SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://tessagratton.com
CITY: Lawrence
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 393
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Okinawa, Japan; father in the U.S. Navy; married, wife’s name Natalie.
EDUCATION:University of Kansas, B.A., 2003; graduate studies.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Madcap Retreats, associate director.
AVOCATIONS:Travel.
WRITINGS
Short stories represented in anthologies, including Werewolves and Shapeshifters: Encounters with the Beast Within, edited by John Skipp, Black Dog & Leventhal (New York, NY), 2010; Tales of the Far West, edited by Gareth-Michael Skarka, Adamant Entertainment (Lawrence, KS), 2011; Corsets and Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances, edited by Trisha Telep, Running Press Teens (Philadelphia, PA), 2011; Defy the Dark, edited by Saundra Mitchell, HarperTeen (New York, NY), 2013; and Tales of Light and Life (“Star Wars: The High Republic” seris), Disney/Lucasfilm Press (Glendale, CA), 2o23; lead writer for Serial Box Publishing’s project “Tremontaine.”
SIDELIGHTS
Tessa Gratton is a writer of young-adult fiction and fantasy novels. Born in Japan, she traveled around the world with her military family and eventually settled in Kansas after completing her studies there. Gratton is the author of several fantasy series, including “Blood Journals,” “United States of Asgard,” and, with coauthor Justina Ireland, “Chaos & Flame.” With coauthors Maggie Stiefvater and Brenna Yovanoff, Gratton has also contributed to The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories and The Anatomy of Curiosity, which include commentary and tips to help teen readers write fantasy.
[open new]Gratton encapsulated her beginnings as an author in an interview with Elise Dumpleton of Nerd Daily, explaining: “When I was in grade school my mom told me I needed to stop lying about things that happened to me on my way home from school, but if I wrote the stories down they wouldn’t be lies anymore! Once I started writing about dragons in the playground and ghosts in the creek, I never stopped.”[suspend new] In an interview in YA Bibliophile, Gratton described her writing process as being “fairly amorphous.” She continued: “I have an idea and let that idea bake for a while—anywhere from 10 years to just a few weeks, depending on the project. I usually know when a project is ready for my focus when I realize the core emotional conflict for the main character. I need that connection in order to be driven by my heart.”
Gratton published her first novel, Blood Magic, in 2011. Silla Kennicot continues to live with her brother in the rural Missouri farmhouse where she discovered her parents after their suspected murder/suicide. When she receives a book of magic spells written in her father’s handwriting in the mail from someone named The Deacon, she steps into a previously unknown world and becomes targeted by a murderous witch. Writing in Voice of Youth Advocates, Dotsy Harland reasoned that “this novel is appropriate for mature readers who enjoy horror with plenty of gore and a touch of romance to spice up the plot.”
The Blood Keeper is the sequel to Blood Magic. Mab Prowd struggles in her position as has the new deacon and is still mourning the loss of her predecessor. High school student Will Sanger crosses paths with Mab because of an old, evil curse, leaving both in need of fighting for their freedoms. Reviewing the novel in Voice of Youth Advocates, Heather Pittman insisted that “this book will be eagerly anticipated by fans of the first novel and is a must for any collection that serves readers of paranormal fiction.”
The Lost Sun marked the first novel in the “United States of Asgard” fantasy series, set in an alternate United States where Norse Gods tangibly interact with humans. After Baldur, the sun god, disappears, warrior Soren Bearskin and prophetess Astrid Glyn skip school and venture across the country to find him. Soren tries to suppress his feelings for Astrid and his berserker nature. With Astrid’s visions, the pair find an amnesiac Baldur and attempt to return him to Odin to set things right with the help of Vider Lokisdottir. The journey back through forces each of them to face their fates. In a review in Horn Book, Lauren Adams observed that “the climactic final chapters set the scene for further adventure and (somewhat tediously overheated) romance ahead.” A contributor to Kirkus Reviews remarked that “the breathless internal conflicts and easily overcome external conflicts never quite ignite.”
The Strange Maid is the second novel in the “United States of Asgard” series. Teenager Signy’s fate is to become a Valkyrie and help rule Asgard. She has struggled for two years, though, to solve Odin’s riddle and take the next step in her life. After meeting the young wanderer Ned Unferth, she ventures into troll territory, making friends, lovers, and coming across estranged relatives along the way. Writing in Voice of Youth Advocates, Kevin Beach noted that “there is a lot of attention to detail and backstory here, which sometimes bogs down the reader.” However, Beach conceded that “this fantasy world is well imagined.” A contributor to Kirkus Reviews opined that “fans of the first book and lovers of Norse legend may enjoy, but there’s better for fantasy-adventure lovers.”
Gratton published the stand-alone young-adult fantasy novel Strange Grace in 2018. A bargain between the Devil and a witch led to the town of Three Graces becoming an enchanted place, where crop failures never occur, wounds heal quickly, and childbirth is always without incident. The tradeoff, though, is that a boy “saint” must enter Devil’s Forest as a sacrifice on the Slaughter Moon. When the Slaughter Moon appears four years ahead of schedule, the townspeople begin to worry that the mystical agreement that has protected their town is under threat. Presupposed saint Rhun, witch Mairwen, and crossdressing Arthur enter the forest after feeling the pull, breaking the status quo. Booklist contributor Reagan labeled the account “haunting and unique.” A contributor to Kirkus Reviews called it “Horrifying, heartbreaking, and heartwarming,” adding that it is “a lush fairy tale rooted in a moral quandary.”
In the young-adult novel Night Shine, the 100-year-old Sorceress Who Eats Girls kidnaps the genderfluid Prince Kirin, the heir to the empire. Seventeen-year-old Nothing is the prince’s assistant. She teams up with Sky, the prince’s male bodyguard and secret lover, to rescue Kirin. The Sorceress knows more about Nothing than most people do, including Nothing herself. Between the sexual tension and desire to know more, the characters ebb and flow between tensions of their desires while trying to do what they feel is right. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews found Night Shine to be “queer and lush—and appealing and flawed in equal measure.” Booklist contributor Reagan called the book “a strange, dark gem,” adding that “queer readers … may see themselves in the pages of this fantasy.”
