A dark age has given way to an era of peace in the five warrior Clans, and with it comes a promise of hope. As their leaders deliberate on unprecedented changes to the warrior code, three young warriors set their paws on the paths that will decide their futures. In ThunderClan, warrior apprentice Flamepaw, a descendant of the legendary leader Firestar, struggles under the weight of his famous kin’s legacy, while young ShadowClan warrior Sunbeam has doubts of her own. But in RiverClan, medicine cat apprentice Frostpaw looks eagerly toward the horizon, awaiting the day she will be called upon to help her Clan—a day that may dawn sooner than she ever dreamed.
Erin Hunter is inspired by a love of cats and a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. As well as having a great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior, shaped by her interest in astronomy and standing stones.
Now, before anything else: huge spoiler warning. I mean, the book isn’t officially out yet! If you just want a quick overview without going into spoilers: yes, it was pretty good! Not spectacular, but enjoyable enough (at least in my opinion).
This was, I believe, really close to being the perfect Warriors first book of an arc. It mostly deals with introducing the protagonists, the main conflicts, and a couple of interesting side characters and plotlines. All of these things are generally well thought out and executed, creating an overall balanced introduction for the arc.
Now, here is where the spoilers really begin! Just as with The Broken Code, this arc is told in three different perspectives, each from a different Clan. Here goes my opinion on each:
Nightheart (though referred to as Flamepaw for like, almost the entire book) was the most surprising of the three! I wasn’t expecting to like him that much, assuming he’d just be Alderheart all over again, but truly I was wrong! He was a really fun character with a lot of personality and charm, as well as with very interesting relationships (especially with Sparkpelt, I loved how they wrote their complicated dynamic).
He is also the ThunderClan protagonist. To be honest, ThunderClan doesn’t really do much in this book that isn’t related to dealing with the aftermath of the events of the last arc. However, I really liked how they acknowledged Bramblestar’s lasting trauma and how it affected not only him but also the rest of the Clan. I have a feeling he’ll retire not too far from now, and that’s something I’d definitely enjoy seeing play out!
Sunbeam is the ShadowClan protagonist. She was probably the least interesting POV out of the three, but personally, I did like seeing her internal struggles and Clan life. What can I say, I just love ShadowClan! No way for me not to enjoy her perspective. Blazefire and Lightleap (especially the latter) were surprisingly well written characters whose relationships with Sunbeam made her POV and the book in general a lot better!
Frostpaw was the new protagonist I was excited about the most. After reading this book, though, I don’t think she was as great of a character as I thought she’d be. There’s just so much going on in RiverClan throughout the entire book, she ended up lagging behind in terms of character development. It’s still the first book, though, and I have hopes she’ll eventually catch up.
Despite Frostpaw not being the most engaging character, RiverClan sure is by far the most interesting Clan! I really wasn’t expecting Mistystar to die so early in the story, but I have to agree it was for the best: the plot took off fast! This is one of the most fun mysteries we’ve had in this series in a good while, and I have lots of theories for who might be the cat (or the cats, most likely) involved in the multiple deaths RiverClan faces.
And talking about theories, there are just so many mysterious things about this book! This was definitely my favorite part of it, it’s just so full of intrigue and potential. There are two things I think I can say with some surety: that more than one RiverClan cat was involved in the murders, which is clearly what they were (Curlfeather was awfully suspicious for the entirety of the book), and perhaps even one or more than one StarClan cat!; and that they’re setting Berryheart up to be one of the villains of the arc, as well as setting Nightheart and Sunbeam up for a romance (which I usually wouldn’t be excited about at all, but the new changes to the warrior code and the fact that Berryheart is Sunbeam’s mother could make it very interesting). There’s just so much to talk about!
