– Spoiler-Free Review –
We’re all cordially invited to the wedding of Han Solo and Princess Leia and not even a honeymoon set on the Halcyon, aka the real-world Star Wars hotel, is enough to derail what a delight The Princess and the Scoundrel ends up becoming, as author Beth Revis deeply explores the titular duo through some pivotal emotional beats, all while providing exciting action and romance like only these two could produce.
Set only nights after the end of Return of the Jedi, The Princess and the Scoundrel explores the direct aftermath of destroying the Empire and the second Death Star, but its focus is specifically on Han Solo and Leia Organa dealing with revelations and open feelings in the wake of a great victory. After a heat of the moment proposal and positive response (which you can read in this excerpt), Han and Leia’s wedding and honeymoon plans are co-opted by the transitioning government, which lands them aboard the newly freed Halcyon cruise ship. But they find their own trouble aboard the storied ship, leading them on a journey which tests their newly formed connection and what it means for their goals and lifestyles. The larger story of what happens next with the galaxy has already been told across other stories like the Aftermath Trilogy, Alphabet Squadron Trilogy, and Shattered Empire, which are referenced within, but if you haven’t read those other parts of this era you might feel a little left out at certain moments of the book, though nothing significant. Instead, knowing and caring about Han and Leia’s burgeoning relationship is all you’ll need at the door—so any fan of the original trilogy—as the adventure these two make of their honeymoon is narrow and confined enough those references to larger events are more likely to make you curious to learn more than leave you dry.
One of Beth Revis’ first contributions was Rebel Rising, a novel filling in the missing 15 years of Jyn Erso’s life we don’t see in Rogue One, and it was such a compelling glimpse because of the depth she peeled back within Jyn herself and less to do with what happened during that timeframe (which was interesting enough, however!). Revis brings this level of exploration to Han and Leia in surprising, yet expected ways, as while The Princess and the Scoundrel (P&S herein) has plenty for these two to do despite their situation, the back-and-forth POV chapters delve deeply into their reactions and thoughts about not just the situation around them, but each other and their place with one another, the galaxy, and the future. Conversations or insights fans have been waiting for are all on the table and are compellingly addressed, not only making sense in the moment, but for what we know of these character’s lives by the time of the sequel trilogy. As apparent in this excerpt from very early in the book (I cried during this moment and the book continues to go hard like this), Luke and Leia have THE talk about their father and relation, and it’s not the only time they will in the book, but it’s important revelation to deal with and Revis gives it a lot of weight throughout the novel, both in Leia and Han’s sections too. I’ll dive into more ways she breathes life into this sliver of time in Leia and Han’s lives, but for now I also wanted to address how well she brings in even the smallest of lines or situations from the Original Trilogy and even the current comics which have been fleshing out the era. Be it a reference to bickering lines on Hoth shared between the two, like when he came to pull her away as the base fell apart around them or in the now awkward fight when she ends up kissing Luke (they address that as well!), or Leia mentioning she met Qi’ra during the whole War of the Bounty Hunters comic crossover, Revis sneaks in all sorts of references that give newer additions more weight (even a blink and you’ll miss it reference to Obi-Wan Kenobi) and older moments fun and hilarious payoffs. This full picture of their lives, mixing in events we know of, either ones that have happened or will, is what gives P&S such a strong emotional core that pulled me through not only their beautiful wedding and time on the Halcyon, but their fight with a remnant of the Empire as well.
