This is a bit of an odd book. The writing is on a middle grade level, but the story itself and the themes it explores are fairly mature. One minute a character is doing some typical middle grade stuff (doubting themselves, learning lessons), then the next they're doing things that seem like an older, more mature character would be doing.

In trying to be both a book for kids and a compelling star wars story, it lands somewhere in between and is let down a bit on both fronts.

However despite all that, it's a good story with enjoyable characters and doesn't over stay its welcome. José-Older does a great job writing characters that think and speak like young people without making them annoying. It's certainly better than the previous middle grade novel, A Test of Courage.