Reading Star Wars books opens up a whole new collection of stories and eras to explore. Sometimes these adventures allow the opportunity to spend more time with characters who may have left us far too soon in other forms of media, such as Jecki and Yord from The Acolyte. If you're lucky, you may even occasionally stumble upon a Star Wars book inspired by other great franchises' stories.
If you've ever wanted to read a book like The Hunger Games -- except written by a veteran Star Wars author and set in the Star Wars universe -- you're going to love one of the franchise's recent book releases, The Acolyte: The Crystal Crown. The author even confirmed the connection.
Written by Tessa Gratton and published via Disney Books, The Crystal Crown is the second novel released in 2025 tied to The Acolyte. Gratton's book focuses on Jecki and Yord, who we first met in the Disney+ series.
The story follows the two Padawans as they accompany their masters on a diplomatic mission to a distant planet. Both Jecki and Yord are invited to participate in a competition focused on survival and other skill sets. The catch? The Jedi aren't allowed to use the Force or their lightsabers -- otherwise they'll be disqualified.
A nod to Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games series
The Crystal Crown draws some of its inspiration from The Hunger Games, where groups of fictional children are placed into an arena and forced to fight to the death, with only one victor left standing. Jecki and Yord join a smilar arena that tests their strengths, explots their weaknesses, and challenges them to survive as long as possible.
Gratton revealed at San Diego Comic Con that The Crystal Crown was originally pitched as "The Hunger Games in Star Wars." The participants in the book technically aren't allowed to fight to the death, per the rules, but that doesn't mean there aren't vicious beasts and harsh elements around to endanger them.
Tessa Gratton, The Crystal Crown, and the dangerous quest for power
A story loosely modeled after the vicious games themselves isn't the only parallel between Gratton's new book and Collins' bestselling series. Both offer commentary through their stories about the most dangerous aspects of politics and what happens when one person seeks -- or obtains -- too much power and influence over their people.
The Crystal Crown's main antagonist is deceptively charming, hungry for power, and willing to do anything necessary to get what they want most. Jecki and Yord learn a lot from the beginning of the book to the end, but there's also a lot of foreshadowing for what's to come for them in the future. If you don't yet know how their stories end, that almost makes reading this book even more fun.
Star Wars -- The Acolyte: The Crystal Crown by Tessa Gratton is available now wherever you get your Star Wars books.