Star Wars The High Republic: Out of the Shadows
- Downloads：4124
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-21 07:19:02
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Justina Ireland
- ISBN：B098BHBW9Z
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Ursula Johnson
，
Having read the authors' other book A Test of Courage， I didn't have high hopes for this book。 I wasn't disappointed。 Long， tedious and dull， this book was a chore to get though。 The lead human character was similar to the last one， young lady with dark skin and curly hair。 This one， Syl was very unlikable and her constant whining monologues became monotonous。 The romance felt like a plot device。 We meet characters from prior books and while they were interesting and unique in prior works， they Having read the authors' other book A Test of Courage， I didn't have high hopes for this book。 I wasn't disappointed。 Long， tedious and dull， this book was a chore to get though。 The lead human character was similar to the last one， young lady with dark skin and curly hair。 This one， Syl was very unlikable and her constant whining monologues became monotonous。 The romance felt like a plot device。 We meet characters from prior books and while they were interesting and unique in prior works， they were simplistic and dull here， including Vernestra。 After the excitement of Rising Storm， this was a letdown。 Major plot devices were included in this book， which really should've been in the major book。 The audiobook was also a disappointment since it was produced by a different division and there were no sound effects， or music to enhance the story。 Character voices were lame， Marc Thompson is sorely missed， a variety of major legends books are finally getting unabridged audio and he is doing many of them。 Claudia Gray and Jude Watson are far better at writing YA and keeping things interesting。 Disappointing and mediocre。 。。。more
Raymond Just
，
A bit of a slow slog in this installment of the High Republic， with no action really taking place until after pege 300。
Barb。 D。
，
3。5 stars。 Why is it that the High Republic YA books are more exciting than the adult ones？ The YA seem to be much more character-driven rather than obsessed with fight and battle。 Of course， this being YA means that some of the plot is devoted to sugary teenage crush stories， but still。
Jaime K
，
This takes place after “The Rising Storm。”18-year-old Sylvestri Yarrow has inherited her mother’s ship after Chancey died at the hands of the Nihil。 I chuckled when Syl wonders at the expense of owning a ship。 I feel her， having recently bought my first house。 The ship is randomly pulled out of hyperspace， and Syl and her small crew head to Coruscant to tell the Republic what happened。 Because if it’s the Nihil， that is Very Bad。Meanwhile， Vernestra doesn’t always feel like a good Master。 After This takes place after “The Rising Storm。”18-year-old Sylvestri Yarrow has inherited her mother’s ship after Chancey died at the hands of the Nihil。 I chuckled when Syl wonders at the expense of owning a ship。 I feel her， having recently bought my first house。 The ship is randomly pulled out of hyperspace， and Syl and her small crew head to Coruscant to tell the Republic what happened。 Because if it’s the Nihil， that is Very Bad。Meanwhile， Vernestra doesn’t always feel like a good Master。 After all， she can’t even help Imri with certain exercises to help his empathy--another Jedi does。 I want to tell her that being someone’s Master doesn’t mean she’s their only teacher and guide。 The two are still reeling from Valo， especially since Imri’s empathy has become much more sensitive。 The two meet up with Reath and Cohmac， who have been doing some dangerous research in seeking out artifacts。 It shows great growth in Reath after the events of “Into the Dark。”Reath feels a bit inadequate next to Vernestra and Imri feels that。 So Imri smooths/soothes Reath’s feelings， which puts Vernestra on edge。 She feels like it’s manipulating others， even though Imri is using his powers and desire to help others to do just that。 And yet， it can lead down a dangerous path。 Reath also gets melancholy about random romantic feelings which at first seems out of place but aligns with some things that Imri picks up with his empathy。 Reath thinks of Nan--and of course there are some chapters from her POV。Nan feels like she is making her way up to the higher levels of Marchion Ro’s Nihil and is quite haughty about it。 Her goal of course is to become a Tempest Runner， and she even tries her hand when she’s sent on a mission to guard the Oracle。 At first she feels like Ro is giving her mediocre work before remembering how much he cares for the old woman。Then Nan finds out who Mari San Tekka really is， which reminded me as well， and she truly feels this is a mission to prove herself。Lourna Dee has much up her sleeve， which is no surprise。 I feel like she manipulates Ro in different ways， and he doesn’t always realize it。So later， the phrase “Auntie Lourna” makes me shudder。A man named Xylan Graf finds Syl after the authorities on Coruscant essentially ignore her。 He has a similar story of his own but it happens to be a lie。 Xylan （I love that name， by the way。 