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Star Wars: The High Republic
Convergencia
La siguiente aventura en The High Republic.
Vivimos en una era de exploración. Los Jedi recorren la galaxia, ampliando su comprensión de la Fuerza y los mundos y seres que esta conecta. Entretanto, la República, liderada por sus dos cancilleres, trabaja para unir planetas y mantener el crecimiento de una comunidad entre estrellas remotas y cercanas.
En los planetas de órbitas cercanas de Eiram y E’ronoh, los problemas de desarrollo de una galaxia con recursos limitados y ambición ilimitada se dejan sentir con intensidad. El odio entre los dos mundos ha alimentado media década de escalada en un conflicto que amenaza con afectar a los sistemas vecinos. La última esperanza para la paz surge cuando los herederos de las familias reales del planeta planean unirse en matrimonio. Antes de poder establecer una paz duradera, un intento de asesinato de la pareja devuelve a Eiram y E’ronoh a la senda de la guerra.
Para salvar a ambos mundos, la Caballera Jedi Gella Nattai se ofrece voluntaria para descubrir al culpable, mientras la canciller Kyong envía a su hijo, Axel Greylark, como representante de la República en la investigación.
Sin embargo, la profunda desconfianza que Axel siente hacia los Jedi prende la chispa de la fe en la Fuerza en Gella. Ella nunca había conocido a un juerguista y privilegiado tan engreído, él nunca había conocido a una bienhechora más seria y firme. Mientras trabajan para desenredar la sombría telaraña de la investigación, la conspiración parece complicarse. Vuelan las acusaciones y aparecen enemigos potenciales tras cada esquina, por lo que la extraña pareja deberá cooperar si quieren descubrir la verdad y salvar a sus dos mundos.
LA SIGUIENTE AVENTURA EN HIGH REPUBLIC EMPIEZA CON UNA HISTORIA SITUADA VARIAS GENERACIONES ANTES DE LUZ DE LOS JEDI.
Vivimos en una era de exploración. Los Jedi recorren la galaxia, ampliando su comprensión de la Fuerza y los mundos y seres que esta conecta. Entretanto, la República, liderada por sus dos cancilleres, trabaja para unir planetas y mantener el crecimiento de una comunidad entre estrellas remotas y cercanas.
En los planetas de órbitas cercanas de Eiram y E’ronoh, los problemas de desarrollo de una galaxia con recursos limitados y ambición ilimitada se dejan sentir con intensidad. El odio entre los dos mundos ha alimentado media década de escalada en un conflicto que amenaza con afectar a los sistemas vecinos. La última esperanza para la paz surge cuando los herederos de las familias reales del planeta planean unirse en matrimonio. Antes de poder establecer una paz duradera, un intento de asesinato de la pareja devuelve a Eiram y E’ronoh a la senda de la guerra.
Para salvar a ambos mundos, la Caballera Jedi Gella Nattai se ofrece voluntaria para descubrir al culpable, mientras la canciller Kyong envía a su hijo, Axel Greylark, como representante de la República en la investigación.
Sin embargo, la profunda desconfianza que Axel siente hacia los Jedi prende la chispa de la fe en la Fuerza en Gella. Ella nunca había conocido a un juerguista y privilegiado tan engreído, él nunca había conocido a una bienhechora más seria y firme. Mientras trabajan para desenredar la sombría telaraña de la investigación, la conspiración parece complicarse. Vuelan las acusaciones y aparecen enemigos potenciales tras cada esquina, por lo que la extraña pareja deberá cooperar si quieren descubrir la verdad y salvar a sus dos mundos.
LA SIGUIENTE AVENTURA EN HIGH REPUBLIC EMPIEZA CON UNA HISTORIA SITUADA VARIAS GENERACIONES ANTES DE LUZ DE LOS JEDI.
400 pages, Paperback
First published November 22, 2022
513 people are currently reading
4301 people want to read
About the author
Zoraida Córdova
42 books4,786 followersZoraida Córdova is the author of many fantasy novels for kids and teens, including the award-winning Brooklyn Brujas series, Incendiary, and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: A Crash of Fate. Her short fiction has appeared in the New York Times bestselling anthology Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View, Star Wars The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark, Come on In: 15 Stories About Immigration and Finding Home, and Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women and Witchcraft. She is the co-editor of the bestselling anthology Vampires Never Get Old. Her debut middle grade novel is The Way to Rio Luna. She is the co-host of the podcast Deadline City with Dhonielle Clayton. Zoraida was born in Ecuador and raised in Queens, New York. When she isn’t working on her next novel, she’s planning a new adventure.
NOTE: Direct messages on this account may not be seen. Send her an email at zoraidabooks@gmail.com
NOTE: Direct messages on this account may not be seen. Send her an email at zoraidabooks@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 748 reviews
April 29, 2025
I enjoyed this book. This is a great start to Phase Two of the High Republic books, who are a prequel to Phase One. This book has a great story and even better characters. Gella Nattai has jumped to the front of the line as my favourite Jedi in the High Republic era.
A cease-fire has been called between the neighbouring but warring planets of Eiram and E'ronoh. The Republic sees this as an opportunity not only to forge a lasting peace but to bring these outer rim worlds into the Republic as well. However,
"Peace is a choice"
What happens when other parties within and outside the planets don't want to make that choice?
I enjoyed seeing the characters come together. Some overcome their pasts and prejudices to see the future, but there are others trapped in the past.
For the Jedi's part, I do like that there are more roles/paths for them to follow than just Knight or Master. Also, I like the way the High Republic era Jedi are more seekers of the Force and unsure of their paths or more willing to learn and accepting of new ideas, and if all else fails, there are other Forced based religions out there.
I hope to see all of these characters again. Yes, mainly, I am invested in Gella Nattai and want to see the continuation of her journey. As well as her developing more of her two lightsaber fighting style. I do not even mind if she emerges in the Phase One era. The bar has been set super high with this first book, I can't wait for Phase Two to continue.
A cease-fire has been called between the neighbouring but warring planets of Eiram and E'ronoh. The Republic sees this as an opportunity not only to forge a lasting peace but to bring these outer rim worlds into the Republic as well. However,
"Peace is a choice"
What happens when other parties within and outside the planets don't want to make that choice?
I enjoyed seeing the characters come together. Some overcome their pasts and prejudices to see the future, but there are others trapped in the past.
For the Jedi's part, I do like that there are more roles/paths for them to follow than just Knight or Master. Also, I like the way the High Republic era Jedi are more seekers of the Force and unsure of their paths or more willing to learn and accepting of new ideas, and if all else fails, there are other Forced based religions out there.
I hope to see all of these characters again. Yes, mainly, I am invested in Gella Nattai and want to see the continuation of her journey. As well as her developing more of her two lightsaber fighting style. I do not even mind if she emerges in the Phase One era. The bar has been set super high with this first book, I can't wait for Phase Two to continue.
November 5, 2023
i thought that the romance in this book was super fun and i absolutely fell in love with axel as a character. unfortunately i really struggled to get through this book. i found it really boring at times but i did enjoy the characters.
November 22, 2023
Actual rating is 2.5 stars.
This is part of the High Republic series but this book can be used as an entry point to the series. In this one two planets have been wagering war for a very long time. Now peace might have a chance. Do we take the chance on peace or does the faction that doesn't want peace thwart it?
This is one of those times when a book is a story of two halves. I enjoyed the first half as it was set up of the long running war and how peace might finally be achieved. What I liked about this half is that it mirrors real life and I enjoy when a fictional book does this without being pedantic. The older generation may be stubborn in their ways but the newer generation might be the resolution to the problem. It will not be easy and I thought this book handled the situation correctly. The second half sort of lost me. Things happened because we needed it to happen for the ending to work. They did not happen organically. It seemed like the author also included these incidents because they contained action and she realized up to this point we did not have much action. I also thought she did not do the best job portraying these scenes as I never received the thrill from these scenes. It was more like a ho-hum reaction. My biggest problem with the second half is what was the motivation for the organization that hid in the shadows and why did they want to prolong this war. The only reason I can come up with is because they are the baddies at the moment and they have to be behind it.
I have not been a huge fan of this series in this universe and maybe all the other underwhelming offerings has affected any enjoyment now. I did think for awhile that this book was finally going to break that streak with this series. Then the second half kicked in and I was back into how I view this series. It is a shame too because the first half was a nice perspective and I liked the mirroring of today's world. Too bad the writing in the second half just came across as lazy and like the deadline had to be met. Hopefully one of these books from this series will thrill me.
This is part of the High Republic series but this book can be used as an entry point to the series. In this one two planets have been wagering war for a very long time. Now peace might have a chance. Do we take the chance on peace or does the faction that doesn't want peace thwart it?
This is one of those times when a book is a story of two halves. I enjoyed the first half as it was set up of the long running war and how peace might finally be achieved. What I liked about this half is that it mirrors real life and I enjoy when a fictional book does this without being pedantic. The older generation may be stubborn in their ways but the newer generation might be the resolution to the problem. It will not be easy and I thought this book handled the situation correctly. The second half sort of lost me. Things happened because we needed it to happen for the ending to work. They did not happen organically. It seemed like the author also included these incidents because they contained action and she realized up to this point we did not have much action. I also thought she did not do the best job portraying these scenes as I never received the thrill from these scenes. It was more like a ho-hum reaction. My biggest problem with the second half is what was the motivation for the organization that hid in the shadows and why did they want to prolong this war. The only reason I can come up with is because they are the baddies at the moment and they have to be behind it.
I have not been a huge fan of this series in this universe and maybe all the other underwhelming offerings has affected any enjoyment now. I did think for awhile that this book was finally going to break that streak with this series. Then the second half kicked in and I was back into how I view this series. It is a shame too because the first half was a nice perspective and I liked the mirroring of today's world. Too bad the writing in the second half just came across as lazy and like the deadline had to be met. Hopefully one of these books from this series will thrill me.
November 24, 2022
The adult books for Phase 2 of the High Republic are here! Convergence tells a great and fun story in the High Republic line, fixing the writing issues of some previous installments while doubling down on other weaknesses. But it is very much a fun read.
What makes this book different from other adult HR books is the scope. Light of the Jedi, The Rising Storm, and The Fallen Star all had HUGE casts and plotlines. It was really a turn off for many fans because it was so hard to keep track of all of the characters. I personally enjoyed them, but I understand why many readers did not. This book fixes that problem, having a still pretty big cast but honing it and really focusing on more character development.
This book also has a simple to understand but interesting plot. Eiram and E'ronoh are two planets locked in conflict for many years, and a few Jedi and one of the Supreme Chancellors are sent to try to find a peaceful solution. However, when the terms of the peace treaty are reached there are many groups who seek to cause further enmity between the two planets and keep the war going. The Jedi knight Gella Nattai and son of Chancellor Greylark (Axel) are sent to protect the heirs of both planets, as they serve as integral pieces of the peace process.
