#i read these books over a long period of time but I thought I'd encompass all of it in one post

[kenobiapologist]

Star Wars Novel Rankings

In celebration of the end of this year, I made a tier list of all of the Star Wars novels I’ve read since I joined this fandom in 2017 (which you can use to rank these books too). And I named all the tiers in a dorky but appropriate fashion. I would love to hear your thoughts on my rankings, as well as how you’d rank the books yourself! I’ve had a blast reading Star Wars novels from both Disney’s canon and the Legends extended universe over these past 3 years. Here’s to many more years of reading stories from the galaxy far far away! 

I put longer (but not more coherent) thoughts below the cut.

The Chosen One: Bringing Balance to the Force and My Depressed Soul

1. The first spot of top tier had to go to Matthew Stover’s Revenge of the Sith novelization for obvious reasons. You simply cannot beat it. It’s a masterpiece. I literally had to put the book down to scream when I read the prose associated with the opening battle over Coruscant. It gave a whole new meaning to the triumphant music and the synchronous twirling of Obi-Wan and Anakin’s starfighters as they weave through blaster-fire in the battle over Coruscant. The rest of the book is the same way. You can’t put it down. I have wAyyYyYy too many feelings about this book oh my god.

2. Thrawn was a surprising book for me. For being centered on an admiral of the Empire’s navy, it had so much heart in it! I loved reading from Eli Vanto’s perspective too. god dammit I love that freaking Wild Space hillbilly dweeb with all my heart. I think his experiences getting to know Thrawn and learning from him guides the reader to feel much the same way as Eli by the end. Thrawn is a trusted friend, not the enemy you expect him to be. I could have done without Arihnda Pryce but she’s supposed to be unlikeable so I won’t blame Timothy Zahn this time.

3. The Clone Wars Gambit duology is basically Karen Miller writing fanfic and I’m HERE FOR IT. As is tradition with Karen Miller’s Star Wars novels, the emotions are dialed up the eleven. Our favorite dumbass Jedi team is back at it again with a mission to save the galaxy and this time they end up going undercover as two lumberjacks from the boonies. Anakin holds an energy shield back from collapsing with his bare hands like a total badass. Obi-Wan is in love with another woman despite it always ending in tragedy, while also bickering like a married couple with Anakin every ten seconds. get a fucking room, you two. These two books inspired one of my fics so they’re near and dear to my heart.

Jedi Master: These Books Have A Seat On The Council Too

4. Wild Space was appropriately named, I’ll tell you that. It’s a wild ride from start to finish. *slaps the front cover* this book can fit so much of Obi-Wan’s suffering in it! @forcearama has elaborated on the many reasons why this book is a gem in Snark Wars blog posts (linked here). It’s also the beginning of the best team-up since Anakin and Obi-Wan...Bail and Obi-Wan! These two bastards get under each other’s skin but it makes for the perfect character development. This book is the reason I screech with delight whenever Bail Organa appears on screen, or is mentioned in conversation. Bail gets a mysterious tip about trouble on a planet, and Obi-Wan decides to go with him to investigate. Cue Sith-induced suffering. It’s cool to see a normal person experiencing the weirdness of Force sensitives and how the world has this extra level of sensory information in it. Plotwise this one isn’t the best, but I think the interactions between characters really shine in this novel. Karen Miller’s writing is like a cup of hot chocolate to me. Indulgent character insight, full of sweet moments, has a bunch of extra marshmallowy dialogue, you’re reading it to have a good time but not to be satisfied with plot. You get me?

5. Do I even have to explain myself here? Kenobi by John Jackson Miller is both an interesting western-style tale set on Tatooine, and a beautiful character study of a man stricken with grief he keeps suppressed. How does one continue on when their whole family was murdered and their whole culture burnt to ash? I wanted to give Obi-Wan a hug the entire time I read this. The characterization was spot-on, from the way he wrangled animals to the way he severed a man’s arm off in a bar with his lightsaber. And when he meets a woman named Annileen Calwell, or Annie for short, Obi-Wan can’t bring himself to call her by her nickname ever and if that doesn’t just break your damn heart fucking fuck.

6. Ahsoka was the first Disney canon book I ever read and it kickstarted my love for E.K. Johnston. The writing is simplistic, but that makes it easy to jump into. Overall, it’s a quick and enjoyable read. By far the best parts are the flashbacks that mull over memories Ahsoka has of the time before Order 66. That shit hits you right in the heart, man. And the part where Ahsoka equates Obi-Wan and Anakin to her adoptive family ohhhhhhh god the tears they flow like a river. There are scenes that allude to Ahsoka becoming the vital part of the Rebellion we know her to be from Rebels, balanced with her current struggles to survive and find herself. Despite having cast away her identity as a Jedi and having any remaining bits of her culture destroyed by Palpatine, Ahsoka shows us all how bright a hero can shine in the darkest of times. AND SHE WAS WRITTEN AS QUEER! finally some good fucking food.

