If you’re like me, you walked out of Solo: A Star Wars Story wanting to know everything you possibly could about Qi’ra and read dozens of stories about her. Thankfully, Most Wanted by Rae Carson came out the same day as the film and I was eager to dive into it especially since I’m a far of Carson’s Fire and Thorns trilogy. Even better? Most Wanted definitely did not disappoint.

Most Wanted introduces us to both Han and Qi’ra not more than a year before Solo begins with Lady Proxima pitting the two of them against each other to determine who will be the next Head Child of the White Worms. Given that the promotion comes with extra rations (including real food!) and other “privileges,” both of them really want it. Badly. When a deal goes very wrong, Han and Qi’ra realize that the only chance they have of salvaging either of their hopes of becoming Head is to work together and find themselves on a crazy adventure that neither of them could have ever forseen.

The interesting thing about Most Wanted is that it doesn’t actually really answer the questions I had about Qi’ra’s or Han’s past and it definitely didn’t answer what I really wanted to know (aka: what happened to her in the three years in between). If you’re looking for a book that’s a backstory Wookieepedia entry, this isn’t that book and honestly? I’m glad. However this is a story about how Han and Qi’ra go from just knowing each other to actually being friends, allies, and possibly a little bit more. It’s a snapshot of their lives; not their entire origin stories.

What I particularly love about this book is that it doesn’t shy away from making it clear that Qi’ra would definitely be a Slytherin if she’d been at Hogwarts and neither does it try and sanitize exactly what sort of person she is. That’s not to say she’s a bad person because she’s not; she’s a girl who’s trying to survive and who knows that she wants out. Everything about Qi’ra in this book puts her choices in Solo into such sharp and clear focus. Likewise, Most Wanted also helps flesh out the even younger version of Han. What Carson has done with him is actually quite admirable. She’s taken the brash smuggler that we all know so well and love from the Originals, translated him through the lens of Solo, and kept him completely in character. He’s younger and different but still definitely the same Han who jumps into plans head first and who certainly has a way with people. It’s the opposite of an easy job yet Carson does it well.

In short, Most Wanted is a fun as heck ride that gives us more of both Qi’ra and Han and lets us see more of Corellia under the Empire’s thumb. It’s a low stakes yet enjoyable read which may in fact make it the perfect choice in Star Wars books for you this summer.

Thank you to Disney Lucasfilm Publishing for sending a copy of the book for review purposes.