For months, High Republic fans have had a side of anxiety ever since we first heard the light of the Jedi would be going dark with the next wave of stories. Well, that wave has finally arrived with The Fallen Star by Claudia Gray and folks? Things got real dark.

Starlight Beacon has been a symbol of hope in the Outer Rim despite all the struggles the Jedi and the Republic have had as of late. Symbols, however, only inspire for as long as they continue to endure. Many of the Jedi need time to rest and, in some cases, mourn, but the Nihl aren’t exactly going to give it to them. In fact, Marchion Ro is about to enact his master plan and the Jedi are going to be in very, very big trouble.

It doesn’t feel like much of a spoiler to say that Starlight Beacon is in serious trouble as are many of the Jedi aboard it given the fear inducing marketing poster Lucasfilm released last year with an image of Starlight Beacon in flames, headshots of assorted Jedi on either side, and the text “WHO WILL SURVIVE” blazoned across the top. This book has a body count and I won’t be surprised if the rest of the wave does too. It makes for an anxiety filled book reading experience especially as the situation worsens and the feel of being in the mash-up of an action story and a horror film only grows. Claudia Gray’s Star Wars books are always an emotional ride and this one doesn’t disappoint on that front.

The biggest problem I had with this book was it felt like there was a quarter missing. I don’t mean that in the sense that it ends too prematurely but rather that there is another story happening simultaneously in another part of the station/surrounding area that we are never privy to. This wouldn’t be the first time that the High Republic has told another part of the main story going on in the Del Rey book in another book or comic but this time around, it feels far more jarring and noticeably emptier. That’s not to say that The Fallen Star is a bad book. It’s not. Claudia Gray wrote it and any Star Wars book she writes is always worth your time. But it feels like (and please forgive the baseball analogy) a run batted in versus a home run hit all the way out of the park especially in comparison to the first two Del Rey books which have, for better or worse, been made out as the tent pole books for each wave.

But hey! Let’s talk about the good things. Character development is certain something Gray does strongly with this book. If we had to pick a lead, it’s probably Stellan Gios who is having a rough time being the new marshal. His relationship with Elzar Mann is particularly well handled especially with their ups and downs. Bell Zettifar, the staple of these Del Rey High Republic books, is also having a rough time in light of his Jedi Master’s death for real this time. If there’s anyone in the Jedi Order who needs to have a nice vacation, it’s him but at least he’s got both Burryaga and Ember there to support him. Finally, anything we get from the Vessel crew is wonderful and I am oddly proud of Affie for getting herself an official rival.

Speaking of which, I do want to acknowledge something here that I said in previous book reviews for The High Republic that turned out to be proven wrong. One of the concerns (for lack of a better word) that I had was that we were being introduced to so many cool non-Jedi characters who I thought it was unlikely we’d encounter again. The Fallen Star not only brings back Affie, Leox, and Geode from Into the Dark but also the Adrens from Light of the Jedi. Their inclusion was not only extremely welcome but it felt organic and didn’t make the galaxy feel too small. (Honestly, we could use more books about the crew of the Vessel, please and thank you.)

While it may sound contradictory to what I said about feeling like the book is missing part of the story, I did appreciate how compact this story felt. It felt focused in a good way that made keeping track of a large cast much easier than previously. Because we spent more time with the characters, the emotional moments hit all the harder. Additionally, this may be the most Jedi-feeling book I’ve read in Star Wars. The High Republic era is supposed to be telling stories about the Jedi Order at their peak and even though things are really not going well for them here, it feels like such a firmly Jedi adventure that harkens back to how the Jedi are keepers of the peace, not soldiers. The Jedi are fighting a battle in this story but they aren’t being warriors; they’re fighting to save lives and not just against other people. It makes me even more intrigued to see what the Jedi might be like in Phase II.

The Fallen Star may not be quite to the level of some of the other High Republic books but it’s still essential reading for any High Republic fan. And really, it’s a Claudia Gray book so why wouldn’t you want to read it?

Thank you to Del Rey for providing a copy of the book for review purposes.