7. Oh shit, another E.K. Johnston book? Don’t be surprised. She’s a prequel fan and so am I, hence why Queen’s Shadow is so high on the list. E.K. Johnston pays homage to our favorite queen and badass senator Padme Amidala. There’s politics, there’s solidarity between female characters, and Bail Organa is in it so you KNOW I simply must give it a high rating. All jokes aside, I thought the story added lots of little details to the world of Star Wars without it being all stereotypical sci-fi nerdy language. You know how people want to describe something beyond our technological capabilities so they throw a bunch of nonsense together like “pre-praxis crystal bio-anode circuitry”? I’m looking at you, Karen Miller, I love you but please. There is none of that in this book. It makes sense, it adds color and culture and life to the worlds of Star Wars. Most of all, it devotes time and love to developing Padme outside of her place in canon as Anakin’s wife, Queen of Naboo, and Senator. She is all of these things, but she’s human too. I do agree that the pacing is slow, but it’s something meant to be savored, I think. E.K. Johnston really shines when she’s writing dialogue because she gets these characters. That’s something to appreciate, because not all canon books agree with the way we’ve perceived the characters as an audience.

8. Rogue Planet chewed me up, spit me out, and declared me an even bigger stan for The Team. People who say Qui-Gon would have been a better master for Anakin can ~get out~ because I could read about these two hooligans getting neck deep in space shenanigans all damn day. Anakin is like twelve, which is a time in his training that we don’t get a lot of in canon. Personally, I think it was equal parts heartwarming and funny to read about their adventures. There is some angst sprinkled in there because hey, we’re reading about Anakin here, let’s not forget the emotional trainwreck that is Anakin Skywalker. The duo is sent to a planet that makes super fast ships that are ?sentient? or at least biologically active. They bond with the pilot, which makes Anakin perfect for this mission. There’s a scene where these little floof things attach all over tiny Anakin because he’s so strong in the Force and it’s god damn adorable how dare he?? I’d probably rate this one even higher if I read it again, but it’s been awhile. Characterization is spot on and reminiscent of Matthew Stover’s writing in how it highlights the strong bond between Obi-Wan and Anakin, how they’re fated to know each other. I’m a sucker for soulmates, what can I say? 

9. Lost Stars reads like a movie. Not a script, but just the perfect amount of detail that you can imagine the scenes but the pacing is still quick, the dialogue smooth and natural. I couldn’t help wishing this was a film because the story was so all-encompassing. The highs and lows of the emotions of both protagonists, their relationship developing, the differences in culture. Folks, this book has it all! It’s a totally different perspective on the events of the original trilogy, seen from the side of Imperial cadets training to become pilots. Eventually, one splits off and joins the Rebellion while the other perseveres in the Empire. It’s like star-crossed lovers, but covers so much more ground than that. And the characters are fully developed. These original characters knocked my socks off, and that’s hard to do since I’m usually an Obi-Wan stan through and through. For anyone uncertain of reading Star Wars novels, this book is a great place to start. Action-packed, emotion-filled, and stands on its own despite weaving perfectly into the established universe. What more could you want?

10. Back at it again with the prequel shit, amiright? Queen’s Peril is E.K. Johnston’s most recent Padme-centric novel and it does not disappoint fans that wanted a taste of the Queen’s side of the story. Set during the events of The Phantom Menace, we get a “behind the curtain” look at how all of the handmaidens came to be more than their title suggests. There’s teenage girls getting stuff done! It makes more sense why Padme was elected ruler of her home-world, and you come to appreciate that a royal leader is not alone; there’s actually a whole team at her side to help her overcome everything from the drudgery of daily governing to Trade Federation blockades that threaten to starve her people. I think if you enjoyed Queen’s Shadow, you’ll enjoy this book a lot. For those that are unfamiliar with Johnston’s work, I wouldn’t recommend this one first because it does cover events you’ve already seen in movies and therefore is a less suspenseful companion to them. On the other hand, because it does tie in with TPM, it doesn’t suffer from the pacing issues of Queen’s Shadow to the same degree. I read this all in one sitting, so it’s definitely fun, but wasn’t compelling enough in its character development to elevate the book past some of the others I’ve listed already.

11. Thrawn: Treason was a refreshing return to the Grand Admiral we all know and love after the second installment in this series slowed things down a bit. Although it wasn’t as character-driven as the first book (which I love with all of my heart), there were still many moments that had me cackling at the disparity between Thrawn’s immense intellect and the other Imperials’ sheer stupidity, and that’s what we’re here for in a book about the Empire, right? There’s a lot of pressure on Thrawn, as his TIE Defender project has been pitted against Director Krennic’s Project Stardust. Who will get the funds? We just don’t know?? Tarkin sits in between the two and as usual, manipulates everything to his advantage. Palpatine questions Thrawn’s allegiance to the Empire after some of the choices he has made, leaving him in even more of a pickle. Thrawn is sent on a wild goose chase task that should definitely end in failure (on purpose because Imperials all want to watch each other burn as much as they want to watch the Rebellion burn), but you know Thrawn will find a way. My main squeeze Eli Vanto makes his return after being absent from book 2. Missed you, my sweet sweet country boy. He doesn’t have a leading role in this novel, but every scene he’s in makes the story better. Thrawn says “perhaps” way too often for my taste, but if you can ignore that, this book is a solid read. Equal parts action and deductive reasoning, as any Thrawn book should be.

