4.5/5 stars — a nostalgic yet fresh look at a much-loved character

Two decades and a dozen rewatches later, Padmé Amidala remains my favorite part of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Queen's Shadow spreads its focus between Padmé and her former handmaiden and decoy Sabé; allowing a broad focus in which the novel explores politics, action, and culture. In short, it contains everything my ten-year-old self, who spent hours poring over the illustrated guide to The Phantom Menace, wanted from the page about the queen and her retinue.

E.K. Johnston's Ahsoka gave me faith that the author would again treat my beloved characters well, and I wasn't disappointed at all. This novel slots into the gap between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, revealing Padmé's transition to the Senate. Her character arc is emotional and sweeping, with a few surprises despite readers likely knowing the beginning and end of her story. Sabé's story, new to canon, weaves with Padmé's while allowing more glimpses of the galaxy beyond Coruscant. Both are strong women, but are evidence that strength comes in many forms.

Apparently Johnston's Star Wars novels have a line to my tear ducts, because the parallel construction of the beginning and end of this book made me cry just like I did at Obi-Wan's appearance in Ahsoka. Which, that's a compliment, but ouch!

I read an article about the time and research that went into developing Padmé's wardrobe for this book, and all the effort definitely shows. Fashion plays an important role on Naboo, and it was interesting to explore how Padmé's clothes were used with symbolic intent to smooth her transition from a dignified and distant queen to an approachable yet idealistic politician. Her vocal intonation was used in a similar way; I enjoyed the discussion of the persona of "Amidala"—complete with wardrobe and voice—as something Padmé, Sabé, and others could put on and take off at will.

My only criticism of Queen's Shadow was its treatment of Captain Quarsh Panaka. In movie canon, he only appears in The Phantom Menace as Queen Amidala's loyal guard. I'm not familiar enough with the expanded universe to know whether his later arc had been established before Queen's Shadow, but I feel he was subject to a bit of character assassination here.

For those who are curious, he ended his tenure as captain of the queen's guard at odds with Amidala over planetary defense and went on to be appointed to a position of power on Naboo by Palpatine after Palpatine became Emperor. Eventually, Panaka became an Imperial Moff.

My verdict: In Johnston's capable hands, the queen-turned-senator's story gains depth and a measure of the attention Padmé fans have likely wanted for years. I highly recommend this novel to Star Wars aficionados of all ages!

Side note: The hardcover I borrowed from the library is gorgeous inside and out! The cover is stunning, obviously, but I love the blind stamp and the color scheme enough that I'm probably going to buy a copy whenever I decide to read this again.