This StarWars series is so great! The detail into Padmé’s life are so interesting! This book, like others in the series, is fast paced and full of the adventure you expect from StarWars. The narrator is amazing and as soon as the story begins, the reader is enveloped in the action taking place! I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this review copy of the audiobook for Star Wars: Queen's Hope. I have loved this entire series by E.K. Johnston about one of the most important female characters in Star Wars canon - Padme Amidala. Though not my favorite from the series, this books is an essential read for Star Wars fans. You'll love the insight it gives you to Padme and Anakin's early days as newlyweds and her continued efforts to lead a galaxy at war. This is a most excellent production with a narrator that captures Padme and Sabe's voices, with Star Wars sounds, and the music! Highly recommend.

Queen’s Hope by E.K. Johnston is the third and final novel in the Star Wars Padme Amidala trilogy. After two books following the heartwarming and attentive relationships between Padme and her fellow handmaidens, this book concludes the final years that Padme had with her loving friends. It is a bittersweet ending to the series that opened a new door for conversation and perspective on Padme Amidala’s character and the women who so strongly supported her in her life.

Adjacent to Padme, the character Sabe really shined in this book. She is the epitome of a supportive friend while also having agency over her own life and narrative. This book is at its core about sisterhood—something that is so essential to the Star Wars universe, yet so rarely represented well.

Queen's hope is a fun, emotional, and heartwarming (also slightly heartbreaking) read and is essential for Padme fans to read!

Not quite as good as Queen’s Shadow yet better than Queen’s Peril, Queen’s Hope rounds off a trilogy that feels very much like it wasn’t really ever planned to be a trilogy. It’s a fun book and, like its predecessors, gives some very welcome insights into the relationships that Padme shares with her handmaidens. But, also like its predecessors, I think it somewhat lacks focus. It often skips over to points of view that are interesting and provide wonderful context for the Star Wars canon as a whole but have little at all to do with the story at hand. I really liked these books, I just wish I had liked them more.

Star Wars: Queen’s Hope
Novel by E.K. Johnston
April 2022
Review by Henry Wood

The third book in E.K. Johnston’s Padmé trilogy, Queen’s Hope, is similar to the first two, in both good ways and bad. Also like the first two books, it is as much of a Sabé book, if not more so, as it is a Padmé book, as the trilogy is very much a chronicle of the two women’s relationship as they grow from children into adults. This is where the book truly shines, in its character work.

Johnston’s prose can be dense and dry, but she nails these characters and the dialogue between them. It’s what keeps the reader in the book. This is especially important because, like Johnston’s previous work in Star Wars, the narrative does not truly pick up until about halfway through the novel, when the narrative finally starts to come together.


The book starts right at the end of Attack of the Clones, right before Anakin and Padmé’s wedding. Johnston provides an extra few scenes between the end of the Battle of Geonosis and the wedding, where Anakin and Padmé have to undertake a rescue mission to save some artists from Naboo on a planet that is about to be invaded by Separatists. To be completely honest, I’m not entirely sure what value this scene provides to the narrative. It gives us a good background and does some galactic worldbuilding that gives us an angle on the galaxy we don’t see often. But other than that, it does not feel like it advances the narrative of the story.


While all of this is happening, Sabé and Tonra have returned to Tatooine to restart their mission of freeing the enslaved peoples of Tatooine. This time they go through a longer process to join a local organization that is dedicated to the same task. What they do not know is that the organization is headed by Beru Whitesun (A.K.A. Padmé’s sister in-law, A.K.A. Luke’s Aunt), who has learned from her experience with Shmi Skywalker. Sabé is dedicated to this mission, as any kind and caring person would be. However, while she is still getting settled and she and Tonra are still proving their trustworthiness to this organization, Padmé calls Sabé away.


Sabé is sad to leave, and does not want to, but she feels she is still attached to Padmé the way she was when Padmé was Queen Amidala, so she accepts. Padmé, in turn, wants to tell her friend about Anakin, but chickens out deciding the time is not yet right. Padmé has a mission that she needs to undertake, but her absence from the senate would be noticed, so she needs Sabé to be her double. Sabé would be helped by Senators Bail Organa and Mon Mothma. So Sabé is left on Coruscant to play the role of Amidala, not Padmé, while Padmé goes undercover to investigate a suspicious trading company.