12. Most of Dark Disciple had me thinking this was going to be a top tier book, and damn do I wish we could have gotten this animated. We follow Quinlan Vos and Asajj Ventress on a mission to assassinate Count Dooku. Why the Jedi thought this was a good idea, I don’t know. But I’m here for it all the same. 3/4 of the adventure were intriguing, but the ending didn’t do it for me. I won’t spoil things for anyone who hasn’t read this yet, but after all of the character development, to have it squandered so quickly just left me disappointed? I got really attached to everyone in this novel, and I’m sure you will to. I’ve read this and listened to it as an audiobook, and actually I think it’s more memorable as an audiobook. Would recommend, except for Mace Windu’s voice being exceptionally southern for no reason. Weird. I think this novel captures all of the great things about The Clone Wars show; time to really get to know each character and their motivations, action and adventure with the darkness of impending doom tinting everything, and lightsaber fights! Plus, Obi-Wan and Anakin make appearances in this book and it just adds that extra bit of spice. Worth the read, even if you know they aren’t going to get Dooku in the end (which I am still mad about, screw that guy).

Jedi Knight: Passed the Trials but There’s Room for Improvement

13. Few books in the Star Wars universe are centered around characters with no use of the Force, but in Most Wanted, we see a young Han Solo and Qi’ra struggling to survive on Corellia and it provides a humorous but compelling backstory to both characters in the Disney canon. Han is his usual lucky goofball self, and Qi’ra is smart and cunning. You can see how they grew into the versions of themselves in Solo. While the book stays on the lighter side of things (typical of stories written for a younger audience), there are still moments of depth on droid rights, viewing the Force as a religion, and what life is like in a crime syndicate. Addressing these heavier topics without it killing the pace of the story is hard to do, but Rae Carson pulls it off flawlessly. I went into this book with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had. Han and Qi’ra start off as competitors, but eventually have to learn to work together to survive as more and more people start hunting them down. They’re honestly so cute together, I loved their dynamic. It makes Solo a better movie, and although I liked it on its own, characters like Qi’ra needed a little more time to get to know, which you can get here!

14. Thrawn Alliances was not what I expected at all, and it took me a lot longer to get through. Hell, it has Thrawn, Anakin/Vader, and Padme in it! What’s not to love? Apparently, a lot. The different timepoints and perspectives in this were more jarring than anything else. Although the interactions between Thrawn and Anakin/Vader were enjoyable, it was not enough to elevate this book into the Jedi Master tier. Things felt dry, the characters didn’t grip me like in the first Thrawn, and it all felt like a ploy to introduce Batuu into canon before the launch of Galaxy’s Edge.

15. Leia: Princess of Alderaan was a dive into young Leia’s life before we see her in A New Hope even though this was marketed as a journey to The Last Jedi book, which I disagree with. We really haven’t seen any content about Leia in this time period before, and although I can’t say I was looking for this, I did enjoy it. The book was a little long, but there was adventure and the seeds are planted for Leia to be a bigger part of the Rebellion. The romance wasn’t too memorable, but Holdo wasn’t pointless in this (a stark contrast to her brief appearance in TLJ just to sacrifice herself). There’s a hint about Leia being Force-sensitive but it’s not in-your-face. It’s a typical coming-of-age story but in the gffa. The best part about this is seeing Bail and Breha as parents. I’m forever in pain that we didn’t get to see more of this in movies because it’s so so sweet. Leia must choose what kind of person she is going to be--and what kind of princess she will become. It won’t be for everyone, but I liked it.

16. Master and Apprentice was a typical Star Wars novel, which means it’s full of original characters that are strange and outlandish to serve the plot, a new world full of beautiful landscapes, and Obi-Wan suffering. I want to make it clear that this book is 80% Qui-Gon, 10% Rael Averross, and 10% Obi-Wan. I was expecting it to be 50% Qui-Gon, 50% Obi-Wan, as the cover suggested. Although I was disappointed by that, the story overall was okay. Qui-Gon is kind of an asshole in this? When is he not, though. We really get to sink our teeth into the way he and Obi-Wan fundamentally disagree with each other, so much so that their teacher-student relationship is falling apart. Tragic! They go on one last mission before calling it quits. Qui-Gon is in over his head with prophecies, Obi-Wan just wants to follow the rules, and Rael Averross is Dooku’s previous apprentice that is living his best life as a regent until Pijal’s princess comes of age. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a solid book. I just don’t vibe with Qui-Gon and want to whack him upside the head every time he avoids confrontation with his own student. My protectiveness for Obi-Wan is showing again, isn’t it? Yikes.

