Black Spire (Book Review)
by Delilah Dawson
Sci-Fi (Star Wars book)
2019
3 / 5 Stars
Galaxy’s Edge follows after the (awesome) novel Phasma (also by Delilah Dawson). In fact, I’m not sure why the book doesn’t explicitly state this, as a lot of the characterization hinges on what happened in Phasma.
After devastating losses at the hands of the First Order, General Leia Organa has dispatched her agents across the galaxy in search of allies, sanctuary, and firepower—and her top spy, Vi Moradi, may have just found all three, on a secluded world at the galaxy’s edge.
To survive, Vi will have to seek out the good-hearted heroes hiding in a world that redefines scum and villainy. With the help of a traitorous trooper and her acerbic droid, she begins to gather a colorful band of outcasts and misfits, and embarks on a mission to spark the fire of resistance on Batuu—before the First Order snuffs it out entirely.
The novel's biggest drawback for me was the relationship between Archex and Vi. The cursory explanations given would be very confusing to a new reader. And even for those who read Phasma, what should have been an interesting and intense complexity between them was sorely lacking. There was so much going on in this novel their relationship was pushed to the wayside and, in fact, I don't think we really needed that plot at all. The ending and everything else in the novel could have been achieved without Archex (a certain aspect felt quite forced), so he was almost unnecessary.
That being said, I did enjoy the novel. It was very easy to read, Vi was a fun character, and Dawson has a very approachable style that’s easily digestible. There are a few comic moments too. Unfortunately, there are so many characters no one has enough space to grow or breathe, the main antagonist was pretty bland, and the plot meanders. There were scenes I really liked and a couple of characters I thought were fun, but I didn’t really feel the stakes. If they fail, the Resistance can find some other backwater planet to build a base on, right?
Overall, while it’s enjoyable, it’s rather forgettable.
This doesn’t contribute to my rating, but my head really enjoys that Vi and Archex are just friends and a romance was not forced, and that Vi seemed to be saying she was asexual (as we need more characters in Star Wars who aren’t straight), but my heart was hoping for a romance. Yet, I realize this would be problematic, given their past, and the novel doesn’t have enough space to address the nuances of that sort of thing properly. Also, I think it would be irresponsible, given a lot of younger readers partake in these novels.