The action is fun and well paced. I also felt the worldbuilding was excellently done, as both planets seemed unique and well developed. The mythology of both planets plays a small part, and it was refreshing to see that level of worldbuilding in a Star Wars book.
The strength of this book really is in the character development. The 4 main leads are a perfect balance and work as fitting protagonists for the story. They each have a little growth and by the end of the story I was really rooting for their success.
There are several worldbuilding aspects that I didn't like or appreciate, but that didn't really harm my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
There are several ties to other parts of the universe, setting up the direction of Phase 2 that I really liked. I think that the team is much more prepared for Phase 2 than they were for Phase 1.
Overall, I quite enjoyed this book. I will certainly have to think about how I rank it compared to the other HR books. I definitely liked it better than The Fallen Star, but think I personally enjoy the first two adult books better. Howevr, I believe that this is the best constructed adult book in the High Republic thus far. 9.3 out of 10! Well done Zoraida Cordova!
What makes this book different from other adult HR books is the scope. Light of the Jedi, The Rising Storm, and The Fallen Star all had HUGE casts and plotlines. It was really a turn off for many fans because it was so hard to keep track of all of the characters. I personally enjoyed them, but I understand why many readers did not. This book fixes that problem, having a still pretty big cast but honing it and really focusing on more character development.
This book also has a simple to understand but interesting plot. Eiram and E'ronoh are two planets locked in conflict for many years, and a few Jedi and one of the Supreme Chancellors are sent to try to find a peaceful solution. However, when the terms of the peace treaty are reached there are many groups who seek to cause further enmity between the two planets and keep the war going. The Jedi knight Gella Nattai and son of Chancellor Greylark (Axel) are sent to protect the heirs of both planets, as they serve as integral pieces of the peace process.
The action is fun and well paced. I also felt the worldbuilding was excellently done, as both planets seemed unique and well developed. The mythology of both planets plays a small part, and it was refreshing to see that level of worldbuilding in a Star Wars book.
The strength of this book really is in the character development. The 4 main leads are a perfect balance and work as fitting protagonists for the story. They each have a little growth and by the end of the story I was really rooting for their success.
There are several worldbuilding aspects that I didn't like or appreciate, but that didn't really harm my enjoyment of the book as a whole.
There are several ties to other parts of the universe, setting up the direction of Phase 2 that I really liked. I think that the team is much more prepared for Phase 2 than they were for Phase 1.
Overall, I quite enjoyed this book. I will certainly have to think about how I rank it compared to the other HR books. I definitely liked it better than The Fallen Star, but think I personally enjoy the first two adult books better. Howevr, I believe that this is the best constructed adult book in the High Republic thus far. 9.3 out of 10! Well done Zoraida Cordova!
July 4, 2024
if xiri and/or phan-tu die in cataclysm then i’m dying with them
January 26, 2023
“Peace, is a choice.”
In a world where all the stories have massive repercussions and connotations, we are presented with a more self-contained, small-scaled story but one that is just as fun, emotional, and deep as you can expect.
Diving right into the long-standing conflict between the sibling planets of E'ronoh and Eiram we have a much more political thriller than anything else intertwined with a beautiful love story that adds all the flavor you could need. Mixed with a diverse cast, filled with opposing views and you have an enthralling book.
It certainly became one of my favorite books by the charisma of its characters and the sheer intrigue and lore of the worlds we get to explore more intimately.
“It was a cycle of never-ending war and violence. War was her inheritance. War was constant, not peace.”
“Perhaps some people were contradictions. Perhaps understanding someone completely meant accepting those contradictions.”
The protagonists of the story, Phan-tu and Xiri, were such an explosive and fun combination. Coming from opposing planets, enemies by birth and the heirs to a long-standing, bloody conflict filling everyone's heart with resentment and rage, forced to become allies by circumstance.
I loved both of them because of how much devotion they had for their people and how hard they are working to end a cycle of war and death.
Xiri is the perfect example of a warrior princess and yet isn't. Because there is so much more to her. She's smart and brave and strong and relentless but compassionate and caring in a way that makes her quite admirable. Phan-tu, on the other hand, is the gentle survivor, completely given to help his people but with a backbone of stone and the bravery to do what's needed. Together, they are quite possibly one of my favorite pairings to read in this whole series, so far.
I couldn't stop wanting to get more and more of their interactions.
Gella and Axel are their antithesis, in some ways. While there is distrust and complicated feelings intersperse they certainly go around them in different ways.
Being a Jedi it comes as no surprise that Gella Nattai would uphold the peace and have a strong moral compass, but seeing her shine through the interactions she has with Axel, who distrust the Jedi was really fun.
Axel Greylark has got to be one of the biggest highlights of this book for me. He is chaotic and carefree but so bogged down by the past that I fell in love immediately. Layered as he is, there is always something new about him to keep making things interesting, but it is his core that makes him a truly outstanding character.
The four of them together have such great chemistry that they make the book lighter, despite the heavy themes it deals with.
“If the Force is a balance, then so is peace.”
At its core, the main theme we see through this book is the cycles of war and the choice of peace.
Simple as it is to say it, Convergence does a great job of fleshing out just how difficult it is to break the one and choose the other and how heartbreaking and devastating they can be.
While sibling planets, orbiting the same moon, Eiram and E'ronoh have been long-time enemies for reasons lost to time but perpetuated by blood. While proclaiming to want peace they are still tied down by their long past of resentment, and it's killing them both.
Seeing these worlds struggle so much to find a way out of the past was truly inspiring and touching. It's relatable enough with modern times and a great critique of the world around us. It was well handled and enhanced by every turn taken.
Usually, the Jedi would be the ones to set such a conflict to right but the beauty of this book is that, in this instance, it is only their own people, with their own plans, that can manage it, for the Jedi have tried and failed in the past.
“So, yes, much of what Jedi do is confront fear, feel it, conquer it. Accept that it is a part of me like anything else.”
Even though it's not the center stage of the story, seeing the interactions between Axel and Gella were really interesting points in the story.
Normally, every time we are introduced to a new Jeid, and they are consequentially introduced to the world around them as well, we see them being appreciated and, to some degree, admired for their work around the galaxy and their abilities. The only times when this is broken is by villains. So seeing someone have legitimate reasons to be distrustful, even resentful towards them was refreshing and intriguing.
It puts Gella constantly on the off foot and Axel so on guard that their interactions are just fun.
The result of all these interactions is not what I had expected but it certainly is something that just made me love the book all the more.
“He had no voice, but deep inside, all he wanted to do was scream because even his own scream was better than his silence.”
While, yes, Convergence is much more a political thriller, and thus deals mostly with the delicacies that governing brings with them and the underhanded plotting that comes with it, there is also the standard Star Wars action, at least in some degrees.
It might not be filled to the brim with one battle after the other but the few it does have were quite fun.
Though even those needed a healthy dose of cunning to be solved.
However, I greatly enjoyed the chaos of the ending.
“Get up, my heart. You are thylefire-made, and the scorpion does not cry.”
Córdova certainly made a splashing debut into The High Republic era of storytelling with yet another unique and different entrance.
It might be easily tacked as inconsequential or lesser compared to previous entrances in the series but I certainly fell in love with the smaller setting and the more intimate, and quite punchy and emotional, themes that it deals with.
The cliffhanger at the end was very unsettling, as well, and it does nothing but make me want to read the next book immediately.
“She used to think if she had more of him, it would be enough to move him past their sorrows. She was beginning to realize she had to decide when it was enough.”
________________
I liked this book so much!
Sure, it wasn't anything close to what I had expected but it was all the better for that reason.
Axel is one new favorite character now.
RTC.
_________________
Considering I demolished the last book in less than a day I think I'm gonna venture into this one sooner than I expected.
I have high expectations, just by virtue of all the past books in this series, but I'll try to temper them down a bit so that I don't end up frustrated. Just in case.
December 13, 2022
Almost a week and a half after finishing Convergence, I am still baffled that this book just did not work for me. I loved Path of Deceit and went in so excited to see where Phase 2 was going to head next. Convergence follows the conflict between Eiram and E'ronoh that is highlighted in Phase 2's opening crawl. This is sort of a marriage of convenience romance meets political murder mystery, which sounds like it should be absolutely my cup of tea.
The primary reason Convergence fell flat for me was the lack of character development. The story follows Jedi Knight Gella, Chancellor Kyong’s son Axel, E'ronoh's princess Xiri, and Eiram's prince Phan-tu. Gella is one of the main points of view in Convergence yet I finished the book feeling like I didn't really know her at all. The other key characters were also under-developed with 1-2 traits serving as their whole personalities. This made it really hard for me to root for them.
I did enjoy the rich worldbuilding of Eiram and E'ronoh. Each world felt vibrant with a unique geopolitical landscape. There were lots of incredible details about rituals, customs, and types of fashion that made these places feel real.
The primary reason Convergence fell flat for me was the lack of character development. The story follows Jedi Knight Gella, Chancellor Kyong’s son Axel, E'ronoh's princess Xiri, and Eiram's prince Phan-tu. Gella is one of the main points of view in Convergence yet I finished the book feeling like I didn't really know her at all. The other key characters were also under-developed with 1-2 traits serving as their whole personalities. This made it really hard for me to root for them.
I did enjoy the rich worldbuilding of Eiram and E'ronoh. Each world felt vibrant with a unique geopolitical landscape. There were lots of incredible details about rituals, customs, and types of fashion that made these places feel real.
November 24, 2022
Star Wars: The High Republic: Convergence by Zoraida Córdova continues phase two with the first Adult book set in this era, and similar to Path of Deceit I think it's more character-focused and not as much plot focused which comes with its strengths and weaknesses. Spoilers Follow:
The Good:
The breath of fresh air that the High Republic supplied was a surplus of new characters, locations, and events that the new Star Wars canon was desperate for. Phase two has also opened its doors to new authors to this part of the timeline being able to throw their hat in the ring, and it seems that the new authors are bringing a lot of what they do best to the era, and Zoraida Córdova knows Romance, so this novel is a romance novel.
E'ronoh & Eiram:
I extremely enjoyed the two planets where the majority of this novel took place, and I love the amazing job Córdova did with developing the two worlds so that you can effortlessly picture the texture of their lives and the types of people that live there. The rocky and desolate red planet E'ronoh is filled with people who are as stubborn as the mountains that they dwell in. However Eiram isn't a cakewalk either, the water world is ravaged by monsoons and their planet has shaped them to be a flexible accommodating culture albeit a little deceitful. It reminded me a bit of Onderon in the Legends Tales of the Jedi comic. You can see the amount of world-building that went into the setting of this book, and it's definitely a huge highlight.
Xiri/Phan-tu:
This romance is a bit different than what he has seen in previous books, in that it is somewhat of an arranged marriage or a marriage of convenience. Our Prince and Princess are not really Romeo or Juliet, instead, they are competent adults making a risky political maneuver to end the violence on both of their planets. When reading the synopsis I definitely thought this was going to be more of a forbidden love similar to Attack of the Clones, but I liked how Córdova plays this part of the book. Seeing them meet, navigating tenuous peace talks, to their wedding was another fascinating part of this book. Out of all the things that I look forward to in the next book, it's seeing the further resolution of these two characters.
