My daughter and I enjoyed this installment in the Star Wars time period of the High Republic, that supposedly "peaceful" time before the invasion of Naboo.
It begins with the POV of a saboteur, a member of the Nihil (nihilism -- here on Earth -- is the rejection of all religious and moral principles in the belief that life is meaningless), who's part of a crew that's been sent to blow up a passenger starcraft and establish the gang's territory. It's carrying a Dalnan ambassador and his son, Honesty; exceptionally young Jedi Master Vernestra Rwoh on her first mission keeping a Senator's mischievous daughter, Avon Starros, safe; Jedi Master Douglas Sunvale and his padawan, Imri Cantaros; and thousands of people on their way to witness the dedication of the Starlight Beacon. The Beacon is intended to be a communications hub, extending the wonderful and peaceful arm of the Republic and Jedi Order to the outer rim worlds.
Except the saboteurs are successful in blowing up the passenger craft. Vern manages to save Honesty, Avon, Imri and herself, and a droid, and they land an escape pod on a nearby, uninhabited planet, but that's it. The rest of the escape pods are sabotaged as well, and Master Douglas dies giving the kids a chance to survive.
It's a lush green planet, until it acid rains and wipes everything out. They barely make it to a cave for shelter, and just begin to learn how to survive, when the saboteurs land, hunting them.
Honesty and Imri are both nursing their grief and hurt, but for Imri, the lure of the Dark Side and the possibility of getting revenge on the creatures who killed his Master is especially strong. Avon is fantastically brilliant, and Vern level-headed, but she has her own Force secrets she's reluctant to expose.
I won't spoil how it ends; there's a wonderful plot twist about mid-way I didn't see coming, but I thoroughly enjoyed!
The book also has a handy timeline showing the story takes place before the Phantom Menace, but I especially loved it because it puts the SW franchise visuals thus far (it doesn't have Boba Fett, but that I could easily place under the Mandalorian) in order.