Raliel strives to be the perfect royal heir in Gratton’s 2022 young-adult novel, Moon Dark Smile. She has always been perfect at the role. Her best friend in the castle is Moon, a great demon similarly locked into its role, bound to Raliel’s parents. When Raliel gets older, Moon will be bound to her as well, and destined to stay in the castle forever. Raliel longs to see the Empire Between Five Mountains before she is charged as heir to the kingdom. Discussing the work with Sabrina Blandon on the Her Campus website, Gratton explained: “I could go to the Empire Between Five Mountains to escape, and perhaps it isn’t surprising that the main character begins the story very isolated and lonely. But Raliel’s story is about going out into the world to demand answers, about taking risks in order to create a new world that is more just than the one her parents made.” Likewise, Moon has their own wishes of leaving the palace, but in their case they would also like to break their bond with Raliel’s parents. The day comes when Raliel is set free to take her coming-of-age journey. Osian Redpop is a palace guard who will accompany Raliel on her journey, though there is more to him than meets the eye. Raliel has found a way to bring Moon along for the trip, but it is dangerous. “Identity, fluidity, and choice lie at the heart of this dense, darkly mystical companion to Gratton’s Night Shine, remarked a Kirkus Reviews contributor.
Later in the interview with Blandon, Gratton declared, “Moon Dark Smile is queer. It is a queer book, with queer characters, story and author. I’m a queer, nonbinary writer. It is necessary for marginalized voices to be promoted; it is necessary for marginalized characters to be given center stage. It will make books, readers and the world itself better. Literature grows stagnant when only straight, white voices are heard.” Gratton concluded, “Without examining our privilege and making space for marginalized people, we are part of the problem. Readers should seek out marginalized writers … to learn empathy and appreciate that for too long our culture has prioritized only a small number of voices, to the detriment of us all.”
[resume new]Gratton has contributed several books to the different phases and levels of the “Star Wars: The High Republic” series. Geared toward young adults is Path of Deceit, coauthored with Justina Ireland. On the Outer Rim planet of Dalna, cousins Marda Ro and Yana are beholden to the Path of the Open Hand, a cult-like society through which a prophet, the Mother, directs thefts inspired by Force-fed visions. The theft of a major artifact brings Jedi Padawan Kevmo Zink into Marda’s orbit, whereby both will have their worldviews tested. A Kirkus Reviews writer observed that the early revelation of the Path’s culpability “elevates the overarching plot from a straightforward investigative adventure into a complex intrigue about motivation.” The reviewer affirmed that the alternation between opposing perspectives “builds tension and suspense,” with “enticing treachery” leading up to a “heart-wrenching ending.”
Gratton and Ireland also teamed up on the “Chaos & Flame” young-adult fantasy duology. In Chaos & Flame, seventeen-year-old Darling Seabreak serves as a mercenary for House Kraken, which adopted her after a childhood she cannot remember. Fighting in her house’s war against House Dragon, Darling gets captured by eighteen-year-old Talon Goldhoard, the War Prince of House Dragon. She finally learns from artwork by Talon’s unbalanced older brother, Caspian—touched by Chaos—that she is the last surviving Sphinx, whose family was massacred by Talon’s father. As Caspian unsteadily takes the reins of his house, Talon and Darling team up in hopes of bringing peace to Pyrlanum.
A Kirkus Reviews writer observed of Chaos & Flame that “the focus on family bonds and support adds realism, while the inclusion of prophetic dreams and visions creates intrigue.” A Publishers Weekly reviewer affirmed that Gratton and Ireland “capably flesh out the novel’s compelling war-torn landscape,” producing a “gripping fantasy about betrayal, forgiveness, loss, and loyalty amid a magical war.” Ness Shortley of School Library Journal concluded that “political intrigue, magic, and intricate worldbuilding will draw in readers and leave them wanting more.”
The duology concludes with Blood & Fury, which finds Caspian transformed into a dragon, and Darling into a phoenix, leaving Talon to lead the response to his conniving aunt’s blood magic and magical boons on the loose. Darling aims to help, but her phoenix identity proves to have a mind of its own. A Kirkus Reviews writer appreciated the “original and deep magic system,” the “shocking twists” that surround the phoenix, and the protagonists’ personal stories, which “are gripping and inspire empathy.” The reviewer summed Blood & Fury up as a “nuanced story with a cast readers will cheer for.”[close new]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, August 1, 2012, Cindy Welch, review of The Blood Keeper, p. 68; August 1, 2012, Daniel Kraus, review of The Curiosities: A Collection of Stories, p. 72, and Cindy Welch, review of The Blood Keeper, p. 68; June 1, 2013, Charli Osborne, review of The Lost Sun, p. 91; September 15, 2015, Maggie Reagan, review of The Anatomy of Curiosity, p. 62; February 1, 2018, Maggie Reagan, review of The Queens of Innis Lear, p. 38; August 1, 2018, Maggie Reagan, review of Strange Grace, p. 87; December 15, 2019, LynnDee Wathen, review of Lady Hotspur, p. 94; August 1, 2020, Maggie Reagan, review of Night Shine, p. 67.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, January 1, 2013, Karen Coats, review of The Curiosities, p. 264; September 1, 2013, review of The Lost Sun.
Horn Book, September 1, 2012, Sarah Ellis, review of The Curiosities, p. 88; July 1, 2013, Lauren Adams, review of The Lost Sun, p. 128.
Horn Book Guide, March 22, 2013, Megan Lynn Isaac, review of The Blood Keeper, p. 98; September 22, 2014, Jenn Matters, review of The Strange Maid, p. 109; March 22, 2016, Sian Gaetano, review of The Anatomy of Curiosity, p. 187.
Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2012, review of The Blood Keeper; September 15, 2012, review of The Curiosities; May 1, 2013, review of The Lost Sun; April 1, 2014, review of The Strange Maid; February 15, 2018, review of The Queens of Innis Lear; July 15, 2018, review of Strange Grace; November 1, 2019, review of Lady Hotspur; July 15, 2020, review of Night Shine; June 1, 2022, review of Moon Dark Smile; September 15, 2022, review of Path of Deceit; January 15, 2023, review of Chaos & Flame; May 1, 2023, review of Quest for Planet X; March 15, 2024, review of Blood & Fury.
