The Princess and The Scoundrel by Beth Revis is the Han and Leia Star Wars love story we’ve been waiting for. Now that the Empire is destroyed, Han and Leia can have their happy moment before life starts up again.
Yet happily ever after doesn’t come easily. As soon as Han and Leia depart their idyllic ceremony for their honeymoon, they find themselves on the grandest and most glamorous stage of all: the Halcyon. A luxury cruise ship that has recently been freed from the Empire.
Facing their most desperate hour, the soldiers of the Empire have dispersed across the galaxy clinging to power by taking over isolated and vulnerable planets. As the Halcyon travels from world to world it becomes clear that the war isn’t over yet.
[Warning: Spoilers for The Princess and the Scoundrel]
Issues with The Princess and the Scoundrel
Before getting into the parts of the book that I enjoyed, I want to talk about some of the issues I had. I think there was too much time spent on the Halcyon and too little time on Madurs. The ending felt rushed, especially when introducing Alecia Beck as the villain. It felt like she came out of nowhere and was a very lackluster reveal.
Beck didn’t get much time in the book. There were maybe two chapters with her in it and she’s supposed to be a big deal. If someone doesn’t read the comics they wouldn’t fully understand the history that Beck and Han have or why she is so dangerous. I think having a few chapters from Beck’s point of view of the events on Madurs would have been beneficial to the story.
I did like the meaningful connections Revis made to the movies and Obi-Wan Kenobi. She does an amazing job of diving deep into Han and Leia’s emotions. I appreciated the balance of romance, hope, and darkness in the aftermath of Return of the Jedi.
Before The Wedding
Han’s proposal to Leia was surprisingly sweet and romantic. His reason for proposing so soon was that he lost so much time with Leia because of Vader that he didn’t want to waste another second. He decided to stop living his life for others and is finally doing things his way.
Before the celebration starts we learn that there is more work for the Rebellion to do. There are still groups doing the Empire’s work across the galaxy harming small and vulnerable planets. After the second Death Star exploded, information was sent out across the galaxy, indicating Palpatine had plans in place even if he died.
I thought this was a great connection to the sequels. Now that we’re getting more content that fills in the gaps between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi we can see Palpatine’s plan for the future which adds to the sequel trilogy.
One of the most impactful scenes in the book happens very early on. We see Leia’s anger with Darth Vader and the war surface. Which is good, Leia should be allowed to be angry about what’s happened. She has lost her home, her parents, and so many, many, friends.
Leia comes across Vader’s funeral pyre and she starts screaming at his burned body. She picks up his helmet and tells Vader she will never forgive him. I loved that we got to go back and forth between Luke’s thoughts and Leia’s. They knew two different sides of him, so it makes sense that Leia wouldn’t want to hear Luke say “there’s still good in him”. It was a very intense and heartbreaking scene to read.
Han and Leia
Away from the war and rebellion Han and Leia realize that they both have behaviors that need to stop. Something I enjoyed was that Revis showed off Han’s character growth. He has changed from when we first met him, to falling so in love with Leia that he’d do anything for her.
We see that Han is experiencing PTSD and anger from the year he spent frozen in carbonite. Han sees that Leia is in his life forever now and he is willing to make changes so that they can stay together.
Leia is learning that she has walls built up that need to come down. And that her diplomatic side needs to turn off sometimes. She reminds me of Padmé in that way. Even though the newlywed couple is on their honeymoon, being on the Halcyon is work for Leia. Leia feels that she needs to work extra hard during this time, since it’s only a matter of time before the galaxy learns about her heritage. Not everyone will take the news that she is the daughter of Darth Vader, as well as Han, did.
My Rating: 7.5/10
The Princess and the Scoundrel by Beth Revis is available now from Del Rey Books. Have you read this yet? What did you think of Han and Leia’s honeymoon adventure? Let’s talk about it on Twitter @mycosmiccircus and follow us for more book reviews. If you haven’t already check out our other Star Wars book review, Star Wars: Padawan by Kiersten White!
Book Review: Star Wars Padawan by Kiersten White
