The review in The New York Times called the book "a clever first step in the career of a novelist who ... has many more songs to sing",[4] it was nominated for the William C. Morris Award in 2015.
[7] It was named a "Book of the Year" by several organisations, including NPR,[8] Publishers Weekly,[9] and the New York Public Library.
[11] A Star Wars fan,[12] Johnston was asked to write a book on the character Ahsoka Tano.
[14] Featuring Padme Amidala, Queen's Shadow is set in the years between the events of The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones.
[15] Additionally, she has also written the story By Whatever Sun, focusing on Miara Larte, a character Johnston created within Ahsoka, and set during the events of A New Hope.
[7] Among her favorite authors are Jo Graham, Elizabeth Wein, Tessa Gratton, Kiersten White, Madeleine L'Engle, J.R.R.