Publishers Weekly, September 17, 2012, review of The Curiosities, p. 57; April 29, 2013, review of The Lost Sun, p. 133; January 30, 2023, review of Chaos & Flame, p. 71.
School Library Journal, October 1, 2012, Suzanne Gordon, review of The Blood Keeper, p. 134; August 1, 2013, Elizabeth Kahn, review of The Lost Sun, p. 111; October 1, 2013, Amanda Raklovits, review of The Lost Sun, p. 54; May 1, 2014, Elizabeth Kahn, review of The Strange Maid, p. 131; March, 2023, Ness Shortley, review of Chaos & Flame, p. 89.
Voice of Youth Advocates, June 1, 2011, Dotsy Harland, review of Blood Magic, p. 183; October 1, 2012, Heather Pittman, review of The Blood Keeper, p. 378; December 1, 2012, Heidi Uphoff, review of The Curiosities, p. 494; May 1, 2013, review of The Lost Sun; August 1, 2014, Kevin Beach, review of The Strange Maid, p. 81; December 1, 2015, Stacey Hayman, review of The Anatomy of Curiosity, p. 75.
ONLINE
Geeks Out, https://www.geeksout.org/ (August 12, 2022), Michele Kirichanskaya, author interview.
Her Campus, https://www.hercampus.com/ (May 4, 2022), Sabrina Blandon, author interview.
Hiding Spot, https://thehidingspot.blogspot.com/ (July 25, 2013), author interview.
Literary Rambles, http://www.literaryrambles.com/ (August 1, 2011), Natalie Aguirre, author interview.
Miss Print, https://missprint.wordpress.com/ (January 19, 2017), author interview.
My Bookish Ways, http://www.mybookishways.com/ (August 6, 2014), author interview.
MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape, https://mylifemybooksmyescape.wordpress.com/ (March 27, 2018), author interview.
Nerd Daily, https://www.thenerddaily.com/ (November 18, 2019), Laura Erne, author interview; (May 14, 2024), Elise Dumpleton, “Q&A: Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland, Co-Authors of Blood & Fury.”
Paul Semel website, https://paulsemel.com/ (January 8, 2020), author interview.
Star Wars website, https://www.starwars.com/ (March 4, 2024), “The High Republic Authors on Authors: Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland.”
Tessa Gratton website, https://www.tessagratton.com (August 17, 2024).
YA Bibliophile, https://yabibliophile.com/ (April 20, 2015), author interview.*
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Tessa Gratton
(b.1980)
Tessa Gratton was born in Okinawa, Japan and traveled around because her dad was in the US Navy. She graduated from University of Kansas in 2003 with a degree in Gender Studies.
Despite having traveled all over the world, she settled in Kansas where the sunsets are all in Technicolor, with her partner, two cats, and a mutant mutt named Grendel.
Genres: Young Adult Fantasy, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Children's Fiction, Romance
New and upcoming books
March 2024
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Defy the Storm
(Star Wars: The High Republic)May 2024
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Blood & Fury
(Chaos and Flame, book 2)June 2024
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Temptation of the Force
(Star Wars: The High Republic)
Series
Blood Journals
1. Blood Magic (2011)
2. The Blood Keeper (2012)
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Curiosities (with Maggie Stiefvater and Brenna Yovanoff)
1. The Curiosities (2012)
2. The Anatomy of Curiosity (2015)
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United States of Asgard
1. The Lost Sun (2013)
2. The Strange Maid (2014)
Glory's Teeth (2014)
Gold Runner (2014)
Lady Berserk (2014)
The Weight of Stars (2014)
3. The Apple Throne (2015)
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Queens of Innis Lear
1. The Queens of Innis Lear (2018)
2. Lady Hotspur (2020)
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Night Shine
1. Night Shine (2020)
2. Moon Dark Smile (2022)
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Chaos and Flame (with Justina Ireland)
1. Chaos & Flame (2023)
2. Blood & Fury (2024)
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Novels
Strange Grace (2018)
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Series contributed to
Tremontaine
Tremontaine: The Complete Season 2 (2017) (with others)
Tremontaine: The Complete Season 3 (2018) (with others)
Tremontaine: The Complete Season 4 (2018) (with others)
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Naughty Brits
Naughty Brits (2020) (with others)
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Star Wars: The High Republic
Star Wars: The High Republic (2021) (with others)
Defy the Storm (2024) (with Justina Ireland)
Temptation of the Force (2024)
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Star Wars
Stories of Jedi and Sith (2022) (with others)
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Star Wars: The High Republic (Young Adult)
4. Path of Deceit (2022) (with Justina Ireland)
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Star Wars: The High Republic (Middle Grade)
Quest for Planet X (2023)
Tessa Gratton is the New York Times Bestselling author of adult and YA SFF novels and short stories that have been translated into twenty-two languages, nominated twice for the Otherwise Award, and several have been Junior Library Guild Selections. Her most recent novels are the dark queer fairy tales Strange Grace and Night Shine, and queer the Shakespeare retelling Lady Hotspur. Her upcoming work includes the YA fantasy Chaos and Flame (2023), and novels of Star Wars: The High Republic. Though she has lived all over the world, she currently resides at the edge of the Kansas prairie with her wife. Queer, nonbinary, she/he/they.
Q&A: Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland, Co-Authors of ‘Blood & Fury’
Elise Dumpleton·Writers Corner·May 14, 2024·2 min read
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We chat with co-authors of Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland about Blood & Fury, which is the gripping conclusion to the Chaos & Flame saga and reads like a mix of Game of Thrones and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Hi, Tessa and Justina! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourselves?
TESSA: I live at the edge of the Kansas prairie with my wife and very needy cats, and am currently deep into Chinese palace dramas.
JUSTINA: I write books. Some people like them, and other people don’t.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
TESSA: When I was in grade school my mom told me I needed to stop lying about things that happened to me on my way home from school, but if I wrote the stories down they wouldn’t be lies anymore! Once I started writing about dragons in the playground and ghosts in the creek, I never stopped.