It makes me think of Xanatos） is a shady guy， and his inkiness increases as the story progresses。 I wanted to like him at first， because he’s 22， cute （and Syl is not attracted to males）， and seems to genuinely want to figure out the hyperspace issue。 I kind of felt the same when reading adult！Xanatos though， so like Syl I didn’t trust it。The Graf family happens to be the rivals of the San Tekkas， and the political issues and conspiracies become rampant。 It’s a bit confusing and instead of caring much about it I found myself just needing to be pulled along。 Like Vernestra points out in chapter 15， politics is exhausting。It’s just unfortunate that Syl doesn’t listen to her initial instincts and walk away from him。 I get it though--she needed the funds and the Graf family certainly has them。 He helps her hide away， and she notes that there are things in the lav that likely weren’t meant for humans。 That nod at the need to attend to all species is really awesome。 As Vernestra， Imri， Cohmac， and Reath head to Coruscant （for different reasons）， Vernestra experiences a hyperspace vision。 She doesn’t initially tell Imri， which makes sense; but she also keeps her vision（s） from other Jedi， even after they make a pit stop on Tiikae after receiving a distress call that aligns with her vision。 Her immaturity is evident， but I don’t mean that in a negative way。 She’s freaking 17， of course she’s immature even within her maturity。Within the vision is a voice of an elderly woman who calls to Vernestra。 It’s obvious to the reader who that is。It does baffle me that she’s not considered a Jedi Master。 This is what bothers me with TCW: how can a person who’s [been] a Master not be a Jedi Master？ The hierarchy makes no sense。Even Cohmac calls her Vern， which angers me。 Every time someone doesn’t bloody listen to her and respect her name， I want to punch them in the face。 I have had students who want to be ‘Michael’ and not ‘Mike，’ and I call them by the full name。 Not everyone needs a bloody damn nickname。I do like how she ponders hyperspace in Chapter 10， and understands that “philosophy was [。。。] more often about embracing the possibilities， and there was no final answer on just what hyperspace was。 Everyone knew how to use it， but only the scholars still debated its nature。” That is balm to my math nerdy heart。I really enjoyed all the information and conversations about hyperspace physics， even with the secrets between families and people it uncovers。 I read astrophysics books I don’t fully understand and enjoy them; so I would love to read about tangled-superstring projection where hyperspace and the Force share a cord。 On Tiikae， Vernestra meets a woman named Jordanna， who is the San Tekka deputy on the planet and whom the reader knows because of Syl。 Oh yeah， the two have some deep history， which Imri uncovers。 His empathy truly comes out in one scene when the four come upon each other on Coruscant。 Man， Ireland KNOWS that awkward heartache of meeting up with an ex。Jordanna’s pet Remy is freaking fantastic。 The phrase “bantha piss” comes up in chapter 13 and I didn’t enjoy that at all。 I don’t know why ‘urine’ couldn’t be used instead。 Syl learns some not-so-secrets about her mom’s past which tie into a lot。 She also meets a Gungan physics scholar， Professor Wolk。 He is interesting， and doesn’t speak like the Gungans in TPM。 I guess it’s because he left Naboo and assimilated， though that reason isn’t discussed。Master Yaddle talks to Vernestra and not in Yoda-speak， which is also different。 Then Vernestra meets a man （Jedi？） named Emerick Caphtor。 I get the feeling that he， like Imri， is super empathic and suspect he’ll help the Padawan。Vernestra had found an odd cube on Tiikae， but no one knows what it is。 We do know the Nihil are after it， since it’s Ro’s box and Nan lost it。 I’m so bad with names， that I didn’t recognize the scientist she’s with until looking back at my highlighted notes [before finishing the book]。 That scientist tells Nan about Mari and more of her backstory， which links to the two adult novels。That scientist is also pretty darn scary and super manipulative。Cohmac offers some great advice at various times。Senator Starros also makes an appearance， whose name I didn’t remember until she brings up Avon and Honesty。 She’s the one who has Vernestra and Imri meet Syl （and Xylan）。 Both Starros and Xylan are extremely annoying。There are some great philosophical questions that surround the theme of what is best for the Order vs。 what is best for the Force， and how the two may not be aligned。Jordanna becomes super awesome and Syl grows on me。 I really like how Jordanna provides a reason as to why people are drawn to the Nihil。 There is also mention of the Church of the Force， even on Naboo。It’s super odd that Jordanna and Syl only knew each other a month before Syl’s mother picked her up after leaving her on Tiikae， and yet there’s this entire emotional upheaval around them。 They’re 18/19; so yes， they’re young in terms of love and relationships， but it was just a month。 Good end except for the secrets Vernestra keeps from others。 But the Jedi are even more convinced that Lourna is the Nihil Eye。It's also pretty freaking scary given the capabilities the Nihil have at their hands。 。。。more
Stephen Hamilton
