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Lucy Belle

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Disney Strikes Again

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-21-20

I have mixed feelings about Thrawn Ascendency. The beginning is what saved this review from being a one star, and the end was fair, and I liked how everything turned out. I want to start out with the things that I do not like about the book, and save what I love for the end, so that everything ends on a high note.
The first thing that I do not like about this book is that this book could be cut almost in half and the story would be pretty much the same, except that it would be less aggravating to listen to. There was about six hours of information that just felt like the book was going in circles. This could easily tell the proper story in roughly seven to ten hours and you would not miss a single thing.
The next thing that I found utterly aggravating was the very shoehorned style of putting Thalias into the story. The excuses that are made for putting her into missions are flimsy at best, as Zahn has apparently forgotten that ships have non-essential personnel (laundry, cooks) that are in the military, and thus are obligated to listen to Thrawn’s orders while on a vital military mission, instead of someone who is civilian and is thus under no obligation to follow Thrawn’s orders. There are plenty of other reasons that he could have given for taking Thalias on a mission that would be way more reasonable, even if a bit implausible, like using the fact that Thalias was a former Skywalker as a reason. Or, better yet, I would have loved to see Thalias cut out of the picture entirely, and for Thrawn to have used Ar’alani instead, and develop that dynamic better.
The next problem that I had with Thrawn Ascendency is that Zhan wrote all the sky walkers the same. He wrote them as grumpy, moody, cranky, 10-ish year olds. The only difference you can really see is that one likes to read, while one likes to draw. What a big deal. With any other age of character, this would have been completely inexcusable, and would have been chalked up to bad writing, but because they are children it is totally fine.
The final problem that I have with Thrawn Ascendency is that it feels like the exact same story as the last two Thrawn books that Disney pumped out. There is nothing new or different about this. It seems like Disney wanted a story to be told about Thrawn, but not that Zahn had another story to tell about him. It felt like the same old, same old, and I think that was the most disappointing things to me.
There were quite a handful of things that I did like. Firstly, I liked the dynamic between a young Ar’alani and Thrawn, and everything that was done with them at the beginning of the book. Secondly, I really liked the dynamic of having small girls on a military ship and mission and have them as vital components to said mission. It added a wonderful dynamic that was a nice element to see and play around with. The third thing that I loved about Thrawn Ascendency was that we got to see more of how the Chiss Ascendency operates, and how the sky walkers fit into the system. That was something that I really wanted to see from the first book. It was, once again, refreshing to see Thrawn in action.
Even with the things that I liked about the book, I am sticking to the two-star review, and it is a travesty to me that that is the final review. I grew up with Star Wars books, Thrawn, and Timothy Zhan ever since I can remember, and it is sad that Disney has taken the last good thing from the EU that they kept, and ruined my excitement for that too.
The sad fact is that I most likely will not get the next Thrawn book. I was extremely disappointed with this book, especially in light of the fact that it starkly subpar to the first Thrawn book.

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1 person found this helpful

The Best so Far

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-02-19

This was the quickest fablehaven/Dragonwatch book by far. I think it has some of the highest stakes for the characters, and Brandon Mull lets his characters make mistakes, which is truly refreshing. It is Quick paced and setting up future books nicely. Simply fantastic! I only have two issues: (1) Kendra makes a decision near the beginning of the book that didn't make sense to me, and (2) The Sphinx has no real motivation in my opinion. Besides these issues I am so excited for the books to come!

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Truly Magnificent

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-04-19

This story is incredibly compelling. It is well written, and Kate is perfect in this role. I am a little sad that it wasn't more in depth with the various missions.

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Exceptional!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-14-18

As always Obert Skye did a fantastic job! E.B. Stephen is always wonderful. I highly reccomend this series!

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Love Obert Skye!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-07-18

Obert Skye has one of the best descriptional talents ever! He is great at helping you see his story. Absolutely loved!!!

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1 person found this helpful