Star Wars: Forces of Destiny Graphic Novel Review

The Kindle edition on my iPad

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I’ve been a huge fan of the Forces of Destiny line since its inception—I love the idea of young kids reading about the women who helped shape the Star Wars galaxy. To quote the theme song of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, “females are strong as hell.”

When I saw this graphic novel on Amazon for a good price, I knew I had to snatch it up.

The different stories to a great job of capturing the essences of the different characters while putting them through challenging (if somewhat watered-down) situations. I didn’t realize it was targeted for a younger audience when I bought it—the less-complex storylines were slightly disappointing for me.

I think I would have enjoyed the plot lines more if I knew going into the novel that it was targeted for younger audiences. As I read through the different stories, I was entertained but I also felt a little let down. I had expected something a little more adult that showed these nuanced women navigating their ambitions and duties while also dealing with their own personal lives. While I did get that to some extent, it wasn’t exactly what I was hoping it would be.

That being said, I still really enjoyed all the stories. I felt the characters were really in character, and I loved how the stories showed women being strong while also having vulnerabilities and insecurities. 

In other words, it showed women being real, layered people. And that’s a message I fully support young kids learning through these stories.

My Girls Book Review

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This was, without a doubt, one of the hardest books I’ve ever read. Not because of the writing or anything like that, but because of the content—particularly the last 30 pages.

I pre-ordered this book as soon as I heard it was being released. I’ve always liked Todd Fisher and he’s shown his true character in the months since Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds passed away. I knew he’d write a thorough, honest account of his life with “his girls.”

Yet the thing that surprised me the most about this book was how much Todd wrote about his own life. This isn’t a sleazy tell-all book about Debbie and Carrie. It’s a love letter to them—his life has revolved around his mother and sister since the day he was born. Make no mistake, this book is his life story—Carrie and Debbie were just a huge, massive part of his life.

This memoir is filled with 400 pages of memories, big and small. You really get a sense of who these two amazing women were—the good, the bad, and the ugly. He didn’t hold anything back, and always wrote from a place of love.

Much to my relief, the final 30 pages outlining Carrie’s and Debbie’s deaths were handled with respect and dignity. He was honest about what happened, but never gave any unnecessary, overly-private details. Even when he said that Billie Lourd, Carrie’s daughter, made the final decision, he wrote about her bravery and her love for her mother—the ability to make that impossible decision shows just how much she loves her mother.

Overall, I’m glad I read this book—truly. I may not read the last 30 pages again anytime soon—or ever—but during the hard times, I can take comfort from Todd’s beautiful memories of his girls.