Book Review - Queen's Shadow by E.K. Johnston

Disclaimer: 

I made this series because I am a beginner at book reviews, (Currently no access to ARC - "Advanced Readers Copy") and I have no way of getting my hands on a lot of books, without spending a ton of money. I mean I do have access to a library app that I am eternally grateful for (Thank you, Libby I love you to death), but there are some items on there that are not available.  

Hence, I made this series where I can get a feel of whether or not I would be tempted to continue reading a book by going ahead in making the next step of purchasing / picking it up, judging it on the three free chapters the authors or publisher has provided on Amazon Kindle. 

My reviews for (1) samples and (2) books that I purchased with my own money are not going to be spoiler-free. I realized that it's very hard for me to make reviews without touching on certain topics, so while I label it on the title as a "Book Review", it would really be more of a "Book Analysis" or "Book Discussion." Viewers discretion on that part. As of now I only have Libby, Prime Reading, Book Bub, and Book Sirens on my utility belt. If I ever plan to do a Book Subscription or sign up for Kindle Unlimited, I will also disclose it to the readers. 

Copies of books that I've acquired through "Books Sirens" will be spoiler-free. That is a part of their policy when giving out free copies directly from the author. In exchange for a free copy of the book, it is strongly recommended that spoilers are not included so that it won't spoil the story or plot for other future readers. I am always going to label it with a hashtag, #BookSirens so you'll know that a particular review will not contain any minor or major spoilers. 

I'm sorry for the long intro, but I need to clear this up in every post. Anyway on to the review!

Rating: ✮✮✮✮ 

Reaction:

I read this via audiobook format. The production and performance were really great. I love the soundtrack that went with certain scenes and I think Catherine Taber did a really great job with Queen Amadala / Padhme's voice. She sounds exactly like Natalie Portman. I hope she's also the voice actress for "Queen's Peril," which I think is the book that came before this. Anyway, it was pure joy of eight hours listening to her.

It took me about two weeks to finish this book because I decided not to devour it in one sitting. I would usually listen to it every day, in the afternoon, and let it play for 15 - 20 minutes as part of my daily reading routine. 15 to 20 minutes is the usual length of each chapter. 

/// Spoiler Alert /// There were love scenes in this book between Sabe and Captain Tonra. But I didn't cringe at all, when that scene came on, similarly to how you cover your eyes when you're watching love scenes in movies. It was tastefully done, and I really appreciate E.K. Johnston for writing it that way. I liked her writing style very much. I want to pick up an actual physical or digital copy of the book and annotate it to my heart's content.

I looked on GoodReads to see what score people gave it, and I'm surprised it's lower. People were complaining about the lack of action scenes, but I don't really care for it because I would rather see something like that on-screen than on-page. My mind usually shuts off when two of those scenes came along because I didn't want to have to shift all of my attention to it. In fact, while I was listening to it, I just wait for the mission report to be summarized.  

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I liked how Amadala had to create new tactics and strategies to suit her new life as a galactic senator. I enjoyed the bond between Padhme and her handmaidens. The sisterhood vibe was really great. I think girls of any age would enjoy that feminine power oozing out of the audiobook.  The dialogues, scenery, and theme were well-written and consistent. 

If you're new to the Star Wars fandom like me, I think you'll really enjoy it. I didn't become confused or struggle when past references are mentioned. After checking this out, I also wanna go ahead and see the Star Wars: Clone Wars TV Series. 

If they made a graphic novel/comic centering Padhme, I also wouldn't mind that. 

P.S. I really love the cover. 

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