Sabé’s plotline is much more interesting as she is immediately faced with the realization that Padmé is not the person she once knew, and is in for a rude awakening when Anakin, whom Padmé did not tell of her plot, shows up late at night to her residence. Sabé has always been in love with Padmé, but has long since realized it would never happen with the two of them. But discovering that Padmé has found someone, especially not hearing it from Padmé herself, hurts Sabé, and Anakin does not exactly help matters by threatening Sabé and demanding to know where Padmé is.


Sabé, disguised as Padmé, is briefed on the war by Jedi Master Depa Billaba and Padawan Barriss Offee. This scene actually gives a lot of depth to Barriss’ feelings on the Jedi and the war, and provides some much needed seeds for her fall to the Dark Side. Sabé even notes that Barriss seems to need some help, but that Depa Billaba seems to almost ignore it. It shows a lot for a scene that’s little more than a page or two, and showcases what Johnston is best at: character work.


Sabé also has multiple run-ins with Chancellor Palpatine, and while this may be a hot take, I think E.K. Johnston has some of the best canon writing from Darth Sidious’ perspective. We get so few chances to see things from his point of view, especially prequel era Darth Sidious and seeing how he manipulates people and how he views Count Dooku gives us a lot of insight into who he is. He is also forced to react to some unexpected obstacles to his plans.

The main unexpected obstacle is a character named Oje N’deeb, who is a mid level bureaucrat with the Trade Federation. He, unlike many of his fellows, views what the Trade Federation is doing as wrong, and has even gone out of his way to free enslaved peoples in the Outer Rim. He is the one behind the suspicious shipping company that Padmé has been tasked with investigating.



Padmé and Captain Typho have gone undercover to investigate this company by signing up as security guards for a ship called the Namrelllew, run by two wookiees, Naijoh and Rayyne, a husband and wife duo of captains. They are tasked with delivering supplies, including Karlini tea, a tea from the planet Karlinus, in Naboo’s sector, to the planet of Hebekrr Minor. Padmé and Typho deliver the goods to the Republic outpost, as the planet is under Separatist siege. They meet Clone Commander Sticks and his Jedi General Vidal. Padmé wants to see the war up close, so they volunteer to help rescue the Magistrate’s family from Separatist captivity. This brings back memories for Padmé of the Trade Federation’s occupation of Naboo. The book does a decent, but not great job of making this connection, and the emotion of it falls slightly flat.


On the way back to Coruscant, Padmé is proffered by N’deeb, who seeks to take Lott Dod’s seat in the senate. Padmé takes some time to think about it, but eventually accepts. Padmé has to decide whether she wants to work with a Neimoidian, the same species who illegally occupied her planet. The problem with this is that we don’t actually experience Padmé thinking this over for very long, and because of that it’s only ever said explicitly in the text and we never truly feel it. Padmé accepts the deal and relays it back to Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, while Palpatine is in the room, so Sidious learns of the plot. The book does not continue N’deeb’s, though it obviously fails because Lott Dod is still the Trade Federation Senator for the entirety of the Clone Wars, so there is definitely room for a potential fourth book exploring that.


Because of the lack of emotional depth to Padmé’s experiences in her plotline, it feels like it just sort of happens; we never really experience or feel it. However, the opposite is true for Sabé. It is very clear the love that Johnston feels for this character, and I don’t blame her.


Throughout the entire trilogy, Johnston does a very good job of hammering home the theme of Sabé being second best, and it comes to a head in this book when she has to face Anakin. And you feel the final rejection coming, you feel the sorrow and hurt that Sabé is experiencing. You understand why Sabé tells Padmé that she’s done helping her. She returns to Tatooine, to continue working with Tonra. Together, they join the White Suns. Similarly, there is room for another book that covers the White Suns.


The book claims to be about Padmé, but when push comes to shove, the best parts and the most impactful parts all center around Sabé. Sabé is the one who goes through an emotional journey and comes out at the other ending severing her ties with Padmé, even though she still feels an intense loyalty to her (see Darth Vader (2020) by Greg Pak and Rafaelle Ienco). It does not feel like Padmé goes through any type of emotional journey, it feels like she is already the person we see in the Clone Wars.


I want to be clear that while I criticize certain aspects of the book, I did really enjoy the book, and I think that if you liked either of the first two books in this series, you will greatly enjoy Queen’s Hope as well, and while if you did not enjoy those books, you probably won’t like this book much.