That’s enough for this review, I believe. Overall, this was a book that was a lot more about what could be than what it actually was: though it was fun as is, the main hook was trying to figure the story out. I’m obviously excited for the next installments and if they’re as good as this one was, then this will be a great arc!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Okay...let me just say, I stopped caring about this series past omen of the stars. As a general rule, the new books suck. Everyone I cared about died like ten books ago, and honestly? I think the Erin Hunter team is trying too hard at this point. I forgot Broken Code was even finished, not that it or Vision of shadows was great. I did like some of the newer super editions, though. But I'm probably not going to read this. I've been a fan of Warriors for a while now, but it's not like it used to be :/. Okay granted I still say "StarClan." So don't get me wrong, I love the older ones. I just don't see how this one could possibly be worth my time.
So excited for this book!!! The series will follow Sunbeam of ShadowClan, Flamepaw of ThunderClan, and Frostpaw of RiverClan. OMG I'm really curious what this book will turn out to be like. I loved the first 5 series in this saga. A Vision of Shadows really disappointed me (mainly because of Needletail) and the Broken Code really stressed me out (it's crazy that we went from Warriors: The Prophecies begin to Warriors: The Broken Code, which looks like some sort of alien invasion compared to the entirely innocent first series.
I read this book in a single sitting, on one day, whilst sat in a hospital room desperately trying to engage myself through the teems of boredom.
Each person that entered my room was eagerly willed away, with the excitement of trawling through this book - each line that I loved being re-read many a time for its uniqueness that it brought to the WC universe.
River is different - finally we are presented with a book that introduces some different and diverse concepts. With three equally strong Clan perspectives, Erin Hunter begins to delve into what truly makes these Clans and their borders so important to their livelihood.
The slow realisation of the ThunderClan protagonist, Flamepaw, that they are not the best and most revered Clan in the forest is refreshing and truly brings to light the ego of the Clan and their downfall: with ominous suggestion that Bramblestar wants to uproot leadership as a whole, or his personally, makes their Clan viewed pitifully.
This is mentioned by Crowfeather and finally I find my thoughts are actually being reflected in the characters: instead of dancing around topics and lacking forth-coming, the characters finally feel real as we explore their interpersonal relationships with their Clan, their friends and ultimately their identity.
Flamepaw’s own struggles with his destiny are too refreshing as it diverts from the general ‘Firestar kin to hero’ pipline, and allows us to read as this young tom will presumably find his own reasons to be a hero, and not piggyback off the cat that began this series so many years ago. What’s more is his name-change to Nightheart! That was definitely alluded to and for once it is lovely to read a WC book and the foreshadowing to hold steadfast - it was a welcome change and I can only imagine the turmoil it may present.
The only drawback to Flamepaw’s story is his connection to Sunbeam; while I was excited for a female protagonist to already have a mate, and thus her development being only about her love interest, now that she and Blazefire are no longer ‘a thing’ opens the opportunity for Nightheart to take that place.
If the foreshadowing remains true, Nightheart’s name change and displacement within his Clan may lead him to form a closer bond with Sunbeam and thus defect to ShadowClan . . . If not handled delicately, we could end up with yet another she-cat that is there only to be a love interest: a Rootspring x Bristlefrost 2.0, a mess of muddled ‘love’ and pitiful writing.
However I hold out hope for Sunbeam who, as a character, is wonderful to read! Her attitude reflects a calmer and more sophisticated Hollyleaf - her approach to the changing code may massively influence the events to come in ShadowClan.
Once again the ominous forewarning that Tigerstar may be usurped by Sunbeam’s unapproving mother, Berryheart, is clear! It would be wonderful to read of a character that helps and actually approves in a leadership change, as introduced by the new 3/4’s rule at the first Gathering, however I doubt that the Erin’s would want to portray Sunbeam as fully accepting of this change.
Therefore, I think she will act similarly to Ivypool and Bristlefrost had once: the ‘spy’, once on the side of no-good turned justice-seeking and righteous.
That could get boring, and thus the low rating, but I can’t judge unwritten books! And can only eagerly await the next installment.
Finally, RiverClan and Frostpaw. How unique this book is! The massive upheaval of Mistystar and now no leader, meaning the Clan could go any-which way. I personally am stumped: my thoughts that Mothwing may become Mothstar would make for an excellent twist of events, but whether plausible in the WC universe and by the Erin’s writing is a whole other ballpark . . .
