I am usually decent at guessing an ending at a book and I was NO WHERE near guessing this one. The ending was super messed up but in a I-still-can't-stop-thinking-about-it kind of way.

A must read for Star Wars fans. Claudia Gray gives us a glimpse into the world before "A Force Awakens" and gives us insight into what led to the creation of the First Order and the Resistance. A mixture of action and politics of the Star Wars universe, Bloodline gives readers a real look into Hosnian Prime and the Galactic Senate that we've yet to see. Written (mostly) from Leia's perspective, readers can connect more to the princess than ever before - but Gray also gives us new characters to follow, and I couldn't wait to see what was next in these characters' stories.

We're dropped into the middle of the second American Civil War with the Chestnut family. We learn briefly that the civil war has broken out between the North (blue) and the South (red) over the banning of fossil fuels and an assassination of the US president.

Presumably, although the war is primarily fought between geographic regions, the reds are comprised of mainly Republicans and the blues of mostly Democrats. At a time where US politics is so polarized, it's easy (and frightening) to get drawn into the premise of a civil war and imagining how events could play out in reality. This is one of many reasons why I felt as though the author could have done more in describing the events that led up to the war in more detail. The story flips back and forth through Sarat's story and excerpts from war documents, transcriptions of hearings, and news articles (think World War Z).

That I felt the details of the war would have made the story even more compelling and left me wanting more is one reason this book didn't receive 5 stars from me.

The other is the lack of connection I felt to Sarat. I was longing for more insight into our main character's deepest thoughts, desires, aspirations. Great read for dystopian lovers and those drawn to politics but looking to get lost in another reality!