The blockade of Naboo by the Trade Federation, an unusual move by players who shouldn't be so bold, triggers the arrival of two Jedi Knights. They rescue the queen of Naboo and must get her to the safety of Coruscant. But there's a snag. Her ship's hyperdrive needs replacing. And now the fate of the galaxy hinges on a small boy, whose potential will soon be seen by all... including the Sith.

The adaptation of a screenplay into a novel is a regular occurrence. Sometimes the resulting product is average. Sometimes it's awful. But sometimes you get a pretty solid effort, like this one. Not only did Terry Brooks smooth out several issues present in the story, he also created entirely new scenes that fit perfectly into canon. Unfortunately, his efforts also emphasised the story's greatest weakness: the forced comic relief provided by Jar Jar Binks. I don't hate Jar Jar. But wow. Even Brooks had trouble making that aspect work.

PS: Yes, a certain teen fangirl put in the extra effort to find a hardcover copy with her beloved Obi-Wan Kenobi on the front. Well done, me.

Hyacinth Somerset has always been the most delicate Somerset Sister, so it's not surprising that she loses her senses when a murderer arrives at a ball populated by polite society. Lachlan Ramsey is no murderer: he's the long lost brother of the Lord of Huntington. But now his reputation is in a precarious position - and soon his heart will follow. For Hyacinth is not as demure as she seems.

Alas, this one was not as fun nor as good as the previous two titles in the series. Hyacinth got on my nerves and I'm not sure she had enough character development to justify her bold decisions towards the end. It's still a pleasant enough read, but it's distracting when more interesting characters are floating about in the background, awaiting their moment to shine in another series.

Lorn Pavan was just trying to get by and make a quick buck, but now he and his droid partner are being hunted down by a Sith. Darsha Assant was just trying to complete her Jedi trials and become a knight...but now she's also been thrown into the path of the aforementioned Sith. Darth Maul was just trying to completely his mission. Murder and mayhem will naturally ensue.

Um. What was the point of this book, exactly? I wanted to like it. I really did. A fun zany plot, likeable characters, cameos from movie faves - great! But here's the thing. It's impossible to ignore the fact that anyone who sees Darth Maul is going to die, because his existence can't become common knowledge yet. So... nothing that happens inside these pages matters. At all. I'm somewhat annoyed.

Included in this edition are two stories by James Luceno. Saboteur is not very long and somewhat average, but it shows how effective Maul can be as a shadowy manipulator. As for the shorter Restraint, I was surprised at how good it was, considering that its sole purpose was to smooth over some discrepancies raised by the Clone Wars show.

Hugh Standish is an earl and he has a mother keen to marry him off - an exhausting combination. So he invented a fake fiancée named Minerva, to give him some respite. But now his mother is coming home to meet her. It's incredibly convenient that he meets a real life Minerva who agrees to pretend for a little while. But Minerva Merriwell will soon wonder if the money he's paying is worth it!

"But why's it over? I don't want it to be over," I told my husband sadly as my Kobo asked me to rate the book I'd just finished reading. Such is my love for this book. I became so fond of Hugh and Minerva's chaotic families and the comedic hijinks were actually funny (as opposed to some novels that make such things feel cringey). I'll obviously be devouring the sequel next, but still I wish the story had gone on forever...