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frozenjedi's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
3.5
Convergence, while a decent book with characters I grew attached to, was still just alright.
Part 1 had me really engaged and I was invested in Xiri and Phan-tu's relationship plus the predicament of E'ronoh and Eiram. The plot looked a little predictable then, but at least I liked where it was going. But that waned in part 2.
There were certain plot points that while it wasn't complicated in simplicity, the way they were explained/acted out felt unnecessarily convoluted. And the overall plot felt too drawn out, which made part 2 of the book sluggish.
Not to mention, there were some great action moments. But with the way the author wrote them, the scenes usually ended with me confused on the outcome of everything. There wasn't any clarity in the action scenes. It felt like I skimmed over it even though I would reread it to understand what the heck just happened.
By the final act's main battle, I kind of gave up getting an actual clear picture of what was going on. That's a bit annoying considering this is a Star Wars novel.
But on the upside, I did enjoy the characters a lot. It was cool seeing how they grew to be a tight knit group, but their actual storylines were best in duos: Phan-tu and Xiri, Gella and Axel.
Though, the subtle romance between Axel and Gella felt too subtle. By the end you could definitely see there were feelings from both sides (which made the outcome of everything Axel did hurt) but majority of the book it seemed one sided. But idk, maybe that was just me.
Anyway, considering I've been reading this off and on for months, I have a lot of mixed feelings and thoughts about Convergence.
But I'm wayyy too invested in Gella and Axel's story at this point, so I guess I'm going to read the next book.
Part 1 had me really engaged and I was invested in Xiri and Phan-tu's relationship plus the predicament of E'ronoh and Eiram. The plot looked a little predictable then, but at least I liked where it was going. But that waned in part 2.
There were certain plot points that while it wasn't complicated in simplicity, the way they were explained/acted out felt unnecessarily convoluted. And the overall plot felt too drawn out, which made part 2 of the book sluggish.
Not to mention, there were some great action moments. But with the way the author wrote them, the scenes usually ended with me confused on the outcome of everything. There wasn't any clarity in the action scenes. It felt like I skimmed over it even though I would reread it to understand what the heck just happened.
By the final act's main battle, I kind of gave up getting an actual clear picture of what was going on. That's a bit annoying considering this is a Star Wars novel.
But on the upside, I did enjoy the characters a lot. It was cool seeing how they grew to be a tight knit group, but their actual storylines were best in duos: Phan-tu and Xiri, Gella and Axel.
Though, the subtle romance between Axel and Gella felt too subtle. By the end you could definitely see there were feelings from both sides (which made the outcome of everything Axel did hurt) but majority of the book it seemed one sided. But idk, maybe that was just me.
Anyway, considering I've been reading this off and on for months, I have a lot of mixed feelings and thoughts about Convergence.
But I'm wayyy too invested in Gella and Axel's story at this point, so I guess I'm going to read the next book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent, Murder, Violence, and War
whocop's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, War, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
abigail_reads06's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, War, Murder, and Gun violence
Moderate: Religious bigotry
karoureads's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I admit that the first chapters were slow for me and didn’t catch my attention but the rest? WOW. I loved it. Yes, it can be a little predictable at some points, but I still find it a very good book. And I loved all the main characters. I must get a physical copy !!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Death
coruscant's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
From the offset I found a lot of choices the luminous team and Córdova have made with this book to be intriguing. A major criticism for Phase I was that the casts in the adult books were too big and this book reads as if written as a direct response to this. The cast is rather contained and the POVs even moreso in comparison. I wasn't a massive critic of Phase I for this reason but I do think the book benefitted from it.
Perhaps the biggest winner in the cutback cast was the world building. E'ronoh and Eiram both felt lush and vast and identifiable in my mind. The two worlds exist in such stark opposition yet had a great number of similarities. The two heirs, Xiri and Phan-Tu, made for a brilliant pair and were both fully fleshed and well written. Córdova certainly knows how to write a romance that is both subtle and punchy as needed.
Axel Greylark was perhaps the most compelling of the cast with his complex motivations and beliefs in question from the offset.In fact, the dynamic between the four as a group as well as his conflicted feels for Gella made his betrayal all the more hurtful. I love Gella and I love an unsure and compassionate Jedi in any Star Wars but I was disappointed by the lack of characterisation she was given outside of her journey within the Order and as a foil for Axel. I'm hopeful with the choices made at the close of the novel that she will be afforded this in the future.
