"It's the Jedi Way."
Star Wars Dark Disciple was written by Christi Golden, a well-known author of several books in the Star Wars universe and published in 2015. The book numbers 359 pages, not including the short story afterwards which brings the total to 379. This book is not part of a series, so there is no need to read any other books before picking this one up. I do RECOMMEND watching some episodes of the Clone Wars that revolve around Asajj Ventress, or at least read episode summaries to be aware of Ventress' situation.
Basic Plot Summary
After Count Dooku massacres innocent refugees that sided with the Jedi, Master Mace Windu suggests assassinating the Count. The Jedi Counsel reluctantly felt that this may be their only choice in stopping all the needless deaths, so they enlist the help of Jedi Master Quinlan Vos, who is incredibly skilled in undercover work to take on the dangerous task. However, the only way he can even accomplish such a task is to team up with ex-Sith acolyte Asajj Ventress, Count Dooku's former apprentice.
As they spend time together, Ventress has to deal with her growing romantic feelings for Vos not letting it get in the way of her revenge on Dooku.
Praise and Critique
Christie Golden is a fantastic writer in my opinion. She is also one of my mother's (who has been a die-hard Star Wars fan since childhood in the 70s) favorites. The descriptions of the environments, emotions of the characters, and the fight scenes were so well crafted that it felt as if I was actually watching an episode of the Clone Wars.
The only issues I have with the novel is that I felt some of the pacing was a little too quick when it came to Quinlan and Asajj's time together bounty hunting. There were quips here and there shortly detailing some of the jobs they took on, but it almost felt like 'they did this, and did that, and now here they are doing this' if that makes sense.
It's really a minor issue that I feel may have been remedied in the comics that I have yet to read. It all just boils down to my want to see more interactions and developments between Quinlan and Asajj. Despite my thoughts though, it wasn't a bad setback. Their emotions and relationships still felt very genuine.
Do I Recommend This?
Absolutely. Especially if you're a Clone Wars fan and enjoyed watching Asajj's story unfold throughout the seasons. Again, I felt so disappointed that this arc wasn't able to be in the animated TV show. I feel that many more people would learn more about what happened with Asajj during this time as well as become more familiar with Quinlan Vos, who is arguably one of my favorite characters in the franchise. He deserves to be utilized more.
Final Rating and Thoughts
All in all, I'd give this book an 8 out of 10. I enjoyed reading this from start to finish. So much so that I did it in one sitting, so maybe that's got to mean something. Without giving anything away, I shall conclude my short review with a fitting gif that perfectly conveyed the state of my emotions upon finishing:
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