Days after the Jedi stationed on the oceanic world of Eiram have seemingly neutralized any threats to the local people, mysterious growths begin to overtake the city. When the Jedi make a connection to the sunken wreckage of Starlight Beacon, they’re forced to embark on a thrilling underwater adventure where the gloomy depths hide horrors at every turn.
Haunted Starlight is a solid, slightly spooky side story that completes the arc started with the Seeds of Starlight audiobook — not especially deep, but filled with fun,eerie vibes, strong performances, and a few standout character moments that make it worth the listen.
The story centers on our Jedi gang as they investigate vines that have started to grow aggressively around Barrazza city. This takes them back into the wreckage of Starlight Beacon itself. Yes, underwater. All the while, a former Nihil named Saxyl gets infected with Drengir spores and let’s just say things get wild.
The pacing is brisk, the horror elements are well-executed, and George Mann knows how to write tension with a creature-feature flair. While the story doesn’t break new ground in the broader saga, it delivers what it sets out to: creepy plants, compelling sound design, and a dose of Jedi heart.
Cam’s growth into a compassionate and courageous leader stands out, especially in his dynamic with the rogue Fido Blick — who gets one of the most delightful surprise turns in the whole production. Tep-Tep was another highlight, offering big wisdom in a small package. Her ability to see monsters as people gives the ending its needed emotional lift.
That said, the story wraps up in a pretty standard way, and while there is a cliffhanger, it mostly feels like setup for something bigger. Still, the audiobook quality is top-notch: the score, the vocal performances, and the use of background audio all elevate the experience.
If you’re a High Republic completionist or are looking for something fun to listen to on a car ride with your kids, you’ll enjoy the ride. I sure did!
A solid and fun read while we wait on the last wave of Phase 3 to complete the high republic , We get the usual cast of young characters that we've had in the previous 2 middle grade books minus ram:(
I really enjoy the extra big of content we have got on Eiram and leaning more on the Drengir trying to survive but also trying escape the republic and the blight. As always its frighting to see how much these kids have grown up and the adult responsibilities they have taken on with ease
(Note: This book appears to only be available on audio. I’ve tried to find the names on the Star Wars wiki to know how to spell them, but please forgive if I manage to mess them up anyway, LOL.) This is the sequel to “Seeds of Starlight,” my review for which you can read here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
While I was able to read “Seeds of Starlight” without having read previous books, I think you would need to read Seeds in order to read “Haunted Starlight” simply because it does tie in so directly in to what came before.
Audible had both “Seeds of Starlight” and “Haunted Starlight” available free to members, (and I have three months of Audible for 99 cents a month right now, thus my binging of audiobooks lately), so I snagged them both and listened to them back-to-back. I thoroughly enjoyed Seeds, so I had high hopes for Haunted Starlight. It was definitely a solid sequel, though it didn’t move me emotionally quite as much as Seeds did. Still, the characters that I loved before were still there, and I enjoyed following them through another story. (Can Cam get his own TV series, or, at minimum, show up on screen somewhere? Please and thank you!!!)
This one was a little spookier than Seeds, and that was part of the reason I didn’t love it quite as much since spooky isn’t my favorite thing, though it still told a good story. Cam kept being the padawan that became my favorite character in Seeds. I just really appreciate his willingness to forgive and show kindness to others, even if those people aren’t kind to him first.
He did something in this story to save someone who had tried to hurt him, and this time, it wasn’t someone who had no choice in the matter. However, that person was still being harmed by the choices they made and needed help to be able to choose a different path, and I loved that Cam was willing to offer that second chance.
I also have come to respect Eve Byer a lot as a Jedi master who is very self-sacrificial and really cares about the padawans in her charge. The padawans have learned a lot of the good values from observing her actions, and it really makes a difference in the choices they make. While Eve can struggle with fear due to the traumas from her past, she is still willing to do things that are frightening and uncomfortable in order to keep others from being harmed.
Tep Tep and Kildo were still great, too, though I kind of wish Kildo had been developed a little more here. I think I want to figure out what other books the two of them were in before this one and read those because it feels like their bond of friendship has been forged by fire and they work so well together. I want to know what happened to form that bond and hopefully get to know them both better.
As for the story itself, while it was spooky in some ways, I still thought it had some great lessons in empathy that were made stronger because the characters had to overcome the scary things that were happening, and even look past them to see the truth behind what was happening. I’m also assuming that there will be yet another sequel, given a certain thing that happened in the epilogue that had me saying, "Uh oh..."
