When I begun this book, I never would have thought that the lightheaded nature of a character like Ram would mix well with the darker, painful tone of Cohmac and Reath. But even if here we see a YA geared towards a slightly more juvenile approach than the previous two, Older is a master of Ram's own lesson: balance.

The comedic tone and modern speech were very jarring to start with, but definitely makes the story more approachable to younger readers. While it's not my preference when consuming something like Star Wars, I quickly got used to it.

The story here is not about the plot or advancing the overall Nihil storyline, but about characters dealing with their paths, their emotions, and their choices in the face of catastrophe. Everyone is struggling, but none of them struggles the same way. It's beautiful and complex.

The Jedi duos work extremely well and create very interesting dynamics. Kantam's past mirrors Cohmac's doubts, and Reath's development inspires Ram's will. They learn with each other and are taught in return, and every step of the way is both funny and inspiring.

This book is, befitting it's genre, about carving your own path and learning that it isn't always what you expected it to be. While Crash's storyline definitely fits the theme, it just wasn't necessary to tell the story. It was interesting, but I just couldn't make myself care that much when I was already so invested in the characters we already knew.

Midnight Horizon might not have beat the first two adult novels out of my High Republic podium, but the story it tells is definitely my favorite.

"There was no such thing as not taking sides. It was sheer theater in peacetime and an absolute joke during war. Neutrality, the performance of it, was something powerful people demanded of everyone else so they could stay protected."