，
A welcome return for decent characters like Vern， Reath and Nan from the first wave of High Republic books， and a couple of new and interesting characters， but sadly they were insufficient to elevate this book above its dense， clumsy， rushed and incomprehensible storyline。
Camila Valenzuela
，
The fact that I had to pace myself not to finish this book in one seating， while in a beach in Greece is a testament to how good it was。The story was amazing， filled in some gaps of the High Republic initiative and advanced the overall arc so much more than I initially thought， but what really shines is the honest way the characters are portrayed。 I found myself taking pictures of some inner dialogue because it really resonated with me。 Especially Vern， a character that beforehand was not really The fact that I had to pace myself not to finish this book in one seating， while in a beach in Greece is a testament to how good it was。The story was amazing， filled in some gaps of the High Republic initiative and advanced the overall arc so much more than I initially thought， but what really shines is the honest way the characters are portrayed。 I found myself taking pictures of some inner dialogue because it really resonated with me。 Especially Vern， a character that beforehand was not really feeling so deeply。 I was left both extremely happy with the overall plot and scared AF for what will come in wave 3！ 。。。more
Matthew Sciarrino
，
Not as action packed as previous books in series， but did go into the characters a lot more and did answer several hanging questions。 The ending seemed a bit rushed。 Liked the story a lot， and enjoyed reading it。 In the chain of stories I can see this becoming a favorite， but as since nothing yet next on the chain…
Heather
，
I have found Justina Ireland to be the best writer of the High Republic books。 I loved A Test of Courage and enjoyed the characters from that book and from Into the Dark joining together for a new adventure。 The story was exciting and there was good plot and character development。 This book also gets a bonus star for having strong female characters as well as queer characters。 How refreshing that this is becoming more the norm in the Star Wars universe。
tyler 196
，
ended up getting a copy of this early and it was such a treat to read。 a very fascinating deep dive into the political side of the story when it comes to how the order got so involved with doing the republics dirty work
Kristan
，
~4。5 my second favorite of the High Republic books so far， behind Light of the Jedi
Cody Nechamkin
，
A character study more than a story。 Justina Ireland’s prose writing never at any point clicked with me throughout this novel。 The way she over explains， “tells and not shows，” characters’ emotions and motivations contributes to the incredibly slow pacing of the story， a story I would’ve found dull and predictable anyways。While some of the new character moments were nuanced， relatable， and generally interesting， most of the old characters didn’t have much to do besides act as connective tissue t A character study more than a story。 Justina Ireland’s prose writing never at any point clicked with me throughout this novel。 The way she over explains， “tells and not shows，” characters’ emotions and motivations contributes to the incredibly slow pacing of the story， a story I would’ve found dull and predictable anyways。While some of the new character moments were nuanced， relatable， and generally interesting， most of the old characters didn’t have much to do besides act as connective tissue to the High Republic as a whole。 。。。more
Scott Sharp
，
No spoilers- This is the worst High Republic book of Phase 1。 I've read them all including the YA novels， and this one is bad。 I like the Jedis and the Star Wars universe so this book gets two stars just for that。 It reads like an 80s after school special about young love but set in the Star Wars universe。 i felt like the author has aspirations to being a romance novelist - furtive glances at chests and copious amounts if quick looks and blush reactions。 I do look forward to reading more about t No spoilers- This is the worst High Republic book of Phase 1。 I've read them all including the YA novels， and this one is bad。 I like the Jedis and the Star Wars universe so this book gets two stars just for that。 It reads like an 80s after school special about young love but set in the Star Wars universe。 i felt like the author has aspirations to being a romance novelist - furtive glances at chests and copious amounts if quick looks and blush reactions。 I do look forward to reading more about the Jedi in this novel， but hopefully in a better story and in more capable hands。 The big question is -is it better than the disavowed Holiday Special on Kasyyyk？ Yes。 Yes it is。 Ever so slightly better。 。。。more
Spencer Sumwalt
，
Exciting new characters join the fray here with some fan favorites returning for a relatively small scale mystery in terms of what was at play。
Paul Viebranz
