Queen’s Peril follows the beginning of Padme Amidala’s reign as Queen of Naboo up to the end of The Phantom Menace. Padme is learning her new and important role as well as training with her new handmaidens and her close friend - and decoy- Sabe.

Queen’s Peril dives deep into Naboo politics and how Queen Amidala changed Naboo for the better. It’s clear from the start why her people loved her so much. Also, Padme shows qualities that we see in Luke and Leia in future Star Wars media. Yes, Leia is very much like her mother, but she has qualities from Anakin. The same goes for Luke.

I loved the handmaidens and how much training was involved. It was a very difficult job. They didn’t just copy Padme, but made the Queen Amidala persona a mix of all of them so the decoy could be played by any of them. Everything form the voice and small gestures were carefully planned out so the decoy could easily switch, even in the middle of an important dinner. Their friendship is what you expect from a group of 14 year old girls, but they have a level of maturity that is needed for their important roles. 

The first half of the book is strong, however, when we get to the overlap of The Phantom Menace, the story felt rushed. We have already seen these events, so there was little dialogue except for moments that weren’t in the movie.

Apart from that I loved this book. Any Padme and prequel fan will enjoy it too.

My Rating: 4.75 stars

Started Reading: 30/06/2022

Finished Reading: 01/07/2022