Review: Love and Devotion Bleed Through in ‘Star Wars: The Princess and the Scoundrel’ by Beth Revis
The Princess and the Scoundrel is quite easily the most pleasantly surprising Star Wars novel I’ve read in some time. I admit how skeptical I was about this story when it first came out. A Han and Leia honeymoon aboard the Halcyon?! It screamed as a Disney attempt to force feed its new grand and luxurious vacation down our throats. While there are certainly a few homages to the vacation itself, The Princess and the Scoundrel envelopes you in such a deep and introspective story. Immediately, you are whisked away. I must hand all of the flowers to Beth Revis for this one. I completely forgot all my own questions and troubles upon opening the book. Revis delivers a Han and Leia story that’s been glaringly missing from the Disney-era of Star Wars publishing. Romance is at the heart of The Princess and the Scoundrel.
Love bleeds through each page as you experience Han and Leia’s story, along with all its trials and complications. Han and Leia’s wedding and honeymoon launch this adventure. Revis truly takes a deep, introspective dive into what these two iconic characters are thinking and feeling at their core. For Leia, she’s conflicted about knowing the truth of her parentage and what it will mean for her when this knowledge eventually becomes public. She also reconciles with the Force itself. Her journey of discovering this power within her and what comes with it are some of my favorite Leia story arcs. For Han, his lost year in carbonite haunts him. He battles not only the deflating feeling of lost time, but the scars imprinted on his soul.
For the two of them, this is a journey of individual self-discovery while discovering what it means to be together. This choice of marriage brings with it something neither has had to face before. Leia has been an independent freedom fighter and politician her whole life. She has sacrificed everything for the galaxy, and now being presented with the opportunity to choose something for herself is difficult and comes with new challenges. Han has been the rogue gunslinger and scoundrel for so long. He is, however, completely certain in his devotion to Leia. But being certain doesn’t mean you always know what to do or how to react. It’s a massive change for him as well. Ultimately, these two always choose each other. This romantic tale will stir your heart and surprise you in all of the best ways. From Ewoks partying hard to galactic politics, and the final stages of the war against the Empire, it packs quite the punch.
The Princess and the Scoundrel delivers such a wonderful look at both Han and Leia seeing the other in their own eyes. While the two are at odds in various stages of the book, the two never waver in their commitment to each other. Getting a chance to read from the perspective of Han and Leia in alternating chapters was a treat. We know so much about these two characters, but rarely have we looked at them through their own eyes. It was a subtle move on the part of Revis, but increasingly impactful.
Before I continue, I would also like to deliver another praise to Beth Revis. For myself, Leia has always been a character I hold in such high esteem. Most who attempt to write her character struggle to find the perfect balance of who the late Carrie Fisher brought to life. Books by Claudia Gray such as Bloodline or Leia: Princess of Alderaan, captured her magnificently. Naturally, when I opened The Princess and the Scoundrel, I was nervous because a story with Leia at the forefront simply carries a massive amount of weight. Revis not only exceeded any expectations I had, but she blew me away with how she carried this special character. We see Leia’s grace and wondrous soul. There are flashes of her cunning and the fearless fighter within. She paints a beautiful picture of her elegance and selflessness. Doing all of this while having her character fixated on this enormous inner turmoil over the discovery of the identity of her father was a feat few could have achieved so seamlessly.
Now, I will be getting into a bit of spoiler territory here. If you want to come into The Princess and the Scoundrel as fresh as possible, hold up for now. If you choose to venture on, then let’s do this!
The battle against the Empire finally seems to be winding down, but that doesn’t mean the path forward is any easier. The remaining factions of the Empire still grapple for power, the crime syndicates see this as their opportunity to gain a greater foothold in galactic affairs and, of course, the New Republic is in the early stages of formation. The race for control over the galaxy’s fuel becomes paramount. Whoever controls fuel lines will more than likely be the true orchestrators of galactic politics. In the aftermath of the second Death Star being destroyed along with the fall of the Emperor, there is cause for celebration. In what came as quite a shock to Leia, she’s met with a marriage proposal from Han. After giving an emphatic yes, Leia realizes she must tell Han something if they are true to being together. She must tell him who her father is.