17. James Luceno is one of the most analytical authors I’ve ever read anything from, but it seems to always work? Tarkin is all about...well, Moff Tarkin. He’s ruthless, intelligent, and just downright evil. His backstory was compelling and I found myself drawn into the story by the details, although it is dense and took awhile to finish. I’m not interested in him as a character, but despite that, I enjoyed this story. The plot wasn’t memorable enough for me to recall after 3 years, but it’s similar to how Thrawn rose through the ranks of the Navy, just in a different part of the Empire’s governing body. We don’t get many books completely focused on a villain (I don’t count Vader ones because we know who he was before and the whole damn saga is about him), but this one is good! Don’t be fooled by it only being in the Knight tier. I think people who read a lot of sci-fi will like this book a lot. This is like the opposite of Queen’s Shadow, basically. If you had gripes about that book, you might like this one instead.

18. Battlefront II: Inferno Squad was a worthwhile read for anyone who played Battlefront II. Iden Versio is a great protagonist in the game, and I think Christie Golden totally gets her character. She’s nuanced and relatable. The whole team is interesting and getting introduced to each member before the events of the game makes everything mean more. That’s the real goal of any prequel story, I think. Accomplished! The action scenes are on point, the plot served to highlight what makes Inferno Squad special, and you get a sense for the morally grey area anyone must function in as an operative for the Empire. Although not necessary for the greater canon, it’s a great adventure. Iden and her squad members infiltrate the remains of Saw Gerrara’s group (they’ve become a bit of extremist) and destroy them from the inside. It’s got the suspense of a spy thriller and all of the nerdy space opera elements you expect from Star Wars. Although it’s weird to jump into a story not knowing any of the characters, you’ll get attached to Inferno Squad fast. Well, except for Gideon Hask maybe. He’s kind of a dick.

19. If you’re craving some Dark Side action, Lords of the Sith will give you what you’re looking for. Sidious and Vader crash-land on Ryloth and have to work together to survive, and also defeat the Free Ryloth Movement led by Cham Syndulla. It’s all fucking connected, guys. I love when people weave together stories that fit into the canon timeline like this, bringing in side characters and allowing them to develop some depth. And a chance to sink into the mind of a Sith Lord is always fun, if you’re in the mood to read about destruction and anger. It’s cathartic sometimes. If you’re always wondering, why didn’t Vader just stab Palps when he had the chance, this book explains their dynamic more. It didn’t really change my opinion of any of the characters, which is why it’s not higher on the list.

20. Catalyst suffered from being in a really boring part of galactic history. Despite that, Galen Erso and Orson Krennic have a hilarious relationship that I would have loved to see on-screen. This book really develops Krennic to become more than just the whiny entitled evil man we saw in Rogue One. He’s ten times worse now! But I mean that in the best way, I laugh whenever he’s in a scene, that sassy man just brings me joy. James Luceno is at it again, making things as detailed and dry as possible. I read so many of his stories right at the beginning of my journey through Star Wars canon and it’s a wonder I didn’t quit. Some of them are dark as fuck. And also slow as hell. With this one, I think it all comes down to what you want out of a Star Wars novel. Some people will really enjoy the plot. I think seeing how Galen became a part of Project Stardust was interesting and every time something about the Death Star became more clear, I screeched because I knew what it would eventually become. This book may not hold your interest though, which is why I put it lower on this list.

21. Star Wars: Clone Wars was a decent retelling of the Clone Wars movie. I liked it because I liked the movie, but you have to be able to sit back and enjoy the ride, not thinking too much about the silly parts. For that reason, it’s pretty far down in the rankings. Ahsoka is young and liable to get on your nerves. I certainly wasn’t her biggest fan at this point in the series. The biggest problem is that Karen Traviss is very anti-Jedi. Some authors for Star Wars tend to do this? To me, it’s weird. I didn’t notice it too much because it was one of the first Star Wars books I read, but it contrasts starkly with the truth of the prequel trilogy and some of the other entries in the Clone Wars Novel timeline, like Karen Miller’s books. Needless to say, although this book wasn’t super memorable aside from the familiar plot, it kept me reading Star Wars books, and so it is at least an average book. Plus, any content with Anakin and the clones is worth it for me. I love them.

22. A New Hope was good, for Alan Dean Foster. I’m not a fan, I’ll be honest. But this novelization stands on it’s own. I’m going to have to do a re-read to really go in depth on why this isn’t farther up on the tier list, but the movie is always going to be better to me. If you want to re-live the great beginning of the Original Trilogy, it’s worth your time. I mean, the story is full of adventure and mystery and lovable characters. What’s not to love? I just feel like the movie really elevates the narrative with a great score and fun character design/costumes/sets.

