Star Wars: The High Republic: Path of Vengeance

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stars or some such. Warning: Review contains uncensored spoilers for previous High Republic stories. As I mentioned above, this is the last book of Phase II of the High Republic. Path of Deceit, Convergence, Quest for the Hidden City, The Battle of Jedha, and Cataclysm lead to the events that happen on Path of Vengeance. The Mother is a dud of a villain. She never inspired any sense of fear or interest for me. The Herald is a much better character because he actually believes what he preaches. The Mother's storyline could only ever have gone one way, and so it does: she is exposed as a Force-using fraud and devoured by her own pet beast. Her motivations are also cookie-cutter: she is jealous of her sister who got to become a Jedi when she didn't. I think things would've been more interesting if the Mother's use of the Force was unconscious, or really just if there had been any nuance whatsoever to her character. As it is, her defeat is predictable and obvious. While I mostly liked the ending and was quite pleased with it, I do have to say that the ultimate end of the Mother and the revelation of her motivations and objectives fell a bit flat as it came a little too late to really make an impact. All this being said, most of what I really liked in this book was concentrated at the very end. The opening reads like a frantic and awkward plot summary of the Battle of Jedha as depicted in previous media. One of the storylines almost immediately devolves into an uninspired teen romance which I felt was completely disposable and added very little to the narrative. I am forever irritated by YA writers' insistence on inserting romance into every single story, seemingly for the sole purpose of conforming to genre expectations.

For fans of Marvel’s The High Republic comics, Cavan Scott has been feasting us, and you won’t be disappointed. Matty Cathley and Oliviah Zeveron are the Jedi at the front and center of this story. I couldn’t have been more excited about this move by Scott, as those have been my two favorite characters to follow from the comic arc. Matty, in particular, is so relatable. She can’t stand loose ends and wants to get a move on right away. If there is a problem, she wants to solve it right away. If there is silence, she wants to fill the void. She is a chattery, upbeat, vibrant character for which I have an eternal soft spot. Characters who bring an abundance of optimism are a treat, especially in an era plagued by existential fear. The first act (which takes place during the Battle of Jedha) effectively spoils how The High Republic (2022) ends, which at the time this novel had released, had not yet released its last two issues (although both would release shortly after in a short span of time to catch up).This first section of the review is free of spoilers. There will be a warning when spoilers begin later in the review. Before reading Path of Vengeance Jedi can be afraid. Jedi can be scared. There’s no shame in it. Everyone is scared at one time or another. The difference for a Jedi is that we know fear is fleeting and should never win. A Jedi never runs from their fear. They face it, safe in the knowledge that the Force is with them, and they are one with the Force. The Force is with them, and they are one with the Force. The Force is with them, and they are one with the Force!” As a result, these cults turn into massive echo chambers where everyone gets radicalized over time. When Phase I began, only the Mother and the Herald would resort to violence. Marda and Yana belong to the Path of the Open Hand, a group led by a charismatic woman called the Mother, which believes the Force must not be used by anyone. While Marda joins a perilous expedition to Planet X in search of more mysterious creatures to use against the Jedi, Yana finds herself forming an unexpected alliance with the father of her dead lover in attempt to wrest the Path from the Mother’s control. These two young women will face a crossroads, forced to choose not only their own fates, but that of the galaxy itself.

Much of that journey of self-discovery comes from her experiences both on and off-planet — from the mysterious and Force-soaked world of Planet X to the caves-turned-catacombs of Dalna during the Night of Sorrow. Cavan Scott writes Path of Vengeance. It is available in audio, physical, and digital formats. Earlier copies were sold at Star Wars Celebration 2023. It was released for the rest of the world on May 2nd while the audiobook wasn’t out until June 6th.Path of Vengeance does finally answer a lot of questions still lingering in this second phase, specifically about The Mother and her motivations for starting the Path of the Open Hand. The book also does a nice job of showing the ways in which cult leaders like this hold sway over people, yet care nothing for the people that follow them. It’s no surprise that Scott has landed another hit with Path of Vengeance. The author is one of the most beloved writers in Star Wars literature. I think this was my favorite and most moving depiction of the battle of Dalna in all the Phase II materials we have gotten so far. After manipulating everyone around her, The Mother is confronted by the one girl who once believed in her words more than anyone. Marda Ro has learned not only that The Mother doesn’t believe what she preaches, but that she’s also a Force user. The kind of people that she has learned to despise more than anything. I didn’t know it before, but I know it now. They will come for us. The Nameless Horror. The Shrii Ka Rai. They will come for us all. The storm shall rise and the stars fall, all because you cross the Veil. Because of you. The Force will die. The Force no more.”