The knowledge of Vader being her father haunts Leia. When Luke attempts to share their father’s final words with her, but she doesn’t want any part of it. Luke and Leia have completely different perspectives on their father. To Luke, he is more Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi knight who came back to the light in the end. For Leia, he is Darth Vader, her captor and eager torturer who gleefully watched her home planet be destroyed. There is now reconciliation with Leia, and as we know from Claudia Gray’s Bloodline, she will never come to have any warmth towards her father like Luke. This is okay. Some discourse exists online over Leia never really having any affection or connection to her father. Revis nails this perfectly in The Princess and the Scoundrel when Leia says Bail Organa is her father. Parental relationships are different for everyone, and Leia and Luke have drastically different upbringings. Luke’s following offer for Leia to come with him and learn the ways of the Force is met with such hesitation and reluctance on the part of Leia largely because of Vader. Throughout this book Leia is scared of harnessing “Vader’s Force” and even contemplates whether she can use it for good because of this knowledge. For her and Han to be together, she knows she must tell him. Han takes the news exactly how you’d expect; by shrugging it off with a good riddance and thank goodness he is dead.
The bachelor party was an out-of-body experience for anyone who is even remotely interested in Ewok culture. I will just leave it at that. Han and Luke share an awkward moment that harkens back to the kiss in The Empire Strikes Back. The wedding ceremony itself was a cathartic experience for me as a reader. The pages leading up to it are filled with some intense moments. Leia reflects on Alderaan a few times in the novel, but in the pages before the wedding was when it hit home the most. She had lost everything: her people, her home, her family. All of it was gone. She would never again feel the warmth of her father’s smile, the tender touch of her mother, or see the view of Appenza Peak and the other breathtaking wonders of her planet. At this moment she has everything she needs. She has Han. She has her friends and her brother there to perform the ceremony. The ceremony provides a beautiful look at Han and Leia’s love as we’ve never seen in Star Wars storytelling. In the saga films, they share a passionate kiss, then thirty years later we see them apart. Revis does the readers justice with a perfect illustration of what this ceremony looks and feels like. When reading I felt myself drawn to the wedding, where all eyes on Leia. Her elegance shining through the magical wedding dress Revis puts together. It’s easy to picture a slightly nervous Han dressed quite a bit nicer than the scoundrel normally does.
As Leia and Han prepare for their honeymoon, Leia is intensely focused on the political battles to be played. Alliances need to be drawn and new treaties crafted. The Rebel Alliance expects that with the fall of the Empire taking place the race for controlling the fuel industry will decide who governs the galaxy. The two are going aboard the Halcyon for a luxury cruise that is both designed to give them some time alone together but also serve as a publicity stunt. The galaxy needs to believe the Empire is defeated. Seeing Leia aboard the Halcyon will give the impression the Rebel Alliance has indeed won. For if Princess Leia can take the time to celebrate then surely everyone else can.
As the honeymoon aboard the Halcyon begins, the lovely couple each has drastically different experiences. Han expectedly gets into some hijinks. After escaping the societal elites in the lobby, he eventually finds himself at a card table with a few strangers. One of these strangers is a socially unaware, yet brilliant individual named Kelad. Kelad formerly worked for the Empire and created tractor beam technology, which made Han’s smuggling quite difficult (not to mention how many friends he lost to it). Kelad claims to have been researching a massively important project for the Empire, but with their fall now has a new buyer for his claimed state-of-the-art machinery. Short on funds and resources, he’s also quite desperate. He begins to talk a little too much and ponders the idea of kidnapping Leia for a few extra credits. Pondering this idea next to her husband doesn’t give the result Kelad intends. Han doesn’t truly see him as a threat, but he represents everything Han fears. He understands the Empire and others will be sending hunters after his wife. Her position in the government to come means she will always have a target on her back, but it’s people like Kelad he fears most of all. The random individuals who see attacking her as a quick score get some credits. The attacks you can’t plan for. This plagues Han. Before Han finishes wrangling some more sense into Kelad, the two are discovered by Halcyon staff, and it’s found out Kelad is a stowaway, who is then sent to the brig. Han will spend most of his time aboard the Halcyon quietly brooding.
Leia’s experience is also what you might expect. Spending hours shaking hands and keeping her political mask in place with the societal elites who couldn’t care one bit about the war or struggles of the less fortunate, her position weighs on her. Meeting dozens who couldn’t care less about the battle against the Empire and others who wish she were on the losing side rather than the victor can take a toll. Her steadfastness is admirable, and her inner strength is unrivaled. She is so desperate to do as much good as she can; driven to this goal by the fear that someday the truth of her parentage will come forth. When people learn who her father is, she knows everything will change. This is what largely draws her to engage in more work than romance on her honeymoon, and serves as the main source of friction between her and Han. This desire also is what leads us to Halcyon’s change in destination.
