Primary characters: Populist senator Leia Organa, Centrist senator Ransolm Casterfo, Leia's assistant and former race pilot Greer Sonnel, x-wing pilot Joph Seastriker, Centrist senator Lady Carise
My brief plot summary: Leia and her team investigate shady dealings reported to the senate involving a new criminal power with unprecedented financial backing who threatens the stability of the New Republic; a more prominent far reaching Hutt enterprise or a covert military power establishing themselves as a prelude to war?
My Thoughts: Galactic politics mixed with a bit of skulduggery. Leia is very well written and has a distinct voice which separates her from not only the other characters in the book but also from the other Star Wars stories she appears. Leia is older, wiser, and more well rounded in Bloodlines than her appearances in the original trilogy. That said, Han's influence is omnipresent in her actions; drinking, gambling, even sinking an entire city, killing thousands in order to achieve her mission objective (the mass killing surprisingly goes largely unnoticed in the book).
The heavy emphasis on politics doesn't detract from the action. That old Star Wars galactic adventure feel is perfectly captured and the band of characters accompanying Leia feel like they belong - Joph, Geer, and Casterfo. There's also a nice segue into The Force Awakens thanks to the ambitious Centrist senator Lady Carise.
Bloodline is a fun read. Claudia Gray clearly knows her Star Wars history with references to movies and books spattered throughout. This certainly reads like part of the overall Star Wars story.
'The sun is setting on the new republic. It is time for the resistance to rise."
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