Daniel José Older

Pleasantly surprised. Didn't expect to like a Jedi detective story but Older does a great job

I really enjoyed this book. The way that it fleshed out the characters of Lando & Han, both in their younger and older days was fantastic. In particular, Han's conflicted feelings about parenthood will well-articulated. I struggled a touch with the jumping back and forth in time, but it resolved nicely in the end. Overall, the writing was crisp and engaging.

While there's nothing actively wrong with this middle-grade novel set in the Star Wars High Republic series, it is a rather bland experience. A lot of action and fighting, some attempt to make the young characters relatable, but everything is formulaic and uninspired. It's work for hire and it shows. There is little personality in the story, which looks like it has been designed by committee (it probably has).

Let's redefine "urban fantasy" to mean "fantasy novel brimming with uniquely urban communities, the immigrant experience, and people who struggle with urban violence, racism, gentification, homophobia, and police brutality." (Angsty white vampires need not apply.) Shadowshaper feels profoundly like New York, and the city verges on being its own character.