JUSTINA: No clue. But I started writing seriously sometime around 2008. No rush to get there when the journey is the point.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
The first book you ever remember reading:
TESSA: Beauty by Robin Mckinley
JUSTINA: Hop on Pop
The one that made you want to become an author:
TESSA: Quitting graduate school made me want to become an author, LOL.
JUSTINA: Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by NK Jemisin
The one that you can’t stop thinking about:
TESSA: The Scum-Villain Self-Saving System by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. It’s the wildest, sweetest, strangest, most messed-up book I’ve read in long time, and it’s so mean to authors. Very inspiring.
JUSTINA: The Dwindling Party by Edward Gorey. It’s worth the Google. Forty years later that book still lives rent free in my head.
Blood & Fury is the conclusion to your Chaos & Flame duology! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
TESSA: BLOOD ANGST KISSING TRANSFORMATION MONSTERS
JUSTINA: BLOOD FURY MAGIC KISSING RESOLUTION
What can readers expect?
TESSA: More surprises and a lot more angst! More dragons!
JUSTINA: BLOOD FURY MAGIC KISSING RESOLUTION\
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?
TESSA: I find Caspian weirdly relaxing to write, even though he’s the opposite of sweet and easy. He expected to die at the end of book one, and exploring his (bad) reactions to remaining alive was fun.
JUSTINA: It was a lot of fun writing the empyreals. How often do you get to write about krakens throwing a tantrum?
What’s the process like when co-authoring a book?
TESSA: Half the work, double the fun.
See also
Q&A: Kelly Bowen, Author of ‘Tomorrow Is For The Brave’
JUSTINA: LOLOLOLOL. Like writing by yourself but with more opinions.
What’s next for you both?
TESSA: My next Star Wars book, Temptation of the Force, comes out June 11, and after that next year the first book in an adult epic fantasy will come out. It’s called The Mercy Makers and is about a prodigy at dangerous magic who’s drawn into the politics of the imperial palace and it explores connections between power, sex, and empire. I also have a short story in the upcoming anthology Faeries Never Lie edited by Zoriada Córdova and Natalie C. Parker.
JUSTINA: I have a few Marvel Comics coming up, most notably Amazing Spider-Man: Blood Hunt. It has vampires. I also have a middle grade book out now, TALES FROM CABIN 23: THE BOO HAG FLEX. Tales from Cabin 23 is a Goosebumps like series featuring monsters from historically marginalized cultures. I’m kicking it off and the next book by Hanna Alkaf comes out in August.
Lastly, are there any book releases that you’re looking forward to picking up this year?
TESSA: Come Out, Come Out by Natalie C. Parker.
JUSTINA: So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison.
Will you be picking up Blood & Fury? Tell us in the comments below!
The High Republic Authors on Authors: Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland
The Star Wars: The High Republic co-authors of Defy the Storm talk about writing as a team and choosing when to save or sacrifice a character. Plus, we reveal some new character art!
StarWars.com Team
StarWars.com Team
March 4, 2024
Defy the Storm cover
The release of Defy the Storm marks the fourth book that authors Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland have written together. But long before they were co-authors, they were friends swapping manuscripts and giving each other advice on their drafts.
In the latest installment in the StarWars.com series celebrating Phase III in Star Wars: The High Republic, which continues this week with the new young adult novel Defy the Storm arriving March 5, and continues this summer with Gratton’s Temptation of the Force adult novel in June, pull up a chair and laugh along as the two writers finish each other’s sentences and chat about emotional snacking at 2 a.m., killing their darlings, and saving one particular Jedi.
Tessa Gratton: I was thinking…I can't remember the first time we actually interacted or met. I remember how we became friends. It must've been the Romantic Times Convention in Kansas City in 2013.
Justina Ireland: Yeah, we met there, but I mean everyone knows everybody else in YA.
Tessa Gratton: But it was in 2015 when we actually became friends by fighting on the internet.
Justina Ireland: Because everyone fights on Twitter! But fun fighting, not like…soul-sucking fighting.
Tessa Gratton: I remember being like, oh my gosh, this Justina Ireland is really angry just like me about all the same things I'm really angry about….And then [later] we started reading for each other, before books were going to our agents and editors.
Justina Ireland: Yeah, I think the first thing I read of yours was, oh my gosh, it's been so long. I think it was Moon Dark Smile was the first?
Tessa Gratton: It was Strange Grace.
Justina Ireland: Oh, it was Strange Grace! I'd read your other stuff, but I think that was the first book that you sent.
Tessa Gratton: And then I read an early version of Deathless Divide.
Justina Ireland: Yeah. You meet people, but there's a different level of friendship to letting people read your stuff. Yes, we're friendly on the internet. Yes, we'll hang out together. But I'm not letting you read my words. And then we wrote a book together, which is passing that bridge.
Tessa Gratton: I think we've written four together now, right?
Justina Ireland: [Defy the Storm will] be four, which is so many books with another person!
Tessa Gratton: But it was a really easy decision to make. I used to tell people I would never collaborate. I like to sit alone by myself and write my own weird books and deal with all of the struggles and plot and character arcs for three or four drafts before I'm interested in even talking. And you clearly just ignored me every time I said that. [Laughs.]
Justina Ireland: Well, because every time we were in the same room, I was like, “Tell me what you're working on. What problems are you having?” You're like, I don't want to talk about this. I'm like, I don't care. Let's talk about it anyway.
Tessa Gratton: If we're writing a book together, you have to talk about it.
Path of Deceit cover
Justina Ireland: And then we went right from writing Path of Deceit to writing Chaos & Flame.
Tessa Gratton: We had written the first act of Chaos & Flame, and then we did the entirety of Path of Deceit.
Justina Ireland: Yeah, that makes sense because I definitely remember I was like, “Come write Star Wars with me!” And you were like, “Absolutely not.” And I was like, “Please, otherwise I'll have to do it all by myself and I'm so tired.” [Laughs.]
Tessa Gratton: Well, now I'm tired, too. [Laughs.]
Justina Ireland: Welcome. Now we all get to be tired! It’s been a really busy two and a half years.