This book relied pretty heavily on the reader having picked up Path of Deceit which is not unusual for anything High Republic. Much of Star Wars generally is about the unlearned mistakes of the past and as the cards are dealt for Phase II, I am questioning the decision to make the second phase a prequel to the first less and less. The Path of the Open hand operates quietly in this book and it begs the question will the Jedi respond to this threat before it is too late?
There many things we know from Phase I that suggest Phase II cannot end with specific scenarios. I thought this would be limiting in a storytelling sense however after the first book ends I find myself no more certain of the direction the next books will take. Many may see this as a negative outcome but I am intrigued by the ability to keep the wider narrative a mystery when so many known factors are in play.
In a High Republic sense I am enjoying the genre-travelling of this era. Part political-thriller, part romance was not a combination I expected to work so well. My biggest takeaway from this book is that I simply cannot wait to make it to Jedha (but knowing the High Republic's penchant for grief and misery... maybe I can?)
Perhaps the biggest winner in the cutback cast was the world building. E'ronoh and Eiram both felt lush and vast and identifiable in my mind. The two worlds exist in such stark opposition yet had a great number of similarities. The two heirs, Xiri and Phan-Tu, made for a brilliant pair and were both fully fleshed and well written. Córdova certainly knows how to write a romance that is both subtle and punchy as needed.
Axel Greylark was perhaps the most compelling of the cast with his complex motivations and beliefs in question from the offset.
This book relied pretty heavily on the reader having picked up Path of Deceit which is not unusual for anything High Republic. Much of Star Wars generally is about the unlearned mistakes of the past and as the cards are dealt for Phase II, I am questioning the decision to make the second phase a prequel to the first less and less. The Path of the Open hand operates quietly in this book and it begs the question will the Jedi respond to this threat before it is too late?
There many things we know from Phase I that suggest Phase II cannot end with specific scenarios. I thought this would be limiting in a storytelling sense however after the first book ends I find myself no more certain of the direction the next books will take. Many may see this as a negative outcome but I am intrigued by the ability to keep the wider narrative a mystery when so many known factors are in play.
In a High Republic sense I am enjoying the genre-travelling of this era. Part political-thriller, part romance was not a combination I expected to work so well. My biggest takeaway from this book is that I simply cannot wait to make it to Jedha (but knowing the High Republic's penchant for grief and misery... maybe I can?)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, War, and Grief
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Drug use
billyjepma's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
There's a lot of fun stuff here, especially with the charming cast of characters, who are all very easy to spend time with. But for one reason or another, I just wasn't that invested in the story. If this is the formal beginning of Phase 2 for The High Republic, then it's not a very interesting one, at least when compared to the first. That may be an error of expectation on my part, admittedly. Still, the plot felt too slight and too often relied on story tropes I struggled to connect with, even if the execution of them was above average.
I don't know how to say this without sounding disparaging, which I don't intend to be, but the story feels like something you'd find in fan fiction. That's not usually something I mind, as those tropes are popular for good reasons, but they didn't click for me in this context. Despite my misgivings about the story around them, I'm still invested enough in the cast of fresh-faced heroes to want to see where they go next.
If this were a standalone series, I would be more forgiving, probably, but I'm also not sure how compelled to continue I'd be. As part of an ongoing storyline I'm already significantly invested in, it's disappointing. It makes me question more than ever whether the choice to have Phase 2 of The High Republic as a "prequel" series was the best, especially since this first outing has yet to establish a solid direction for the rest of the stories moving forward. I'm obviously in for the whole shebang, so I'm ready and willing to be proven wrong, but the momentum and investment I had in Phase 1 of THR have yet to translate over so far.
I don't know how to say this without sounding disparaging, which I don't intend to be, but the story feels like something you'd find in fan fiction. That's not usually something I mind, as those tropes are popular for good reasons, but they didn't click for me in this context. Despite my misgivings about the story around them, I'm still invested enough in the cast of fresh-faced heroes to want to see where they go next.
If this were a standalone series, I would be more forgiving, probably, but I'm also not sure how compelled to continue I'd be. As part of an ongoing storyline I'm already significantly invested in, it's disappointing. It makes me question more than ever whether the choice to have Phase 2 of The High Republic as a "prequel" series was the best, especially since this first outing has yet to establish a solid direction for the rest of the stories moving forward. I'm obviously in for the whole shebang, so I'm ready and willing to be proven wrong, but the momentum and investment I had in Phase 1 of THR have yet to translate over so far.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, War, and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Death of parent
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