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Star Wars: The High Republic continues with the YA novel Out of the Shadows， written by Justina Ireland， who penned the first-wave middle-grade novel， A Test of Courage。 That book introduced readers to teen Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh， and her padawan learner Imri Cantaros， who return for Out of the Shadows alongside Reath Silas and Cohmac Vitus （both from the first wave's YA novel Into the Dark， by Claudia Gray）， as well as several other High Republic characters like Avar Kriss and Stellan Gios。 Star Wars: The High Republic continues with the YA novel Out of the Shadows， written by Justina Ireland， who penned the first-wave middle-grade novel， A Test of Courage。 That book introduced readers to teen Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh， and her padawan learner Imri Cantaros， who return for Out of the Shadows alongside Reath Silas and Cohmac Vitus （both from the first wave's YA novel Into the Dark， by Claudia Gray）， as well as several other High Republic characters like Avar Kriss and Stellan Gios。 New character Sylvestri Yarrow， a young cargo hauler， rounds out the main cast; Syl lost her mother to a Nihil attack not long before the book starts， so she's recently found herself captain of a ship， a responsibility she isn't sure she's cut out for。Cavan Scott's adult novel The Rising Storm， which kicked off wave two， started off much more slowly than Charles Soule's first wave adult novel， Light of the Jedi， but in its second half， Rising Storm kicked into overdrive with nearly non-stop action， and some of the most striking moments of the entire publishing initiative thus far。 I had expected Out of the Shadows to be similar， when about halfway through the novel， there had only been one big action set-piece， but by the end， the whole piece remained strongly character-driven， and much less action-heavy and sprawling than either adult novel， or even Into the Dark。This threw me off a bit， which is why I waited a couple of days to write my review， because I think my reaction immediately upon putting the book down was， "That's it？"But "that" was a very engaging character study， mainly of Sylvestri Yarrow and Vernestra Rwoh， which at the same time fleshed out the evolving （and increasingly prophetically problematic） relationship between the Jedi Order and the Republic， as well as the multi-faceted threat the Nihil pose。 Upon reflection， I think Ireland's YA novel is a great change of pace after the relentlessness of The Rising Storm， and like most wave two stories， really makes the most of the expansive cast of High Republic characters。The book was not without its flaws， though。 As much as I appreciate exploring the downward slide of the Jedi， I wish that we had spent a lot more time with Reath， to see more of how he and Cohmac felt about the events of the novel。 Don't get me wrong， I love Vern， but getting more perspectives on this tumultuous time would have been more rewarding; for that matter， we get little of Imri's perspective， either。Along the same lines， I really wanted to get more from Nan， and I wish that Krix had been in more than one scene。 I wasn't completely sure what was going on with Nan， and other than being told she's very good at。。。 spying？ 。。。 I didn't get a sense she was particularly adept at any given Nihil thing。Which brings us to Syl's mother。 We should have been left in the dark about her being alive as well。 Finding out she is early on in the book really sucks the air out of that revelation for Syl later。 That was a bad decision on Ireland's part to reveal that so early on， and I have no idea why that's what she went with。Finally， some of the sentence-level writing left a bit to be desired。 There's an instance early on when， within a couple pages， Imri's face is described first as ruddy when it's usually pale because he's upset， and then pale when it's normally ruddy because he's upset by something else （or perhaps the other way round）， but。。。 those are opposites！ And although the same type of discontinuity isn't present other than that， as far as I noticed， there are many instances of particular adjectives or phrases being used to excess very closely to one another， which makes the writing feel a bit stale， despite the engaging characters and plot developments。But let's get back to things I liked。 I really enjoyed the character of Jordanna Sparkburn。 She had a real verve to her， and I would love to see how she deals with all the violence she's committed， and of course see how she and Syl are doing as a couple。 I also really liked Xylan Graf; he was over-the-top without being a distraction， and the exploration of his family， and the San Tekka clan， is something I found compelling--how do the super-wealthy maneuver in Star Wars， when the Jedi exist， and when so many have so much advanced technology？ Well， as in reality， they manipulate politics， and develop even MORE advanced technology， which they hoard for themselves。 I definitely want to see more from these families as we go on。I also appreciated that this book didn't go too overboard with dozens of different alien species。 It's a little frustrating while reading some of these books and about six different species I've never heard of show up in the same chapter， and I feel like I have to go to Wookieepedia to find out what they look like， for lack of physical descriptions by the authors。 