I mainly read this because it was written by Martha Wells, and I liked some of her other books. Also, although I'm not a follower of the Star Wars sagas, I do have a soft spot for the original series, especially Harrison Ford as Han Solo. I worked at Dolby Labs for about 10 years during this time, and I've seen the original movies many times, and knew all the people who worked on the sound equipment.

So, this book was fun, but not really that good, in my opinion. The plot was pretty weak, but the characters made up for it somewhat. Still, I was beginning to get eager to finish during the last half, and considered just stopping. But I skimmed instead. ( )

Not bad. Nice quick Star Wars adventure...reader was just fine. Being a huge Murderbot fan I was hoping for more from Ms. Wells, but it was at best nothing to write home about. ( )

This 2013 Star Wars novel about Leia is set after A New Hope.

I really liked the characterisation of Leia and her interactions with Han, but the action sequences didn’t always hold my attention. I don’t know if that reflects what I find interesting to read or just what Wells finds interesting to write. The most engaging action scenes were those in the asteroid-mine-facility-turned-space-pirate-base, which seemed the most like something from Wells’ own science-fiction. ( )

I'm really enjoying being in the Star Wars universe right now. When the books are good, it's a lot of fun, and I particularly like Leia in this book (and the relationship with Han.) I only wish there were more. ( )

It's been years since I read a Star Wars Expanded Universe novel, but I pre-ordered this one because of the image of Princess Leia dominating the cover. I've been underwhelmed by the handling of her character in the books I've read, but this one did well in balancing her aspects of symbol, trained diplomat, warrior, and young woman becoming attracted to someone and not entirely comfortable with it.

The story itself was a good idea: Princess Leia goes to secret meeting but gets sidetracked by an encounter with an Alderaanian gunship-turned-pirate -- and then with the leader of a pirate stronghold. The idea of using a mined-out asteroid as a pirate den was a good one, but I felt the author spent too much of the book describing the different groups of heroes finding their way through dark tunnels. On the plus side, there was a win-or-die 'game' involving other prisoners and a mad droid in which Leia managed to win the game, win an ally, and destroy a robot. I would have liked more action like that and fewer pages of tunnels.

The characterization of Han was very good: loyal to Leia, a bit off-balance due to his own feelings, and switching back and forth between smart-mouthing and keeping his mouth shut as the occasion seemed to demand.

In the end, it was a nice visit to the Star Wars universe with my favorite characters, but nothing exceptional. ( )