Star Wars Queen’s Peril – A Disney Nerds Book Club Review

It’s the last installment of the year for The Disney Nerds Book Club Review! This month we’re heading back to the Star Wars galaxy. I just finished reading Star Wars Queen’s Peril by E. K. Johnston.

This book starts at the beginning of Padme’s election win to become the Queen of Naboo right before Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (Episode I).

She’s a 14-year-old girl who is leaving her family behind to be the Queen. She takes on the name of Amidala so she’s not publicly known as Padme. It becomes her Queen persona. It is a standard practice for the Queen to have a different identity as Queen. This way her personal life is not associated with anything during her time as Queen and she can go back to her like after to time as the Queen.

The book also introduces us to Captain Panaka who is the head of Queen Amidala’s security team. He comes up with a plan to find other girls on the planet who look similar to Padme. He wants them to become her handmaidens and also a part of her security team as bodyguards. What Panaka doesn’t reveal immediately is that the girls he’s chosen also have some unique skills that will help protect Padme as the Queen.

Once Padme realizes Panaka’s plan to have these girls help protect her, she takes it a step further. She decides that an additional way to protect her is to have them become decoys. It’s a great plan and no one thinks it’s needed because there’s no threat to the planet right now. But as we all know if you’ve seen Episode I, the planet is invaded by The Trade Federation soon after Padme becomes Queen Amidala.

I must say it was interesting to get more details on Padme’s story. The book even goes into what occurs during the Episode I film. We get more details from Padme’s side during the battle of Naboo. I’m not sure if it’s because I knew how the battle of Naboo ends but I felt like it was a little uneventful to finish this book.

I did enjoy getting more details but I have to admit I wanted more.

I wanted to know more about Padme. I was reading and kept thinking that I wanted to know more about her. Now I’m not sure if that was the plan for the author since this book starts right before Episode I. But the feeling of just wanting more from this book was the main thought the entire time. I just felt like they could’ve started the story maybe during the election for Queen or just give more details of Padme and her life, her thoughts, just something.

Now, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t read this book. It’s a good addition to the Star Wars canon but don’t be surprised if you read it and feel like same as I do, wanting to know more!

Author E.K. Johnston did write this book as a prequel to her other book Star Wars Queen’s Shadow which I do now have on my reading list. I just hope I don’t feel the same way after reading that book.

Have you read Star Wars Queen’s Peril? What do you think? Let me know your thoughts!