The Supporting Cast:
Another beacon of this novel was the well-fleshed-out side characters. I love the Supreme Chancellor Orlen Mollo, often in Legends, the Quarren were type-casted as being just universally bad guys. Similar to how Ruug recontextualized the Neimoidian in Mike Chen's brotherhood so too does Orlen Mollo offer a more positive look at the Quarren. I love his attitude, I love his cute little outfits, I like quarrens squirt ink when they have a bad dream. I just love Orlen Mollo and how he isn’t afraid to get on his ship and help out on the frontier. I also enjoyed the Jedi supporting cast with Creighton Sun, Char-Ryl-Roy, and Enya Keen. Creighton felt like a wise mentor that Jedi are known to be. Char-Ryl-Roy was fun, and I loved the pestering bubbly personality of Enya Keen.
The Bad:
While I was absolutely in love with all of the adult phase one novels in The High Republic and found the Path of Deceit to be incredible. This book was good, and while it was far from bad, it is my least favorite of The High Republic Adult novels by a decent margin.
Gella Nattai & Axel Greylark:
This element of the book was the most frustrating, and I just didn't think the choice to make a more romance-focused novel play dueling ships was a good idea. I love the way that Gella Nattai is introduced in this book. Using a unique Jedi Power that is an obscure Star Wars Legends Force Power that is a key directly into my heart, but then she just kind of loiters around in there. The High Republic in phase one made great strides in defining what a Jedi can be, should be, and what they want to be. Gella just seems happy to be in a Star Wars novel. Like she is everything that a Jedi should be, but a lot of her personality seems a little underdeveloped. But then in comes the wreaking ball of bad character development a bad romance. Axel/Gella is just so bad, and I just don't care for Axel at all, I imagine we will see some more character growth in the second book, but here I just wanted to load Axel into a canon and launch him into the sun to save Gella of having to deal with him. I found the romance of Path of Deceit to also strike the same nerve, with what if a Jedi fell in love with someone who really doesn't like Jedi, but there I found it interesting, here I found it not to my liking. I know countless people will find the bad-boy Axel and good-do-Jedi will they won't they game to be fun, and by no means let me yuck your yum, but I don't like it.
The Villains:
The Path of the Open Hand is the villain in this book, by the loosest definition, but it suffers from just a lack of presence. That lack of presence led me to call the twist on this novel which sometimes can feel great, but here it didn’t. I knew Axel from the start was going to be somehow involved with the Path of the Open Hand. Before he even arrived in the system after leaving Coruscant I knew that the fail-son of the Supreme Chancellor was going to be more than just a rugged scoundrel.
TLDR:
Overall, this book is good and I enjoyed my time with it, but it's also my least favorite of what the High Republic has had to offer so far. I think it's a good standalone novel, but I think that the YA Path of Deceit is a better introduction to the era.
The Good:
The breath of fresh air that the High Republic supplied was a surplus of new characters, locations, and events that the new Star Wars canon was desperate for. Phase two has also opened its doors to new authors to this part of the timeline being able to throw their hat in the ring, and it seems that the new authors are bringing a lot of what they do best to the era, and Zoraida Córdova knows Romance, so this novel is a romance novel.
E'ronoh & Eiram:
I extremely enjoyed the two planets where the majority of this novel took place, and I love the amazing job Córdova did with developing the two worlds so that you can effortlessly picture the texture of their lives and the types of people that live there. The rocky and desolate red planet E'ronoh is filled with people who are as stubborn as the mountains that they dwell in. However Eiram isn't a cakewalk either, the water world is ravaged by monsoons and their planet has shaped them to be a flexible accommodating culture albeit a little deceitful. It reminded me a bit of Onderon in the Legends Tales of the Jedi comic. You can see the amount of world-building that went into the setting of this book, and it's definitely a huge highlight.
Xiri/Phan-tu:
This romance is a bit different than what he has seen in previous books, in that it is somewhat of an arranged marriage or a marriage of convenience. Our Prince and Princess are not really Romeo or Juliet, instead, they are competent adults making a risky political maneuver to end the violence on both of their planets. When reading the synopsis I definitely thought this was going to be more of a forbidden love similar to Attack of the Clones, but I liked how Córdova plays this part of the book. Seeing them meet, navigating tenuous peace talks, to their wedding was another fascinating part of this book. Out of all the things that I look forward to in the next book, it's seeing the further resolution of these two characters.
The Supporting Cast:
Another beacon of this novel was the well-fleshed-out side characters. I love the Supreme Chancellor Orlen Mollo, often in Legends, the Quarren were type-casted as being just universally bad guys. Similar to how Ruug recontextualized the Neimoidian in Mike Chen's brotherhood so too does Orlen Mollo offer a more positive look at the Quarren. I love his attitude, I love his cute little outfits, I like quarrens squirt ink when they have a bad dream. I just love Orlen Mollo and how he isn’t afraid to get on his ship and help out on the frontier. I also enjoyed the Jedi supporting cast with Creighton Sun, Char-Ryl-Roy, and Enya Keen. Creighton felt like a wise mentor that Jedi are known to be. Char-Ryl-Roy was fun, and I loved the pestering bubbly personality of Enya Keen.
The Bad:
While I was absolutely in love with all of the adult phase one novels in The High Republic and found the Path of Deceit to be incredible. This book was good, and while it was far from bad, it is my least favorite of The High Republic Adult novels by a decent margin.
Gella Nattai & Axel Greylark:
This element of the book was the most frustrating, and I just didn't think the choice to make a more romance-focused novel play dueling ships was a good idea. I love the way that Gella Nattai is introduced in this book. Using a unique Jedi Power that is an obscure Star Wars Legends Force Power that is a key directly into my heart, but then she just kind of loiters around in there. The High Republic in phase one made great strides in defining what a Jedi can be, should be, and what they want to be. Gella just seems happy to be in a Star Wars novel. Like she is everything that a Jedi should be, but a lot of her personality seems a little underdeveloped. But then in comes the wreaking ball of bad character development a bad romance. Axel/Gella is just so bad, and I just don't care for Axel at all, I imagine we will see some more character growth in the second book, but here I just wanted to load Axel into a canon and launch him into the sun to save Gella of having to deal with him. I found the romance of Path of Deceit to also strike the same nerve, with what if a Jedi fell in love with someone who really doesn't like Jedi, but there I found it interesting, here I found it not to my liking. I know countless people will find the bad-boy Axel and good-do-Jedi will they won't they game to be fun, and by no means let me yuck your yum, but I don't like it.
The Villains:
The Path of the Open Hand is the villain in this book, by the loosest definition, but it suffers from just a lack of presence. That lack of presence led me to call the twist on this novel which sometimes can feel great, but here it didn’t. I knew Axel from the start was going to be somehow involved with the Path of the Open Hand. Before he even arrived in the system after leaving Coruscant I knew that the fail-son of the Supreme Chancellor was going to be more than just a rugged scoundrel.
TLDR:
Overall, this book is good and I enjoyed my time with it, but it's also my least favorite of what the High Republic has had to offer so far. I think it's a good standalone novel, but I think that the YA Path of Deceit is a better introduction to the era.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2024
gella “i could fix him but what’s wrong with him is much funnier” nattai
—
okay listen up because i have SO many thoughts about this book. yes they are all positive. yes they are all unhinged
first of all. this is the best high republic book in the entire series. haters argue with the wall. if u rated this anything lower than 5 stars ur wrong, sorry not sorry
at first i was skeptical about phase ii but now i am so sold. zoraida cordova could literally take all my money i NEED her to write axel and gella like i need to breathe oxygen. the brainrot these two have given me is insane. yes xiri and phan-tu are awesome and a great match but there is just SOMETHING about a jedi/non-jedi ship that hits different. the moment u add a jedi to a romance i am immediately devoted. this is why jedi ships are so incredibly powerful. evidence: avar/elzar being THE ship of phase i. when it’s a non-jedi/non-jedi ship, that’s awesome. when it’s jedi/non-jedi, it’s AWESOME. when it’s jedi/jedi, the kids go wild. the pining and longing omg i live for that shit i cannot stress this enough
axel did not have me at the beginning. but boy did he have me by the end. the cardan greenbriar vibes are incredibly strong with this one. he’s a good guy… did he commit murder and terrorism? maybe. but he’s just a little guy. locking him up was so disrespectful tbh.
SPEAKING OF LOCKING HIM UP. IT EXPLICITLY SAYS GELLA WAS THE ONE TO ARREST HIM AT THE END. WHY WAS THIS SCENE NOT WRITTEN. WHY WAS THIS NOT IN THE BOOK. i want to see their mutual heartbreak. gella’s reaction beyond immediately leaving after axel admits he’s fallen for her. i can’t do this anymore
i couldn’t help thinking the whole book about how much gella and vernestra would get along. the fact that they are born 250 years apart is criminal. they both give burnt out gifted kid vibes. i would pay so much money to see ONE interaction between them, even if it’s a force ghost interaction, à la elzar and luke in the comics!! they even have the same lightsaber color… imagine the potential
i have to give love to xiri and phan-tu too. these two are too iconic. them meeting and her immediately holding her dagger to his throat? UNMATCHED. everyone else go home. they win the enemies to lovers war
THE WEDDING WAS AMAZING. xiri shooting a bunch of people and THEN kissing phan-tu reminded me of elizabeth and will getting married in pirates of the caribbean. there’s just something about everything going to hell around them but all they see is each other. i’m so normal
okay i promise there is more i liked about this book than just the romance. i really adored the overall plot since political fantasy is my SHIT. the tour of the planets was such a genius way of comparing and contrasting the two different cultures of eiram and e’ronoh. side note but it’s kinda funny they call the war the “forever war” when it was literally five years long. i get there were tensions brewing long before that but the dramatic flair is so funny
i really want to go on to cataclysm immediately but i'm gonna pace myself. i have to finish wave i before i can go on but that ending was so ominous… axelgella i need u back for my mental health
fun fact this was the first book i bought before i had even begun reading thr. i thought this was the first book… literally what was i thinking i'm not even close😭 i only realized i bought the wrong book when i went home and that’s when i was like “damn i better get started then” and so i started reading light of the jedi
k to kind of wrap up, this book made me absolutely feral. the girlies who rated this book five stars… your taste is elite.
moral of the story: gella and axel. that’s it
goodbye
—
okay listen up because i have SO many thoughts about this book. yes they are all positive. yes they are all unhinged
first of all. this is the best high republic book in the entire series. haters argue with the wall. if u rated this anything lower than 5 stars ur wrong, sorry not sorry
at first i was skeptical about phase ii but now i am so sold. zoraida cordova could literally take all my money i NEED her to write axel and gella like i need to breathe oxygen. the brainrot these two have given me is insane. yes xiri and phan-tu are awesome and a great match but there is just SOMETHING about a jedi/non-jedi ship that hits different. the moment u add a jedi to a romance i am immediately devoted. this is why jedi ships are so incredibly powerful. evidence: avar/elzar being THE ship of phase i. when it’s a non-jedi/non-jedi ship, that’s awesome. when it’s jedi/non-jedi, it’s AWESOME. when it’s jedi/jedi, the kids go wild. the pining and longing omg i live for that shit i cannot stress this enough
axel did not have me at the beginning. but boy did he have me by the end. the cardan greenbriar vibes are incredibly strong with this one. he’s a good guy… did he commit murder and terrorism? maybe. but he’s just a little guy. locking him up was so disrespectful tbh.
