I've been reading for a while since my last blog entry so I have a few reviews to do, and Dark Rendezvous was the first book I finished before going on hiatus...so on to the review.

Again, I'll say that I enjoy reading the Clone Wars books simply for the fact that more character history is gained for characters that didn't make it out of the Original Trilogy (Yoda, Obi-Wan, Anakin, etc.) For some reason though, while reading this book I kept thinking I was reading a kids book. Now, given the nature of Yoda and his quirks and mannerisms it does make a bit of sense but in some instances I thought it was a bit overdone.

Some of the things I enjoyed about the book were the two Padawans, Scout & Whie. Their different Force attune-ness & paths to becoming Padawans helped to point out that not every student in the Temple was destined for greatness or was perfectly in harmony with the Force. Showing that Scout used hard work & will instead of just calling upon the Force is something that I haven't come across very often in my readings...yet anyway. I also enjoyed learning a bit more about Dooku's time as a Padawan and how he & Yoda had formed a bond while Dooku was still a part of the Jedi community. Having Yoda involved in a storyline instead of merely giving guidance and making brief appearances in a book was also a key factor in my wanting to read this novel as well.

One of the main downsides of the book, in my opinion, was how child-like Yoda was made to be in certain parts. Hiding in the R2 shell, stumbling around and playing Force games doesn't seem like something Yoda would do if put in that position in my mind. However, seeing as how he was out with two new Padawans perhaps he was just doing that to calm them down...I don't know. I also had a problem with the long drawn out speeches that Asajj Ventress made. Given her brief screen time in the Clone Wars cartoons I have a real hard time picturing her standing there talking for so long, just doesn't seem to be her character type...nor with her voice do I think I could stand to hear her talk for that long.

All in all this wasn't one of the better Clone Wars books I have read, though I did enjoy the fact that the Yoda/Dooku history was touched on. That helped to explain for me part of the reason for Dooku doing what he did in AotC and beyond.