I thought the Gungan professor in this was an infinitely better way to do a "different" kind of Gungan than the one Older created for Last Shot， and I liked the the Grafs employed a lot of Grigorans。 I also adored Remy the vollka; I would like to see some artwork of that big cat， and I absolutely want her to meet Bell's charhound， Ember！The end of the novel leaves some interesting questions open。 Without Mari San Tekka， can the Nihil still use the Paths？ We still don't know what Marchion Ro's schemes are， past。。。 unleashing the Leveler， I suppose。 Nan's involvement in that， going forward， will be clearer， I hope。 And assuming the Lourna Dee audio drama is taking place after this， I'm really interested to see what HER bigger plans are。 Additionally， it's scary to think that the Nihil will have the ability to rip ships out of hyperspace， and it's smart to have a principal good-guy character in Syl who is emotionally connected to that project， via her mother （however much she might hate her at this point）。And of course， Vern having the last Path， and keeping it all to herself， is intriguing。 I'm sure that will be important later on！So。。。 while this was not my favorite High Republic book thus far （I think it may actually be my second least favorite， after A Test of Courage）， that's hardly a knock on it， as I've thoroughly enjoyed the entire initiative so far。 So many memorable characters， and a wonderful examination of the slow fall of the Jedi， all "for the right reasons。" Out of the Shadows isn't a rip-roaring home run， but it's still well worth reading。 。。。more
Raul Fernandez
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Probably the most character-centric book so far in the High Republic。 So don't go into this one thinking it's going to be a rollercoaster ride like the previous entries in this series。 That being said， Justina Ireland does a really good job fleshing out her characters-- especially Vernestra Rwoh and Sylvestri Yarrow。****Spoiler ALERT****My one gripe is that the big reveal in this story， is seen a mile away。 I would have liked for the author to given us a little more back story on Syl's relations Probably the most character-centric book so far in the High Republic。 So don't go into this one thinking it's going to be a rollercoaster ride like the previous entries in this series。 That being said， Justina Ireland does a really good job fleshing out her characters-- especially Vernestra Rwoh and Sylvestri Yarrow。****Spoiler ALERT****My one gripe is that the big reveal in this story， is seen a mile away。 I would have liked for the author to given us a little more back story on Syl's relationship with her mother。 It comes as no shock to the reader that she ends up being the one helping out the baddies in this story。 It also has no real impact， since we aren't really tied to Chancey Yarrow at all。 Still， I like where this story takes us， and I look forward to seeing how all this plays out。My rating: 3。7 Stars 。。。more
Tim
，
Another interesting story in the High Republic timeline。
Diego
，
Weirdly paced， but ABSOLUTELY LOVED IMRI AND VERN （😉） ON STARLIGHT！ Stellan's short scene ARE PERFECT！ MAZ！ This is an interlude to a very exciting new storyline， very excited！ Weirdly paced， but ABSOLUTELY LOVED IMRI AND VERN （😉） ON STARLIGHT！ Stellan's short scene ARE PERFECT！ MAZ！ This is an interlude to a very exciting new storyline， very excited！ 。。。more
Andrew Bulthaupt
，
I listened to this book via Audible。Out of the Shadows is the latest installment in the ongoing The High Republic collection of stories set well before other canonical events in the Star Wars galaxy。 It begins after the Republic Fair and seems like it sets up some larger developments to come while standing on its own。There was a nice mix of new and returning characters - I appreciated seeing what Vernestra Rwoh and Reath Silas were up to just as much as I liked meeting Sylvestri Yarrow and Jorda I listened to this book via Audible。Out of the Shadows is the latest installment in the ongoing The High Republic collection of stories set well before other canonical events in the Star Wars galaxy。 It begins after the Republic Fair and seems like it sets up some larger developments to come while standing on its own。There was a nice mix of new and returning characters - I appreciated seeing what Vernestra Rwoh and Reath Silas were up to just as much as I liked meeting Sylvestri Yarrow and Jordanna Sparkburn。 It was also interesting meeting people from the Graf， San Tekka， and Starros lineages， since we've seen what their ancestors get up to in the coming centuries。 This era is becoming more and more fleshed out with a variety of interesting people。As far as the story goes， the stakes seemed unusually high for a young adult novel， which I enjoyed！ We learn about some major Nihil plans and get some insight into their sources of information within the Republic。 We also see the conflict within the Jedi and Republic over what to do about the Nihil and the proper course of action to take。 Of course they can't sit around talking forever and eventually sabers and blasters are drawn to face the impending threats。 While the inciting incident gets resolved， there are some unanswered questions that I look forward to learning about more in the future。Overall this was a fun adventure in The High Republic， and while perhaps it wasn't my absolute favorite I still heartily recommend it to anyone looking to go on a journey to a galaxy far， far away。 。。。more
