Between Books - Star Wars: The Acolyte: The Crystal Crown

 

Hunger Games meets The High Republic is not what I want to see on the back of a book. So clearly, I won’t care about anyone’s Crystal Crown!

Star Wars: The Acolyte: The Crystal Crown by Tessa Gratton provides a young adult prequel to the Disney+ show Star Wars: The Acolyte. The story follows Jedi Padawans Jecki and Yord Fandar as they join their masters on a mission to support an investigation into the failing negotiations with a potential new member of the Republic. The Silinese people appreciate strength, and to soothe relations, they invite Jecki and Yord to join their finest young warriors in their ritual contest, the Crowning Convocation. The three-part event includes a duel, a survival journey, and a wild hunt, with only the finest warriors passing to the next event. Jecki and Yord use this opportunity to learn about the young Silinese, make some friends, and have some fun, all while being restricted from using the Force. As the two Padawans participate, they find themselves pulled into a crisis as participants seek to make their name in this coming-of-age ritual.

You all know that the High Republic and I don’t always get along. But honestly, I really liked it. I found that Gratton gave a very character-focused story, which was founded on adventure. Now, I’m not a hunter or duelist or survivalist, but the fact that we got to meet other youngsters through Jecki’s and Yord’s eyes allows us to see a new world and people. As an audience, we know that the Padawans will make it to Star Wars: The Acolyte. But the new characters give us real stakes, because we get to know these youngsters, but have no idea what’s next for them. And this provided me, tension…Yes, I was tense.

One of the things I like about this story is that it’s what in the comics world we would label street-level. The scope of the threat is really Jecki, Yord, and their newly made friends. Sure, there are repercussions for the Republic. And I think Siline as a world may have some cultural stakes. But it’s a High Republic story that doesn’t feel like the entire galaxy, and its fate is dependent on this story.

As you know, one of my complaints is that sometimes Star Wars gives us new worlds and aliens that we don’t have a foundation of understanding for. This can be really harsh when they drop like 5 on us! The nice thing here is we have mental reference for Jecki, Yord, and Master Sol. So we really only have to weave images for Siline and the new young Silinese characters introduced in this adventure. We also get to know Jecki and Yord more, and maybe come to appreciate and see their interactions in a new light.

I don’t like The Hunger Games and a lot of The High Republic. But I do really like Star Wars: The Acolyte: The Crystal Crown by Tessa Gratton. It’s a character-based adventure that gives you plenty of time to get to know two characters that we’ve seen on Disney+. Best of all, it’s a street-level space adventure that allows our minds to visit new worlds and peoples.


Yoda, who’s Yoda?

 

This post contains affiliate links, which means that Between Disney receives a percentage of sales purchased through links on this site