Tessa Gratton: I do really like collaborating with you. You're really good at plot and action and figuring out pacing. I think at the very beginning when you do the outlines, that's something that you just are so good at. And then I can be like, “Well, but what if we have more philosophical discussions here?” And you're like, “No, we need a flood.”
Spoiler warning: This article discusses some details and plot points from Star Wars: The High Republic: Path of Deceit and Star Wars: The High Republic: Defy the Storm.
Justina Ireland: Oh, this is a spoiler. Can we do spoiler jazz hands if we're going to talk about a spoiler? But you definitely wanted to save Kevmo [in Path of Deceit], and I was like, “No, he must die. Kevmo has to further the plot for us.” That's why, when we started breaking out the character chapters, I was like, “You definitely have to write Marda, because that's more your philosophical introspective [point of view].” Let's think about how the cult makes us feel. And you're so good at writing that emotional arc of somebody just dealing with their feelings where I'm just like, “Let's just punch things! Let's get through this.” But I also think you're great at writing those romantic beats. I don’t write romance, though.
Tessa Gratton: Yana [Ro].
Justina Ireland: Yeah, but I threw those over to you and you revised some of those sections. I was like, Kevmo has to be a little less excited in parts. Let's dial him back. He loves being a Jedi, let's make him love it a little less. But I do think — I know RIP Kevmo — but I do think that was one of the things that did work well because we were writing two very different characters and being able to break out those Yana and Marda chapters and then share the Kevmo chapters made it go a lot faster than normally writing a book. I knew everything that was going to happen, but seeing how you had framed a scene and then being able to put a different perspective on that same scene was a lot of fun. And that's why we ended up writing Defy the Storm together. I was like, well, I want to do this again. This was fun and less like me [writing alone] at 2:00 a.m., eating Cheetos, crying. [Laughs.] There was a lot less crying, so that's great. It's always a win.
Xylan concept art
Tessa Gratton: Yeah. How did you feel when I said that I really, really, really wanted to write the point of view of Xylan in Defy the Storm?
Justina Ireland: I was actually surprised because I do think you tend to write characters who have a little more depth. Xylan is all fashion, no depth, but you gave him hidden depth. You made him deep, even though he was originally just kind of a very surface-level character. I definitely thought you'd want to write Jordanna [Sparkburn] just because when I wrote that character, it was kind of an homage to you. [She is] just like, “Lemme show up, get the work done, and hang out with my cat.” But I was pleasantly surprised by [Xylan’s] chapters. He just shows up to chew the scenery, which is delightful. And you need that, especially with Phase III. It's so deep and there's so many horrible things that our characters have gone through and there's so many obstacles they still have to get past that I think you need those moments of lightness in the book to help carry you through. So, I think readers are really going to be excited and delighted to see how Xylan has changed from Out of the Shadows to Defy the Storm.
Avon Starros concept art
Tessa Gratton: I really liked how he and Avon [Starros] play off of each other. That was something that I wouldn't have predicted, but I really like every single scene that the two of them are in together. Avon is probably my favorite of your characters from Phase I. It's hard to say that when there's Vernestra [Rwoh] right there, but…
Justina Ireland: I like the regular people. You go through the galaxy and you’re a Jedi? You have a lot of things going in your favor. And then you go through the galaxy and you're a regular human and, oh my gosh, everything is so dangerous for you! You are soft and squishy and you'll die. And Avon has grown and changed, and that's been one of my favorite things about getting to work in The High Republic. So often with Star Wars, you dip in, you write about a character, and you dip out, and so being able to craft a character arc… Wait, are we supposed to talk about Defy the Storm? I don't want to spoil it.
Tessa Gratton: I think a little bit. Yes.
Justina Ireland: What's your favorite scene? If you can talk about a scene in the book that's non-spoilery, especially one that you wrote, because I can barely remember the stuff I wrote. There are so many scenes.
Tessa Gratton: My favorite scene to write actually takes place over a couple of chapters: the introduction of Cair San Tekka. I had a lot of fun doing that and getting to show him through different characters’ points of view and just really dig into, well, what kind of weird fun stuff can I do here? Yeah. So, I think writing those were my favorite scenes to write.
Justina Ireland: Do we have art of Cair?
Cair San Tekka concept art
[Editor’s note: We do. And here’s your first look at it.]
Tessa Gratton: I've seen some!
Justina Ireland: It's all a blur. All I remember is — this is a spoiler — so many Boolan [illustrations]! My brain is just full of Boolans. But yeah, I liked Cair a lot because I am a sucker for big, messy families just because I tend to think it's a big galaxy. We should have more than one big family there doing lots of stuff for better or worse. Definitely my favorite scenes to write in this book were Avon's scenes just because…what do you do when you find out your mom is hanging out with the worst person in the galaxy? Imagine that teenage angst and embarrassment about your parents and then ratchet it up to a thousand because your mom is hanging out with the leader of the Nihil. A war criminal. It's like, what if your mom dates Hitler? So that was a lot of fun just to really delve into her. She's just all teenage angst.
Tessa Gratton: And she's not constrained by the kind of angst that the Jedi get to express.
Justina Ireland: She's like, “I don't have any code of conduct to follow. I just do what I want.”
Tessa Gratton: I think one of my favorite things about coming in late to The High Republic — since I just started with Phase II — was how I was encouraged to find things from Phase I and things that would be moving into Phase III and help develop them and make them my own. And I really was happy that everyone, but especially you, had done so much with the Grafs in Phase I. I love a good family feud. Let's do Grafs and San Tekkas in absolutely everything.
Justina Ireland: And we were writing brand new characters in Path of Deceit. Defy the Storm was a little different… It is nice in the YA book we get to slow down and kind of focus on character a little more than we do on the adult side. That is pretty fun. Speaking of which: wait, are you allowed to talk about the adult book?
Tessa Gratton: I think a little bit. It's announced and everything.
Justina Ireland: Okay. So, what was your favorite part about writing [Justina whispers] Temptation of the Force?
Tessa Gratton: I'm still in the thick of it, so it's hard to think about. But I have really liked finding small moments with characters to just have a moment of quiet. I've especially enjoyed doing that with Burryaga. Actually, I had never really thought about Wookiees very much.
Justina Ireland: The personal struggle of the Wookiee.
