Oh. Wow. I thought I had prepared myself for the thriller and stressful aspects of The High Republic phase II but I was wrong!! Cataclysm was pure and uninterrupted tension from about 40% in to finish!

For starters, the themes here are the strongest since phase one: this is a book about identity and loyalty. About hope and never giving up, as Star Wars always should be.

The action scenes were also incredible. While the high of a constant climax was a little tiring, making me take longer than necessary to finish the story, it was also very dynamic, visual and exciting! I could do with some breathing room, but I was never drowning.

It was great seeing the characters again, thought I really wish they had made this ohase into a trilogy. I feel I wasn't as attached to the characters yet like the narrative wanted me to be. It was great at making me feel and care (hi, Axel! How does it feel to be so unnerving?) but not overly sad or happy with the events.

Part of this is because the story is split between several groups and povs. I wish we would've focused on a more concise but deeper cast. Am I really going to be super sad when someone dies when they were only given five chapters worth of page time? Hardly. (Characters like the youngling and the guards could've been removed entirely, for example. I'm not saying they weren't fun but take them out and nothing is changed so...)

The plot also felt somehow off, considering the previous book. For the overall phase narrative it works, but I don't think it was a good decision to resolve a conflict that was the main focus of Convergence off-page, for instance. Give the relevant plot and the main characters the space to shine and this could've been a show!

But I was on edge the whole time. Lydia Kang has a very unique writing style, portraying emotions and sensations with an impressive clarity. That's why Cataclysm is at it's best during battle, and, luckily, that's where it is for 60% of the time.