Taryn
，
This took a very long time to get interesting but once it finally did it was entertaining。
Katie
，
This was better than most of the High Republic books， but still far from perfect。 It continues the legacy of these being riddled with continuity errors （within this book， within THR， and within the SW saga in general） and suffering from having too many POV characters。 At times it really felt like Reath and Cohmac were there solely to stop anyone complaining that this book had "too many girls。" As for continuity errors， the most glaring one is how this book blithely invents Interdictor technology This was better than most of the High Republic books， but still far from perfect。 It continues the legacy of these being riddled with continuity errors （within this book， within THR， and within the SW saga in general） and suffering from having too many POV characters。 At times it really felt like Reath and Cohmac were there solely to stop anyone complaining that this book had "too many girls。" As for continuity errors， the most glaring one is how this book blithely invents Interdictor technology 300 years early when it's established in canon that it's brand new when we see it during Rebels。The most annoying thing， though， has to be this。 One of the biggest points of tension in this book is the "mystery" of whether or not Syl's mother is actually alive and working with the Nihil。 A side scene the audience sees basically right after this mystery is established answers it for readers， making the scene near the end of the book where Syl finds out the answer lose pretty much all of it's emotional punch。 We should have found out when she did; it wouldn't change the story at all。All of that said， there's one thing I abosolutely love: how many queer characters are in this story。 Syl and Jordana's relationship is fairy important， balancing a little that the "main" relationship in a SW book always has to be a straight one。 And it's complicated and interesting， even if it resolves a little quickly and cleanly。 And then there's Vernestra， one of Star War's two canon aromantic asexual characters。 It's awesome to see character I already love that shares my own identity。 It's just unfortunate that her identity is mentioned in one paragraph and then moved on from。 With the revelation of Reath's crush on her， I hope it's addressed more in the future and allowed to actually be a part of who she is rather than being pushed aside。 。。。more
julia
，
I’m a little tired of the inconsistencies with characters in the high republic， especially considering how each book introduces a new under-developed relationship and expects us to roll with it， all the while never touching on any characters from the previous books。 It was a fun read overall but extremely hard to find myself getting attached
LooKat
，
Pros: Cohesive story， well-edited。 Vernestra’s struggles and inner strength relating to being a very young Jedi Knight with a padawan were interesting and well-written。 Con: Relentless conversations on politics became a slog from the half-way point through the end。
Julie
，
4。5 stars， rounded up to 5。 Wow， the last half of this was something else！ And the adult/YA/middle grade books really are part of a cohesive whole。 If you only read the adult novels you're going to miss out on a lot。 I'm entertained that we are seeing familiar families like the Grafs， Starroses and San Tekkas。 Also they are really thinking about who is around in this time period and throwing them all in the mix （like Yaddle， Maz， and Yarael Poof）。 4。5 stars， rounded up to 5。 Wow， the last half of this was something else！ And the adult/YA/middle grade books really are part of a cohesive whole。 If you only read the adult novels you're going to miss out on a lot。 I'm entertained that we are seeing familiar families like the Grafs， Starroses and San Tekkas。 Also they are really thinking about who is around in this time period and throwing them all in the mix （like Yaddle， Maz， and Yarael Poof）。 。。。more
Burak Bayrakdar
，
One of the poorest novels of the high republic series。 It is essentially a non-book， nothing worth mentioning happens %85 of the book， full of forgettable characters and a meaningless ending。 Existing characters behave abnormally; stupidly like Marchion Ro， or extremely weakly like all jedi， and Nan， to focus on the boring new character Syl。 Syl， her story， her mom and her romance are extremely boring and out of style for Star Wars， why the excessive focus on her love life and her creepily eyein One of the poorest novels of the high republic series。 It is essentially a non-book， nothing worth mentioning happens %85 of the book， full of forgettable characters and a meaningless ending。 Existing characters behave abnormally; stupidly like Marchion Ro， or extremely weakly like all jedi， and Nan， to focus on the boring new character Syl。 Syl， her story， her mom and her romance are extremely boring and out of style for Star Wars， why the excessive focus on her love life and her creepily eyeing of every female around， if it were a male character， everyone would find that disgusting。 I feel like the author， shamelessly， put Syl as herself into the story。I did like the big cat petting moments， and the rich vs poor discussion within Star Wars universe， yet it was done really poorly。 。。。more