Frostpaw as a character is engaging and the pressure placed upon her is expected but no less interesting to undergo: she’s newly orphaned (or motherless) and with the pressure of being so young, inexperienced but the Clan’s sole StarClan communicator, there is error for this young she-cat to be overlooked or misinterpreted.
I don’t truly know where Frostpaw’s arc may take her, but with her introduction and RiverClan’s leaderless-self, I am excited to see! Potentially, she could be ‘raised’ to lead her Clan, but that would be both spectacular and stupid - who knows what A Starless Clan may bring, but for now it has been enthralling and new to read!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
listen. is warrior cats a good series? no. was this even a particularly good example of a warrior cats book? not really! but by god was this a fun and wild ride. the last solid third of the book had me so hyped up to know what happens next!
All in all, a solid beginning to an arc. Not as compelling as the first books of AVOS or TBC imo, but I still had a good time! I still want to know what happens next!
The good: + The POVs are all... okay. Frostpaw and Flamepaw (whose warrior name will not be used here to prevent spoilers) clearly have more going for them than Sunbeam, but I like all three and can't complain yet! And I think there's the potential for Sunbeam to have interesting stuff going on in her POVs too, so I'm holding out. + Finally! A RiverClan pov!!! Literally every single Frostpaw chapter had me agape. I hadn't even dreamt of what happened in this book being a viable possibility because it seemed too good to be true. Everything that happened in Frostpaw's pov was so so good. I am so invested in this, way more than I expected to be. RiverClan POV, don't fail me now! + Flame is cute and I kind of like what they're doing with this character! Feels a little bit like a Rootspring redux but you know what, I'll roll with it. I rolled my eyes a bit when I saw the blurb about how his character arc revolved around being descended from Firestar, when he is so distantly related to him (and so are half of the other characters in this Clan), but I feel like it was handled alright in the end. It still feels a bit overblown in my opinion but I felt like it was tied in in ways that felt not too outlandish; for example, + Sunbeam actually has friends?? That aren't related to her? Incredible! + Small, and I have a feeling this will end up causing me more grief than joy in the long run, but it was interesting to see a character actually choose to break a promise and talk to a position of authority, and then that action actually have consequences (referring to )! It's never fun when the characters choose to keep secrets for literally no reason, but at least this time, Sunbeam... kind of has a reason? + The writing quality could have been worse. It wasn't as good as some of the other books I've read, but I think it held up alright. There were a few punctuation errors that tripped me up, but that might have just been my less-than-legally-procured pdf. (Though I wish they would stop writing "medicine cat" as "medicine-cat". literally all they need to do is find and replace all in their manuscript, but I guess that's expecting too much of harper collins luls.) + Carrying over consequences from the last arc. I had kind of expected this since it seemed like these were meant to be more connected than some of the other arcs we've gotten, but it was still good to see that they're not just brushing aside the whole "changes to the code" thing and it's actually a plot point here. (I think these changes could/should have been properly addressed and set aside in TBC, allowing this arc to be about not from the changes themselves but the aftershock of these changes, but I digress.) It's also interesting to see how these changes affected Flamepaw personally, especially with his relationship to his family. + It was small, but there was a moment when Rootspring said hi to Ivypool at a gathering and I was really touched that he's staying friendly with his SO's parents. ;o;
So the code will change?! I hope bristlefrost and rootspring get together in the final broken code book. I’m so excited for a new warriors arc! Cant wait to see flamepaw’s frostpaw’s and sunbeam’s point of views!
Wonderful characters, plot, and it is a great continuation to the series I love and adore. I am looking forward to future books in this series! Can’t wait!
3.5 This was one of my most anticipated book of the year and I found it to be kinda annoying with all these first world problems with our new protagonist, one's insecure about her abilities as a medicine cat whilst the other is from rejection, conflict with the bestie (who seems like a horrible best friend) and then the final character is just constantly whining and complaining about ohhh no one see's me for me, I am in FireStar's shadow. blah blah blah. Flamepaw is my least favourite he's the worst. The other two I can understand and will grow on me.
