Oregon when we went home from the holidays, but I've just had so many other things to read. I finally read it for May 4th, Star Wars Day.

I didn't like it as much as I wanted to. I've read another book by Johnston, That Inevitable Victorian Thing, which I enjoyed but thought was too fluffy. And comparing this to the last Star Wars book I read - Phasma - this tilts that way too. It's not as fluffy as TIVT - people die, and the Empire is the ever-looming possible doom that it always is - but it just didn't feel as gritty as Phasma did. Perhaps it shouldn't; Phasma is a villain, and her backstory is suitably dark. And Ahsoka, here, is floundering a little in the wake of Order 66, and being alive when none of her compatriots, to her knowledge, are.

I did enjoy learning how she got her lightsabers back, and the story should lead well into the Rebels cartoon, which I have yet to watch.

So I don't know. It was an entertaining book, and it was effective at furthering Ahsoka's story, it just...wasn't quite what I wanted.

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.

This book was quick to get through. I loved that the audiobook was narrated by Ashley Eckstein. It started slower than the previous Star Wars books I've recently read (I started this right after the Leia: Princess of Alderaan), but it really ramped up in the second half and was really exciting. The story was great to learn more about Ahsoka, one of my favorite characters, and it fit in between where we left her at the end of the Clone Wars and when she shows up in Rebels. We got a few glimpses into her past, but mostly the story flushed out her character.

Ahsoka quickly became a favorite of mine through watching The Clone Wars and I wanted to love her story as well. And parts of it I did. Her story was interesting and it was nice seeing the start of the Empire and the start of the Rebellion. Parts of the book really sped up and parts were super slow (the middle). Overall, I can't critique the book that much because it was way better than Heir to the Jedi but I just finished Dark Disciple (my favorite) so it's hard to accurately judge Ahsoka. Overall, it's a good read for fans of TCW and people who need to see more world building during the Rise of the Empire. I'm ready for Rebels and just have A New Dawn until I can start watching!

Executive Summary: I really enjoyed this, but it's probably best for those who are caught up on the Star Wars TV shows. I do wish it had been a bit longer but it does a good job in filling in the gaps after the Clone Wars.

Audiobook: So for anyone who doesn't know Ashley Eckstein is the voice of Ahsoka Tano, making her the perfect choice for an audio book about the character. She doesn't do a ton of voices, but I thought she did a good job as a narrator overall.

Full Review
I was late to game with Star War: Clone Wars. I didn't really care for the prequel movies, and the show was aimed at kids, so it was bound to be bad, right? Apparently not. While not every episode is a classic, the series as a whole was quite great, and one of the reasons was Ahsoka Tano.

It being a kid's show, they obviously wanted someone that kids could identify with, and Anakin Skywalker is no longer a Padawan. Enter Ahsoka Tano. I didn't love her right away, but she grew to become one of my favorite characters in Star Wars canon, and that's saying a lot.

When Disney bought Lucas, they invalidated most of the EU as “Legends”, but kept the Clone Wars show as cannon. Unfortunately, since the show aired on Cartoon Network, it was quickly cancelled in favor of a new show on a Disney owned network, leaving Ahsoka's story not only incomplete, but left off in a pretty awful place.

This book takes place after Clone Wars, and before the new show Rebels. It's a bit on the short side and I found the start a little meandering. However once things get going it was a lot of fun, and provided most of the answers I was looking for.

If your a fan of the Star Wars TV shows, there is a lot to like here. If you haven't seen them, I'd suggest checking them out first before picking this one up. You really don't get a lot of backstory on Ahsoka, so it may be less appealing.

I've never read a book by E.K. Johnston, but I feel like she did a good job with the book. I'd love to see a sequel, further exploring her activities before the start of Rebels. Really, I just want more Ahsoka stories. Maybe Disney will do a stand alone movie with her some day.

Overall, I'm happy I picked up this book, and it's nice that Disney provided some answers to its fans.

A fairly dull first act, but that's by design: living on the run is depressing. Gets better from there.

Ahsoka Tano may very well be one of the most beloved (if not THE most) characters of the new Star Wars Expanded Universe. We already know plenty about her from The Clone Wars and Rebels, but there are still a few huge gaps in her story. This book is the first to try to fill some of those gaps.

And it's great! We find out A LOT! Lots of things that were casually referenced in Rebels or more on certain characters and events from The Clone Wars (even including some interludes with POVs of a few familiar characters). But also more on Kyber Crystals and how Ahsoka ends up in the Rebellion. And just in general Ahsoka reflecting on her life in the Jedi Order and Order 66.

It's a fun read, and I heartily recommend getting the audiobook, narrated by Ahsoka's voice actress Ashley Eckstein. She made the whole book come alive, which really adds to it.