STAR WARS

Two former soldiers turned freedom fighters track down an unknown adversary in this Star Wars novel.

The First Order may have fallen, but it refuses to fade quietly into the darkness. For Finn and Jannah, the regime’s cruelty extends beyond the battlefield. Before joining the Resistance, both were obedient stormtroopers—until they could no longer ignore how the First Order punished and terrorized the people it claimed to liberate. Finn’s breaking point occurred while he was serving as a bodyguard for Major Gohl, and Jannah defected after an incident on Ansett Island. Now, following the Battle of Exegol, the Resistance has been searching for survivors and refugees. When a ship of frightened children dressed in First Order uniforms arrives at the Resistance base on Ajan Kloss, Finn and Jannah decide to uncover the shuttle’s origins. As they delve deeper into their mission, the pair reopen past traumas. Set after the events of the film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Mbalia’s stand-alone YA debut skillfully constructs the backstories of two compelling Black characters who were underutilized in filmmaker George Lucas’ universe. Although casual Star Wars fans may need to brush up on their cinematic lore, the action-filled narrative shines when showing Finn’s and Jannah’s inner conflicts, particularly as they question and reject the First Order’s twisted moral code.

A fine-tuned character study spotlighting the emotional and psychological awakening of two unexpected galactic heroes.