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Star Wars: Hiding From The Dark Book Review

“Star Wars: Hiding From The Dark” has plenty to admire, but is in need of a few edits.

Written by Kiersten White (best known for penning the notable “Star Wars: Padawan”), “Star Wars: Hiding From The Dark” is a new Middle Grade novel that dubs itself “A Star Wars Horror Novel.” Set in the original trilogy timeline, the story revolves around a young girl (Bia) living on Coruscant. Her mother (Pira) works for the Imperial Requisition Oversight but seems to be missing. Alone and scared, Bia gets a nightmarish visit from two intruders and a certain Dark Lord of the Sith who seems to be searching for someone or something. Bia manages to escape and decides to go off world to see if her mom is on the planet Worim (where her friend Nerik also resides). Upon arrival, Bia hopes to find answers, but discovers that more trouble is ahead. Along the way, she discovers secrets about her mother, the significance of the crystal necklace she has, and the truth about the galaxy under Imperial rule.

Star Wars novels have ventured into the horror genre before with titles like “Death Troopers” and “Red Harvest,” but now there’s a new horror centric book aimed at a younger audience. From the get go, “Star Wars: Hiding From The Dark” has a lot of promise. Not only is it a partial coming-of-age story of a young girl dealing with deep emotions like fear, anxiety, and paranoia as she tries to find her mother, but you’re getting the perspective of a child who embarks on a scary journey alone in which she encounters Darth Vader. Kiersten White makes Darth Vader scary again and seeing her describe the Sith Lord from the POV of a child is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the book. White really does a commendable job of letting viewers experience what it would be like to see Vader out of nowhere in person (let alone the powers he wields).

Where ‘Hiding From The Dark’ stumbles a bit is with the simplified storytelling. I realize this is a Middle Grade book which requires a certain style of writing, but White reiterates far too much to the point where it feels like she is padding the story. Bia is constantly asking herself or others the same questions over and over. The overstated plot points become all too tiresome after a while to the point where it feels like it needs to be edited down. 

If you’re a young reader who is passionate about Star Wars, ‘Hiding From The Dark’ will appeal to you. It’s far from a flawless read, but it’s a fun-filled journey that could potentially spin-off into sequels.

September 29, 2026 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Book review | Darth Vader, Star Wars, Star Wars Books, Star Wars Horror Book, Star Wars: Hiding From The Dark Book Review