“It’s the rot you don’t see that does the most damage.”
– Hera Syndulla

The second book in the Alphabet Squadron Trilogy is here and man…

It hits pretty hard.

I suppose the middle chapter of any trilogy always kind of has that energy but Shadow Fall is right up there. The book, like Alphabet Squadron, is still a grounded, battle focused, I hate to use gritty so I’ll say… “most like Rogue One in tone” story.

The characters we’ve come to know now get a LOT more shine and plenty of deeper moments. Hera is back and a bit more of a presence in this story which of COURSE I’m ecstatic about.

Once again the audiobook production is killer and we get those fresh tracks that I now hear in my head when I think of Alphabet Squadron tearing around in their fighters!

Alphabet Squadron is still holding their mission… or grudge, and focused on finding and eliminating Shadow Squadron. Not surprisingly after the events of Pandem Nai, Alphabet Squadron now functions like a bit more of a successful unit. The pilots still hold their baggage though, and while the squadron is focused on their missions, the members are all dealing with their own demons.

Yrica’s journey in this book is the most unraveling and heart-wrenching. We already know some of her past, regrets, and secrets, but the story really amplifies a few of those things in unexpected ways. It also takes her relationship with Adan and IT-0 and flips it around smashes it up and spits it back out.

Oh… and there’s a Sith temple involved.

Star Wars is nuts y’all.

There’s a lot of little cool things that I dug in this book. The Messenger, Meteor Squadron, cults, Twilight Survives, The Ghost, the black tower, the Grand Admiral, memories of Pandem Nai, Blink, Adelhard, Pandeon, and Vanguard Squadron!

This book hits very hard. It’s deep, personal, and puts our characters through it. If you enjoyed the first book in the series then this book is definitely worth picking up.

For me, the feel of these stories harkens back to the days when I loved reading the X-Wing books. The piloting, sky battle aspects, and relationships of those working together I always enjoyed. If you dug those Stackpole and Allston books maybe give this series a try and see if it hits those notes with you.

For fans of aerial space battling this is pretty much a must-read. The dogfights and tactics are a huge part of this book and definitely got me excited for Star Wars Squadrons!

– Sal P.

Full review at TheRogueRebels.com!

Thoroughly unremarkable