What a fantastic read. Mike Chen absolutely nails the tone of the prequels, and writes the characters excellently in this story. This novel provides a nice addition of depth to Anakin and Obi-Wan, and we finally understand the story behind the infamous Cato Neimoidia incident mentioned in Revenge of The Sith. The plot was both simple, yet very intricate and captivating.

Ventress

was also written excellently.

Additionally, all of the references that Chen makes in this novel are awesome. It was just a fun and relaxing read, while also maintaining the quality of an excellent Star Wars book. One of the best in the canon so far!

Small edit: Upon digesting this novel for a few months, I have to say that the plot doesn't stick the landing as much as I initially thought it did. It's still good, but it's rather underwhelming in some aspects. However, that doesn't detract from great characterization and some awesome action sequences. I'm a character focused reader first, and this book definitely gave me some strong character work.

Edit 9/2/24: 3.5 stars