The Force Awakens (Studio Fun International) adapted by Elizabeth Schaefer

The Force Awakens (Studio Fun International) adapted by Elizabeth Schaefer, illustrated by Brian Rood

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Wow!! Talk about detailed to the max, even including a fair amount of dialogue (and it was 95% of the time the correct dialogue!!). I was quite impressed with this ride back through The Force Awakens (a movie that just so happens to be my least favorite of the 11 live-action movies but man did this book make me remember how much fun the movie is regardless!). And the cover is just stunning with the circular cut out featuring Kylo and stormtroopers and then the red metallic overlay with C-3PO, Phasma, BB-8, and Chewie. I wish I had the space to display this one along with the other two (which I will be reviewing Friday and Monday respectively) because the covers really are gorgeous. The artwork was fine, more of a brushed/painted over photograph kind of look that doesn't really strike my fancy. I'd prefer more stylized illustrations, but hey, the drawings are certainly crazy realistic! But the story being so close to perfect is what really got me. Definitely a book to keep an eye out for! 

I'd say this one is a bit long for a one night bedtime story regardless of it obviously being targeted at children. It took me about 20-25 minutes to read the whole thing, but I wasn't reading it as slowly as I'm sure a child would want their parent to read to them when they're all cozy in bed. 

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And now, you know me, I'm going to list a few things that were wrong...just to prepare you:

-It says Kylo deflected Poe's blaster fire at the beginning of the movie thus missing a chance to show that epic shot of the frozen-in-time blaster bolt.

-It says that Finn replied "Yes" to Rey's "So you're with the Resistance?" when in fact he said "Obviously. Yes I am." Not a glaring alteration.

-It has Rey calling Han "The Rebellion General" when she was the one who called him "The Smuggler"--a change that I think doesn't work with her character's background.

-The scene between Kylo and Han is severely truncated and does not hold near the amount of weight that that scene possesses in the film. Here would've been a great place to include some more of the dialogue that is so prevalent in the rest of the book. And the description of what happens is just really off. "Han begged his son to come home. But Kylo would not listen. He extended his lightsaber and silenced his father forever." Except...it was WAY more complicated than that...

-It says that Anakin's saber was still in Finn's hand after he was badly injured and that Kylo Force-pulled it out of his grasp...not out of the snow.

-And lastly, "Luke Skywalker was strong in the Force and had sensed her arrival." Yeah, but no. He had cut himself off from the Force and would not have been able to sense her one bit.

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With all that said, there were also several things that were wholly omitted, but I totally get that--leaving nothing out is what adult novelizations are for! I just don't understand why some things had to be completely changed...odd.

But again, this was a fabulously written book with beautiful illustrations that would definitely be a winner to have in your Star Wars library! I'll leave you with my favorite drawing in the book...the Resistance!