I tried. ( )

I loved this one so, so, so much. I love Rey. I loved Rose. I loved Finn. I loved Poe. Of course, being a middle-grade book, this story wasn't deeply complex, but it did feel more balanced character-wise than the adult release book from the same time. I just really, really loved it. Rose's heart. Rey's waffling. Poe's .... hair.

Including my live plurk below:


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ALL MY FAVORITE NEW BABIES MENTIONED IN THE FIRST PAGES.

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Oh, no. It's so cute so far. Rose has named all the Porgs. Poe really, really, really wants to fly the Falcon. Rey is still uncertain about the Force.

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Magical new race, that is very hospitable!

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I love that there is so much Rose in this (especially given the drastic loud rumblings of the internet since Rose got removed from so much of the merchandise).

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“How did you know it was Poe Dameron?”
“Who else has that hair?”

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I love their name, and I love Rose feeling the thing following her/them, and no one else doing it. Just her and BB-8.

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I love Rey continually trying to figure out 'this Force thing.'

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Totally listening to storm troopers scream as creatures carry them off today then for breakfast. I may collect them all in hardcover, but my first foray into each book may always be in audio, given they are all done radio play style. I like foe the sweeping music themes.

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SPY SPY SPY SPY

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All the narration and thoughts about fanning the spark of rebellion/resistance into a flame the whole galaxy could see and rally behind.

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I’m laughing.

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The junior officers know its Poe because he’s got that hair. Main evil guy of the book even thinks Poe is irritatingly good looking. ( )

Rey, Poe and Rose feel that they need to leave the resistance and answer a distress call from the planet Minfar. They will have to face stormtroopers, flying creature and even a Star Destroyer in order to help keep the Zixon safe.
Star Wars fans will love this suspenseful, action filled story. Ireland uses her talents as a fantasy/science fiction author in this story that takes place between The Last Jedi and the Rise of Skywalker. It is highly recommended for readers in grades 4-6. ( )

Justina Ireland’s Star Wars: Spark of the Resistance takes place between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, helping to build anticipation for the forthcoming film. The story focuses on Rey, Poe Dameron, Rose Tico, and BB-8 taking a detour from bringing supplies to the Resistance in order to undertake a relief mission to the planet Minfar, currently under attack from the First Order. Meanwhile, First Order Commander Branwayne Spiftz works with Professor Glenna Kip to search Minfar for a lost lab containing the Echo Horn, which “has the ability to use sound to control any group that hears its call” (pg. 60). Kip, however, is not what she seems. The plot, focusing on a world with non-humanoid life and a mysterious weapon, evokes the best of the 1990s Bantam-era Star Wars novels.

As the novel was intended for middle readers, Rey, Poe, and Rose only use the stun setting on their blasters against the First Order stormtroopers rather than the standard setting they typically use in the films. For such a short novel, however, Ireland details how Poe has learned from his mistakes in The Last Jedi (pg. 136) and how Rey continues to learn about the role of the Force in her life (pg. 140). Rose most of all seems to have grown and, if readers are wondering about Finn, Ireland makes it clear that he’s on another mission, perhaps to be disclosed in a future novel.

Much like previous books The Weapon of a Jedi, Smuggler’s Run, Moving Target, Before the Awakening, and Cobalt Squadron, this work contributes to the growing body of literature for middle readers in the new Star Wars canon that tells smaller-scale, character-driven stories with artwork by the amazing Phil Noto, thereby linking each even as different writers add their own authorial voices to the stories. Like those books, this will work well to whet the appetites of Star Wars fans anticipating a new film. ( )