Hi everyone,
I started my journey on march 2023, and still can't believe I would love Star Wars so much once again. I didn't quite know what to expect when reading novels from this franchise but I must say it blew my expectations. It's still a little bit early for me to write this, as I am currently reading Trials of the Jedi but whatever... here are a few of my thoughts on the story as whole.
--- SPOILERS ---
Still can't believe Kevmo is dead, throughout the whole initiative his death impacted me the most. I sometimes ask myself what could have happened if he lived and they both got to shake things up a bit on Jedha. Would the future have been better, would it change the way people think about the Force?
Phase 2 was my favorite, quite a bit of an unpopular opinion but I quite liked Convergence and Cataclysm. The conflict between Eiram and E'ronoh, the hardships both worlds needed to overcome even for a fragile peace... but also Getta and Axel. I quite like Axel's redemption arc.
Speaking about the Nihil, I do prefer the way fights were depicted in Phase 1. I just think that Phase 3 forgot a bit of the insanity and danger of micro hyperspace jumps and all dirty tricks used in the first spaceship battles. Marchion Ro is one of my favorite villains in Star Wars, I enjoyed seeing him taking an initially small ragtag of marauders and beating the Republic in all possible ways by striking at all their vital points rather than using brute force.
Highlights from Phase 1 and 3 for me were Elzar and Avar, their relationship, struggles and them accepting their feelings for each other while always putting others in need before themselves. Then Porter Engle, the cook who happens to be the strongest Jedi duelist as a bonus.
Did Azlin Rell "Raikiried" a Drengir? That was my thought when reading Into the light but I dunno haha. This guy must have thought he was like Kakashi !
And Reath ! How much has he grown ! From this bookworm to that young man who shouldered the weight of the whole galaxy. I really am impressed by what they did with his character arc.
I do have some criticism on the series. Maybe it'll echo with some of you, maybe not. But I did notice quite a bit of repetitiveness in the thematics around the Jedi, sometimes it felt like I was reading the same thing again and it doesn't help that these characters often express their ideas the same way.
Also, there was so much characters and parallel stories. They should have reduced its scope a bit.
If we get another initiative one day (things I would personally like to have):
- For comics, take more time with the drawings and be more consistent with the art style by working with the same artist for a full story. I would prefer less stories but more visually striking.
- I do not believe it was necessary to separate between middle grade / young adult / adult novels. Just write at the best of your abilities and don't tone it down for younger readers, people will grow up and kids won't stay kids. Especially if you read the books again in the future.
So here are my opinions on the initiative. If you read everything, thanks for taking the time ! Don't hesitate to comment your opinion too.
--- TL:DR ---
Loved the THR series, Phase 2 is my favorite but loved the stories and characters from all parts of the series. Would have loved a slightly reduced scope to avoid some of the repetitiveness and would have preferred the comics to get a bit more time to cook and also be reduced in scope and be more consistent with their art style.