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Star Wars: The High Republic: Path Of Vengeance Book Review

“Star Wars: The High Republic: Path Of Vengeance” closes out Phase 2 in a big way.

Written by Cavan Scott, “Star Wars: The High Republic: Path Of Vengeance” connects all of the pieces of Phase 2 from different POVs. The story takes place before, during and after The Battle of Jedha and leads up to and through The Battle of Dalna which took place in “Star Wars: The High Republic: Cataclysm.” The story primarily revolves around Marda (the Path of The Open Hand Guide), her cousin Yana (who is with the Path but has become disenchanted by it), Matty (a Jedi Padawan who lost her Master), The Herald (a top level Path member), Bokana (a Path member Marda has feelings for), and Jedi Knight Oliviah Zeveron. Plot wise, readers can expect storylines involving a jailbreak, Yana and Marda each being haunted by the dead, Leveler eggs, Matty and Oliviah venturing to Dalna, and Marda becoming more unhinged and power hungry. 

From the start, ‘Path Of Vengeance’ fills in gaps and explores questions readers have had from Phase 2. Where did the Levelers come from? How are they controlled? What happened to The Herald after The Battle of Jedha? What is Yana up to? What’s on Planet X and how does one travel to it? What abilities does The Mother possess and what is her background? Thankfully, you will learn answers to all of those questions and then some. 

What’s really striking about ‘Path’ is how it encapsulates all of Phase 2. It ties into each and every book from the second Phase all while developing characters and telling new stories that happened within major events ala The Battle of Jedha and The Battle of Dalna. Yana, Marda, Matty and The Mother in particular have even more depth here than before. There’s even quite the bombshell reveal about The Mother’s family.

Cavan Scott also really seems to draw inspiration from the Rajneeshpuram cult to full effect as the author delves further into the sinister nature of The Path Of The Open Hand. This is especially apparent with the poisoning and Marda storylines that occur. 

‘Path Of Vengeance’ (and nearly all of Phase 2 for that matter) has been the highlight of The High Republic so far to be sure. While it’s a shame this era is over (for now), seeing how the events of Phase 2 pour over into Phase 3 (which takes place in the future) will be nothing short of fascinating. 

May 11, 2023 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Book review | Star Wars, Star Wars Books, Star Wars: The High Republic, Star Wars: The High Republic: Path Of Vengeance Book Review