Tessa Gratton: They're fine. They're really tall Ewoks, which are my favorite, but it's been cool to really figure out who I think he is and who he's developing into because, of course, while I was working on Temptation from concept to outline, different aspects of who he is and who he's become were being written, like the short story in the anthology, Tales of Light and Life. I read that in the middle of the process, which has a huge impact on who he is.
Justina Ireland: Burryaga is actually a really interesting character coming out of Phase I, right? He’s kind of been the witness to history. He's always just there, maybe a little bit in the background. I do think it's interesting that now we're getting a different perspective. He's been missing and now he's back. He's in George [Mann]'s book [The Eye of Darkness], and it's going to be fun to see his arc. I mean, we don't necessarily get Wookiee arcs. I'm really looking forward to reading how he's changed, and especially once everything is done, it'll be really cool to see how everyone has picked out a different part of the character arc.
Tessa Gratton: I know you're writing one of the very last books of Phase III, and I definitely don't know what you could possibly even say about it.
Justina Ireland: Absolutely nothing! [Laughs.] It's going to have Star Wars characters. There'll be some Jedi, there'll be some non-Jedi. There'll be some enemies become friends, there'll be some friends become enemies. I don't know. It's going to be a middle grade book, so it'll be a nice quick read. So, we'll see. It's still kind of in the conceptual stages, but at this point now I've written two other High Republic middle grades and you've written a middle grade. That's my favorite spot — in and out and a nice short adventure.
Tessa Gratton: I like YA because I get to put in — not a lot, but some — kissing and more murder. I had to take a surprising amount of murder out of the Quest for Planet X. My instinct is kissing and murder. I struggled with that in the middle grade
Justina Ireland: Because there's not a lot of kissing in middle grade. But murder? I mean, I killed an entire ship full of people [in A Test of Courage].
Tessa Gratton: That was shocking! That was the first High Republic book I read and I was like, “Wow, we're just jumping in.”
Justina Ireland: It's like, “Welcome to High Republic. Everyone's dead.” [Laughs.]
Tessa Gratton: But the kids are brave.
Justina Ireland: Yeah, the kids are okay…I do have a surprising amount of kidnapping in my books, so I do like that we were able to turn that on its head a little bit for Defy the Storm, where it was kind of a tongue-in-cheek kidnapping. There's so much kidnapping in Star Wars, especially my books. People are often taken against their will. Welcome to a Justina Ireland book.
You're several books deep now into your Star Wars trajectory. What's your thing that you keep finding pops up in your storytelling?
Tessa Gratton: Other than Grafs and San Tekkas? I keep coming back around to questioning the Force and the Jedi and how the Jedi use the Force. I think that goes all the way back to my childhood when I was eight and I was like, “I want to be a space wizard.” [Laughs.] How does this really work? There don't seem to be very many rules in these movies.
Justina Ireland: [Laughs.] Luke just does what he wants.
Tessa Gratton: He doesn’t have anybody guiding him so he has to guess about the rules.
Justina Ireland: That's true. You don't get the rules until [The Empire Strikes Back], when he goes and finds Yoda, and then Yoda always speaks in riddles.
Tessa Gratton: Yoda's not really a rule-oriented teacher.
Justina Ireland: [Laughs.] While you're questioning the Force, I'm always questioning hyperspace because we have so many different ways of faster-than-light travel across the sci-fi spectrum, and I do think a lot of people have borrowed from Star Wars in that regard without thinking about the mechanics of what exactly is hyperspace beyond a few hand-wavy, astrophysics explanations. Especially in a galaxy where you have other places that exist within the forest and stuff like that.
Tessa Gratton: I really appreciated it when we first started working on Defy the Storm, because we have a lot of hyperspace stuff.
Justina Ireland: So much.
Tessa Gratton: But you immediately sent me links to [real scientific] things to read. “This is some of the physics and the math. And oh, by the way, here's this really big document about how hyperspace theoretically works.”
Out of the Shadows cover
Justina Ireland: That and eating Cheetos at 2:00 a.m. Literally when I was writing Out of the Shadows, I was like, “How does any of this stuff work in Light of the Jedi?” We talk about the Paths, but we don't really explain it in a way that we can replicate it. And we knew that the Paths were going to come back around and we knew that Marchion [Ro] was going to use the Paths to make things worse into Phase III, but … if I don't understand the why and the how of a thing in a story, it bothers me.
Tessa Gratton: The science-y technological middle of Out of the Shadows is my favorite.
Justina Ireland: You’re one of five people across the world who feels that way, but me, too! My favorite parts of Star Wars are always when the academics show up and they give you a lesson about something in-world, because I'm just like, yes, I want to be in school forever. Let me experience that even in my fantasy. I talk about hyperspace now. My husband is like, “Oh, no, no. I don't want to hear any more about hyperspace.”
Tessa Gratton: [My wife] Natalie, too.
Justina Ireland: It's funny that you're working on Star Wars books with me because you were the first person, I think, who knew that I was doing The High Republic. I don't think it had a name back then, but we went to a writing retreat and I had to leave early because I was flying out to Skywalker Ranch. Do you remember that?
Tessa Gratton: I do remember that because you said, “I'm not supposed to tell anyone, but I know you really, really care about this.”
Justina Ireland: I was like, “I know you really like Star Wars,” and you're like, “I do.”
Tessa Gratton: I'm totally cool. “Skywalker Ranch? Yeah, I've never even heard about that place.”
Justina Ireland: [Laughs.] I just remember you were like, “What are you going to write about? What are you going to write?” And it was nice to bring you in and say, “Hey, let's write this book together.” Because the whole time I was like, “Do you remember that book that came out in the nineties?”
Tessa Gratton: I remember everything up until around 2003 when I went to graduate school and then post-graduate school, I don't remember anything. I'm good on all the Star Wars that came out before I was in graduate school.
Justina Ireland: At some point, we're going to have you and Cavan [Scott] do a Legends quiz-off because I think he's the only other person I've met who knows as much Legends stuff as you do.
Tessa Gratton: I'll definitely lose.