With Leia, while we’ve seen how things go once the truth of her parentage reaches the galaxy, Revis sets the stage for her trajectory up and through the sequel trilogy as the character contends with her connection to Darth Vader, the power he and her brother have access to that she’s beginning to use as well, the revelation the fight isn’t truly done despite all her efforts so far, and the acceptance of her feelings towards Han Solo, among other things. It’s a rich set of circumstances and internal debates and Revis doesn’t hold back, even as the action picks up in the third act, helping add P&S to the likes of Bloodline and Leia: Princess of Alderaan as excellent character studies of Leia, even though it’s not solely Leia’s POV. I particularly enjoyed how Revis used Leia’s feelings towards her newly revealed lineage, from how it affects her connection to the Force and how she attempts to access it, to fueling her strained work-life balance, as it helps inform the actions and choices she makes from here on out. In particular with the wedding, there are poetically beautiful moments (yes, I cried during their wedding), not just in the customs of the Ewoks, but how Revis ties in concepts we learned about Leia, her adopted parents, and life on Alderaan in Leia: Princess of Alderaan, which also function to honor her choice even back at the end of Obi-Wan Kenobi, after Ben shares qualities she gained from her birth parents and her contentedness with Bail and Breha. As for her interactions with Han, her feelings towards him and the year they were apart as he was frozen in carbonite rise to the surface in fun and unexpected ways, as it’s here we see a side of Leia we don’t get too often, to the point it was almost strange but quickly becomes fitting as Revis weaves this aspect into her overall personality; one could say it’s always been there, this just finally shows it, thanks to Revis’ writing.
As for Han Solo, he’s a character that doesn’t change much throughout the Saga, something Revis hilarious hones in on with how little he changes his clothes here, but there’s still plenty left for her to examine about him to add depth to the character and put him on the path from solo to married. Han of course is thrown a bachelor party by Lando amongst the treetops of the Ewok village, in which chaotic hilarity ensues, and many of the early sections have the two talking through the transition Han’s making since Lando’s a great character to bounce off of at this moment, but I wish we had a few more scenes with Chewbacca and how he feels about everything (obviously supportive, but maybe he’s got some advice?). Whereas Revis has Leia’s connection to Vader to delve into with her, it’s Han’s time in carbonite that takes the character to similar depths throughout P&S. Diving into the trauma of the experience, Vader’s connection to the event, and the year he missed certainly adds lots of great ways to push and prod on Han’s typical lifestyle and choices. It makes Leia’s reveal to him about her real father as an obstacle for Han to deal with, while PTSD from the carbonite throughout their adventure adds danger to the proceedings and brings unique dimensions to the moment in the Han’s life that doesn’t simply write-off the enormity of what happened to him; it reminds of how Legend’s The Truce at Bakura explored Luke’s trauma from the Emperor’s Force lightning. As for his interactions with Leia, it’s interesting to see him adjusting to the idea of her being in his life and how his home, the Falcon, won’t just be for him and Chewie anymore. As a man who’s used to living by himself (besides Chewie, of course), out of the spotlight, and under the grime of the galaxy, how he works on compromising his impulses and desires with her responsibilities to make their marriage work allows him to grow without still changing too much. While this is both their book, I feel like Leia got more of the focus, but it makes sense in the grand scheme of things she had more to go through and Han’s journey here is no slouch in the end.
As I hinted early, we see a different side of Leia we don’t see too often, one Han finally sees in full because of all the people, she’s comfortable being her entire herself with him. This leads to a lot of sauciness between the newlywed couple, to the point one of my notes after a particular exchange was simply: “feral.” It’s been a while since a Star Wars book felt this much like a romance novel (though the recent The High Republic – Midnight Horizon was maybe more romantic overall) and having it be about Han and Leia’s early romance when we’ve only really seen it fractured by the time of the sequels brings bittersweetness to their happiness and, for a lack of a better word, their feral feelings towards one another. As I mentioned when talking about Revis’ take on Leia, we’re seeing her let down those guards more so than we have in the past, same with Han but it’s not as initially drastic, so when the two fall back into known norms as the conflict picks up towards the end, it helps mesh the more romantic side of the novel together with how we already know them. It’s definitely never heavy-handed or overdone, and I was surprised to see in the Acknowledgements section Revis said she got advice on where to add more, so if you’ve had any concerns about how romantic this novel gets, both fans who might not always enjoy those aspects and fans who have been waiting for more will be pleased.