Additional Thoughts: Re: Sister

So, there is a scene in the book that introduces Sister, a trans Clone Trooper in the 212th Legion. I wanted to address it but could not find a place where it felt natural, so I’m putting it at the end. I also will not address whether it was done well or not (i.e. good representation) as there are others who are much more qualified than I to do so, but I do want to rationalize why it makes sense within the canon lore why it is possible that there is at least one trans Clone Trooper.


Clone Troopers are all different people, they all have different personalities, we see this throughout the Clone Wars. There is even a line in the season three episode “Clone Cadets” of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, where Lama Su says “you know there is no one way to make a clone.” What she is saying is that clones are all different, even biologically, it explains why Echo and Hevy are such different people even though they are both clones who have not seen real combat.


Additionally, we see Clones deviate from their ‘programming’ throughout Star Wars: The Clone Wars, such as Cut Laquane or Skip. Even Rex is somewhat successful in resisting the Order 66 programming. What I am trying to say is that Clones are very different people, and therefore it makes perfect sense that a trans Clone Trooper exists.


Sister is real. She is valid. She is Canon.

This book was fine, but the main problem with it is that it doesn't feel like it adds anything at all. I know these EU novels are working with a stacked deck, but you can still find ways to expand upon something in a meaningful way, and I don't think this book did, except with the stuff with Sabe. But the Padme, Anakin, and Palpatine stuff was all the most basic, run of the mill stuff you could imagine yourself took place in between films 2 and 3. I would read another book about Sabe, though.

Also this audiobook was absolutely terrible, the sound effects added nothing to the experience and were loud and mixed in with the audio the entire time, things like the swaying of the ship but *constantly*. It was a weird choice.

This was the perfect conclusion to the trilogy. E.K. Johnston did a fantastic job capturing the emotions of these beloved characters and providing a new perspective on the events that happened offscreen during the prequel trilogy. I wish that the prequel movies were as beautiful as this trilogy was. The narration was perfect, it felt like Padme and her handmaidens were talking to me and telling their tales in their own voice.

This look into Padme Amidala's life takes place after Queen's Peril and Queen's Shadow during the beginning of the Clone War and Padme's marriage to Anakin. Padme has fewer handmaid know that her job as senator has become more straight forward, but I loved that she did one last swap with Sabe, and I appreciated the look into Sabe and Sashe's lives at this time, and the foreshadowing for what Palpatine's plans for the future are.

I thought the narration and sound effects really added to the story.

A neat book that takes place near the end of Attack of the Clones/between Episodes 2 and 3. I enjoy getting to hear from not just Padme/Amidala's POV, but also her handmaidens who all have different wants. Also, there were a few pieces of Palpatine that helped set the scene for what happened later on.

This third in the Padme Amidala series concentrates on her life as a senator. We open the book right before her wedding when she has to go on a rescue mission. Most of her handmaids, hired to cover for her while she was queen have moved onto other jobs. One is a local representative on Naboo. Another is trying to free slaves on Tatooine. She has to take on another mission, where she has to be in two places at once. The story follows many of these women as they continue on with work they are drawn to from when they worked for the Queen. I enjoyed getting to hear their voices and concerns with the universe they live in. The narrator, Catherine Tabor is great, giving enough of a change in her voice to get the different voices. I liked the sound effects, but they can get distracting at times. It was a great listen with a great story.

Excellent Conclusion to this Trilogy!

Queen’s Hope is the conclusion to the trilogy around Padme Amadala. This book centers around the Clone Wars era and is a perfect supplement to other Star Wars cannon. It richly builds on relationships previously established in the trilogy.

The complex relationship between Padme and her handmaidens is really explored and the struggle that some have with identity vs. duty is very well done. I wish there would have been more scenes with Padme and Anakin, given they just got married in the beginning of the book. But they spend most of the book separately pulled away by their own missions and duties, unfortunately. Along these lines, this book did feel a bit choppy and jumped between various characters a lot, which made it lack cohesion without a main focus on Padme in my opinion.

The pacing was fast-paced and the atmosphere was absolutely incredible! It is obvious that E.K . Johnston loves and understands the Star Wars universe and I don’t think that these books could have been written better by anyone else. I hope there is more Star Wars from her in the future.

Star Wars audiobooks are the best produced audiobooks! I love the time and effort put into these books that make them so immersive with the sound effects and voice acting. You feel like you are right in the story!

