Next up is Champions of the Force by Kevin J. Anderson; the last book of the Jedi Academy trilogy. So excited to see where the plot goes in this one, and hoping for some more juicy lore goodness.

Now I'm reading Shadow Academy by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta. It's a Young Jedi Knights book that follows the Solo twins, Jacen and Jaina, and the other students studying under Luke with them. Including a wookiee and a descendant of the witches of Dathomir!

EDIT (10/10): Shadow Academy was a quicker read than expected, but still good! Going to have to see about tracking down some of the other Young Jedi Knights books at the library. On a mostly unrelated note, really can't believe Disney just waved the "not canon" wand over all of these books, Luke was a certified BAMF in them, and there were so many amazing characters just right there, ready to have their stories told. But no, I'll never get to see anything about Tenel Ka or Kirana Ti or any of the other, frankly, badass Dathomiri warrior women. Sigh...

My next book is This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron. The library had the sequel on display on the shelves, and it intrigued me, so I went off in search of the first book, and was quite excited to find it! I don't know much about it other than it's some sort of fantasy novel following a person of color with mysterious powers that give her some control over plants. But it looks REALLY interesting, so I'm hoping it will be a good time!

Liked it so much I immediately went out to the library to track down the sequel, This Wicked Fate, which is my current read. I'm barely a chapter in and I'm already hooked.

EDIT (10/20): This Wicked Fate was also a winner. It goes straight to my favorite books list, it was honestly hard to put down. An incredibly emotional story with lots of action and love. The ending left the possility of future installments open, so I hope I get to see more of this series!

Next read is Children of the Jedi by Barbara Hambly. This actually takes place just after Champions of the Force and before the Young Jedi Knights books, but tracking down these books at the library in the right order is nearly impossible. (Even just figuring out the chronological order of these books is challenging, so I've mostly made my peace with reading the separate arcs in random order.)

Now I'm reading Darksaber by Kevin J. Anderson. I'm about halfway through it, and it's honestly PACKED with action and information. Admiral Daala is back, though! She's... a really good antagonist, honestly. I love a good strong and intelligent feminine character, even if she's on the 'wrong' side of the fight.

The Crystal Star by Vonda N. McIntyre is up next! It's also next in the timeline, huzzah for finding the books in order for once.

EDIT (11/6): The Crystal Star was a fast read, hard to put down. I really wanted to throttle the antagonists at several points, but they were well written characters. Some of the side characters were quite fun, too.

Now I'm reading Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn. While not necessarily first in the timeline (since eventually they went back and put out some books that occur during the prequels' timeline), this was the first Star Wars book that continued (former) canon plot to be published. My beau keeps suggesting I track down books involving Thrawn, and in Legends lore, this book was where we first saw his story, so I finally decided to take the leap and bring it home (even though I REALLY dislike Thrawn in the Rebels animated series). Zahn is a fantastic writer, so even though Thrawn is pretty high on my "characters I despise" list, this should still be a good read. (And who knows, maybe book Thrawn will evince less irrational rage from me.) On an unrelated note, there is an advertisement in the back of this book that thoroughly amuses me; an advert for the NES The Empire Strikes Back game. The font choices, the actual ad copy, the art, the 1-800 number to call to order it; my beau and I spent several minutes laughing ourselves breathless after I showed it to him.

Next is Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising, also by Timothy Zahn. This is my first foray into the new Star Wars books that are considered part of current canon lore. This one is about Thrawn's origins in the Unknown Regions. And yes, I know, I JUST said I despise Thrawn, and here I am with another book about him. My intense dislike won't stop me from learning about him. Or maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment...

Now I'm reading Blacksad, a comic written by Juan Díaz Canales and illustrated by Juanjo Guarnido. I am totally in love with it. The plot, the characters, the scenery, all of it is astounding.