SPEAKING OF LOCKING HIM UP. IT EXPLICITLY SAYS GELLA WAS THE ONE TO ARREST HIM AT THE END. WHY WAS THIS SCENE NOT WRITTEN. WHY WAS THIS NOT IN THE BOOK. i want to see their mutual heartbreak. gella’s reaction beyond immediately leaving after axel admits he’s fallen for her. i can’t do this anymore
i couldn’t help thinking the whole book about how much gella and vernestra would get along. the fact that they are born 250 years apart is criminal. they both give burnt out gifted kid vibes. i would pay so much money to see ONE interaction between them, even if it’s a force ghost interaction, à la elzar and luke in the comics!! they even have the same lightsaber color… imagine the potential
i have to give love to xiri and phan-tu too. these two are too iconic. them meeting and her immediately holding her dagger to his throat? UNMATCHED. everyone else go home. they win the enemies to lovers war
THE WEDDING WAS AMAZING. xiri shooting a bunch of people and THEN kissing phan-tu reminded me of elizabeth and will getting married in pirates of the caribbean. there’s just something about everything going to hell around them but all they see is each other. i’m so normal
okay i promise there is more i liked about this book than just the romance. i really adored the overall plot since political fantasy is my SHIT. the tour of the planets was such a genius way of comparing and contrasting the two different cultures of eiram and e’ronoh. side note but it’s kinda funny they call the war the “forever war” when it was literally five years long. i get there were tensions brewing long before that but the dramatic flair is so funny
i really want to go on to cataclysm immediately but i'm gonna pace myself. i have to finish wave i before i can go on but that ending was so ominous… axelgella i need u back for my mental health
fun fact this was the first book i bought before i had even begun reading thr. i thought this was the first book… literally what was i thinking i'm not even close😭 i only realized i bought the wrong book when i went home and that’s when i was like “damn i better get started then” and so i started reading light of the jedi
k to kind of wrap up, this book made me absolutely feral. the girlies who rated this book five stars… your taste is elite.
moral of the story: gella and axel. that’s it
goodbye
November 5, 2025
As a huge Star Wars fan, I was looking forward to diving into this one, especially after enjoying another one of Zoraida Córdova's books. Unfortunately, this installment in The High Republic era ultimately fell flat for me.
While the story contains familiar Star Wars elements, with plenty of references to specific planets and species, the complicated storyline was heavy on political intrigue and had less emphasis on character connection. I struggled to connect with any of the protagonists, and the overall pacing felt sluggish and uneven. It felt more like a disposable filler arc, akin to a series of filler episodes from The Clone Wars. I found myself letting the audiobook play passively in the background, unable to fully immerse myself or retain the details of the plot.
The audiobook was a truly high-budget production, boasting theatrical sound effects—from clashing lightsabers and explosions, to droid beeps, blaster fire, and classic Star Wars music. The narrator had a wide range of voices and accents for the cast. However, I couldn't get past the voice chosen for the main male character, Axel. I felt like it didn't really match the personality he was meant to portray, which was a constant distraction throughout the listening experience.
Overall, Convergence didn't capture the magic I look for in a Star Wars novel, falling flat, despite the high production value of the audio version.
While the story contains familiar Star Wars elements, with plenty of references to specific planets and species, the complicated storyline was heavy on political intrigue and had less emphasis on character connection. I struggled to connect with any of the protagonists, and the overall pacing felt sluggish and uneven. It felt more like a disposable filler arc, akin to a series of filler episodes from The Clone Wars. I found myself letting the audiobook play passively in the background, unable to fully immerse myself or retain the details of the plot.
The audiobook was a truly high-budget production, boasting theatrical sound effects—from clashing lightsabers and explosions, to droid beeps, blaster fire, and classic Star Wars music. The narrator had a wide range of voices and accents for the cast. However, I couldn't get past the voice chosen for the main male character, Axel. I felt like it didn't really match the personality he was meant to portray, which was a constant distraction throughout the listening experience.
Overall, Convergence didn't capture the magic I look for in a Star Wars novel, falling flat, despite the high production value of the audio version.
February 15, 2023
Space Opera high adventure and intrigue return after the (relatively) low stakes of "Path of Deceit" with a group of Jedi and Old Republic politicians thrown into the tumultuous system of E'ronoh/Eiram on a fraught quest to bring peace to these Forever War-ing worlds that can't even agree on what to call their shared moon.
As is so often the case not all is as it appears but with strong protagonists in the next generation of local royals anxious to try a different way, the noble Jedi Knight Gella Nattai and ne'er-do-well estranged son of (one of!) the Galactic Chancellors we are treated to an enjoyable romp across desert dunes and tempestuous seas with the all-too-fragile promise of peace hanging in the balance.
As is so often the case not all is as it appears but with strong protagonists in the next generation of local royals anxious to try a different way, the noble Jedi Knight Gella Nattai and ne'er-do-well estranged son of (one of!) the Galactic Chancellors we are treated to an enjoyable romp across desert dunes and tempestuous seas with the all-too-fragile promise of peace hanging in the balance.
December 9, 2022
The pros:
- On a sentence by sentence level this was written well.
- I like the main four characters we were given
- I think the idea of breaking generational violence is something we need explored (perhaps not so obviously and heavy handedly)
- I love Wayseekers. Give me more of them, I'm happy to see it.
The Cons:
- I think possibly this was meant to be paced and structured like the prequel movies. That unfortunately didn't work. This was a whole mess.
- There were far too many cooks in the kitchen. We had needless PoVs from smaller side characters, that instead of helping the story instead hindered it. It made it overly confusing and at times gave me a serious case of whiplash.
- And Axel. Poor, two dimensional Axel. He was good then he was bad. Then he was good, then he was bad. We were told he hated the Jedi - but it was hardly on page. He did a bad thing but let's mostly ignore that because we need to sympathize with him (because of the implied romance that could be there). I wish we could have committed to Evil Axel or Good Axel. I love a conflicted and morally gray character but this was not it.
- On a sentence by sentence level this was written well.
- I like the main four characters we were given
- I think the idea of breaking generational violence is something we need explored (perhaps not so obviously and heavy handedly)
- I love Wayseekers. Give me more of them, I'm happy to see it.
The Cons:
- I think possibly this was meant to be paced and structured like the prequel movies. That unfortunately didn't work. This was a whole mess.
- There were far too many cooks in the kitchen. We had needless PoVs from smaller side characters, that instead of helping the story instead hindered it. It made it overly confusing and at times gave me a serious case of whiplash.
- And Axel. Poor, two dimensional Axel. He was good then he was bad. Then he was good, then he was bad. We were told he hated the Jedi - but it was hardly on page. He did a bad thing but let's mostly ignore that because we need to sympathize with him (because of the implied romance that could be there). I wish we could have committed to Evil Axel or Good Axel. I love a conflicted and morally gray character but this was not it.
October 11, 2023
Our First Adult Novel in Phase II of the High Republic was a win, I’d say a 4/5 stars.
This was an exciting edition to the Star Wars canon. In Phase One we were introduced to the the conflict between Eiram and E’Ronoh, and in this book we got to watch it unfold. We are introduced to a whole new cast of characters, all of who play a pivotal role in the history of these two strife filled nation-worlds.
It is very interesting, much like how the prequels came after the original series and we as fans knew some things that would happen; a similar thing happens here. In Phase 1, Eiram and E’Ronoh are back at odds with each other, however, the end of Convergence leads you to believe peace has finally been achieved. The fact that Phase 1 and 2 are “incongruent” right now actually is a perfect cliffhanger to make me want to continue through the series.
In terms of new characters, the Jedi seem to be your standard High Republic characters and with the exception of Gella, are largely boring and inconsequential to me. To me, the star of the book is Axel Greylark - son of the Chancellor turned follower of the Path is a fascinating character. His reveal as one of the “Big Bad’s” was very thinly veiled and even with the thin veil did not ruin his character.
Something that I liked, having just read The Path of Deceit, is that this didn’t REALLY tie into the YA novel. In Phase 1, you often witnessed the same event over and over again through different lens between the Adult and YA novels. With these two, you didn’t really have that, they were wholly self-contained stories and that was refreshing. Eiram and E’Ronoh were mentioned in Deceit, but you didn’t witness it. I also think that the only character who overlaps is the Mother, and it is minimal cross over.
Definitely a good read, be sure to pick it up!
This was an exciting edition to the Star Wars canon. In Phase One we were introduced to the the conflict between Eiram and E’Ronoh, and in this book we got to watch it unfold. We are introduced to a whole new cast of characters, all of who play a pivotal role in the history of these two strife filled nation-worlds.
It is very interesting, much like how the prequels came after the original series and we as fans knew some things that would happen; a similar thing happens here. In Phase 1, Eiram and E’Ronoh are back at odds with each other, however, the end of Convergence leads you to believe peace has finally been achieved. The fact that Phase 1 and 2 are “incongruent” right now actually is a perfect cliffhanger to make me want to continue through the series.
In terms of new characters, the Jedi seem to be your standard High Republic characters and with the exception of Gella, are largely boring and inconsequential to me. To me, the star of the book is Axel Greylark - son of the Chancellor turned follower of the Path is a fascinating character. His reveal as one of the “Big Bad’s” was very thinly veiled and even with the thin veil did not ruin his character.
Something that I liked, having just read The Path of Deceit, is that this didn’t REALLY tie into the YA novel. In Phase 1, you often witnessed the same event over and over again through different lens between the Adult and YA novels. With these two, you didn’t really have that, they were wholly self-contained stories and that was refreshing. Eiram and E’Ronoh were mentioned in Deceit, but you didn’t witness it. I also think that the only character who overlaps is the Mother, and it is minimal cross over.
Definitely a good read, be sure to pick it up!
February 28, 2023
Solid 4⭐️, quick read set in the Star Wars universe! This was a great set of new characters and not too heavy on the politics (which is never a fav for me). I would love to read more of their stories!
January 15, 2023
Between all the typographical errors, grammatical errors, clichés, antagonists with no purpose for their actions, and how they continue to ruin Yoda, it’s clear that the people in charge of these books don’t care anymore.