Jason
，
This dad read the latest High Republic gift bestowed upon us Star Wars book fans – “Out of the Shadows” by Justina Ireland， a YA novel published by Disney-Lucasfilm Press。 Unlike its predecessor “The Rising Storm”， this book puts the brakes on the non-stop action （and heartbreak） to dive into the emotions and politics of this time in galactic history。Central to this tale are Sylvestri/Syl Yarrow and Vernestra Rwoh， two teenagers doing their best to make a way for themselves。 Vernestra continues This dad read the latest High Republic gift bestowed upon us Star Wars book fans – “Out of the Shadows” by Justina Ireland， a YA novel published by Disney-Lucasfilm Press。 Unlike its predecessor “The Rising Storm”， this book puts the brakes on the non-stop action （and heartbreak） to dive into the emotions and politics of this time in galactic history。Central to this tale are Sylvestri/Syl Yarrow and Vernestra Rwoh， two teenagers doing their best to make a way for themselves。 Vernestra continues to be challenged by the tension she feels being a 17-year-old Jedi Knight while Syl literally is scraping by just to keep her and her fledgling crew alive。 Combine this youthful angst with a little Nihil threat and a dash of hyperspace lane politicking and you’ve got a recipe for one heck of an adventure。While some MAJOR plot events take place in “Shadows” that will affect all future High Republic releases， this book stands on its own for delving into themes of family that have the power to resonate with all ages of readers。 Sylvestri particularly goes through a roller coaster of emotions and comes out realizing that the family one chooses can form a stronger bond than blood。 While it might be a stretch to call the Jedi Order a chosen family， Vernestra’s journey still shows that when she’s open and honest with those who care for her， she can in turn provide that same care to others。Justina Ireland’s strength is portraying the teenage perspective with truth and sincerity。 The fears， passions and curiosity are all there but its never trite。 Set against the backdrop of some serious threats， the teenage characters at the forefront of “Out of the Shadows” literally have the galaxy on their backs but they charge ahead with the strength they find in each other。This is a spoiler-free review but I can’t help but share my excitement with how the plot of this book really throws into question how the Nihil are going to continue on after this。 Marchion Ro is dealt a few major blows – is his time coming to an end？ Lourna Dee is front and center later this month in the “Tempest Runner” audio drama and I can’t help but wonder if a new Nihil leader will emerge。“Out of the Shadows” shows that not all Star Wars books need to move at breakneck speed to make an impact。 。。。more
Kels
，
vernestra my beloved🥰🥰reath， my adoption proposal still standsanyway i cried the 5 seconds avar was thereshoutout to high republic for giving us the gay rep every other part of star wars refuses to give
Bruce Burhans
，
The High Republic has a side story involving young Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh and her Padawan Imri Cantaros， with both characters appearing across different media and genres。 Whether it was the jump from Middle-Grade to YA seen here or that cameo in the comics， I've grown attached to them and find myself invested in whatever they appear in。 With the concept of The High Republic being in Phases and growing over time， I bet those two will be one of its biggest payoffs。Justina Ireland is a good wri The High Republic has a side story involving young Jedi Knight Vernestra Rwoh and her Padawan Imri Cantaros， with both characters appearing across different media and genres。 Whether it was the jump from Middle-Grade to YA seen here or that cameo in the comics， I've grown attached to them and find myself invested in whatever they appear in。 With the concept of The High Republic being in Phases and growing over time， I bet those two will be one of its biggest payoffs。Justina Ireland is a good writer like always， and I applaud the effort that went into her deciding to take the challenge of stepping into another genre with the same cast and worldbuilding。 If you're only following the mainline adult books， Out of the Shadows might be hit or miss， and I'd only recommend it for those who either read the previous Middle-Grade book and want to continue following Rwoh and Cantaros or are The High Republic completionists like myself。 。。。more
aspeccharactersoftheday
，
https://aspeccharactersoftheday。tumbl。。。 https://aspeccharactersoftheday。tumbl。。。 。。。more
Saimi Korhonen
，
