4.75★

"Obi-Wan looked directly at the gulf of terror inside himself and let it wash over him as he settled on what his fears meant, at their core:
Obi-Wan cared."

Padawan is a beautiful story about growing up, facing your fears and choosing the light. It's Star Wars at it's core.

A perfect companion to Claudia Gray's Master and Apprentice, we see an insecure and green Obi-Wan. His fears of not being good enough, not being able to help people, to never reach his potential as a Jedi, are debilitating to him, and is so great to have another part of the picture on how this absolute need to do the right thing impacts his character.

My minor nitpick with the book (and the reason it isn't a full 5★) is that I feel it could've taken it's time to wrap things up a bit more. I understand his relationship with Qui-Gon couldn't be fixed in this book, and the ending wasn't unsatisfactory per se; but after so many pages exploring Obi-Wan's connections with other beings, the ending felt a little underwhelming.

This is absolutely a feel-good book. And it achieves this vibe while portraying anxiety and pain and fear so well, but balancing it out with friendship, a surprising amount of lighthearted humor, and the unwavering moral compass of Obi-Wan Kenobi. ( )

I think what I’ve enjoyed most about Kiersten White’s STAR WARS: PADAWAN is getting to see a younger, far less confident Obi-Wan Kenobi than what we’re used to seeing. Instead of the self-assured, surefooted character we see in the films, here he is insecure and full of doubt about his place with the Jedi. This portrayal actually works very well when you mirror it against the recent @disneyplus OBI-WAN KENOBI series, where we again see Obi-Wan doubting his place in the galaxy and his connection with the Force, but finding his way back to believing in himself again.

There are nods to the High Republic books, which I appreciated. I know people have had their issues with the way Disney has dealt with the old Expanded Universe books, but for me, I like this tighter continuity in the publishing branch of the Star Wars universe.

I definitely think that this is a solid read if you are a hardcore SW fan and reader, and this would work for even the casual SW fan.

Gary Furlong’s narration of the audiobook is great. His narration is easy to understand and clear & precise.

Plus, check out that cover by Charlie Bowater. I love how Obi-Wan is portrayed here.

A huge thanks to @disneybooks and @netgalley for providing an early audio download of #StarWarsPadawan in exchange for a fair and honest review.

QOTD: Who is your favorite Star Wars character?

AOTD: I honestly don’t know that I can choose just one, but Vader and Leia are definitely at the top of the list.

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