November 23, 2022
god I love mess and Axel Greylark is a messy, messy boy
August 29, 2024
It’s not easy for me to write this review. During the week that I listened to the audiobook of Convergence, I heard the news of the cancelation of The Acolyte. And then I looked at various forums online in the days that followed as many extremely vocal people (with, apparently, significant spare time) who celebrated the cancelation with the most spiteful, hateful, unintelligent comments I’ve yet read about Star Wars, or any other story. Many of these commenters openly admitted not having watched the series, and a lot of the comments brought further confusion to what exactly the word “woke” means in any given context. It seems to now mean basically “bad,” though with an unreflective and intentionally hurtful connotation. I’m weary of it—the word, the obsessions with bringing uninformed commentary to discussions that ought to focus on a story, and, most of all, the sense that Star Wars will never grow up and push beyond its simplistic limitations. The Acolyte brought so much depth to SW, a meditation on aspects of the story that have not yet been explored—different responses to trauma, the ongoing effects of unconfessed sin, the question of who wields the authority to determine the categories of the galaxy and its denizens, the shifting definitions of those categories, the desire to be creative (and procreative) amidst many challenges in society, the complexities of doing good to those around you when you’re placed in a situation you don’t fully understand, the meanings of peace and justice . . . The list goes on and on. A Star Wars series brought up all of those themes and let them play out through shifting perspectives that change with each viewing, all set against a beautiful musical score by Michael Abels that brings every era of Star Wars music together in an engaging way.
That’s the series that has been canceled.
Some fans call for it to be entirely removed from the canon of SW—for reasons that include “the series makes the Jedi look like the villains.” We’re talking about a story that began with a couple of elderly Jedi trying to convince a teenager to murder his father so they can continue to hide the past failures of the Jedi, right? A story that then moved to prequels in which a “wise” teacher said to one of his students, “Your best friend made some big mistakes. Please go kill him”? The Jedi have never been fully “the good guys,” and a reckoning is essential. The Acolyte faced all that with depth and intelligence. With that series canceled, will this mythology ever mature? If not, then I’m done with SW—but I still want to believe it can grow in ways that The Acolyte started leading toward.
With all that in my thinking, I listened to Convergence, the third book in Phase 2 of the High Republic era. I wouldn’t have enjoyed this novel anyway, but in these circumstances, it really frustrated me. It takes some of the elements of the previous book, Path of Deceit, and renders them bland and cliché. Path of Deceit introduced the Path of the Open Hand, which gave an intriguing new perspective on the Force, as a challenge to the Jedi’s way of thinking. It didn’t last—by the end of that book, the Path had been revealed as much less intriguing than I’d hoped. But when they appear in Convergence, they’ve become nothing more than a gang of thugs and pirates, wreaking havoc for no particular reason. Why are they involved in the war between these two planets? No explanation.
Speaking of the two planets . . . as the novel opens, they are locked in a “forever war,” which apparently has been raging for . . . five years? I can’t understand why anyone in the galaxy cares that these two planets have been bickering with each other recently. This is a galaxy we’re talking about—presumably, thousands and thousands of planets. I don’t see the urgency of this particular story.
The setup for the novel is fine, but then the second half moves through a tedious series of loosely connected side quests (I sometimes lost track of who was where and why it mattered) and unsurprising double-crosses. Then it ended.
The audiobook made the story more challenging to endure than it might have been otherwise. The reader, Marc Thompson, gives the most distractingly over-the-top corny performance I've heard in an audiobook. And all of that was supported by repetitive sound effects and musical cues from other Star Wars movies that made me think of the scenes the music was written for instead of the story being read.
As I said, I can’t look at this novel objectively, because I’m feeling so frustrated with Star Wars storytelling and “fans” right now. But I find it odd that of the first three novels of Phase 2, one is intended for young readers, one for young adults, and this one for adults. But Convergence really seems to be the most childish of the three. Path of Deceit, were it free of the awful teeny romance stuff, would have been by far the most grown-up book of the three. I’ll continue through Phase 2, but three books in, I’m already feeling the same way I felt about what I read of Phase 1, and what I’ve read of SW books generally. Lots of potential, but quickly overwhelmed by cliché and franchise plot requirements. “I know I’m better than this,” Anakin says in Attack of the Clones, perhaps speaking for Star Wars itself.
That’s the series that has been canceled.
Some fans call for it to be entirely removed from the canon of SW—for reasons that include “the series makes the Jedi look like the villains.” We’re talking about a story that began with a couple of elderly Jedi trying to convince a teenager to murder his father so they can continue to hide the past failures of the Jedi, right? A story that then moved to prequels in which a “wise” teacher said to one of his students, “Your best friend made some big mistakes. Please go kill him”? The Jedi have never been fully “the good guys,” and a reckoning is essential. The Acolyte faced all that with depth and intelligence. With that series canceled, will this mythology ever mature? If not, then I’m done with SW—but I still want to believe it can grow in ways that The Acolyte started leading toward.
With all that in my thinking, I listened to Convergence, the third book in Phase 2 of the High Republic era. I wouldn’t have enjoyed this novel anyway, but in these circumstances, it really frustrated me. It takes some of the elements of the previous book, Path of Deceit, and renders them bland and cliché. Path of Deceit introduced the Path of the Open Hand, which gave an intriguing new perspective on the Force, as a challenge to the Jedi’s way of thinking. It didn’t last—by the end of that book, the Path had been revealed as much less intriguing than I’d hoped. But when they appear in Convergence, they’ve become nothing more than a gang of thugs and pirates, wreaking havoc for no particular reason. Why are they involved in the war between these two planets? No explanation.
Speaking of the two planets . . . as the novel opens, they are locked in a “forever war,” which apparently has been raging for . . . five years? I can’t understand why anyone in the galaxy cares that these two planets have been bickering with each other recently. This is a galaxy we’re talking about—presumably, thousands and thousands of planets. I don’t see the urgency of this particular story.
The setup for the novel is fine, but then the second half moves through a tedious series of loosely connected side quests (I sometimes lost track of who was where and why it mattered) and unsurprising double-crosses. Then it ended.
The audiobook made the story more challenging to endure than it might have been otherwise. The reader, Marc Thompson, gives the most distractingly over-the-top corny performance I've heard in an audiobook. And all of that was supported by repetitive sound effects and musical cues from other Star Wars movies that made me think of the scenes the music was written for instead of the story being read.
As I said, I can’t look at this novel objectively, because I’m feeling so frustrated with Star Wars storytelling and “fans” right now. But I find it odd that of the first three novels of Phase 2, one is intended for young readers, one for young adults, and this one for adults. But Convergence really seems to be the most childish of the three. Path of Deceit, were it free of the awful teeny romance stuff, would have been by far the most grown-up book of the three. I’ll continue through Phase 2, but three books in, I’m already feeling the same way I felt about what I read of Phase 1, and what I’ve read of SW books generally. Lots of potential, but quickly overwhelmed by cliché and franchise plot requirements. “I know I’m better than this,” Anakin says in Attack of the Clones, perhaps speaking for Star Wars itself.
January 14, 2023
Hearing that Zoraida Córdova was going to be writing for The High Republic, one of my absolute favourite ongoing series, was an exciting prospect. Not only because of the stories she’s previously told in the Star Wars universe, but because as a fan of her work generally, I was excited to see how the larger political/historical framing of the era would fit together with the kind of character- and emotion-driven stories she usually tells.
Needless to say her novel Convergence, the first adult-geared novel in Phase II, did not disappoint in any respect. It was exactly what I could have hoped for and then some.
The story is centered around the worlds of Eiran and E’ronoh who have been at war for five years, and naturally everyone involved is suffering for it. When a relief shipment delivered by the Jedi coincides with an escalation in tensions, E’ronoh’s princess Xiri and Eiran’s prince Phan-tu decide they should get married, and begin a goodwill mission to convince their people of the ceasefire and to garner their support for the union.
Along for the ride are Jedi Knight Galla Nattai, who is attempting to keep the two safe from the dangerous factions that would see one or both of them dead, and the space rake himself Axel Greylark, son of one of the Republic’s chancellors, who has reasons both above- and below-board for coming along on the trip.
Convergence has all the hallmarks of what makes The High Republic so great, with that interconnected story we love to see, and elements of other stories popping in to round out the mystery and intrigue. But what really, really makes this book soar are the core cast of characters.
Xiri and Phan-tu were such a surprise, because the official description of the book made me think the two of them would be background characters, secondary to the concerns of the Jedi and the Republic. Don’t ask me why. I should have known Córdova would never do that to us.
A marriage of convenience? In my Star Wars? Between two people just trying to do their best? I’m all in.
Galla Nattai is yet another reason why The High Republic is such a fascinating study in the Jedi. She is dedicated to the Force, and feels it keenly as a part of herself, and is particularly attuned to the feelings of those around her. She has a curiosity and a desire to learn that she never apologizes for, and indeed never lets it hold her back. She feels both like the purest expression of what it means to be a Jedi, and so grounded in the reality and messiness that is life, that she stands wholly apart in her own way.
And then of course we have our space rake Axel Greylark. A Chacellor’s son with just enough damage/I-can-fix-him-ness mixed with just enough redeemability and angst that he is going to steal the hearts of readers everywhere. Every era of Star Wars just gifts me with a broody, angry, dark-haired boy to root for, and Phase II is no exception.
I sound like a broken record at this point, but if you’re not reading The High Republic, you are genuinely missing out. More to the point, if you are a romance reader, who is in any way interested in Star Wars, then this book more than any other is for you. The characters and tropes hit that sweet spot just so, and will have you anxiously awaiting the next book (is it spring yet?)
Convergence hits shelves on November 15, 2022. Special thank you to Del Rey for the advance copy for review purposes.
Needless to say her novel Convergence, the first adult-geared novel in Phase II, did not disappoint in any respect. It was exactly what I could have hoped for and then some.
The story is centered around the worlds of Eiran and E’ronoh who have been at war for five years, and naturally everyone involved is suffering for it. When a relief shipment delivered by the Jedi coincides with an escalation in tensions, E’ronoh’s princess Xiri and Eiran’s prince Phan-tu decide they should get married, and begin a goodwill mission to convince their people of the ceasefire and to garner their support for the union.
Along for the ride are Jedi Knight Galla Nattai, who is attempting to keep the two safe from the dangerous factions that would see one or both of them dead, and the space rake himself Axel Greylark, son of one of the Republic’s chancellors, who has reasons both above- and below-board for coming along on the trip.
Convergence has all the hallmarks of what makes The High Republic so great, with that interconnected story we love to see, and elements of other stories popping in to round out the mystery and intrigue. But what really, really makes this book soar are the core cast of characters.
Xiri and Phan-tu were such a surprise, because the official description of the book made me think the two of them would be background characters, secondary to the concerns of the Jedi and the Republic. Don’t ask me why. I should have known Córdova would never do that to us.
A marriage of convenience? In my Star Wars? Between two people just trying to do their best? I’m all in.