Path of Vengeance is very similar to Path of Deceit, the last and first novels of Phase II respectively. The story is focused on a few characters and the pace of the book is very slow, too slow for my taste but it’s cool that the structure of both novels is so similar. Marda and Yana belong to the Path of the Open Hand, a group led by a charismatic woman called the Mother, which believes the Force must not be used by anyone. While Marda joins a perilous expedition to Planet X in search of more mysterious creatures to use against the Jedi, Yana finds herself forming an unexpected alliance with the father of her dead lover in attempt to wrest the Path from the Mother's control. These two young women will face a crossroads, forced to choose not only their own fates, but that of the galaxy itself. Plot summary [ ] Opening crawl [ ] This is a must-read for fans of Marda and Yana and any who might be curious about the origins behind familiar evereni! Path of Vengeance, in many ways, is exactly what it needs to be. It delivers satisfying conclusions to nearly every character yet to be fleshed out fully in the novels, but also serves as a wonderful segway as we gear up for an epic Phase III of High Republic publishing. The Ro family serves as the heartbeat and soul of this story, and I wouldn’t want it to be any other way. Being the two most important main characters from Path of Deceit to survive, I am glad Scott delivered in giving them the time in this book to cap off their journey. Marda and Yana are such interesting characters to read because they are forever intertwined due to their familial relationship, but come with completely different personalities. However, Scott dives deep in this book giving each a deeply introspective story. The heartbreaking losses from Path of Deceit took a massive toll on each of them, and their inner battles parallel each other perfectly. The novel more than delivers on its promises of despair and darkness but with just enough touches of hope and light. Path of Vengeance is an incredible book, and together with Path of Deceit , represents a masterpiece in Star Wars storytelling.”As the concluding novel in phase two of The High Republic, Path of Vengeance by Cavan Scott proves to be one of the boldest and bleakest entries in Star Wars literature. The overall theme of the book is women in their villain eras, and we’re just along for the deliciously dark ride." Marda is the true star of Path of Vengeance— she’s also the key figure on the cover, with Jedi Oliviah Zeveron and Matty behind her. Over the course of phase two, Marda evolved from an innocent and naive girl into a young woman who takes what she wants and refuses to bow to anyone.

Cavan Scott doesn't write good books, but he does write entertaining ones. In a similar vein to The Rising Storm, the prose is sloppy and melodramatic but has a certain charm and readability to it. You want to like Cavan Scott, not necessarily as an author but as someone who would be a blast to hang out with. He's having fun writing Star Wars stories and he wants you to have fun reading them.

Vildar and Tey will forever be some of my new favorite characters, especially Tey, and expending any extra amount of time with their banter and sassiness, even if it is two different brands of it, was exactly what I needed to make this book the perfect ending. Exploring more of Oliviah's character was nice but the definite highlight was having Matty here. Through the comic series I fell in love with Matty's character and giving her more time to shine, alone and undisturbed, here just cemented that idea in my head. She is quite possibly one of the coolest characters from this rooster based solely on her tremendous courage and temerity. While a lot of time passes between The High Republic and the prequel films, there are key clues pointing to the vast differences we see in the Jedi between these two eras. Every book in The High Republic offers an important view and commentary on the philosophies of the Jedi, the leaders of the galaxy, and the biggest threats to peace and prosperity in a galaxy far, far away.