I finished Path of Deceit by Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton

A novel I didn't expect much from, but which I found myself reading with great interest until the very last page!!

As the start of Phase 2, Patch of Deceit manages to interestingly establish the new High Republic setting through the search for two Jedi and how things can go incredible wrong.

Among its characters, Kevmo and Zallah are a duo I enjoyed, and although I would have liked to see more of Zallah, Kevmo is an entertaining protagonist and transmit very well the young Padawan feeling. Similarly, I like the Path of the Open Hand. They seem to be the perfect counterpoint to the Jedi. Special mention goes to Marda Ro, one of their followers, who perfectly reflects the "good" and bad sides of her sect, as her good intentions are overshadowed by her growing conviction in her faith (her debates with Kevmo are genuinely interesting). By the end of the novel, she's so convinced she's doing the right thing that it makes her dangerous. I simply can't wait to find out what they'll do on Jedha. Yana is also an interesting character, as is the Herald, maintaining a power struggle within the sect that I would have liked to see more of. These characters definitely hold promise for the future of this part.

On the downside, maybe I'll just say that it feels like a prelude to something bigger at times, in the sense that we don't learn anything about Elecia, the Mother, who remains shrouded in mystery for most of the novel. Her initial reluctance to meet with the Jedi seemed to me to hint that she might have been one of them, but nothing came of it (for now).

Overall, I'm very excited to follow this phase, as it's clear that something big is brewing. Good begging.