Galla Nattai is yet another reason why The High Republic is such a fascinating study in the Jedi. She is dedicated to the Force, and feels it keenly as a part of herself, and is particularly attuned to the feelings of those around her. She has a curiosity and a desire to learn that she never apologizes for, and indeed never lets it hold her back. She feels both like the purest expression of what it means to be a Jedi, and so grounded in the reality and messiness that is life, that she stands wholly apart in her own way.
And then of course we have our space rake Axel Greylark. A Chacellor’s son with just enough damage/I-can-fix-him-ness mixed with just enough redeemability and angst that he is going to steal the hearts of readers everywhere. Every era of Star Wars just gifts me with a broody, angry, dark-haired boy to root for, and Phase II is no exception.
I sound like a broken record at this point, but if you’re not reading The High Republic, you are genuinely missing out. More to the point, if you are a romance reader, who is in any way interested in Star Wars, then this book more than any other is for you. The characters and tropes hit that sweet spot just so, and will have you anxiously awaiting the next book (is it spring yet?)
Convergence hits shelves on November 15, 2022. Special thank you to Del Rey for the advance copy for review purposes.
Want to read
June 20, 2022Summary reminds me of the Melida/Daan conflict from The Defenders of the Dead, but if they were two planets as opposed to one...color me intrigued!
January 14, 2023
This book had a messy, convoluted plot. It seemed like the author couldn’t pick a single cliche action story arc so tried to squeeze in a bunch. I’m still not really sure what the motivation was for the Path and Axel Greylark. The most compelling part was the Will they/won’t they tension between Gella and Axel
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2023
Very good. There's only a small cast of important characters, so you don't get the confusion you had with the Light of the Jedi. The story seemed typical Star Wars with a few fresh ideas. I look forward to reading the next one.
January 4, 2023
Action-packed, political intrigue, radical splinter factions. Some interesting characters and development. Audiobook entertainment during holiday road trips!
December 4, 2022
solid 3.5 stars!
On November 22nd, the first adult novel of the second phase of the High Republic was published. As opposed to Phase I, the novel thus concludes the wave instead of opening it, although the division into two waves within Phase II should not be taken that strictly. In this review, find out how Convergence by Zoraida Córdova performs and whether it turned out to be as much of a firework as the adult novels of Phase I.
Here we are, 150 years in the past, leaving behind the characters of the first Phase to make friends with new Jedi, politicians, pilots and droids. In Convergence, we follow a political conflict, accompanying the Jedi Gella Nattai as well as two Jedi Masters and a Padawan to Eiram and E'ronoh: two quarreling worlds that share a moon and couldn't be more different. Our protagonists Gella and Axel Greylark couldn't be more different either, as the chancellor's son and the most eligible bachelor in the galaxy has other things on his mind than diplomatic missions. In addition to that, we also follow the two heirs to the throne of the warring planets, whose paths cross in a fateful encounter. So there is plenty of potential for conflict, but how does Córdova make use of it?
A bumpy start
The start of the novel wasn't necessarily easy for me, as the book needs some time to really get going. The action at the beginning of the story initially gets in the way of the plot, as the similar planet and intergalactic character names easily get you confused. The location updates at the beginning of each chapter help with that, yet it took me a few chapters to keep everyone’s origins, destinations and connections apart. Especially in the beginning, this unfortunately disrupted the flow of reading, and I also noticed a few passages that felt like they needed another round of editing. Some sentences were worded in a bumpy way, making me have to read them several times, and sometimes the exact same wording was used repetitively. This occurred, for example, when describing the voices of two characters. By using the same phrase, it appeared as though the same person had spoken again, thus confusing me on which of them was actually meant. Small things like this don't detract from the plot itself, but they did bother me at times while reading. Fortunately, this mainly happened at the beginning of the book and became less of a problem as the tension increased.
The setting itself, however, impressed me. Eiram and E'ronoh are like day and night - or rather like fire and water - yet they share a space corridor and a moon. The myths spun around it, as well as the cultures of the planets, are told through the characters, making them sound authentic and like believable galactic history. But let's stay on the characters we accompany throughout the novel for a moment. I’d particularly like to highlight the plot surrounding Xiri A'lbaran and Phan-tu Zenn, the heirs to the throne of the two planets. The two of them and their rapprochement to each other - on behalf of the planets, but also out of their own interest – was amazing to read about, as they don’t just see enemies in each other, but also a great deal of hope. Fans of romantic tropes will totally get what they paid for, and I was fully invested in these two from the start!
On the other hand, we’ve also got the aforementioned members of the Republic interfering with the conflict from the outside - which, by the way, is an exciting topic that I would’ve loved to see more focus on. Gella Nattai turned out to be my favorite character of the novel, as I could identify with the Jedi a lot. Her perspective on the future and how she perceives and closely observes the emotions of others, while also being driven by intuition, made her a multi-layered character. I was a bit confused by her age (by the way, thank you Zoraida for letting us know how old the protagonists are!), as in my opinion she read more like an early-mid twentysomething than someone who is 30. Not that you have to be completely settled within yourself by 30, but she just seemed younger than that to me.
Equally multi-layered is Gella's antithesis Axel Greylark, who we get to know much more about as the book progresses. I can imagine that some readers will hate him, and in real life I would probably find him atrocious as well, but in this novel, I greatly enjoyed the chancellor's son’s scenes. He’s the life of the more serious squad and always has a defiant, sometimes even outrageous comment in store, adding humor and comedy to the story – but of course there is more to him than that.
I was also quite interested in the Chancellors of the Republic, whose collaboration I would have loved to learn more about. I was positively surprised that they also got point of view chapters (or at least parts of them) from time to time and were part of the plot, as I am burning with interest in the politics of this era. When it comes to the shared Chancellery and their collaboration, I still see a lot of potential for future novels and am intrigued to find out how their relationship continues in Cataclysm.
Pit stop on the Timekeeper Moon
My favorite part of the book, however, is the second section in which the characters collide and share lots of great banter. What makes this part so special is that it takes place in a very centered setting, turning it into a chamber play. At times, I felt reminded of the game Among Us, and the distrust and chaos aboard the Paxion remains one of the highlights of the story for me.
In this section, we get to know the protagonists even better and I loved reading about the political negotiations taking place. Córdova was also able to impress me in terms of writing in this part. There is a certain passage written in a montage-style that repeatedly put emphasis on how events related to peace – this scene packs an incredible punch and has remained particularly memorable to me. I also liked the tension and the entanglements of the individual characters, who are all working toward a common goal, yet they’re in it to win it for themselves after all. Except for a few characters, basically everyone works against everyone else, which leads to several surprises - that, however, are usually of small-scale consequence due to the many individual motivations. Events with galaxy-wide implications have probably been left to the Young Adult novels in this Phase, which is perfectly okay considering the book's position within the Phase. During moments in which the novel has connections to other works of Phase II, exciting twists and turns that are certainly of importance for the future are awaiting you!
Crossing the finish line at top speed
The following parts of the novel then alternate between stepping on the gas pedal and the brakes, and sometimes quite abruptly so. I’d once more like to highlight the themes addressed in the novel, some of which will remind you of Phase II in hindsight … or foresight? Both, probably. In my opinion, certain analogies surrounding Eiram obviously tied into The Fallen Star, but perhaps I'm reading more into this than the author intended. However, there is one small detail in this book that made The Fallen Star make a bit more sense to me, proving that backstories can still have an impact on works already published.
I also liked the messages the novel conveyed – first and foremost being that opposites can also complement each other and that there may not be as big of an unbridgeable distance causing them after all. Thus, the book gently sways between subtle romance (the way I like it best) and an obvious love story. Rarely have I highlighted this many passages containing great quotes or describing moments I’d like to flip back to in the future within a book.
It's a bit of a shame that we never stay with one protagonist for long, switching perspectives after only a few pages. This causes the novel to have a hectic pace, which makes sense plot-wise, but left me wanting more of each character by ripping me out of scenes too quickly. Some moments are even skipped completely. This, of course, saves us from following a potentially boring travel log and lends a faster narrative pace to the story. Still, I would have liked to read a few more transition scenes as well, which would have given the plot more room to unfold. This is actually where parts three and four of the book are quite contrasting. The conclusion of the novel is a double-edged sword for me in this regard. On the one hand, it moved too quickly for me, as one character made it particularly hard for me to see through their internal motivation, which is why their actions were confusing to me. On the other hand, I also like not understanding everything right away and being left with a few unsolved mysteries. After all, Convergence is not the conclusion to a series, but rather an entry into a dilogy, if the cover of Cataclysm is to be trusted. So even though I was a caught a bit off guard by the ending, it also made me curious for more. Especially as far as the Jedi are concerned, I found the conclusion quite successful and satisfying, considering Convergence was also given the task of setting up some of the adult characters for the audio sequel, The Battle of Jedha. This fully came to fruition, and little by little the individual pieces are coming together to form a large puzzle which continues to be fun to complete.
Overall, you can compare Convergence to car race. It gets off to a good start, but there is still too much chaos on the track in the first lap. Although there was no false start, we follow a somewhat bumpy ride until the characters and locations can be told apart. Then, we obey the twists (of which there are many small ones and few big ones) with excitement. Things move quickly from one turn - one plot location, one change in perspective - to the next, so we just can't look away. As we reach the pit stops in the second and third part of the book, the formation falls back into arrangement again and we're thrilled by great conversations and themes before the chaotic final sprint takes hold ... and the drivers’ placement at the end of the race may already tell us how the characters are positioned for the next grand prix.
All in all, Convergence is a wonderfully trope-interwoven novel that comes with a few flaws you will either be able to overlook or be bothered by. For me, the positive aspects of the book outweigh the negative and I'm more than eager to read the sequel and find out how these characters’ journeys continue. Yet it should not go unnoticed that the adult novels of this phase do not tell the main story as they did in Phase I, but rather follow a subplot whose characters may still play a bigger role in the future. Overall, I would have liked the novel to have a more balanced pace and a little more depth, but when I think of Convergence, I will especially be remembering the exciting, romantic and surprising moments that Zoraida Córdova has blessed us with in this story.
Find the full original version of my review here: https://jedi-bibliothek.de/2022/11/re...
On November 22nd, the first adult novel of the second phase of the High Republic was published. As opposed to Phase I, the novel thus concludes the wave instead of opening it, although the division into two waves within Phase II should not be taken that strictly. In this review, find out how Convergence by Zoraida Córdova performs and whether it turned out to be as much of a firework as the adult novels of Phase I.
Here we are, 150 years in the past, leaving behind the characters of the first Phase to make friends with new Jedi, politicians, pilots and droids. In Convergence, we follow a political conflict, accompanying the Jedi Gella Nattai as well as two Jedi Masters and a Padawan to Eiram and E'ronoh: two quarreling worlds that share a moon and couldn't be more different. Our protagonists Gella and Axel Greylark couldn't be more different either, as the chancellor's son and the most eligible bachelor in the galaxy has other things on his mind than diplomatic missions. In addition to that, we also follow the two heirs to the throne of the warring planets, whose paths cross in a fateful encounter. So there is plenty of potential for conflict, but how does Córdova make use of it?
