The Empire is shattered thanks to the destruction of the Death Star (for the 2nd time) and the death of Lord Vader and Emperor Palpatine. The Rebels have won the war! Why then is the Empire still trying to take over the galaxy? It looks like the Rebels still have another generation of war to come. 
 If you've seen Star Wars: The Force Awakens you know who Poe is. Star Wars: Shattered Empire focuses on Poe's mother, Lieutenant Shara Bey. Shara plays a pivotal role in several dangerous missions against the Empire, and I seriously don't know how she does it. She's a goddess in the cockpit and remarkable in close-range combat. I'm happy the story focuses on her, because Shara shows how badass heroines can be. I especially love the scene where Shara, Princess Leia, and Queen Soruna (Queen of Naboo) form an epic fighter team and go up against an Imperial Star Destroyer on their own. Badass females always make good stories especially when one of them is a Jedi. (Side note: It boggles my mind that the creators of Star Wars decided not to make Princess Leia more Jedi-ey. She obviously has the Force. If she learned to focus those powers, imagine how awesome she would be!) 
 All in all, Shattered Empire is an incredible book with great artwork and great action. The artists do a fantastic job making the original trilogy characters look just like the actors. The cohesiveness of this novel to the original trilogy makes Shattered Empire feel like an integral part of the Star Wars universe. I especially love the ending, which I won't spoil, but my inner geek squealed in delight.