May the Fourth – Empire Strikes Back

Since today is May 4th, I wanted to do some recommendations based on the plots of the Star Wars series.  Please note, these will all be YA books.

Star Wars Episode V Empire Strikes Back

What makes Empire Strikes Back so great?  The answer is simple.  VADER.  He’s my all time favorite villain.  And, he wins in this one.  I think the core theme of Episode V is villains we hate to love.

• The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo – nothing says enigmatic villain quite like The Darkling from this trilogy.  He’s mysterious, evil, and yet you almost want him to end up winning.
• The Young Elites by Marie Lu – Teren Santoro is another perfect representation of Vader in this series.  He’s another misunderstood and possibily not all bad kind of guy.  I actually found myself rooting for him as this series progressed.
• Dark Breaks the Dawn by Sara B. Holland – Lorcan, Lorcan, Lorcan.  He’s the Prince you hate to love.  I didn’t want him to lose in this story.  No spoilers, but his story is so Empire Strikes Back-esque, it’s not even funny.