A bumpy start
The start of the novel wasn't necessarily easy for me, as the book needs some time to really get going. The action at the beginning of the story initially gets in the way of the plot, as the similar planet and intergalactic character names easily get you confused. The location updates at the beginning of each chapter help with that, yet it took me a few chapters to keep everyone’s origins, destinations and connections apart. Especially in the beginning, this unfortunately disrupted the flow of reading, and I also noticed a few passages that felt like they needed another round of editing. Some sentences were worded in a bumpy way, making me have to read them several times, and sometimes the exact same wording was used repetitively. This occurred, for example, when describing the voices of two characters. By using the same phrase, it appeared as though the same person had spoken again, thus confusing me on which of them was actually meant. Small things like this don't detract from the plot itself, but they did bother me at times while reading. Fortunately, this mainly happened at the beginning of the book and became less of a problem as the tension increased.
The setting itself, however, impressed me. Eiram and E'ronoh are like day and night - or rather like fire and water - yet they share a space corridor and a moon. The myths spun around it, as well as the cultures of the planets, are told through the characters, making them sound authentic and like believable galactic history. But let's stay on the characters we accompany throughout the novel for a moment. I’d particularly like to highlight the plot surrounding Xiri A'lbaran and Phan-tu Zenn, the heirs to the throne of the two planets. The two of them and their rapprochement to each other - on behalf of the planets, but also out of their own interest – was amazing to read about, as they don’t just see enemies in each other, but also a great deal of hope. Fans of romantic tropes will totally get what they paid for, and I was fully invested in these two from the start!
On the other hand, we’ve also got the aforementioned members of the Republic interfering with the conflict from the outside - which, by the way, is an exciting topic that I would’ve loved to see more focus on. Gella Nattai turned out to be my favorite character of the novel, as I could identify with the Jedi a lot. Her perspective on the future and how she perceives and closely observes the emotions of others, while also being driven by intuition, made her a multi-layered character. I was a bit confused by her age (by the way, thank you Zoraida for letting us know how old the protagonists are!), as in my opinion she read more like an early-mid twentysomething than someone who is 30. Not that you have to be completely settled within yourself by 30, but she just seemed younger than that to me.
Equally multi-layered is Gella's antithesis Axel Greylark, who we get to know much more about as the book progresses. I can imagine that some readers will hate him, and in real life I would probably find him atrocious as well, but in this novel, I greatly enjoyed the chancellor's son’s scenes. He’s the life of the more serious squad and always has a defiant, sometimes even outrageous comment in store, adding humor and comedy to the story – but of course there is more to him than that.
I was also quite interested in the Chancellors of the Republic, whose collaboration I would have loved to learn more about. I was positively surprised that they also got point of view chapters (or at least parts of them) from time to time and were part of the plot, as I am burning with interest in the politics of this era. When it comes to the shared Chancellery and their collaboration, I still see a lot of potential for future novels and am intrigued to find out how their relationship continues in Cataclysm.
Pit stop on the Timekeeper Moon
My favorite part of the book, however, is the second section in which the characters collide and share lots of great banter. What makes this part so special is that it takes place in a very centered setting, turning it into a chamber play. At times, I felt reminded of the game Among Us, and the distrust and chaos aboard the Paxion remains one of the highlights of the story for me.
In this section, we get to know the protagonists even better and I loved reading about the political negotiations taking place. Córdova was also able to impress me in terms of writing in this part. There is a certain passage written in a montage-style that repeatedly put emphasis on how events related to peace – this scene packs an incredible punch and has remained particularly memorable to me. I also liked the tension and the entanglements of the individual characters, who are all working toward a common goal, yet they’re in it to win it for themselves after all. Except for a few characters, basically everyone works against everyone else, which leads to several surprises - that, however, are usually of small-scale consequence due to the many individual motivations. Events with galaxy-wide implications have probably been left to the Young Adult novels in this Phase, which is perfectly okay considering the book's position within the Phase. During moments in which the novel has connections to other works of Phase II, exciting twists and turns that are certainly of importance for the future are awaiting you!
Crossing the finish line at top speed
The following parts of the novel then alternate between stepping on the gas pedal and the brakes, and sometimes quite abruptly so. I’d once more like to highlight the themes addressed in the novel, some of which will remind you of Phase II in hindsight … or foresight? Both, probably. In my opinion, certain analogies surrounding Eiram obviously tied into The Fallen Star, but perhaps I'm reading more into this than the author intended. However, there is one small detail in this book that made The Fallen Star make a bit more sense to me, proving that backstories can still have an impact on works already published.
I also liked the messages the novel conveyed – first and foremost being that opposites can also complement each other and that there may not be as big of an unbridgeable distance causing them after all. Thus, the book gently sways between subtle romance (the way I like it best) and an obvious love story. Rarely have I highlighted this many passages containing great quotes or describing moments I’d like to flip back to in the future within a book.
It's a bit of a shame that we never stay with one protagonist for long, switching perspectives after only a few pages. This causes the novel to have a hectic pace, which makes sense plot-wise, but left me wanting more of each character by ripping me out of scenes too quickly. Some moments are even skipped completely. This, of course, saves us from following a potentially boring travel log and lends a faster narrative pace to the story. Still, I would have liked to read a few more transition scenes as well, which would have given the plot more room to unfold. This is actually where parts three and four of the book are quite contrasting. The conclusion of the novel is a double-edged sword for me in this regard. On the one hand, it moved too quickly for me, as one character made it particularly hard for me to see through their internal motivation, which is why their actions were confusing to me. On the other hand, I also like not understanding everything right away and being left with a few unsolved mysteries. After all, Convergence is not the conclusion to a series, but rather an entry into a dilogy, if the cover of Cataclysm is to be trusted. So even though I was a caught a bit off guard by the ending, it also made me curious for more. Especially as far as the Jedi are concerned, I found the conclusion quite successful and satisfying, considering Convergence was also given the task of setting up some of the adult characters for the audio sequel, The Battle of Jedha. This fully came to fruition, and little by little the individual pieces are coming together to form a large puzzle which continues to be fun to complete.
Overall, you can compare Convergence to car race. It gets off to a good start, but there is still too much chaos on the track in the first lap. Although there was no false start, we follow a somewhat bumpy ride until the characters and locations can be told apart. Then, we obey the twists (of which there are many small ones and few big ones) with excitement. Things move quickly from one turn - one plot location, one change in perspective - to the next, so we just can't look away. As we reach the pit stops in the second and third part of the book, the formation falls back into arrangement again and we're thrilled by great conversations and themes before the chaotic final sprint takes hold ... and the drivers’ placement at the end of the race may already tell us how the characters are positioned for the next grand prix.
All in all, Convergence is a wonderfully trope-interwoven novel that comes with a few flaws you will either be able to overlook or be bothered by. For me, the positive aspects of the book outweigh the negative and I'm more than eager to read the sequel and find out how these characters’ journeys continue. Yet it should not go unnoticed that the adult novels of this phase do not tell the main story as they did in Phase I, but rather follow a subplot whose characters may still play a bigger role in the future. Overall, I would have liked the novel to have a more balanced pace and a little more depth, but when I think of Convergence, I will especially be remembering the exciting, romantic and surprising moments that Zoraida Córdova has blessed us with in this story.
Find the full original version of my review here: https://jedi-bibliothek.de/2022/11/re...
November 22, 2022
From my review for Dork Side of the Force:
In the first novel of The High Republic Phase 2, all eyes in the galaxy are on two warring planets, their betrothed heirs, and the Republic and Jedi characters dropped into the middle of the historic conflict to help broker peace. Star Wars: Convergence by Zoraida Córdova is a riveting story of hope-filled star-crossed lovers and the high cost of both war and peace.
Set 150 before the events of Phase 1, this phase of storytelling is more than three centuries before the saga of the Skywalkers. As such, the majority of the characters are unfamiliar, giving the authors the space to flex their creative skills in fleshing out the Star Wars timeline without having to worry too much about interfering with the established stories of the prequels, original trilogy, and sequel era.
Phase 1 of The High Republic tackled the Great Hyperspace Disaster, the terrorist on the Republic Fair, and the destruction of Starlight Beacon. Essentially, the first phase was all about the Jedi and the Republic vs. the ruthless Nihil space pirates.
Convergence is the third book released from Phase 2, which is shaping up to be a bit of an origin story for the Nihil and their big baddie Marchion Ro. The young adult novel Path of Deceit gave us a deep dive into the Force cult the Path of the Open Hand, and Quest for the Hidden City was a lore-filled and horror-tinged standalone middle-grade book that added so much depth to this era of exploration.
The locales of note (so far) in Phase 2 include Dalna, Jedha, Eiram, and E’ronoh. The last two are where Convergence largely occurs — twin planets orbiting the same moon that couldn’t be more different. Eiram and E’ronoh have been locked in a Forever War for generations, and no one seems to remember why the war started in the first place.
The heirs of these two planets — Xiri Albaran from E’ronoh and Phan-tu Zenn from Eiram — become the star-crossed center of historic efforts at peace between the worlds. Their betrothal and subsequent barge tour around the planets become the glue holding together the shaky ceasefire.
Along the way, they face death and attempted assassinations from differing parties — some vehemently against brokering peace with the other planet and others with more mysterious and nefarious purposes.
One of those groups with a heavy hand in mucking up the already chaotic war between Eiram and E’ronoh is the Path of the Open Hand. This group of Force fanatics was introduced in Path of Deceit by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland. Essentially, the Path believes the Force should be free — no one should use it, or else the galaxy becomes unbalanced.
Needless to say, followers of the Path aren’t fans of the Jedi. Leading the Path is a mysterious figure called the Mother, who we learned in Path of Deceit isn’t just spreading the word of her religion but using her influence and power for more nefarious reasons.
As this is a Star Wars story, accompanying these heirs are our main characters, Jedi Knight Gella Nattai and Axel Greylark, the son of one of the Republic’s chancellors.
At first, there’s no love lost between these two — and between Axel and pretty much every other person he encounters. Gella is steadfast and dedicated to the Jedi Order and the Force, even as she’s struggling to understand her place in the galaxy — as a Jedi Master eventually or possibly something else like a wayseeker.
Axel, on the other hand, is a gambling playboy with mommy issues. He embodies all the best tropes of a morally gray, not-quite villain. Behind all his arrogance and ego is a deep pain he constantly tries to mask. Throw in some animosity, forced proximity, and maybe a dash of enemies to…something more, and you’ve got an excellent, classic Star Wars romance.
At its core, Convergence is a character-driven story. What it does well is dropping right into the action from the first page as well as telling a romantic, hope-filled war story with a poignant focus on a small number of characters.
