Reviews

Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson

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plasm4_4's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

jenny_librarian's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.0

I think I know what the author was trying to do with this. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. To tell the story of a character third hand through an entire novel, that character needs to be so mythical, to have such a life of their own that the reader still feels them as if they were there.

The story I read didn’t make Phasma anything more than other run-of-the-mill Star Wars villain. The problem is that SW has such iconic characters that the story of a calculating woman who murdered anyone standing in the way of her survival and rise to power isn’t grand or surprising. If anything, reading this made me care about Phasma less. And it’s a damn shame, because she’s one of the few true female villains in Star Wars.

You know who I did like reading about, though? Cardinal. I already loved him from reading Black Spire, but seeing him unraveling was a treat. The last 100 pages of this book were better than the first 250. I wish the entire story could’ve been about him instead, and another story written about Phasma.

Delilah S Dawson can write and make me truly care about characters, but unfortunately this book wasn’t it for me. However, I strongly suggest people skip to Black Spire, because that one is so much more worth it!

Content Warnings

novelette's review against another edition

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3.0

This is the first Star Wars book I have ever read, and I was pleasantly surprised. No need for previous knowledge of Star Wars cannon.

thereticentseer's review against another edition

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4.0

I remember reading Phasma and feeling kinda numb after it. My 2018/2019-ish self couldn't comprehend and appreciate the subtle complexity of Phasma's character. I wasn't sure whether to root for her, knowing her fate from the movies, but she was a dang good villain, power-hungry and ruthless to the core. So it was a bummer that the sequel trilogy wasted on her a lot when she had this backstory, you know?

leftyphive's review against another edition

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5.0

This is such a great book, about an amazing Star Wars character. A must read in my opinion.

tiara_67's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

roznn's review against another edition

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returned to the library

kennaf's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

living_dead_girl's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I don't think I can fully put into words how much I loved this book. A Star Wars Odyssey filled with tales of horror, perseverance, and loss. I absolutely loved how this story was framed - it gave it so much depth. The characters were so well developed - I even cared about the "background" characters. When the author brought something up - it always showed its importance in the story - no stone was left unturned, and everything felt very intentional. Vi Morandi has definitely just made my list of top favorite Star Wars characters - she's intelligent, sly, and compassionate as well as a great spy. The book ended exactly how I wanted it to, and I loved that everything paid off. I am not usually someone who cries at books, but this book tore me up! I think I ended up in tears three or four times - one time I just had to sit and stare at the wall, thinking of how incredible the story was. I would recommend this book to everyone - not just Star Wars fans - as you don't need to know a ton of lore to follow the story and characters. Overall, I enjoyed every single second of the book from the very first sentence to the very last, I thought the plot moved well, the characters were nuanced, and the writing was great. As I read, it felt like I was watching the story unfold before me in the same vain as Star Wars The Clone Wars story arcs in the vain of D-Squad or Mercy Mission episodes - the writing was so detailed and visceral, it was truly a pleasure to read. I just loved this book so much, and recommend it to everyone.

raiimundo97's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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