Overall, while I wasn’t quite as moved by “Haunted Starlight” as by “Seeds of Starlight” it was still an enjoyable, action-filled read with some good lessons at its core. If there is another book coming, I’ll probably read that one at some point.
The audiobook quality was just as good as it was in the first story, too.
Content Advisory: This book is aimed at Middle Grade and is generally appropriate for that age. However, parents will want to be aware of some scarier elements that some kids may be sensitive to, and which I will detail below.
The following sections may contain SPOILERS by necessity.
Language: None.
Violence:
Standard Star Wars violence, toned down a little bit for a middle grade audience, but just like in the first book, it can still get intense at times. We see more of those mind-controlling plant beings in action here. In fact, the very first scene is rather ominous and features a character getting “infected” by one of the plants. It’s not gross, but pain is described. Every time we get another chapter with this character, he’s getting taken over more and more "possessed", realizing he has a vine growing from his back, starting to hear the voices of the plant collective and feeling them try to control him. His voice gets creepier on audio, too, and his actions become more erratic. Eventually, he grows another set of “limbs” which are the vines from the plant embedded in his spine, and he attacks some people and makes some plant beings fight on his behalf. (None of this is gory, it’s just kind of creepy and would probably give younger, more sensitive kids nightmares. As I said in my review of “Seeds” it didn’t bother me as an adult reader, but I probably couldn’t have read these books as a middle schooler because of the scare factor.
Multiple action sequences throughout, with chasing people and some fighting with Star Wars style weapons. None of our young main characters get killed, though they are in serious peril several times.
There is one emotionally intense scene where Tep Tep volunteers to allow the “brain” behind the plant beings to sort of “mind meld” (That’s a Star Trek term, but I couldn’t think of another one, sorry!) with her and it becomes clear that in order to do this, the vines will go up her nose and connect to her brain. Eve Byer knows from experience how terrible this is and refuses to let Tep Tep go through with it. She takes Tep Tep’s place and the vines going up her nose and connecting to her brain stem is fully described with much pain. It was really a little gross, even for this adult reader. (Note: The plan does work and Eve is able to see the threat that the plants have sensed coming. The plant leader then lets her go and she’s okay. The boy who was “infected” by the plants ends up okay in the end as well.)
Sexual/Romance: None.
Spiritual/Magic: Standard Star Wars spirituality, with talk about, use of, and connection to the Force. There’s mention of the Dark Side in this book, but only in passing. We mainly see the Light Side represented here.
Other: As stated in my review of “Seeds of Starlight” it might be worth mentioning that the High Republic series has novels and comic books ranging from Middle Grade all the way up to Adult. Some of the large-scale events mentioned in passing in this book happened in Middle Grade stories (like Tep Tep and Kildo facing the Nameless), some in Young Adult (Cam’s master losing her padawan), and some in Adult (like the Catastrophe and the crashing of a certain space station). Parents may wish to be cautious which books they let their middle grade readers read if they become curious about these series events. While Star Wars has typically been mostly okay for the whole family, some of the YA and Adult stories may have more intense violence and more mature themes than younger kids are ready for yet. I also recall the Adult “Light of the Jedi,” which was officially the first book of the High Republic series, having a few mild swears and swear-replacements, but I wrote a full content advisory on that book as well, if anyone wishes to read it.
I had a really good time listening to the recent Audible Original Star Wars: The High Republic: Haunted Starlight from Disney Lucasfilm Press.
The junior grade novels in the Star Wars universe are always hit-or-miss for me, obviously, because I’m not the target audience for them. HOWEVER, I have thoroughly enjoyed these two Audible Originals that we’ve gotten, starting with Seeds of Starlight.
Haunted Starlight picks up right where we left Jedi Master Eve Byre and her padawan Cam Lindon along with younglings Kildo and Tep Tep. They’re still dealing with the return of the Drengir on Eiram, and a mission down to the wreckage of Starlight Beacon to see the remains of the Drengir’s Great Progenitor.
We finally know why the Drengir have been slowly returning.
When Starlight Beacon crashed into the oceans of Eiram, the expectation from everyone was that the Drengir’s Great Progenitor was dead.
Well.
She’s not dead.
And, she’s mad.
The Nihil have been reanimating around the galaxy, because the Great Progenitor is alive! She’s trying to get the Drengir in a position that they can prepare for her escape from the planet.
Everything with the Drengir in this book was pleasantly creepy, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I hope Cam, Kildo, and Tep Tep go onto great things.
Throughout Phase III, I have enjoyed getting to know Kildo and Tep Tep. When Cam was thrown in during Seeds of Starlight, he became a favorite of mine as well.