Padawan: These Books Have Much to Learn

23. Attack of the Clones was more entertaining than The Phantom Menace because the characters are in funnier situations. Obi-Wan and Anakin chasing Zam Wesell through the levels of Coruscant? Hilarious, just like the movie. Anakin and Padme falling in love as they spend time together? Holy fuck it’s so much better than the movie. Please read it for that alone. Outside of that, the writing style didn’t really impress me. And my experience with it wasn’t super memorable. There was potential to really make the inner dialogue of these characters impactful, to really develop the story of Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme beyond what we could get from the movie scenes alone. I didn’t think it went above and beyond there. Not a bad story at all, but you don’t get to look at Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, or Ewan McGregor the whole time either, so therefore I must rank it lower. So many beautiful people in that movie, holy shit. You can understand my, dilemma, yes?

24. I enjoyed parts of The Phantom Menace book, like deleted scenes with Anakin living on Tatooine before Qui-Gon and Padme meet him. The additional depth is lovely, but I think a story like Queen’s Peril adds more to TPM than this book does. The story overall is still fun. I love this movie so much, it’s hard for me to be critical. I did put a lot of post-it flags in my copy, so it does develop the characters and get you thinking beyond your expectations from the movie. What more could you ask for from a movie novelization? I’d say not much, if I hadn’t read Revenge of the Sith and had my fucking mind blown. In comparison to that, this one is just okay.

25. The Last Jedi novelization wasn’t bad, necessarily. It tried its best to bring this story up to par with some of the interesting novels that don’t have movie counterparts. But still, the plot suffers because of how this movie was made. It’s very focused on Rey and Kylo, and Finn’s little adventure with Rose seems pointless in the grand scheme of things. I’d rather read this again versus watching the film, but that’s all I’ll say on this because I’m trying to keep my opinions on this movie to myself to avoid digging up old arguments. Jason Fry did well, and of the two Sequel Trilogy books I’ve read, I would recommend this one over Ep. 7.

26. The Force Awakens falls short and I think it’s because of Alan Dean Foster’s writing style on this one? It didn’t really expand on anything from the movie, while taking away the beautiful music and visuals. This novel is the antithesis of Revenge of the Sith’s novelization, and for that reason I ranked it fairly low. I wouldn’t read this one unless you really really love the Sequel Trilogy.

27. To be fair, I read the new Thrawn book before I went back and read this one. Even so, Heir to the Empire didn’t impress me at all. Thrawn didn’t seem like a thrilling villain with lots of depth like he did in Timothy Zahn’s reimagined Thrawn novel. We barely saw him. A lot of time was spent on the Original Triology’s trio, which waasn’t bad. I thought Luke, Leia, and Han were all written fairly well. The latter part of the story was redeemed by the interactions between Mara Jade and Luke, for sure. Enemies to lovers, anyone?? Without Thrawn, this book would have been an entertaining story, but for all of the praise it has received from long-time Star Wars fans, I was expecting to be blown away and I wasn’t. Maybe I have to continue the triology to figure out what all of the fuss is about, but after this one, I’m not super motivated to read more. Change my mind?

28. Cloak of Deception really shines when you’re following Palpatine’s perspective because you can feel the undercurrents of his master plan to destroy the Republic underneath his calm persona as a Senator. Other than that, it’s a forgettable plot. This is all about galactic politics and some terrorist group trying to blow up some government officials. Basically the most boring parts of the prequel trilogy. I listened to the audiobook of this at the beginning of this year and I already forget what it’s about. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan should have been able to bring some humor and energy to get you rooting for the good guys,  but there was barely any of that. I was disappointed in all of the characters. Everything felt distant, removed from the heart of the characters. Some people in reviews have argued that the events of The Phantom Menace really pinned this novel in a corner because you already know what happens, but I disagree, because we know how Revenge of the Sith goes and The Clone Wars show is that much more tragic and heartbreakingly beautiful because of it. Prequels can be done right. This ain’t it, Luceno. Sorry.

29. Star Wars: The Old Republic, Fatal Alliance needs to go home and rethink it’s life. I’m a huge fan of the Old Republic and I’ve put like 200 hours of my life into playing that game, so I was hoping for some fun content in this part of the timeline. Sadly, this book captured the worst parts of the game, like the fact that there’s way too many factions at war with each other. Jedi, Sith, Empire, Republic, Mandalorians. They’re all here. They’re all ready to throw down. And I’m tired. As with many of the books in this lower tier, I felt there wasn’t enough description of the world or the people in the story. We’re in the gffa, be a little weird and wacky. Be big and bold! Make things terrifying, or beautiful, or both. But give my mind something to work with. The number of characters made the plot messier than it could have been, and it definitely isn’t worth the read. I can’t speak for all Old Republic books, but this one didn’t impress me.

