I’m very confused as to what E.K. Johnston’s goal is with these novels about Padmé. Apparently Johnston believes that Young Adult books can’t have conflict, because there is literally none to be had here. Queen’s Shadow is one of the most agonizingly dull books I have ever read, and making the Star Wars universe boring is one of the worst things an author can do. Continuing with the problem she had in Queen’s Peril, Johnston fails to differentiate the handmaidens from one another in any significant way. I did not care about a single character in this novel. The only redeemable facet of Queen’s Shadow is that it details Padmé’s relationship with the Organa family. If I were not dedicated to reading every book in the Star Wars universe, I would immediately skip anything written by E.K Johnston in the future.