”People make up all life， that’s true。 But the Force doesn’t always take into account people。 It’s so much bigger than the small problems of settlers or senators。 And sometimes if you are looking at the forest you miss what is happening in the trees。”3，5/5！Out of the Shadows is the second YA novel in the High Republic saga and takes place some time after the dramatic events of The Rising Storm。 The Jedi are fighting the Nihil as best they can， but the attacks just keep coming。 Sylvestri Yarrow h ”People make up all life， that’s true。 But the Force doesn’t always take into account people。 It’s so much bigger than the small problems of settlers or senators。 And sometimes if you are looking at the forest you miss what is happening in the trees。”3，5/5！Out of the Shadows is the second YA novel in the High Republic saga and takes place some time after the dramatic events of The Rising Storm。 The Jedi are fighting the Nihil as best they can， but the attacks just keep coming。 Sylvestri Yarrow has lost everything to the Nihil - her mother， her ship and many friends - and is determined to tell someone in the Republic the truth of the horros of the Nihil attacks on the frontier。 At the same time Vernestra Rwoh is struggling to teach her padawan Imri Cantaros and deal with the rapidly changing galaxy。 These two young women - and many others - are brought together eventually by mysterious events going on at a deserted sector in the galaxy。Out of the Shadows is an extremely important novel for the High Republic era as a whole。 It moves the plot forward， changes dynamics between the Jedi and the Nihil， introduces new characters and develops those who have been already introduced in previous stories。 I know there's a weird prejudice against YA novels， but I suggest you get over those fears and pick these books up cause they are instrumental to the larger story of the High Republic！But as important as this book is for the storyline， there were stuff I was a bit disappointed by。 But first I wanna focus on some of the stuff that I loved: First of all， I think the characters were wonderful。 Vernestra Rwoh is one of my favorite characters in this whole saga， and getting to spend a lot more time with her and to go deeper into her values， her friendships， her insecurities and how she sees the galaxy was fascinating。 On the outside she is seemingly this calm prodigy， flawless and good at everything， but on the inside she is much more human: vulnerable， worried and insecure at times。 I also think Imri was an absolute delight in this book - though I think it was weird there really weren't any mentions of the events of A Test of Courage in this story - and I loved how the book explored his empath abilities。 Sylvestri Yarrow as an engaging lead and though the Jedi were definitely the more interesting characters for me， I did like seeing where her story went。 Reath and Cohmac were fun once again， though I think they could've gotten a bit more development。 They didn't really change during the course of the story。One of the most important themes of this story for me was change and how the world is changing around every single one of these characters。 All of these characters - who are mostly teens - are going through things they never thought they'd be dealing with: war， battle， trauma， loss。。。 It is shaping them and effecting them all in different ways。 I also loved how this book offered different points of view into this fight between the Republic and the Nihil， the Jedi and the state of the galaxy in general: through Nan we see why someone would follow the Nihil， through Syl we see how ordinary people and civilians are impacted by this battle and how they are the ones who are often paying the hardest price， and through Imri， Reath， Cohmac and Vernestra we get Jedi point of views， and discussions on how some Jedi want a more direct approach while some are hesitant to join the fight cause it is not the Jedi way。 This book is much more character-driven than plot driven， and this allowed the book to tackle some very interesting and meaningful issues。I also very much appreciate the amount of queer representation Ireland gave us！ Sylvesti and Jordanna were cute， and I just love， love that Vernestra is canonically ace/aro！ This book also had some lovely friendships: Stellan and Vernestra are a lovely duo， as are Vernestra and Imri。 But yeah， there were some stuff I didn't like。 The story itself was a bit blah at times and what kept me reading wasn't really the mystery but the characters and their journeys。 The pacing was a bit too slow for my taste。 The ending was also a bit anticlimactic - people were once again hyping it up and I once again was a bit let down by it。 But my main issues really stem from missed potential。 I think Imri could've had a larger role and I think what he did in A Test of Courage should've been explored a bit more。 It was hardly mentioned。 I also mostly felt that Reath and Cohmac were just there: they didn't really develop。 And one of the biggest letdowns for me was that Reath and （view spoiler）[ Nan didn't even have a conversation！ Reath thought about Nan quite a bit in the book and it was made clear that what happened between them was still bothering him， but then when they met， they didn't really say anything。 I was looking forward to their reunion the whole book and then it just didn't happen？！ （hide spoiler）] All in all， my reading experience was pleasant。 I had fun。 I love Vernestra and Imri even more now than I did before。 I am excited to see how the events of this book will echo in future stories！ Even though this book wasn't fully my cup of tea， I would still recommend it highly！ 。。。more
Adam Brzezinski
，