10 Books You May Have Missed This Summer

Crop of the cover of Bloodline, by Claudia Gray. Image via publisher Del Rey

9. Bloodline

With the advent of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, hundreds of books made the move to Legends status, which basically means they’re not canon with The Force Awakens. Bloodline, by Claudia Gray, does not count as a Legends book.

No, this one’s full canon. However, instead of focusing on Luke Skywalker, as the title might suggest, Gray focuses on Darth Vader’s daughter: Leia Organa. In the years after the establishment of the New Republic, things are more fractious than ever. Senator Organa’s faced not only with a government struggling to govern even itself, but with a new threat looming at the edges of the galaxy.

Let’s face it: it’s tough to properly characterize characters like Leia, since she’s so firmly engraved into the consciousness of a Star Wars fan. However, Gray does a nice job of capturing an older and wiser Leia’s voice, something noted by many a Goodreads review.

In fact, this book bridges the gap between Princess Leia of the original trilogy and General Organa of The Force Awakens quite well. Though it’s a Star Wars book, it does take nods from political thrillers, and there’s plenty of espionage. With that in mind, it’s a good warm-up for Rogue One when it comes out later this year.

Del Rey: hardcover, 352 pages.

Next: 8. This Savage Song