'The Acolyte: The Crystal Crown' Review

The Acolyte was undoubtedly a turning point for Star Wars…but not in the way you might think.

Sure, the show was unfortunately thrust into a world of controversy by bad actors months before it even began, but for the purposes of the larger Star Wars community, The Acolyte represented something even bigger: a leap of faith.

For the first time, Star Wars live action storytelling jumped into an era away from the legacy of the Skywalkers. Audiences were treated to familiar landscapes like Coruscant and recognizable entities like the Jedi, but the High Republic era introduced brand new planets, brand new technology, and most importantly…brand new characters.

The characters were the heart and soul of The Acolyte, and luckily, the Star Wars publishing world realized that we needed to go a bit deeper on some of the Jedi than one season would allow. This decision resulted in Justina Ireland’s Wayseeker featuring Vernestra Rwoh and Indara and Tessa Gratton’s The Crystal Crown starring Jecki Lon and Yord Fandar.

The Crystal Crown delivers fully on its promise of “Star Wars meets The Hunger Games” and Gratton offers readers an adventure reminiscent of an earlier time in Young Adult Dystopian publishing in all the best ways.

PLOT

The Crystal Crown takes us to the planet Siline a few years before The Acolyte. As Jecki and Yord both make their presence known in the novel, we immediately discover that they are far from the tight knit pair we see in the series.

Both Padawans are eager to prove themselves which turns out to be incredibly fortunate as the Silinese people are about to start a Crowning Convocation, a series of challenges for the young adults of the planet. Given that the last Jedi to visit the planet offended the locals by refusing to participate in their warlike culture, the two have no choice but to join in.

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What follows is a character-centric tale that combines all the best parts of The Hunger Games and Divergent with the excitement and intensity of Star Wars. Jecki and Yord forge bonds with a number of other contestants, witness trials and deceptions aplenty, and eventually figure out that the true strength of competition lies in the bonds of fellowship rather than the need to prove individual worth.

The story is not necessarily groundbreaking in its complexity, but that is in no way a slight on the skill with which Gratton weaves this particular tale. The reason that this genre was so prevalent in the early 2010s was in part due to the universal nature of its lessons and the incredible amount of fun that the stories could provide.

And despite the darker obstacles that the young participants encounter, The Crystal Crown is undeniably fun.

The pacing of some of the earlier sections is admittedly not perfect, but once Gratton ramps up the momentum, the story practically screams along to its wonderfully satisfying end with one particularly surprising turn that will have even the most skeptical readers gasping in shock.

But naturally, the competition aspect of the book would fall incredibly flat if it weren’t for vibrant character work, and luckily…we have Tessa Gratton.

CHARACTERS

From the moment she entered the Star Wars publishing world, Tessa Gratton has been a master of molding characters. Her protagonists and antagonists alike have been filled with life and conflict leading to stories that are, more often than not, incredibly rich with what some may call emotional torture.

In a good way.

The Crystal Crown continues that tradition exquisitely as Gratton allows both preexisting and original characters to shine throughout. Jecki and Yord break the bond of their show characterizations to showcase Jedi Padawans who have vibrant inner lives and understand the complexity of the task to which they’ve been assigned.

How do you honor a culture of war as an ambassador of peace?
How do you set aside petty rivalry in the service of the greater good?
How do you put on a brave face when fear lurks around every corner?

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Even readers who may not have loved the duo during their time in The Acolyte will find a pair of protagonists well worthy of leading their own novel. Despite their younger ages, both characters avoid the stereotypical pitfalls of YA adventure by actually making logical decisions. Gratton clearly respects Yord and Jecki as individuals, and that respect comes through continuously in the way she showcases their evolutions on Siline.

It also makes the memory of their eventual fates in The Acolyte all the more poignant.

