Dark Disciple is a wild, action-packed ride through the galaxy. Golden does an excellent job of building the characters of Asajj and Quinlan, playing out their complicated and twisted relationship in a realistic and engaging way. It was incredibly interesting to read of the dark side in the way that Asajj viewed and utilized it, walking that razor’s edge between power and consumption. I also really enjoyed the portions with Obi-Wan, Anakin, and the rest of the Jedi council. All of those characters, though minor in reality, were fleshed out in small yet meaningful ways.

I loved almost all of this book and, if it weren’t for the last hundred or so pages, I would say that the whole thing is amazing. I’m not sure if Golden simply didn’t know how to end her story, or if she lost control of it, but everything just kind of falls apart towards the end. Asajj’s mind changes constantly, shifting back and forth between convictions in a way that is completely unlike her character. Quinlan’s motivations are muddled and his actions don’t make any sense whatsoever. Dark Disciple made Asajj Ventress one of my favorite New Canon characters and I think her death, though both heart-breaking and beautiful, was undeserved. I would much rather have seen Quinlan – a character that I literally can’t stand after finishing this story – killed off in reparation for all of his stupid choices.

Despite the flaws in the latter portion of the book, I found Dark Disciple to be a fun and exciting read.