Imri Cantaros concept art
Justina Ireland: I guess we should probably talk about when we decided to save [or sacrifice] Imri [Cantaros]. I think even when we were breaking the story for Defy the Storm, we still hadn't truly settled on [it.]
Tessa Gratton: I think so, too, because for a while they were looking for him. Looking for him was always part of it. It’s not really fair that I didn't get to save Kevmo, but you got to save Imri.
Justina Ireland: It wasn't my fault, it was peer pressure! I'm pretty sure Jen [Heddle, Lucasfilm’s executive editor] sent me an email. She was like, “I can't believe you're going to kill the cinnamon roll. That's the worst.”
And I came back from New York Comic Con and [an adult fan] had come up to me and said, “I love Imri so much. He is everything I've ever wanted in a Jedi. I've been waiting my entire life to see a Jedi like him and me.” And I was like, “Oh no!” I remember I texted you at that point and I was like, “Imri has to live. I don't know what we're going to do with that, but he has to live.” Then we had our Star Wars roundtable meeting not too much later, and we were listing off everybody who was dead or missing, and I was like, “Oh, no, no, no. Imri's alive.” Jen Heddle was definitely happy.
Vernestra Rwoh concept art
Tessa Gratton: Without spoilers, I really like the way that his arc ends up playing out and the way that it affects Vernestra's arc as well. It's really interesting and complicated, and I really like how surviving a trauma can be so much more emotionally devastating and rewarding than just death. It really adds something really very important to Defy the Storm specifically, but also to Phase III [overall,] when all of the characters are reacting to galactic trauma.
Justina Ireland: After reading The Eye Darkness, I'm really glad we made that decision because even though things are not great at this time, we end on a high note in Defy the Storm. I think it's going to be a nice little bit of a pick-me-up. But I will say, I think the fan reaction has been probably the thing I've been most [excited about].
Tessa Gratton: It's really intense and so overwhelmingly positive.
Justina Ireland: It's a very pure love. And it's for books! We will have The Acolyte this year, but there's no other time period really where you can point to just books — there's no [series], there's no movies. When you have that much love and passion for a book, to me that makes me like you a thousand percent more just because I think it's easy to show up and love a TV show or a movie, especially one that's well known, but I do think it's really, really hard to show up and have that much passion for a book and then to get other people to read books. I've talked to people who met and are dating because they both love The High Republic books, which is such a flex.
Tessa Gratton: That's great. And the level of creativity has really impressed me, too, with the fan art and cosplaying that happens before books even come out. I saw so much Kevmo art before Path of Deceit even came out, and of course I was like [Nervously.], “Yeah, he's great.”
Justina Ireland: Was that New York Comic Con when somebody came up to us and was like, “I'm in the middle right now. I love Kevmo so much!” And we were like, “Yeahhhhhhhh, keep reading.” I don't want to tell you I killed your fave, especially when you just met him. But Imri lives! So that's what matters.
Tessa Gratton: Let's write another book together…in five years.
Justina Ireland: [Laughing.] I need so many naps.
Gratton, Tessa BLOOD & FURY Razorbill/Penguin (Teen None) $19.99 5, 14 ISBN: 9780593353356
Talon struggles to follow his brother's goal of bringing peace to Pyrlanum in this duology closer following 2023's Chaos & Flame.
After Caspian, regent of House Dragon, declared an end to the Dragons' imperialistic war, he transformed himself and Darling into an empyreal dragon and phoenix, respectively. Talon, Caspian's brother, is left to keep the unstable peace, while the Dragons refuse to return their captured lands and the newly released magical boons cause chaos across Pyrlanum. When his aunt Aurora and her cursed blood magic threaten the newly awakened empyreal regents, Talon races to stop her. Darling, reeling from both brothers' betrayal, struggles to keep hold of herself against the powerful pull of the phoenix that forces her on its own unknown quest. The ongoing storyline about ending the war is well developed, and it depicts the difficulties of handling reparations, demilitarization, and establishing diplomatic relations in the wake of bloodshed. The positioning of empyreals as blood heirs and guardians of Chaos is intriguing and creates an original and deep magic system. Likewise, the mystique surrounding the phoenix provides shocking twists. While the side characters are interesting, they lack development; still, Darling's and Talon's stories are gripping and inspire empathy, especially with their explorations of self and grief. Darling's gradual change in emotions is understandable, resulting in a realistic slow-burn romance; readers may feel Talon comes across as too steadfast. The characters are varied in physical appearance.
A nuanced story with a cast readers will cheer for. (Fantasy. 14-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Gratton, Tessa: BLOOD & FURY." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A786185600/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=3ce0e8c3. Accessed 19 June 2024.
Gratton, Tessa QUEST FOR PLANET X Disney Lucasfilm (Children's None) $14.99 4, 4 ISBN: 9781368082877
A Jedi Padawan and two young prospectors embark on a stolen vessel in search of a mysterious planet and guidance from the Force.
Twelve-year-old White boy Dass Leffbruk jumps at the chance to join the Hyperspace Chase, a high-stakes prospecting race into the frontier. More than anything, he needs to return to Planet X, and his friend Sky Graf, a White pilot who uses they/them pronouns, who has not only a state-of-the-art ship, but a plan for how to find the uncharted planet. Like Dass, Sky intends to prove themself, no matter the cost--even if it means stealing their brother's ship. When Rooper Nitani, a Jedi Padawan with brown skin and black hair, hears the rumors about conflict on Jedha, she wrestles with her impatience for news from her master. Despite her dislike of privatized space travel, she feels the Force guiding her when Dass begs her to join his prospecting mission for Planet X. As the race begins, their path intertwines with that of Fel Ix, a Kessarine on a mission for the Path of the Open Hand. This High Republic-era adventure follows the perspectives of four characters who are grappling with responsibility, independence, and their sense of purpose in the world. Full of suspenseful action, the story picks up momentum quickly and the pace never lags. Previous High Republic books provide helpful context for understanding significant characters and events.
An exciting chase that will satisfy fans. (Science fiction. 9-13)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Gratton, Tessa: QUEST FOR PLANET X." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A747342254/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=98b79a0e. Accessed 19 June 2024.
GRATTON, Tessa & Justina Ireland. Chaos & Flame. 336p. Razorbill. Mar. 2023. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9780593353325.