A Sith Lord?! On My Bookshelf? It’s More Likely Than You’d Think

30. So underwhelming, you might as well just read the first half and then stop. Last Shot is absolutely terrible, except for Lando Calrissian’s characterization, which was spot-on. If the whole story had been from his perspective, I probably would have a much difference opinion on the novel as a whole. Sadly, this is not the case. Han was boring, he bottled up his emotions, and seemed drastically different from the badass he was in the original trilogy. There are different timepoints in this novel, and in all of them, Han is unrecognizable. Don’t nerf one of your main characters like that. Daniel Jose Older and I might just not get along. I thought his writing style didn’t fit Star Wars at all. It was like breaking the fourth wall, totally pulling me out of the story constantly. Also, there were little to no descriptions of body language, locations, or movement. It left me feeling disoriented the whole time I was reading. I thought one of the most interesting things would have been seeing Han, Leia, and baby Ben being a family at this point in time, but Han’s family was there as a prop, nothing more. There was a big bad item that was going to cause galactic destruction and our heroes had to go save the day. There was barely any tension and no one lost an arm so I’m pretty pissed off. Is it Star Wars if no one gets their appendage removed? I can’t tell you how much I disliked this book. Which is sad because I was hoping to enjoy it. I like Han. I like Lando. I like space adventures. I’m not that hard to please, or at least I don’t think so.

#Star Wars Novels #tier ranking #long post #i worked hard to put my thoughts into words for you guys #i read these books over a long period of time but I thought I'd encompass all of it in one post #sw lit #i've had so much fun becoming a part of this fandom #and I love the conversations about the books and the gffa in general #hopefully this will inspire some discussion! #i would love you guys to make tier rankings as well #they're always my favorite youtube videos to watch

[xxmackenziexx]

Chapter Four

Chapter Summary: We get a revelation from Bucky and we get some background info on an *as of right now* minor character. Sweet Bucky and him teasing the hell out of reader.

Warnings: Swearing, mild sexual content, sexual tension, slightly creepy Bucky 

Word Count: 3,004

A/N: Did I title drop? OH YES I DID!!!! Don’t judge me, it just happened. Lol. This chapter was gonna go a different way but then ideas happened and it pretty much wrote itself. Hope you enjoy!!!

Deciding at the last possible second to not ruin your friendship forever, you kissed Bucky's cheek instead of his lips and then slunk back into his arms. You could kick yourself, you knew you wanted Bucky, wanted to be with Bucky, but you knew you couldn't. It was maddening being literally so close to the thing you desired most but not able to reach out and grab it. Well, you could physically grab him, but you wanted more than that. You wanted a love that lasts. A love that consumes them both, body, and soul. You wanted a fiery passion that left you both breathless, you wanted tender moments with soft caresses.

You wanted Bucky more than you've ever wanted anything in your entire life...except his friendship and the irreplaceable bond you shared with each other. You knew if you told him, you'd lose him. And you'd long ago decided that you'd rather not live in a world without him in it. If you lost Bucky, you would simply cease to exist, fading into nothingness. With his arms wrapped around you, pinning you to him, you felt tears prick at the edges of your eyes, a lump forming in your throat. You didn't want to cry, but you did. Your body shook with sobs and Bucky pulled you away from him to look at you questionably.

"What's the matter doll? Why ya crying?" He searched your face for answers as he placed his palm on your cheek and wiped away your tears with his thumb.

You sniffled and pulled yourself a bit out of his reach, putting on a fake smile. "I'm just really glad you found my wallet, Buck." You lied. "Wanna know why I was looking for my wallet the other night to begin with?" You asked, hoping to distract him.

He nodded, not quite believing your lie but smiled sweetly at you anyway. "Sure."

You reached over to grab your wallet and scooted closer to him again, not quite in his arms but definitely in his personal space, your bodies touching. You opened your wallet to grab the small photo of the two of you that you kept there. The edges were frayed and the picture itself showed signs of wear and tear. You held it up to his face and smiled.

His face lit up as he reached for the photo. "Wow y/n, I can't believe you still have this." Admiring the photo some more he turned it over, back, and forth in his hand. "That was a really fun day. I kept mine for so long but now I can't find it anywhere....this is why you were looking for your wallet?" He held it up, his eyebrows rising incredulously.

You shook your head in earnest. "Yea, I thought I'd lost it and that made me really sad. This was a special day. It's my favorite picture of us and anytime I'm sad or happy or just whenever I want to look at it I can." You explained, shrugging at the end.

He beamed at you. Not saying anything, only reaching his hand out to grasp the back of your neck and pulling you forward to kiss the top of your head before placing his forehead against yours. Shaking his head, he let go of you and moved into his seat properly to put his seat belt on, you did the same, putting the center compartment back down to rest your elbow on, so did Bucky, one hand on the wheel. Bucky still didn't say anything as he began the journey home, taking his time. At a red light, he looked over at you, grinning, and flipped his hand over, palm up and open in a silent gesture for you to lace your fingers together. And you did, smiling at him in return. You stayed that way the entire drive, his thumb drawing circles on the back of your hand until he pulled up into his driveway. He begrudgingly let go of your hand to put the truck in park and shut off the engine, looking over at you again in the dark, silent cab. You were overwhelmed. You had to get out of the truck, get some distance from him. You couldn't get your hopes up like this. Opening the door, you slid out of your seat, not even glancing his direction before you walked to your door and opened it, leaning your back against the door once it was closed and letting out a sigh.