I hope that we get to see what becomes of the three young Jedi. Do any of them grow up to become Jedi Masters on the Council? Would any of them leave the Jedi Order? Whd
It’s very possible that this is the last time that we see these three characters in anything for the foreseeable future or maybe even ever.
What a cliffhanger!
I couldn’t believe that George Mann would do this to us.
The epilogue of the book tells of how the Great Progenitor used her power to redirect the flight of the Drengir. They’re no longer going to an uninhabited world to survive
They’re going to Kashyyyk.
When will we hear more? I haven’t seen any more information about future Audible Originals. I need to know!
A fun and free audio story. I still find it cool that Lucasfilm is putting these out on Audible. The production quality on these is great too. My only gripe is that they don't have classic Star Wars music, instead only having what I assume to be public domain music.
I liked this one a bit more than the previous one (Seeds of Starlight). The further exploration of the Drengir and their motivations, as well as their reaction to the blight spreading was cool. My favorite storyline was the one with Saxel (I'm guessing on the spelling) and his splinter faction of Drengir. I am also glad we get to spend so much time on Eiram in the whole High Republic initiative. Exploring planets in depth happens annoyingly little in Star Wars despite what you would think, and we have already spent multiple books on this one.
Cam and Tep-Tep seem to be the stars of this book, and they got some good development. And while the ending is a bit silly and predictable (hey, lets all just get along and understand each other), I can forgive it as an audiobook written for a younger audience.
Haunted Starlight is an Audible Original taking place during the High Republic era. It's a sequel to Seeds of Starlight, another Audible exclusive.
We return to Barraza City on Eiram nearby the wreckage of Starlight Beacon and reconnect with the same cast of characters we met previously. Despite setting things right last time, something else has come up that needs the attention of the Jedi, so they leap into action in an effort to save the day.
The story is very short, so there's not a lot of time to really develop the plot. Fortunately all of the characters are familiar from the previous book and other High Republic stories, so it's easy to jump back in and watch them work. It's a fun adventure with moments of danger and excitement, and for a free story to go along with my Audible subscription I can't really complain.
If you're a Star Wars fan who enjoys the High Republic era, this is a fun side story with potentially bigger secondary impacts. It's fun, it's short, it's an easy listen, so feel free to give it a go!
Love Tep Tep, Kildo and Cam. Going to miss them and The High Republic dearly. I love how Tep Tep only seesonstere and creatures as all just beings that deserve life. She’s a real great Jedi and I wouldn’t mind seeing her and Kildo again especially if they bring back Gavi. Kildo and Gavi forever ❤️❤️ once again I’m not super sold on audiobooks that are restricted to audible and don’t have a script with them but it kept my attention for the most part
I liked it more than Seeds of Starlight. It was more action packed than character drive story like the other one, but it still found ways to develop each character a bit more which I found a good accomplishment. The ending has me hyped for what it means for future THR stories and I liked how this story did better use of the Drengir than previous THR entries.
Excellent follow up to Seeds of Starlight and serves as a bit of a bridge between Tears of the Nameless and Into the Light (though it's not essential). Satisfying conclusion for this side-story and these characters.
Again, I really wish these two stories were available in physical format and/or that it was a full cast audio drama.
This was a nice little story in The High Republic timeline. This one was almost a horror rather than the usual sci-fi that Star Wars novels usually are. It also showed the aftermath of the fall of the Starlight Beacon. I would have rated this a 4 star had there been a print version of it.
Yesss more Drengir content. Ughh more of the terrible Tep Tep voice from this narrator. I enjoyed listening to most of this, though I'm somewhat annoyed by the Drengir plot thread yet again being left to dangle in the wind (and I say this as someone who enjoys them as antagonists!).
This book was fine. I should have read it before Into the Light though. This was much better than the previous installation of these story on Eiram, the kids in this book were much much much less annoying and the situation they were in was very unique and made sense for each of their characters.
This had a pretty good plot. The most interesting part to me (having also recently read volume 4 of the High Republic-era manga) is that the solutions for dealing with the Drengir and the Nameless are essentially the same. Looking forward to where things go in the main novels.
Another amazing audio drama set during this final phase of the High Republic. Cam and his master and fellow Jedi most confront the danger of the Drengir again with the help of the local population.
Part 2 was even better than part 1. This story was very character driven and is presenting more characters I love so much at the very end of the high republic.
I actually really enjoyed this Audible Original! It was a fun listen while waiting for the last THR book (in less than a week, wow!!!). It was also nice to listen to this after finishing Valiant Vow, so I knew nothing could happen to my Tep Tep! 🥹 Love how this setup for Into the Light!