However, there are several aspects of these books that just irked me the entire way through, and ultimately prevent the series from getting any more than a "read it if you've got nothing else better to read" recommendation from me. This might be because the end of this relationship is something I already know the outcome of and therefore I’m projecting that knowledge onto what I’m reading, but it’s fun all the same.

And there seemed to be a subtle theme of loving your enemies woven into Leia’s interactions with the Noghri. Very soon now we’ll begin the process of taking planets back from the Rebellion; and for that we’ll need an army every bit as well trained as the officers and crew of the Fleet. As Princess Leia—pregnant with Jedi twins—risks her life to bring a proud and lethal alien race into alliance with the Republic, Han and Lando Calrissian race against time to find proof of treason inside the highest Republic Council—only to discover instead a ghostly fleet of warships that could bring doom to their friends and victory to their enemies. Trying, sir,” the voice came back, tinny and distant through the strange dampening effects of Myrkr’s metal-rich flora.What ends up happening, though, is that when Leia makes contact with a surviving Noghri, it becomes clear that they are as much victims of the Empire as anyone, and it becomes Leia's mission, if not to turn the Noghri from the Empire, at least to right some of the wrongs done to them in the rebellion. Because whether Grand Admiral Thrawn was interested in real results or just a good rousing show, he was going to get his money’s worth. Regardless, I'm confident it's going to build up to something spectacular, and I can't wait to find out how this trilogy resolves.

Tras los sucesos de la primera parte, la Nueva República (aunque los imperiales sigan refiriéndose a ellos como los Rebeldes) está en espera de los nuevos planes que el gran almirante Thrawn pueda idear contra ellos. In this second novel, of the Thrawn Trilogy, continues the Imperial efforts of stopping the territorial advance of the New Republic along with reclaiming the ones lost after the Battle of Endor. Thrawn has escalated his plan to the next stage, having successfully captured several of the Emperor's assets, including his very secret storage facility on Wayland. I especially love Luke in these moments, because he treats her with such respect and kindness, even as he knows she wants to kill him. The emergence of the enigmatic Noghri and their loyalty to Thrawn presents a unique and captivating element to the narrative.Mara probably is the standout character outside of the OG trilogy in this book, because she starts to have her own storyline, and I really felt bad for her when her decisions had consequences and she didn't really know what to do. There's just a whole lot of setup going on between the many players as Leia, Luke and Han together with Lando went their separate ways before they are drawn back together with a common goal as they managed to gather information separately about a certain lost fleet. Overally, this was such an intriguing, enjoyable book (and, since I listened to the audiobook, Marc Thompson’s narration remained simply excellent). The “Dark Jedi” attempts to attack them both and after a brief fight is knocked out by a laser blast from nearby R2D2.