Review: Before the Awakening (Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens) by Greg Rucka

Finn’s story: This story, while well-written in the technical sense, was by far the weakest of this trio. If not for my husband encouraging me onward, I might have put the entire book down. I understand that the book was released before the film, and that the authors don’t necessarily get all the information they’d like before writing, but Finn’s character presented here didn’t quite match up to watch we see in the film. If the story had been about any other stormtrooper, it would have been wonderful.

Rey’s story: On the other hand, this next section of the book blew me out of the water. The ending was like a punch to the gut. I could keep using overwrought metaphors, but it was just THAT GOOD. 

This story included all of the information about Rey’s life on Jakku that I could have ever wanted, and more. It provides necessary background detail for her technical and piloting knowledge, and truly makes us sympathize for how her life has crafted her into the woman she becomes. If you read nothing else in this book, read this story.

Poe’s story: Ironically, reading this facet of Poe’s life after seeing The Last Jedi probably made me appreciate both the story and the film more. After all, Poe is a hero in The Force Awakens, but he’s not much of a fleshed-out character, which makes his hijinks in the next film all the more irritating. This look into both his history and the history of the Rebellion itself was a great look into the bigger picture of the galaxy outside of the tiny, limited slices that Finn and Rey know about. This story was an adventure full of fun space battles and heart-stopping heist escapades.

Honestly? Don’t bother with Finn’s story. Just skip to the good stuff on page on 59.

Rating: 4 (out of 5) stars. Cross-posted to Amazon and Goodreads.