Book Review: A Valiant Vow

We got a double High Republic drop last week, with both A Valiant Vow and Wayseeker coming out on Revenge of the Sixth. The Wayseeker review is coming next week, but I read A Valiant Vow first. It's a worthy addition to the High Republic publishing project, giving us some really beautiful conclusions to character arcs started in Phase III, as well as ones started all the way back in Phase I. It doesn't really move the "main plot" of the High Republic along as far as solving the issues of the blight, Nihil or Nameless, but it's definitely a book worth picking up if you enjoy characters like Imri Cantaros, Churo the Hutt, Zenny Greylark and more!

Pick up your own copy of A Valiant Vow while its still hot off the press!

Spoilers ahead for A Valiant Vow by Justina Ireland.

Imri Cantaros definitely took the cake for me in this book. I've enjoyed his character a lot since he was first introduced and taken on as a padawan by Vernestra in Phase I, so seeing him grow over the years has been quite special. He's now a Knight himself, helping people on the wrong side of the Stormwall and deciding against using a lightsaber. He's built a good life for himself on Aricho, and especially loves teaching the children. When Aricho is threatened from all angles- corrupt government officials, Nihil scav-droids, and the Blight- Imri steps up, even when it's hard and he doesn't want to leave. He's a great Jedi, recognizing where his emotions are getting in the way, always looking for a peaceful option, and using his strengths to protect others. I think the perfect end to his arc in this book was him taking on young Tep-Tep as his padawan and settling into a Jedi Temple outpost away from Coruscant, becoming a part of the community around him and helping the refugees settle in.

Zenny Greylark also had a great conclusion to her arc! She wasn't introduced until Phase III, but I personally found her interesting right away, and was intrigued especially by her quest to find her family. She first found her sister, Lexi, in Beware the Nameless, but the two sisters were still looking for their father, though the issues the entire galaxy was facing got in the way- especially because their mother is a senator. Zenny and Lexi come across one of the refugees on Aricho, a friend of the father's, who has to inform them that he was killed by the blight. The girls take it hard, of course, but had an admirable, almost Jedi-like resolve. Despite their despair and their thoughts constantly returning to their father (and the fact that they have to tell their mother when they return to Coruscant), they still find it within them to help the galaxy and their other friends. But thankfully, at the end of the book their father is found alive! He had escaped on a stolen Nihil ship, with hundreds more refugees in tow. Both Zenny and Lexi's relief upon finding him is palpable in the book, and I really enjoyed the way that their grief and how it was handled was written throughout the entire story.

Finally there is fan-fave Churo the Hutt. We get to catch up with Churo in the beginning of the book, he's living his dream of studying life throughout the galaxy on his ship, The Lucky Tortle, and getting to put that knowledge to good use. However things fall apart when his mentor, Professor Kip, is revealed to be working with the Hutt Clan that Churo ran away from. And not just any member of the Hutt Clan- Churo's sister, Dahara. Dahara has been conspiring in secret with Aricho's president to take advantage of the glaka-root that grows there, but the deal is threatened by the blight and everyone on Aricho is now at risk. As much as the Jedi and the Greylarks investigate and work to help, at the end of it all its Churo's compassion and quick-thinking that save the day. Churo finds a solution that helps everybody by convincing Dahara to help the people of Aricho in exchange for some access to the Jedi seed vault on Coruscant. Churo is a character I've really grown to adore in Phase III, and with how long Hutt lifespans seem to be, he's one I would love to see in future storytelling!

That's a wrap on the middle grade novels! Such a fun collection of books that are all nice short, easy reads. Our last High Republic book to look forward to is the big finale, Trials of the Jedi by Charles Soule. And I don't know about you all, but I personally can't wait!