Raise your hand if you sobbed like a big ol’ baby at the end of Rogue One? 🙋🙋🙋 I so wanted more of Jyn and REBEL RISING is absolutely perfect for that! Of course, it wouldn’t be right reading this book and talking about it without ultimate Star Wars fangirl, Kelly (@BookCrushin). So we are here today with a co-review!
Fans wanna know…How much of a Star Wars fan are you? Show off your personal Star Wars fandom.
CJ: I am a casual Star Wars fan. I’ve seen all the movies (in theaters since I’ve been alive) but I do not have the whole history memorized or anywhere near that level. I hate JarJar Binks, though…Does that make me a true fan? Here’s my small collection of SW Pops! 
K: Well I would have to say that if any one fandom could be associated with me & my partner, it would be Star Wars. Our kitchen has more SW in it than anything else, Darth Vader toaster, R2D2 timer, R2D2 Tea Pot, R2D2 lunch bag, 5 Large character mugs – Vader, Stormtrooper, and Boba Fett, the other 2 are FunkoHome, C3PO and Jabba; 5 other coffee mugs that we actually use, 15 pint glasses & yes I broke the Kylo Ren one and I am devistated! We have no less than 10 pairs of SW socks, 3 pairs of pajamas bottoms, and over 30 tshirts – I stopped counting! We currently have 4 throw blankets, and 6 posters. We also have 8 books and about 10 comic books. The biggest collection by far is the Funko Pops! We have over 90 and there are more than that we don’t even own! We also have 8 of the full size Whacky Wobblers these were released by Funko before there were Pops! And we also have all sorts of other SW stuff…like stickers, decks of cards, luggage tags, keychains, enamel and metal pins, etc., etc., etc.. I mean it could be out of control, but I have seen way bigger collections. We of course own 3 video games, 9 different VHS tapes, all the DVDs, the Blu-ray special edition collection, as well as the digital editions of The Force Awakens and Rogue One. No big deal. Plus I am sure there are tons of things I have left out…like every time there is a holiday we buy our nieces & nephews all the SW toys we can!
What makes Rebel Rising accessible to hardcore Star Wars fans and those who are new to the franchise?
CJ: Because Rogue One and Rebel Rising are somewhat self contained, they’re a great entry point for new fans. Long term fans will love seeing familiar worlds and characters, wrapped within the spirit of rebellion.
K: Well to start off, Rebel Rising was a prequel book to the prequel movie Rogue One. There is nothing you need to know about the story to understand what is going on in Rebel Rising. Now if you do know your lore it does make some of the references way more appealing, but even some went over my head while I listened. Rebel Rising is also quite suitable for the teen generation, nothing explicit other than death & violence. There was a little bit of kissing at one point in the book and it was cute as hell! I highly recommend reading this book if you liked Jyn Erso’s story and Rogue One. I felt it really gave us some character insight into her life and upbringing.
Rebel Rising is Jyn’s prequel to the prequel. How does Beth Revis capture her compared to her movie counterpart?
CJ: I loved how Beth Revis captured young Jyn. It felt seamless to me.
K: I feel like we get great insight into Jyn’s hard exterior. She has had some rough times growing up and we wouldn’t know much of this from just Rogue One, but Rebel Rising shows us all of her heartache and vulnerableness. She loses her mother at 5yo, her father is taken away by the Empire. She is left alone on a pretty deserted planet and is rescued by a rebel friend of her mother’s, Saw Gerrera. Saw sheltered her and taught her about the rough world around them. He didn’t know squat about raising a child, but he just knew he had to protect her identity and to trust no one. I loved this part of the book, even though it was a large chunk of the story. The book actually made me like Saw, who was a very unlikable character from the movie. Actually, I had way more feelings for almost all of the rebels, as well as Saw and Jyn, in the book than in the movie.
The audiobook is ridiculously amazing for Rebel Rising. What makes it awesome?
CJ: O M G the audio was the best part of this book. It has a full set of sound effects and is narrated by ultimate narrator, Rebecca Solar. My husband kept asking me about it as I was listening to it (often in the shower haha).
K: Well for starters it is produced spectacularly, with sound effects and all! At the beginning it was kind of hard to get used to the constant background noises, but once I was in it – I was so into it! I have now told every person I know to listen to it & I don’t know if I can read another SW universe book, I think I will listen to all them!
What would you recommend for someone who wants a quick dive into the franchise?
CJ: I didn’t fully connect with the franchise until Rogue One, so I would say start there. Honestly, anywhere you dive in is a good place to dive in!
K: Well if we are talking canon books, than I would say Rebel Rising was spectacular insight into the prequel. I absolutely loved Bloodline by Claudia Gray as a Leia centered bridge book from the end of The Return of the Jedi (VI) to The Force Awakens (VII). For a non main character centered story I also highly recommend Lost Stars by Claudia Gray! Lost Stars is a YA romance novel set in the SW universe as an outer rim planet is about to conquered by the Empire. As for movies, if you never seen any of them…watch them all, but know that Episodes 1-3 aren’t meant for the adult fan, but any kid I know that has watched them, absolutely brought them into the fandom, any adult who was already in it…those were a hard sell. 
by Beth Revis
Published: May 2nd 2017
Publisher: Disney Lucasfilm Press
Source: Audible (best use of a credit, for real!)
When Jyn Erso was five years old, her mother was murdered and her father taken from her to serve the Empire. But despite the loss of her parents she is not completely alone—Saw Gerrera, a man willing to go to any extremes necessary in order to resist Imperial tyranny, takes her in as his own, and gives her not only a home but all the abilities and resources she needs to become a rebel herself.
Jyn dedicates herself to the cause—and the man. But fighting alongside Saw and his people brings with it danger and the question of just how far Jyn is willing to go as one of Saw’s soldiers. When she faces an unthinkable betrayal that shatters her world, Jyn will have to pull the pieces of herself back together and figure out what she truly believes in…and who she can really trust.