Thank you to Disney Audiobooks and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The third and final book in E.K Johnston's Queen trilogy is, after quite a sizable delay, finally here and fans of the first two books will not be disappointed. Set mostly just after the events of Attack of the Clones this book tells the story of Padmè, a now more settled and established galactic senator, as she comes to terms with being a pacifist in the face of a burgeoning war and her secret marriage to Anakin Skywalker. Meanwhile former handmaiden Sabè is back on Tatooine, clandestinely trying to undermine the oppressive slave trade by integrating herself in the local community and building trust with the anti-slavery factions.

In the acknowledgements for Queen's Shadow Johnston conveys her excitement that this story is finally being told and that she is the one to write it. The story I feel she is referring to isn't a story of Sith Lords and Jedi Knights nor one of bounty hunters and crime lords. It's the see story of who Padmè is and how she went from being the girl queen that unseated a Galactic Chancellor to the senator that acts as one of the few beacons of hope during a time of war. It's all about character and Queen's Hope is the well earned culmination of the previous two books stellar character development. Padmè always deserved better than what she got from the movies. Her character was thin at best, a caricature of a love interest in Anakin's story. Her characterisation was inconsistent - a fierce protector of life marries a man shortly after he massacres an entire village of mostly innocents - and while The Clone Wars tried to broaden her character and fill in the gaps these books truly suceed in making Padmè a real and compelling character.

Queen's Hope is ultimately about growing up and accepting that change is a part of life. Sabè's role in this story is to highlight exactly that. For over ten years she has been Padmè's hands and her role as liberator, originally given to her by her queen years before, has made her value direct action and filled her life with so much direct light (two sun's worth in fact!) that she's finding it increasingly difficult to be someone else's shadow. The liberator has become the liberated. This is the central throughline of the narrative and it builds to a satisying and heartbreaking emotional climax that couldn't have been achieved without the previous two books. As a trilogy it works. As a standalone book it acts as its biggest negative. As stated previously the character work is excellent but the actual driving plot is incredibly weak. Whereas Peril took pleasure in the story of young girls building something strong and meaningful, whilst ultimately still being young teenage girls and everything that comes with that, and Shadow gave an insight into Padmè's transition to Senator and the murky world of Coruscanti politics, the narrative here serves merely to put people where they need to be for the character beats to hit. It's a criticism that was unfairly levelled at Johnston's "Ahsoka" but I'd argue that book was underrated in it's depiction of Imperial domestic oppression. Here unfortunately it's true and there's a section of this book, where Padmè and Typho go undercover on a ship captained by Wookies, that really slowed things down and detracted from the point of the story. Luckily the parallel Sabè story at that point was one of the strongest parts of the book or I would have struggled to make it through.

Anakin is used sparingly and effectively. Johnston has wonderfully captured his voice and the scenes between the two newly weds feel like an epilogue to Attack of the Clones in the best way. The Anakin we have here is definitely that of the movies and not the Anakin of The Clone Wars. You can picture Hayden Christensen and hear his particular drawl. Prequel fans and Anakin and Padmè shippers will be in absolute heaven with this book.

Negatives aside it's nice to spend time with these characters and and the book works best when it feels like a slice of life. A look behind the curtain on these galaxy shaping characters inbetween the tentpole events that define them.

I am an avid audiobook listener and the Star Wars audiobooks have always been my favorite to listen to. The addition of the sound effects and iconic music really adds in that extra level to keep the listener engaged and immersed into the universe of the story. The Queen's novels in particular have been some of my favorite to listen to as they are narrated by the brilliant Catherine Taber, an excellent extra that will make any Clone Wars fan very happy. I will include my full book review below:

If you are looking for a novel that adds the long overdue depth and nuance to a beloved character, a novel with incredible queer representation, or a novel that highlights the importance of female friendships then you will find everything you need Star Wars: Queen's Hope. This book does not disappoint on any account whether you are new to reading Star Wars novels or have been reading them for years.

Queen's Hope is the third installment of the "Queen's" series which focuses on the character of Padmé Amidala and her handmaidens. Although the Star Wars Prequel trilogy is nearly twenty years old, Padmé is a character that continues to have a growing fanbase, particularly among the young women of the Star Wars fandom. With the incredible amount of depth this series of novels gives for this character, E.K. Johnston and these novels should absolutely be given credit.

