The High Republic: Path of Deceit - Book Review

It’s been a few months since the first phase of the all-new era of Star Wars storytelling, The High Republic concluded with epic and heartbreaking moments. Star Wars fans across the globe have fallen in love with new, iconic characters and savored the incredible amount of lore the creators of the publishing initiative have added to our beloved galaxy far, far away. Returning to the bookshelves is Phase II of The High Republic, this time in the form of a prequel set 150 years before the events of Phase I, starting this time with the first YA novel, Path of Deceit.

Path of Deceit tells the story of the Path of the Open Hand, a cult whose sole purpose is to protect and liberate the Force from being used. Led by the Mother, this group of Force extremists lives as a community on Dalna, spreading the message of their beliefs while also secretly embarking on off-world missions to retrieve (often stealing) and lock away any Force artifacts so that they will no longer harm the mystical energy. Besides the Mother, the Path of the Open Hand is mainly represented by Marda and Yana Ro, two Evereni cousins that, in their own distinct ways, serve the greater purpose of the cult. On the other side of the Force are Jedi Padawan Kevmo Zink and his Master Zallah Macri, who eventually come into contact with the Path of the Open Hand as they investigate the theft of a Force artifact on Dalna.

Authors Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland have written arguably the best The High Republic novel to date and overall the best Star Wars book of the year. Compared to the first book of Phase I, Light of the Jedi, Path of Deceit takes a different approach—choosing mystery and intrigue over full scale epic battles. The novel immerses the readers right into this new timeline from page one, but also starts slowly to allow the new characters and lore to be fleshed out bit by bit. This new characterization is what makes this book stellar: Marda Ro’s beauty and pure heart will make readers instantly fall in love with her; Kevmo’s kindness and flirtatious attitude give the story the right amount of playfulness; and of course the Mother adds the mystery that makes this book a guaranteed page turner.

Every moment the two opposites of the Force meet, the Path of the Open Hand on one side and the Jedi on the other, is like a new explosion of feelings, from seductive to destructive, and that’s what makes Path of Deceit such a brilliant read. The two authors know how to play with the reader’s feelings, and if you have already experienced the heartbreaks from Phase I, then you’re in for some more. The final act of the novel in particular is one of the most thrilling and completely unexpected acts of the entire publishing initiative—setting up what’s to come while interconnecting with Phase I (it almost feels like an origin story).

The High Republic is back with Path of Deceit, the first novel of Phase II. This is a story that will forever be engraved in the ever expanding Star Wars universe, so you definitely don’t want to miss it. The immensely gorgeous cover art by Corey Brickley is in and of itself a good reason to grab a copy today! Make sure to let us know what you thought of Path of Deceit on our social media channels.