Leia, Princess of Alderaan- A Disney Nerds Book Club Review

It’s time for this month’s Disney Nerds Book Club Review and this time we’re off to a galaxy far, far away! I just finished reading “Leia, Princess of Alderaan” by Claudia Gray and I just can’t wait to tell you about it.

This is more of an origin story for Leia.

This book takes place before all the films. We meet Leia at 16 years old living on Alderaan with her parents.

The story begins at Leia’s Day of Demand ceremony. Day of Demand is the day on which the heir to the throne of the planet Alderaan claims their right to the throne. During the ceremony, Leia names three challenges she must complete, one challenge of the body, mind, and heart. Once these challenges are complete, Leia will be acknowledged as the crown princess of Alderaan.

During the ceremony, Leia declares what each one of her challenges will be. The story follows along as she trains and completes all of these challenges. But this is not all that we follow Leia doing. We see Leia as a 16-year-old who is becoming who we know from the Star Wars films. She is trying to figure out who she is and what her place is in the galaxy. She’s also trying to figure out why her parents have become standoffish to her and she doesn’t see as much as she used to. She has always been close to her parents so she doesn’t understand what’s going on. She’s trying to figure out if she’s done something wrong and she even tries to make her parents proud by completing these challenges and other things. But like any teenager, sometimes her best intentions don’t turn out the way she planned.

In addition to the challenges she’s working on, Leia is also a part of the Apprentice Legislature and is basically a junior senator. She meets others who are a part of the apprentice legislature. We see how they all interact and how some friendships are formed. You may also recognize some names of her new friends. Leia learns gains lessons from her friends and others which we know help form her into the Leia we meet in the films. We also get to see how Leia learns how the Senate REALLY works and even how she can work within (and maybe outside of it too).

This book is a wonderful read!

It’s great to see Leia before she’s fully a part of the rebellion. This book also explains how she becomes a part of the rebellion. I loved learning that part of Leia’s life. It’s also great to see more of her parents, Breha and Bail Organa. While reading this book you can see what aspects of who Leia is came from Breha and Bail. You can also see how there are some aspects of Leia that are hereditary.You can defintely see Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker’s genes within her.

I also loved seeing Leia and her insecurities. When we first meet Leia in the film, “Star Wars: A New Hope” we see someone who is a little more sure of themselves. In my opinion, we meet Leia as this strong, independent, and smart woman. This book helps to show how she gets there!

Leia is one of my personal favorite Star Wars characters which was initially why I picked up this book. But after reading, I have to say that I have a deeper appreciation and love for Leia. I highly recommend this book to any Star Wars fan because it gives you more of the backstory before any of the films. If you’re like me and are already a fan of Leia Organa then I must say this book should be a must-read for you! I hope you decide to pick it up and you enjoy it as much as I did!

Happy Reading Disney Nerds!