Queen's Hope is a fairly easy read with a modest length that may be a draw for some readers that prefer shorter stories. This book can absolutely be enjoyed by people of all ages, but the LGBTQ+ community will feel an extra sense of validation that was so refreshing to read. Padmé's relationship with her handmaidens has always been a main focus of these books and Johnston is able to portray how female friendships can change over time in a way that was very relatable. Queen's Hope is also not lacking in the romance department, Johnston writes a healthy balance between all of Padmé's relationships throughout its pages.

You can tell the true passion that E.K. Johnston has for Padmé as a character and Queen's Hope really makes her shine and gives her a voice that was often neglected throughout the trilogy of films. I highly recommend this book and will be gladly re-reading more than once!

Queen's Hope is a YA-Star Wars Canon novel mainly following Senator Padme Amidala. To put it in timeline perspective, this novel falls concurrently with some of the events of Attack of the Clones and directly thereafter. This is also a time of upheaval in the galaxy as the Clone Wars are raging.

Padme and Anakin have decided to take their relationship to the next level, even though they have to keep it 100% secret. They are a committed to one another, completely in love and want to make that commitment binding. There's no doubt there will be some challenges, but they really want to give it a try as husband and wife, so they do.

The honeymoon period is but the blink of an eye, however, as Anakin, a Jedi Knight, is called forth to actively fight in the Clone Wars. Padme's involvement in the Wars is more subtle, but no less important. In fact, as Padme is prone to do, she ends up getting herself way more involved in the political investigations than the average government official would; as in willingly puts herself in harms way.

During the time Padme is off on a secret mission, one of her most loyal and best handmaidens, Sabe, takes over the role of Senator Amidala. Sabe makes her own discoveries during her time posing as Amidala. The halls of leadership aren't as copacetic as they would lead you to believe.

And of course, looming quietly on the fringes of this narrative is Chancellor Palpatine, like a dark cloud hovering over a picnic.

I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. In a way, it felt like I was adding some behind-the-scenes substance to the content I have previously read and watched. That's always what I am looking for with Star Wars novels and why I continue to pick them up. I love the feel of continuously building-out this world that has been a part of my life for practically my whole life.

Before I started really getting into Star Wars novels, it was just a fun, nostalgic movie and t.v. franchise that I enjoyed. Having the boosted content of the novels has elevated my fan status to a whole new level.

If you enjoy Star Wars films, or any of the t.v. shows, or comics, I highly recommend checking out some of the Canon novels. In my opinion, you can really start anywhere, pick a timeline era you find interesting and just dive in! I personally have been absolutely loving all of the content that has been released over the past few years. There's a great list of contributing authors and the stories are so well done!

Padme is a fascinating character to me, so I have loved having this trilogy from E.K. Johnston. It has really enhanced my understanding of her, particularly being able to see and understand her relationships with her handmaidens in a different light.

I was slightly disappointed that we didn't get to see more of Padme and Anakin's relationship in this one, but I do understand they really didn't have much of one at this time, due to them both being pulled in different directions during the Clone Wars. So, it does make sense, but I still would have liked to have gotten a little more of them together.

Overall, I think this is a great book. The audiobook is freaking fantastic, with the sound effects included really adding to the intensity. You can't go wrong with Star Wars audibooks!! 10/10 recommend that format.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Disney LucasFilms Press and Disney Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I had a blast with this one and look forward to more Canon content in the future!!

Ultimately my feelings on this series has been that of disappointment. There was so much potential here, especially with married Padme, but it all jest fell flat. I couldn't tell you a single thing that happens in Queen's Hope that is actually important to Padme's story, and I found myself wishing that the main focus could have been Sabe and the other handmaidens.

The other is also trying very hard for "woke points" which jest felt lackluster and hollow. I do hope we get more Padme content in the future, but I truly hope it is from a different author.

A lovely continuation of the story of Padme Amidala. he story remains interesting and well-paced throughout and fills in the emotional toll being placed on Padme and her handmaidens as we begin the Clone Wars.

The author does a great job of keeping the story moving quickly, but has well placed, well thought out interludes, that go a long way to create more lore and change the readers perspective of other established stories.

I'd recommend this book to anyone looing for a thoughtful, easy to read sci-fi, adventure, romance. The need to have read the lead-up stories isn't necessary, so this makes for a good jumping off point, or a continuation.

