After being frozen in carbonite, then risking everything for the Rebellion, Han is eager to stop living his life for other people. He and Leia have earned their future together, a thousand times over. And when he proposes to Leia, it’s the first time in a long time he’s had a good feeling about this. For Leia, a lifetime of fighting doesn’t seem truly over. There is work still to do, penance to pay for the dark secret that she now knows runs through her veins. Her brother, Luke, is offering her that chance—one that comes with family and the promise of the Force. But when Han asks her to marry him, Leia finds her answer immediately on her lips . . . Yes.
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 vessel on a very public journey to the most wondrous worlds in the galaxy. Their marriage, and the peace and prosperity it represents, are a lightning rod for all—including Imperial remnants still clinging to power.
Facing their most desperate hour, the soldiers of the Empire have dispersed across the galaxy, retrenching on isolated planets vulnerable to their influence. As the Halcyon travels from world to world, one thing becomes abundantly clear: The war is not over. But as danger draws closer, Han and Leia find that they fight their best battles not alone, but as husband and wife.
Wow, 2022 has to be shaping up as the best year for Star Wars books yet! At least since I’ve been reading them.
Even if I exclude any of THE HIGH REPUBLIC stuff, the 1-2-3 combo of BROTHERHOOD, SHADOW OF THE SITH, and now THE PRINCESS AND THE SCOUNDREL is just…fucking mind-blowing.
I adored THE PRINCESS AND THE SCOUNDREL, start to finish. But the first 50-75 pages is honestly some of the most magical Star Wars book content I’ve ever experienced.
I’m often reshuffling my top five favorite Star Wars movies, something I think a lot of fans probably do. Return of the Jedi will forever be in my top five, though, and really…top three. And the thing that Beth Revis does so masterfully with THE PRINCESS AND THE SCOUNDREL is give us this great….what-if feeling.
What if Return of the Jedi was like 30 minutes longer? The opening of THE PRINCESS AND THE SCOUNDREL blends so seamlessly with the ending of Return of the Jedi that I don’t think I’ll ever think of the movie the same way again, and that’s just such a cool feeling to get from a Star Wars book!
The story picks up on Endor (ENDOR!!) There’s a tremendous sense of relief. The Death Star is destroyed, Darth Vader is dead, and Emperor Palpatine is also believed to be dead. The Rebels know the war isn’t truly over & that there are still Imperials scattered all over the galaxy loyal to Palpatine.
But there’s some joy to be had. And Han & Leia seize upon that moment of joy to get married among their friends in the forest on Endor. It’s so delightful, honestly. It’s everything.
There’s a bachelor party and the Ewoks get fucking rowdy. It’s wild. It’s just…so goddamn fun.
And then at Mon Mothma’s insistence, the newlyweds embark on their honeymoon: a cruise! Of course this being a Star Wars book, their relaxing cruise among the stars quickly turns into a zany adventure!
I think the thing I loved most about THE PRINCESS AND THE SCOUNDREL is that, while the overall tone of the book is more light-hearted/adventurous, Revis really doesn’t shy away from exploring each of these character’s trauma. In some ways that certainly aren’t deeply explored in the movies, and some ways that I hadn’t really ever considered before.
The thing that Leia is struggling with the most is coming to terms with the fact that Darth Vader is her biological father. There are some things in this book that felt like precursors to what Leia goes through in Claudia Gray’s BLOODLINE, which was interesting to see. But yeah, we really get a sense of just how disturbing Leia finds all this, and how she will never consider anyone beside Bail Organa as her father.
For Han, oof…in Return of the Jedi there are of course a handful of scenes where he is struggling with the physical fallout from being frozen in carbonite. But what about the emotional impact it had on him? It’s just really not something that’s explored that well, so it has some serious weight in this book. It’s an entire year of his life, just…gone. And he’s not ok. Revis stays true to Han’s roguish charm, but really adds an extra layer of vulnerability to the character as he copes with everything that loss entails.
This book is such a unique snapshot in time. We know what happened before. And we know what’s in store for these two characters, and how much sadness and heartbreak is in their future.
But this book captures Han & Leia when the thing they are most sure about in the galaxy is…each other. It’s such a great love story, and I’m so glad we have THE PRINCESS AND THE SCOUNDREL to capture it.
It’s like a big H + L with a heart around it, carved into a giant tree in Bright Tree Village.
What a joy this book is!!
May the Force be with you!!
Grimdark Dad 