However, no good semi-dystopian competition is complete without fellow competitors and allies. Enter the Arthyst siblings and Lio Graf (yes…that Graf). Much like Jecki and Yord, Gratton’s respect and admiration for these characters shines through every word. Their inner motivations may be different than the visiting Jedi, but they are no less dedicated to their cause with that very dedication leading to some of the novel’s most charged moments.

Gratton also continues her remarkable streak of queer representation in Star Wars with yet another romance that her longtime fans will latch onto beautifully. While a galaxy far, far away continues to embrace diversity more and more every year, the unfortunate reality of The Acolyte’s hate campaign reminds us that this type of progress and inclusion is never accidental, and Gratton remains one of the most dedicated proponents of that evolution.

Young Adult novels in Star Wars can occasionally veer into the realm of immature with lesser stakes or character complications, but thanks to Gratton’s deft hand, every character that appears on the page is gifted with a fully realized backstory that guarantees that the mere thought of their potential sacrifice fills each scene with undeniable tension.

WRITING

Tessa Gratton wasted no time before making her mark on the Star Wars community. After joining The High Republic Initiative in Phase II, Gratton published a series of novels and short stories that cemented her as one of the most exciting writers in the galaxy.

She has also found her home most prominently with Young Adult fiction, and in doing so, she has raised the reputation of the medium so high that there’s no doubt that new readers have finally been able to access it. The Crystal Crown showcases exactly how this happened as it represents one of the strongest YA entries Star Wars has seen in quite a while.

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Aside from her previously lauded character work, Gratton’s greatest strength as a writer is her ability to create a natural, momentous flow in her books. While The Crystal Crown may not exactly progress with the intensity of a high speed train, there is an undeniable and slightly methodical flow to its pacing and structure that assures the reader that they are in the hands of someone they can trust.

This level of trust that is shared between writer, character, and audience creates an experience that can be filled with joy, heartbreak, intensity, and excitement (sometimes all at one), because you always know that Gratton is in firm control of her narrative. There’s a special, intangible nature to this type of creative relationship, and Gratton once more proves why she has been such a special addition to the Star Wars family.

And sure, she may apologize for the additional emotional torment she has now added to the ending of The Acolyte…but that doesn’t mean we forgive her.

ENTERTAINMENT

If “Star Wars meets The Hunger Games” doesn’t immediately emblazon the word ENTERTAINMENT onto your mind, I’m not sure what will. The setup of The Crystal Crown is tailor-made to invigorate and excite, and Gratton’s execution of the premise doesn’t disappoint.

Granted, there are a few moments sprinkled throughout that could probably use a bit of pacing punch-up, but on the whole, the enticing entertainment of a YA Dystopian age long thought gone is more than enough to satiate most readers. Gratton wields her expertise within the genre valiantly and carves up a story that would belong right at home on the big screen (or Disney+ for that matter).

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Now even though it may be hard to remember at times, The Crystal Crown is technically a tie-in novel. The track record for tie-ins hasn’t always been the greatest, because there are moments where you can see the authors fighting against the framework of the previous project. Luckily, The Crystal Crown operates at a point in the timeline that gives Gratton absolute freedom in the vein of other successful tie-ins like Battlefront II: Inferno Squad and even Hunters: Battle for the Arena.

Between Gratton’s clear love for the literal source material and the novels and stories that inspired the genre all those years ago, The Crystal Crown was always going to be a successful entertainment endeavor. Luckily for us, it also turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of the year.

OVERALL

The Acolyte was taken from us far too soon.

Despite a finale littered with promise for future storytelling, the singular season was the beginning and the end of the series. Thankfully, Star Wars publishing has always been there to pick up the pieces, and Tessa Gratton’s The Crystal Crown proves to be exactly what Acolyte fans have been waiting for and even a bit more.

A thrilling adventure full of high stakes, gorgeous character moments, and amazing action reminiscent of an earlier age, The Crystal Crown is a staple for every fan of The Acolyte – even those who may want to give it another go after closing the cover.

Rating: Incredible

The Acolyte: The Crystal Crown is available now!

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