Gr 7 Up--Political intrigue, magic, and intricate worldbuilding will draw in readers and leave them wanting more. Darling Seabreak's family was murdered when she was very young by House Dragon, leaving her the sole survivor of a dead House. Talon Goldhoard, the War Prince for House Dragon, serves his people dutifully, even when his brother, the High Prince Regent, begins acting more erratically. Darling and Talon must learn to work together if they are to survive the deception and obfuscation of factions that seeks to tear the world apart-or rebuild it into something better. Ireland and Gratton have created a world with deep lore, and then show readers very little of it. Darling and Talon, the two point-of-view characters, are interesting and complicated, with shifting motivations and a deep desire to do right by the people they care about. The side characters are diverse and add to the richness of the world. Readers should watch out for mis-gendering a side character, though the other character in the scene immediately corrects it. Overall, while set in a deeply interesting world with engaging characters, the novel suffers a bit from uneven pacing. VERDICT A fantasy story with an engaging premise, this will circulate well in libraries where other epic fantasy and enemies-to-lovers romances are popular. --Ness Shortley
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Shortley, Ness. "GRATTON, Tessa & Justina Ireland. Chaos & Flame." School Library Journal, vol. 69, no. 3, Mar. 2023, p. 89. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A739108673/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d5067e9b. Accessed 19 June 2024.
Gratton, Tessa CHAOS & FLAME Razorbill/Penguin (Teen None) $18.99 3, 28 ISBN: 978-0-593-35332-5
On opposite sides of a long war, two teens find hope together in this duology opener.
Seventeen-year-old Darling Seabreak was orphaned by the House Wars instigated by House Dragon, which destroyed her family. Surviving life in dark sewers as a child, she becomes a deadly Barb for her adopted House Kraken as they struggle against the imperialistic Dragons. Eighteen-year-old Talon Goldhoard fights for his older brother, Caspian, the Chaos-touched High Prince Regent of House Dragon and ruler of all Pyrlanum, a deadly War Prince whose entire life has been battle. The focus on family bonds and support adds realism, while the inclusion of prophetic dreams and visions creates intrigue: When Darling's adoptive father is kidnapped by Dragons, she is drawn into a political struggle between Caspian's erratic plans, her loyalty to House Kraken, and her growing attraction to Talon. Their romance, while beginning with immediate attraction, progresses at a slow burn and relies on trust rather than instalove. Despite familiar worldbuilding delivered mostly through telling rather than showing, the boon magic system is intriguing, and the inclusion of Chaos in the mythology adds a twist. While the plot is predictable--until a surprising ending that seems to come out of nowhere--alternating narrators allow for differing views and opinions on events. Caspian is an especially interesting character, and readers will wish for more time with him. Darling has brown skin; Talon and Caspian are light-skinned.
Disappointingly familiar despite the creative magic and shocking hook at the end. (Fantasy. 13-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Gratton, Tessa: CHAOS & FLAME." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A733021319/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ba6a80da. Accessed 19 June 2024.
Chaos & Flame (Chaos & Flame #1)
Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland. Razorbill, $19.99 (336p) ISBN 978-0-593-35332-5
Gratton (Moon Dark Smile) and Ireland (Rust in the Root) team up to deliver a gripping fantasy about betrayal, forgiveness, loss, and loyalty amid a magical war. Seventeen-year-old Darling Seabreak cannot remembet anything about her childhood before being adopted by the regent of House Kraken. She is raised as a mercenary in House Kraken's war against House Dragon until she is captured by House Dtagon's War Prince, 18-year-old Talon Goldhoard. Unbeknownst to Darling, she has been the subject of a lifetime of murals painted by Talon's older brother, "Mad Dtagon Prince Regent" Caspian Goldhoard. Through these murals, Darling learns that she is the last remaining Sphinx, a member of the house that Talon's father massacred at the beginning of the war. When Caspian announces his intentions to reinstate the Sphinxes to their former glory on a reparations tour, Darling and Talon cautiously follow, hoping this could be the first step toward a peaceful futute. Through standard tropes, familiar worldbuilding, and Darling and Talon's altetnating narratives, the authors gradually employ myriad political and social perspectives that capably flesh out the novel's compelling war-torn landscape. Characters are described as having varying skin tones. Ages 14-up. (Mar.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 PWxyz, LLC
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"Chaos & Flame (Chaos & Flame #1)." Publishers Weekly, vol. 270, no. 5, 30 Jan. 2023, p. 71. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A737039810/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=37938912. Accessed 19 June 2024.
Gratton, Tessa PATH OF DECEIT Disney Lucasfilm (Teen None) $17.99 10, 4 ISBN: 978-1-368-07612-8
As the Republic spreads to the far reaches of the galaxy, two Jedi clash with zealots from a religion dedicated to liberating the Force.
On Dalna, an isolated Outer Rim planet, the Path of the Open Hand awaits the completion of the Gaze Electric, the ship on which they hope to find sanctuary. Marda Ro, a gray-skinned Evereni, yearns to serve the Path like her cousin, Yana, one of the chosen Children who carry out the Force-inspired visions of their prophet, the Mother. Unlike her earnest cousin, Yana knows better than to trust the Path or the Force, but she also doesn't care about the Mother's true plans for the artifacts that the Children steal for her as long as Marda stays protected. An investigation of the Path's connection to a high-profile theft brings Jedi Padawan Kevmo Zink, a blue-skinned Pantoran, and his master to Dalna, but when Kevmo meets Marda, her faith in the Force draws him in, causing him to question his beliefs. This High Republic-era mystery builds tension and suspense by alternating among the perspectives of characters who are at odds with one another. Establishing from the beginning that the Path stole the missing artifact elevates the overarching plot from a straightforward investigative adventure into a complex intrigue about motivation. Foreshadowing sets up the brutal and heart-wrenching ending. The cast of characters includes casual representation of polyamory, queerness, and nonbinary gender identities.
Enticing treachery. (timeline) (Fantasy. 14-18)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Gratton, Tessa: PATH OF DECEIT." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Sept. 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A717107264/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=64af56e7. Accessed 19 June 2024.