"Rough day?" Your mom asked from the couch, looking at you with concern and love.

You pushed off the door and sighed again. "Yeah...but good news, Bucky found my wallet. It was in his truck. So, there's that." You said leaning over the back of the couch on your elbows.

"That's good dear, how was the game?"

"It was good. I got a picture of Blake holding my purse, I'm gonna print it and send it to him." You chuckled. "Bucky made a sweat ass tackle there at the end and Steve brought it home. So...we won...obviously." you recounted excitedly. "Then me and Buck went to Penny's to grab some food. And OH MY GOD, they have a new milkshake. It's key lime pie. It's so good mom, oh my god."

Your mom watched you explain your day, smiling and nodding, chuckling when she thought something was funny.

"Well, I'm glad you had a good time. I'm sorry I wasn't able to come to the game, I really wanted to be there for James."

"What happened with that by the way?"

She sighed. "Well...we found some weird stuff in a client's books. We had to go down a rabbit hole to figure it all out. We're still looking into it all so the next few days or until we can get it squared away might be long days for me, I'm afraid."

"You gotta do what you gotta do." You shrugged. "My truck will be out of the shop on Monday, they said they'd have someone there to let me pick it up after school since I've gotta stay late to go through and edit the photos from the game and choose some for the school paper and stuff. Bucky said he'd take me since practice should be over by then. So, no worries." You tried to put her mind at ease, knowing she's worried about the prospect of you fending for yourself for a while, even though you were pretty much grown.

"Okay baby. I think I'm gonna head to bed early tonight, today was rough for me too, but I wanted to stay up to make sure you got home safe and see how the game went." She said as she stood up and turned the TV off, coming around to hug you before heading to her room.

You made your way upstairs to get some pajamas and take a shower, noticing you smelled like a sweaty football player and shuddered. Before you left though you opened your curtain and saw the light shining behind Bucky's curtain, opening your window, and grabbing a few of the plastic BB pellets you and Bucky use to get each other to open the window before tossing one to his. You waited briefly before throwing two more in quick succession. Eventually, you saw movement as he made his way over and smiled at seeing you, securing his curtains he opened the window, leaning out a bit and nodded his head in that stupid 'what's up motion he knew you hated. It was so dumb.

"Hey." You said, tilting your head to rest on your shoulder, enjoying the view of him in his pajama pants and nothing else.

"Hey." He replied, copying your posture, grinning at you.

Not really having a reason to bug him, you didn't know what else to say. You just wanted to see him.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Bout to take a shower. I smell like sweaty football players. You?"

He laughed, holding up a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo. "Reading."

You were shocked. Bucky rarely ever read, especially not a classic from the great Alexandre Dumas. "James Buchanan Barnes...I'm impressed." You said, folding your arms under your breasts as you stood up.

"Guess you don't know me as well as you thought you did now huh baby doll?" He teased, his arms spread wide in a mock bow to you.

"Boy!!! I know you better than you know yourself!!!" You bit back, just the tiniest bit offended he would insult you like that.

He placed his hands on either side of the window and hung his head while shaking it slowly, chuckling under his breath. The image did things to you. You saw the muscles in his arms and shoulders roll when he moved, his stomach tightening as he laughed, making his abs more prominent. His pajama pants hung low on his hips, and you couldn't look away, couldn't stop your wayward imagination, not realizing you were biting your lip and literally eye fucking him. There was no hiding that he knew the direction of your thoughts when he lifted his head to look at you again, arms still spread out.

When his eyes met yours, they were dark, tonguing his upper lip as he smiled at you. “You alright there doll?”

You couldn’t breathe.  The way he looked at you, the way he looked period, left a feeling in your chest you’ve never experienced before, you couldn’t identify it or even how to begin explaining it. It was all-encompassing. All you could do was nod your head, returning to a more normal disposition.

He grinned. “Sure, you are. Now get outta here, this book is getting good, I wanna get back to it.” He jerked his head to the side.

All you could do was comply, not able to make any words come out of your mouth. You closed your window, unintentionally leaving the curtains open, and grabbed your things to take a shower.

Feeling y/n shudder underneath him immediately jolted his brain into panic mode, he knew her well enough to know when she was crying like she currently was. Why would she be crying this hard right now, this was a happy moment…right? He leaned her back to investigate, searching her face for any clues. Wiping her tears away, hating that she was upset and worried he had done something to trigger the downpour. She pulled away a bit to explain to show him why she had been searching for her wallet the night of the video chat. Seeing the photo and examining it, he could see how often she took it out of her wallet by the marks of frequent use around the edges of the polaroid-like photo, the plastic over the image itself having a small amount of give in places. He was left speechless and breathless at the notion that such a small thing of them brought out this kind of reaction in her. He was awestruck at the level of devotion to a small piece of paper that held evidence of the strength of their bond, the way she was more upset about losing this small picture of the two of them in each other’s arms laughing and smiling than she was about losing everything else she had in there, all important stuff too. I love her he thought to himself, noticing the way his heart fluttered and warmed at those same thoughts. This was more than the love born in friendship and companionship, this was more…so much more. And he couldn’t stop smiling, truly happy in this moment. He was in no rush to reach their destination, wanting to stay in the moment forever, this little bubble of bliss, holding her hand this way.

