So did anyone finish this? I kind of stalled. It's just ... not very good. I might go back and finish it, but then again...
In the meantime, though, I read Lost Stars by Claudia Gray, which is touted as a young adult novel, but I thought it was far better than Aftermath. It does centre around a teen-to-early-twenties romance, as it follows two idealistic youngsters through their journey to service in the Empire and beyond. It basically spans the entire original trilogy, starting several years prior to Yavin and ending after Endor, and hits most of the big events in that time. Sometimes it strained incredulity in how it conspired to have its protagonists present at all these pivotal moments, but hey, it's Star Wars, you know, it's not exactly shooting for realism. By the end I was struggling to empathise with the motivations of one of the main characters, but it still drew me on, and was very interesting - and skillful - in the way it portrayed both sides of the conflict. Definitely worth a read if you're a fan!