When I initially heard The Princess and the Scoundrel would hold Han and Leia’s honeymoon on the Halcyon, the Galactic Starcruiser fans can visit in real-life if they have at least $5000 they are willing to spare, my excitement at reading about their wedding dipped quite a bit, but I was willing to give the book the benefit of the doubt. After all, the way the Halcyon was integrated with the final wave of The High Republic’s first phase made sense not only for the story, but never felt like a marketing ploy or ad for the hotel (I haven’t been keeping up with the comic miniseries, Halcyon Legacy, but I should have a review for that in August), so maybe P&S would be more like that than how Galaxy’s Edge content like Black Spire, A Crash of Fate, and Galaxy’s Edge comic teetered over the product placement line. Thankfully, P&S is more like THR in its usage of the Halcyon, as while the middle portion of the book largely takes place in its halls, and this is when the book sags a bit in its pacing, it’s as much a character in the book as Leia and Han are than just being there to hype up the hotel experience. It has it moments where its hard to dissociate its placement due to the hotel existing, but they’re rare and the way it’s pivotal to the ending help elevate its inclusion. So if you were worried this book would be more about the Halcyon than its leads, worry not, as Revis uses it well.
The moon Han and Leia visit is a unique, intriguing environment and Revis builds a great picture of its history, metaphorical leanings, varied lifestyles. The depth she provides adds stakes to the proceedings as a mystery is unraveled about what the Empire may or may not be up to on the moon. I do wish the book spent more time on the moon, as it not only felt like the shortest section of the book (even though it wasn’t), the surprise return of a villain from a previous novel (click the link if you want to know who) was both well-done but felt severely underused considering they appear in about one scene and are dealt with indirectly and never seen again.
Here are a few other things:
- The audiobook really accentuates the book’s key feature of being in both Han and Leia’s POVs by having duel narrators! Marc Thompson of course narrates Han’s chapters, capturing the swindlers’ bravado but also his burgeoning feelings/openness of them around Leia, while Saskia Maarleveld brings out the steely nature of Leia, but also her vulnerability, playing up the two different sides we get to see her in public and in private with Han, adding more weight to when Han realizes he’s seeing the full Leia like no one else ever will. This was such a great idea to the point that even if you aren’t much an audiobook person, this one is worth a shot!
- Seriously, humor included, the wedding is really something special to read, so I’m not going into many details so as to save the surprises and delights. All I’ll say is: Mon Mothma and the Ewoks really know how to make something memorable! Plus, Han and Leia’s outfits, which you can glimpse on the cover and I included the full image above they revealed at SDCC this year, are awesome and fitting for the two of them; I will die on the hill Hasbro needs to make these into action figures (and should’ve sold them with the book)!
- Considering this was a wedding and Lando’s not tied down yet, he of course goes full bachelor mode at the party, but unfortunately in such an easy space to actually acknowledge his pansexual identity (only mentioned in an interview and taken advantage of in a comic book cover), he’s only shown with women at the reception. Considering how many strides the publishing arm of Star Wars has made in LGBTQIA+ representation, the fact Lando continues to evade this designation is surprising and disappointing.
- Considering the Saga’s history, and several recent novels, The Princess and the Scoundrel joins the ranks of holding parallels to real-world issues, be it misinformation (presented in those who don’t believe the Rebellion about the Emperor’s death), optics/politics (how infrastructure problems create upheaval), controlling media being the sign of anti-republic/democratic ideals, and more. I liked how more overt Brotherhood was, but at least there’s commentary layered in here to discover and engage with.
The Princess and the Scoundrel by Beth Revis celebrates the union of Han Solo and Princess Leia in grand fashion, from a beautiful ceremony to the deep dives into their heart and souls as they deal with their new circumstances, there’s something for everyone to enjoy on the reception’s menu.
+ Leia dealing with lineage baggage
+ Han learning to fit someone else into his life
+ Wedding as beautiful as you can imagine
+ Balancing act with romance and action
– Here and gone again Villain
– Drags a little on the Halcyon
Ryan is Mynock Manor’s Head Butler. You can follow him on Twitter @BrushYourTeeth. You can follow the website on Twitter @MynockManor and Instagram @mynockmanor.
DISCLOSURE: I received a copy of this book, through NetGalley, from the publisher at no charge in order to provide an early review. However, this did not affect the overall review content. All opinions are my own.
ALSO BY BETH REVIS:
“For the Last Time” – From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (novel) | Ahsoka and Padme in Star Wars Adventures – Forces of Destiny (comic) | “Fully Operational” – From a Certain Point of View (novel) | Rebel Rising (novel)