Star Wars : Queen’s Hope was written by bestselling author E.K. Johnston. This YA novel is published by Disney-Lucasfilm Press. Queen’s Hope is the final Padme book, in the YA series.

SUMMARY: Padme and Anakin are in love. They want to live a life of secrecy and risk by fulfilling their personal desires by committing themselves to each other in marriage. This is forbidden in the Jedi Order, but it’s a risk Anakin is willing to take. When they return to Coruscant the first true test of how they will maintain their relationship begins. Anakin is shipped out to fight in the Clone Wars and Padme goes on a secret mission behind Separatist lines.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: The Padme trilogy, is one the most bizarre trilogies we’ve had. One book was a retelling of The Phantom Menace through a different perspective. One book jumps back in time as Padme adjusts to being Queen, and finally we close out the trilogy with the start of the Clone Wars.

Padme is tired of serving others before herself. She does like being a servant of the people, but she also wants to fulfill her own desires. When facing death on Geonosis, she realized the love of Anakin Skywalker, is just what she needs. Padme touts that she handles aggressive negotiations. In this story, she has no fear, but she risks exposing so much, with her decision to go on a secret mission.

There is something that felt off with this story, and that would be the timeframe. Little things don’t balance well with timeline of the relationship status between Anakin and Padme. This book suggests they had a lot more time together than what we witnessed in Attack of the Clones. They knew so much about each other and how each other would react to specific things.

I’ve always felt that Padme’s character is mistreated. I don’t believe an author has truly been able to tap into the character and give her an appropriate story that feels realistic or isn’t full of cringey fluff. I really don’t think anyone knows how to write the character of Padme. She’s a senator, not a secret agent… or is she? She is treated like an errand-girl, doing work that she shouldn’t be doing.

RATING: This book receives a D+

Catherine Taber is a fantastic narrator, and she does an amazing job with this series. Even if the reader has read the physical copies of each book, they should listen to the audiobooks. Who better to voice Padme than the one who voices Padme in "The Clone Wars" cartoon series?

NetGalley ARC Review for the book:

Those who have read the first two books in this series know what to expect. The Padme books are the space between the movies and cartoon series. They develop Padme's character and provide much needed background and depth where George Lucas failed her. "Queen's Hope" is no different from its predecessors. It has intrigue, strength, friendship, loneliness, joy, development, and a love of all things "wardrobe." Any reader who has read "Queen's Peril" and "Queen's Shadow" will not be disappointed, and they will love the story EK Johnston weaves and hope for a future post-"Revenge of the Sith" book about Sabe and the handmaidens.

Another great contribution to Star Wars canon, E.K Johnston's Queen's Hope is a great finale to the Padme Amidala trilogy. Picking up after the Battle of Geonosis, Senator Padme is playing the game of politics in an effort to bring peace to the galaxy. Her once close handmaidens are beginning to have lives of their own, and Padme is living with the secret of her marriage to Anakin Skywalker. The entire time period in Star Wars canon is action packed and can be chaotic. There are multiple battles between the Republic and the Separatists, many Jedi Knight's commanding clone armies, and a number of characters where you don't know who's side they are on. One aspect I found particularly interesting in this book is our friend Sheev Palpatines machinations behind the scenes.

Listening to Star Wars books on audio is my favourite way to enjoy the growing canon, and as I was sent an advanced copy of the audiobook from DisneyLucasfilm Press this was the perfect opportunity. Narrator Catherine Taber does an excellent job capturing the highs and lows that Padme experiences as well as the supporting characters. Some people complain about sound effects in audiobooks, but as in all the Star Wars audiobooks it is just enough to add to the action. It creates a sense of urgency in a battle and a feeling of calm at the end of an emotion driven chapter. I definitely recommend listening to this book. I just might go back and listen to them all again.

A solid reading of an excellent entry into the Star Wars canon. Senator Amidala and her various handmaidens and assistants engages in a variety of adventures, while her secret marriage to Anakin Skywalker is both celebrated by the few 'in the know' and carefully hidden away from all others. This leads to complications with some of her nearest friends when by accident the truth leaks out - leading to a life changing decision by one of her chief friend and handmaidens. Chilling insights into the evil mind of Palpatine, and how he continues to weave his master web, casting a true shadow over Padme and Anakin's happiness now - and for all readers who know and fear the final catastrophic chapter in this love story.