The ice moon of Madurs is not on the agenda for the luxury cruise liner, but after a message from the moon’s Prime Minister Yens, Leia ensures the ship changes course. To the galaxy at large, Madurs is known for its art. Rivaled by few in their ingenuity, this planet uses the ice that surrounds them to create magnificent cities and sculptures. Known to fewer is Madurs is also the home of a rich source of carnium. Carnium is a form of gas that can be harnessed for fuel. Tibanna gas is the main source of fuel supply in the galaxy, but current complications make carnium a prime substitute. The ice sculptures and splendor of the moon make it a perfect alternative destination for the Halcyon’s tourists, and the existing carnium makes it a perfect spot for ambassador Organa to attempt to form a new alliance.
Madurs is a marvel to behold. Its ice cities are enormous, and sculptures are crafted with the finest attention to detail. Not a bitter planet like Hoth, but still and serene. While everyone is staring mouth agape at the wonders of this moon Han has quite a different feeling. The quiet cold and stillness of the surface sent shivers up his spine that reminded him all too much of what being frozen in carbonite was like. Throughout The Princess and the Scoundrel, he has several moments where we get a glimpse into just how traumatic an experience that was. Just like it was Leia who saved him from Jabba’s palace, she is always the one to soothe him and bring him back to the present in this story as well.
The couple soon discover the moon is not the paradise it appears to be. The moon reeks with the smell of the Empire, and beneath the timeless beauty of the landscape, the moon is a ticking time bomb. I won’t dive too deep into the plot of Madurs as you will certainly want to squeeze every bit of juice from this plot thread as you read. It’s here that Han and Leia start to fuse as one, and we see how unstoppable they are when they work together, as well as how deeply their love for one another goes. The two engage in an escapade to free a moon from Imperial servitude and an ecological disaster while facing off with an enemy from Han’s past.
Before closing, I wanted to list out just a few easter eggs, fun plot points, or random tidbits I found delectable while reading.
- Ewoks know how to party. When you read about the raging frenzy that Ewoks party with you will never look at these cute teddy bears the same way again. We also get a few Wicket moments.
- Chewie and Leia share a heartfelt moment. Leia tells him before they depart, “You were there for me when I had no one else to turn to.” Oftentimes this relationship can go untalked about, but this moment instantly brought me to the scene in The Rise of Skywalker where Chewie learns of Leia’s passing and the heartbreaking cries that ensued.
- A Lasat shows up! Shouts to the Rebels fans out there who love Lasats.
- During the wedding, Luke says, “Those we love are never truly gone.” Words he will say to Leia when they meet one last time in The Last Jedi.
- Multiple Qi’ra mentions and a tie-in to the comics.
- Kelad has developed a Thermal Oscillator capable of sustaining a planet’s core event through tremendous damage. Feels like his innovation is a direct tie-in to Starkiller Base and the future First Order Threat.
In conclusion, Beth Revis has delivered our first true romance novel to the Star Wars universe with The Princess and the Scoundrel, and I think that should be universally praised. This is such a perfect side story for these two well-fleshed-out characters. What set this book apart is the different layers in which it tells Han and Leia’s stories. We get alternating chapters from each of their perspectives. Revis doesn’t simply tread water at the surface level of these characters; she plunges into the deep. There are countless things in motion across the galaxy that concern each of them, both are struggling through steep traumatic moments and are on different paths as individuals. However, Revis brilliantly always brings it back to how they navigate this together as one. The Princess and the Scoundrel: two unlikely individuals in a galaxy of trillions who chose each other. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy and be whisked far off to a place where love is percolating through the air.
RATING: 8.75/10
Star Wars: The Princess and the Scoundrel is available where books are sold. Special thanks to Lauren Kretzschmar and Del Rey for the advanced copy used in this review.
Finding ways to nonchalantly incorporate Star Wars quotes into 8th grade classroom, Tyler lives and breathes Star Wars. His morning tradition is sending the latest number in the countdown for different Star Wars projects and loves engaging in uplifting Star Wars dialogue. If you are passionate about Star Wars you can follow him on Twitter at TyBrad5.