But then she bolted. She didn’t say a single word or even look his way as she sprinted to her door and opened it like the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels. He was shocked, standing there for longer than he’d like to admit, staring at where she retreated into her home. Shaking his head with a sight he walked into his house, seeing his parents at the kitchen table eating, they looked up.

“Hey honey,” his mom said excitedly, “We saw you at the game today, nice tackle there at the end!” She said proudly.

He grinned shyly, “Thanks ma, I actually have something I need to talk to you guys about.” He said as he cupped the back of his neck nervously. Both his parents looking at him with concern.

After explaining the ins and outs of what coach had told him, his parents were beyond excited, they both jumped up and down excitedly as they put their arms around him. They’ve always been so supportive, even his dad, despite his many obligations to the U.S. Army. Him and his dad devised a new workout regime that would hopefully help in getting noticed by a few scouts, agreeing to start as soon as possible, his mom throwing suggestions here and there. After some time, they parted ways and Bucky found himself in his room, too many thoughts filling his head for him to consider sleeping. So, he decided to grab a book, selecting a book y/n brought over to read often enough she left a copy there in his bookshelf. He wasn’t sure exactly what it was about but decided if it ended up being boring it would at least help lull him into a state he could sleep easier. He took his shirt off and grabbed some pajama pants, deciding to lay down on the couch and read there. The book was a little confusing at first but was quickly drawn into the retelling of a harsh betrayal, a lost love, a prison escape, and the ultimate vengeance on those that betrayed the man who lost everything, only to rise from the ashes a changed man. He quickly realized why y/n enjoyed this book so much, it was good!

Tap

Jerked from the vision in his mind, brought to life on the pages in front of him he looked around, trying to find the cause of the sudden noise, finding nothing, and eagerly returning to the book in his hands.

Tap...tap.

Now he recognized it. With a slightly frustrated sigh he got he got up and saw y/n across the way, he smiled at her. She didn’t say anything but a shy hello, so he asked what she was doing. Her reply made him swell with pride knowing it was his scent that clung to her. And when he showed her the book he was reading in response to her question she was visibly impressed and even stated so. He was proud he could conjure this type of response in her, simply by reading, noticing the way her arms framed her breasts nicely. He decided to tease her a bit, ‘baby doll’ slipping from his lips, enjoying the notion of calling her that more than he’d like to admit. Her clever retort had him laughing, holding onto the window frame for support. Lifting his head after his bought of laughter he noticed the way her lower lip was caught in her teeth, how her eyes grew darker as they roamed his body. It was blatantly obvious she was checking him out and enjoying what she saw. This wasn’t a new thing for him, many people often ogled him when he was jogging or working out, what was new, however, was that y/n was the one doing it now. This was the first time he ever saw her appreciate his body and he realized he enjoyed it. A lot.  

“You alright there doll?” He couldn’t help but tease just a little. He liked the way she always blushed when he got the courage to behave this way, the way her breaths became quicker, and her pupils dilated. He knew what he was doing to her, he knew she was turned on. And the thought excited him in such a way he was fighting back the urge to grasp his pajama pants a little. She didn’t even respond to his question, she simply nodded and tried her best to hide her body’s response to the situation. After encouraging her to go take her shower so he could continue to read, he noticed she left her curtains open, and a sinister plan came to mind. His small sofa was angled in such a way that if he lied down, he could see a great deal of her bedroom, almost all of her bed, her desk, her closet, and bedroom door. He never really noticed this before, but he was suddenly thankful for the bay windows they each had. He also knew that when the lights were off in his room, because of the angle of the roofs and their respective houses, you couldn’t see a damn thing. He’d been in her room enough times to know how his room looked from her window. He was filled with eager anticipation for the game that was about to unfold for him as he turned off his lights and got comfortable on the couch, laying one hand on his stomach and the other bent behind his head, his legs spread as one leg was kneeled up against the back of the couch. His mind played visions in his head at the thought of her being in the shower right now, of the things he might glimpse as he made a plan to make sure the curtains would be open for at least a little while. He also decided that since he’s getting a show, unbeknownst to her, he’d do the same for her, remembering he had a strict workout regime that needed to be implemented from here on out. He grinned like the cheshire cat at how he’d torture her now that he knew she at least liked his body enough to be caught admiring it.

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#Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky x reader #a/u bucky x reader #james buchanan barnes #teenager bucky x teenager reader #teen bucky and reader #a/u #slow burn #mutual pining #marvel