One of the criticisms leveled at some of the books of Phase 1, especially the adult novels, was their bevy of different characters and POVs. While Light of the Jedi was a thrilling introduction to this era, its POV bouncing at times made for a bit of a disjointed and overwhelming read.
Convergence remedies this by having only four characters share the POV and leaning more on the locations of scenes rather than whose eyes we’re experiencing the story through.
The evolving relationships between these core four main characters are also a bright spot. Even in the midst of war and peace talks, Xiri and Phan-tu still have quiet moments that showcase their growing intimacy and trust in one another. Their selfless and future-looking love story is beautiful and one I hope we get more of in future Phase 2 books.
Then there’s the flirty animosity and banter between Gella and Axel. It is textbook “these two are going to fall in love,” but their journey from distaste to…something more still feels fresh and comedic.
Where Convergence falls a bit flat, however, is in its pacing. Though broken up into parts, these titled chunks don’t feel necessary and are sometimes distracting when the pacing is actually steady.
Like many other Star Wars books, Convergence does fall victim to the sagging middle phenomenon of storytelling. The first and the last thirds of the book are both action-packed and focused on character introduction and development. And while there are moments in the middle third that kept me engaged and turning pages, most of the standout scenes and lines came at the beginning or at the climactic end.
Though not a short novel, Convergence also could have used a few dozen more pages to give us even more of that delicious character development.
Overall, Convergence is a solid addition to The High Republic era of storytelling and sets up some captivating plot lines to be explored in future books. It embodies the dark, ominous tone of The High Republic while still giving its characters — and its readers — peace and light to hope for.
In the first novel of The High Republic Phase 2, all eyes in the galaxy are on two warring planets, their betrothed heirs, and the Republic and Jedi characters dropped into the middle of the historic conflict to help broker peace. Star Wars: Convergence by Zoraida Córdova is a riveting story of hope-filled star-crossed lovers and the high cost of both war and peace.
Set 150 before the events of Phase 1, this phase of storytelling is more than three centuries before the saga of the Skywalkers. As such, the majority of the characters are unfamiliar, giving the authors the space to flex their creative skills in fleshing out the Star Wars timeline without having to worry too much about interfering with the established stories of the prequels, original trilogy, and sequel era.
Phase 1 of The High Republic tackled the Great Hyperspace Disaster, the terrorist on the Republic Fair, and the destruction of Starlight Beacon. Essentially, the first phase was all about the Jedi and the Republic vs. the ruthless Nihil space pirates.
Convergence is the third book released from Phase 2, which is shaping up to be a bit of an origin story for the Nihil and their big baddie Marchion Ro. The young adult novel Path of Deceit gave us a deep dive into the Force cult the Path of the Open Hand, and Quest for the Hidden City was a lore-filled and horror-tinged standalone middle-grade book that added so much depth to this era of exploration.
The locales of note (so far) in Phase 2 include Dalna, Jedha, Eiram, and E’ronoh. The last two are where Convergence largely occurs — twin planets orbiting the same moon that couldn’t be more different. Eiram and E’ronoh have been locked in a Forever War for generations, and no one seems to remember why the war started in the first place.
The heirs of these two planets — Xiri Albaran from E’ronoh and Phan-tu Zenn from Eiram — become the star-crossed center of historic efforts at peace between the worlds. Their betrothal and subsequent barge tour around the planets become the glue holding together the shaky ceasefire.
Along the way, they face death and attempted assassinations from differing parties — some vehemently against brokering peace with the other planet and others with more mysterious and nefarious purposes.
One of those groups with a heavy hand in mucking up the already chaotic war between Eiram and E’ronoh is the Path of the Open Hand. This group of Force fanatics was introduced in Path of Deceit by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland. Essentially, the Path believes the Force should be free — no one should use it, or else the galaxy becomes unbalanced.
Needless to say, followers of the Path aren’t fans of the Jedi. Leading the Path is a mysterious figure called the Mother, who we learned in Path of Deceit isn’t just spreading the word of her religion but using her influence and power for more nefarious reasons.
As this is a Star Wars story, accompanying these heirs are our main characters, Jedi Knight Gella Nattai and Axel Greylark, the son of one of the Republic’s chancellors.
At first, there’s no love lost between these two — and between Axel and pretty much every other person he encounters. Gella is steadfast and dedicated to the Jedi Order and the Force, even as she’s struggling to understand her place in the galaxy — as a Jedi Master eventually or possibly something else like a wayseeker.
Axel, on the other hand, is a gambling playboy with mommy issues. He embodies all the best tropes of a morally gray, not-quite villain. Behind all his arrogance and ego is a deep pain he constantly tries to mask. Throw in some animosity, forced proximity, and maybe a dash of enemies to…something more, and you’ve got an excellent, classic Star Wars romance.
At its core, Convergence is a character-driven story. What it does well is dropping right into the action from the first page as well as telling a romantic, hope-filled war story with a poignant focus on a small number of characters.
One of the criticisms leveled at some of the books of Phase 1, especially the adult novels, was their bevy of different characters and POVs. While Light of the Jedi was a thrilling introduction to this era, its POV bouncing at times made for a bit of a disjointed and overwhelming read.
Convergence remedies this by having only four characters share the POV and leaning more on the locations of scenes rather than whose eyes we’re experiencing the story through.
The evolving relationships between these core four main characters are also a bright spot. Even in the midst of war and peace talks, Xiri and Phan-tu still have quiet moments that showcase their growing intimacy and trust in one another. Their selfless and future-looking love story is beautiful and one I hope we get more of in future Phase 2 books.
Then there’s the flirty animosity and banter between Gella and Axel. It is textbook “these two are going to fall in love,” but their journey from distaste to…something more still feels fresh and comedic.
Where Convergence falls a bit flat, however, is in its pacing. Though broken up into parts, these titled chunks don’t feel necessary and are sometimes distracting when the pacing is actually steady.
Like many other Star Wars books, Convergence does fall victim to the sagging middle phenomenon of storytelling. The first and the last thirds of the book are both action-packed and focused on character introduction and development. And while there are moments in the middle third that kept me engaged and turning pages, most of the standout scenes and lines came at the beginning or at the climactic end.
Though not a short novel, Convergence also could have used a few dozen more pages to give us even more of that delicious character development.
Overall, Convergence is a solid addition to The High Republic era of storytelling and sets up some captivating plot lines to be explored in future books. It embodies the dark, ominous tone of The High Republic while still giving its characters — and its readers — peace and light to hope for.
December 31, 2025
General Thoughts:
I always forget how much I enjoy these books until I read another one. Continuing my read in chronological order through all the Star Wars books, Convergence is probably one of my top favorite. The plot was interesting and the characters were very well written.
I really enjoyed all of the POV's in this novel. I felt like they all added something to the story and gave us an emotional attachment. Even the characters that we were clearly intended to mistrust or dislike, felt very layered. Which added to the realism and made me root for them regardless.
Things to Love:
* Cinematic audio
* Sounds effects and voices
* Compelling plot
Things to Question:
Book Stats:
📖: 367
Genre: Sci-fi
Publisher: Random House Worlds
Format: ebook via Libby
Series: standalone
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 13 hours 19 minutes
🎤: Marc Thompson
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Format: multi POV
Was the narration good??
Disclaimer: I read this book as a gifted audiobook from the Penguin Random House Influencer Program. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
I always forget how much I enjoy these books until I read another one. Continuing my read in chronological order through all the Star Wars books, Convergence is probably one of my top favorite. The plot was interesting and the characters were very well written.
I really enjoyed all of the POV's in this novel. I felt like they all added something to the story and gave us an emotional attachment. Even the characters that we were clearly intended to mistrust or dislike, felt very layered. Which added to the realism and made me root for them regardless.
Things to Love:
* Cinematic audio
* Sounds effects and voices
* Compelling plot
Things to Question:
Book Stats:
📖: 367
Genre: Sci-fi
Publisher: Random House Worlds
Format: ebook via Libby
Series: standalone
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 13 hours 19 minutes
🎤: Marc Thompson
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Format: multi POV
Was the narration good??
Disclaimer: I read this book as a gifted audiobook from the Penguin Random House Influencer Program. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
March 14, 2023
So I really liked the opening of this book. It was cinematic to me like Light of the Jedi was for phase one, and introduced the major players Xiri and Phan-tu, the respective heirs of E’ronoh and Eiram, as well as Jedi Knight Gella Nattai and the son of the Chancellor Axel Greylark.
Each character drives the story, each are likable, and each are unique voices. I wish, however, their dynamics were explored more deeply, and that some of the side characters like the queen, the assassin, the monarch, the crime boss, the other Jedi, etc. each got a little more time to be fleshed out. Overall, I enjoyed this, even the aimless desert section which just reminded me of final fantasy, and just wished there was more! Luckily, with more high republic content on the way and already here, I can hopefully get my fix.
Each character drives the story, each are likable, and each are unique voices. I wish, however, their dynamics were explored more deeply, and that some of the side characters like the queen, the assassin, the monarch, the crime boss, the other Jedi, etc. each got a little more time to be fleshed out. Overall, I enjoyed this, even the aimless desert section which just reminded me of final fantasy, and just wished there was more! Luckily, with more high republic content on the way and already here, I can hopefully get my fix.
Read
September 22, 2024DNF
I have come to the conclusion (after trying several other HR novels) that I just really dislike everything about the High Republic. 🫣 These stories aren’t interesting to me.
I did get halfway through this one, purely because I really love Zoraida Cordova.
I have come to the conclusion (after trying several other HR novels) that I just really dislike everything about the High Republic. 🫣 These stories aren’t interesting to me.
I did get halfway through this one, purely because I really love Zoraida Cordova.
December 7, 2022
I love the scale and scope of this book. This really picked up the Phase 2 for me. I was worried for a second lol. But as a Lore nerd, I love what they have built and what they continue to build towards the Force and its lore, also how these characters are threaded within the laying out of the Force lore. I am totally digging it. What an ending!
June 6, 2023
For a Star Wars High Republic book (and I've read them all) this has to be one of the worst ones in this series so far. The writing was terrible and I felt the author was just trying to be fancy just for the sake of it. Like a remember at one point there was a fruit flying in the air and one character was like "he had never seen it's equal" like that's just sounds ridiculous. She was describing how the character had never seen that type of fruit before but the wording is super wierd. Like I felt she was just trying to find ways to word things to be different and find synonyms for usual words.
Another thing is the plot. Like I felt it was very clunky and it was kind of pieces and not one cohesive book.
The characters also had potential but it didn't work. They didn't really change or if they did, it was really wierd and didn't really fit with how they were the whole book.
I would have given it two stars but it's Star Wars so three.
Another thing is the plot. Like I felt it was very clunky and it was kind of pieces and not one cohesive book.
The characters also had potential but it didn't work. They didn't really change or if they did, it was really wierd and didn't really fit with how they were the whole book.
I would have given it two stars but it's Star Wars so three.
December 15, 2022
Wow wow!! One of my favorite Star Wars books now!!! Such great characters I want moreee
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