Kiersten White’s “Hiding from the Dark” hit bookstores on September 1st and it is a LOT of fun! It has been a really long time since we got our last Star Wars middle grade novel, and even longer since we got a straight-out horror one.
Star Wars: Hiding from the Dark by Kiersten White is available in audio, physical, and digital formats. We received an early copy for review.
This review does NOT INCLUDE story spoilers.
Is Hiding from the Dark good for Adult Readers?
With two new kids surrounded by creepy crawlies and the looming presence of Darth Vader himself at the back, Hugo L. Cuellar’s cover is an instant winner for me so I sank my teeth into the book as soon as I could!
Let me start with this – if you are an adult reader, you need the right mindset to truly enjoy this one. I dare say I knew exactly what to expect from “Hiding from the Dark”, I surely got it, and it happens to be right up my alley.
And even though I’d highly recommend “Hiding from the Dark”, objectively I wouldn’t say it is a must read for each and every Star Wars fan out there.
First of all, I’ve always enjoyed the young readers and the middle grade Star Wars titles somehow more than the ones aimed straight at the adult readers.
Growing up in Bulgaria in the 90s we had next to nothing when it comes to new Star Wars content. The prequels changed that for a while so in my early teenage years I got really hooked on Jude Watson’s Jedi Apprentice series. I did my best to catch up on every middle grade Star Wars book ever published and never miss a new addition.
Give me Cavan Scott’s “Adventures in Wild Space” or Nancy Richardson and Rebecca Moesta’s “Junior Jedi Knights” and I’m happy!
So, if you are like me, or if you can switch to that child-like mentality and see this new adventure through the eyes of a child, then I promise you, “Hiding from the Dark” will entertain you well!
What is it like to grow up under the Empire
I thought Kiersten White did a pretty good job with 2022’s “Padawan”, so when it was announced that she’s doing a middle grade horror in a galaxy far far away, I was immediately on board. Weren’t you too? I mean, come on – something in the vain of the good old “Star Wars: Galaxy of Fear” series from the 90s? Who’d object to that?!
Imagine you’re about 12 years old and you live on Coruscant under the rule of Palpatine – the Imperial capital is a vast planet-sized megapolis swarming with stormtroopers and KX droids and who knows what else, and you’re but a kid.
That in itself can be pretty terrifying. Now imagine one day your mom just doesn’t come back home from work.
You wait and wait, and hours pass, then days. And you go out there to try and find your parent, but a chilling black shape is chasing after you both! If that’s not chilling, then I don’t know what is.
“Rogue One” gave us a glimpse of Darth Vader as a slasher villain, going down that corridor, cutting down those poor, helpless rebel soldiers.
Now he is chasing after an actual child! And in many ways it feels like a Halloween in Space type of story, it plays like what if Michael Myers was a Sith lord.
But I was expecting that! What I did not expect and I was pleasantly surprised with was how Kiersten White uses the occasion to intertwine the pure entertainment with some themes that do not always find their way to young readers.
We have a glimpse of what is it like to grow up under the Empire, not knowing anything much about the vast galaxy out there and all the injustices that take place everywhere around you, from the very minor ones, to those on the grandest of scales.
In that way “Hiding from the Dark” reminded me of, well, maybe not Andor, but Jason Fry’s “Servants of the Empire” (Amazon affiliate link) where we saw racism and indoctrination even in the school halls.
I find it brave and amiable when a book aimed at 8–12-year-olds goes the distance and puts youngsters out of their comfort zone.
Shortcomings and potential for Sequels
Where the book could fall short for adult readers is the very premise that a kid could escape Darth Vader. You’ve seen how unstoppable and merciless Vader really is and if kids continuously manage to evade him, it feels unrealistic, maybe even undermining his character.
You could say the kids get lucky, but in my experience, there is no such thing as luck – only what the plot needs.
And the plot here needs the protagonists to survive. On one hand Kiersten White could have gone for an Inquisitor or some other form of menace, on the other hand – nobody will ever be as popular (and no doubt – good for the marketing) as Darth Vader, so there you go.
The book does leave some questions unanswered and I definitely see the potential for a couple of sequels. I definitely wouldn’t refuse more such titles, cause these 240 pages just flew by. A solid read for the kids, and definitely a pleasing one for the kids at heart!
Review Card
Star Wars: Hiding from the Dark
Format
Middle Grade Novel
ERA:
Age:
8-12
Publisher:
Penguin Random House
RELEASED:
September 1, 2026
LENGTH:
240 pages
5h 15min
WRITER:
Kiersten White
COVER:
Hugo L. Cuellar
For:
Horror fans,
Fans of Darth Vader
Similar:
Servants of the Empire
Strengths
Great characters
Atmospheric autumn read to put you in the mood for Halloween
Self-contained adventure
Quick and fun read
Weaknesses
Numerous implausible escapes
Ratings
Final Verdict
4.0
Average of the first 5 Categories
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