I am really enjoying the fact that for once Riverclan is finally getting a pov! something I've wanted for YEARS! but I am devastated by the current events, it has plagued my heart with sadness. hopefully, as this arch continues, the story and characters will grow a further impression on me. Just wished it was longer and the characters were more .....original?
Oh my gosh! It's out! I have been waiting for this moment to come for a year. I just got the book yesterday and I am 30 pages in and I already like it! I am not surprised I like it because I have read every single Warriors book and I have loved them. I encourage everyone who reads this to read the Warrior series. Shout out to Erin Hunter for making this book. If you are seeing this, Erin Hunter, please let me know if there will be the 9th series! I am your number 1 fan and I love reading all of your books. I can't wait until the two new super editions come out! Thank you so much for writing these books Erin Hunter!
3.5 stars I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, but it wasn't one of the best Warriors books I've read. The storyline was pretty good and there was a tension in the plot that kept me invested. I liked Frostpaw as a lead character, and Sunbeam and Flamepaw were interesting to read about but they kind of annoyed me. I also thought the ending was a little bit rushed, nevertheless I'm eager to see what happens next.
A book about cat warriors named Frostpaw and Flamepaw? Sure!
This is the first book of the seventh series (I think) in the Warrior-world so I guess it was to be expected that I wouldn’t understand everything. Events from previous books were referred to, but in a way that made me follow the story well.
What made it confusing was that there are a bunch of different clans with similar names, with about 20 cats each, all with similar names as well. As I listened to this I was thoroughly confused for a long time and I couldn’t tell one cat from the other. But I checked the book version at work and in the beginning there is a register of all the clans and all the cats. So I’d say, this is a book that should probably be read until you’ve really gotten into the world of the clans.
The story was a bit slow-going as it’s the first in a new series, and had a surprising amount of political intrigue rather than adventures, which surprised me in a book for kids. Toward the end I was really into it though, and will continue reading.
Summary: It’s absolutely possible to start with this series and not read all the others first!
It's the first time I actually read "Warriors" before listening to audiobooks.
I Like Flamepaw chapters more exciting and fascinating. His relationship with his mother Sparkpelt shows how that has affected him and feels abandoned.
I like Frostpaws chapter too, the first Riverclan protagonist and she is not relative to any leader at all. It also tells how much Mistystar's mistakes have made a big impact on Riverclan.
Sunbeam just tries to be a great Shoadowclan cat.
The reason I gave "River" three stars it's because it reminds me too much of "The broken code" arc.
I was actually surprised at the pace of this book. It picked up really quickly, and kept me engaged throughout. This arc has a lot of potential and I can’t wait to see many subplots develop!
Sunbeam: I am so glad she didn’t turn out to be another Bristlefrost… (definitely some similarities though). I mean please, I get that Bristlefrost was a heroine in the end of The Light in the Mist, but I never liked her character or her forced love-relationship with Rootspring. Sunbeam on the other hand, is more refreshing… however, I hope she isn’t dragged into a love saga with “Nightheart”. That’s gonna be a no.
Frostpaw: Sweet, but flat/one-dimensional. I hope she gets more character development in the upcoming novels. She has a lot of potential to grow and be more confident.
Flamepaw aka Nightheart: I was surprised with the way Bramblestar handled his name-owning situation. It was a slap in the face & a pat on the shoulder at the same time… I’m curious to see Nightheart’s reaction. His character was definitely understandable: his clan going through troubled times, his didn’t get to meet his father, his mother abandoning him, the burden of his ancestors… like I get it. He has his own story. A unique character indeed!
There was an interesting parallel between Frostpaw’s & Nightheart’s relationship with their respective mothers. Frostpaw and Nightheart are polar opposites… Frostpaw has such a deep and loving relationship with her mother while Flamepaw (yes-) has such a detached and awkward relationship with his. How much parenting impacts your personality and character.
Aside from the lame title, it was a great debut to a new series! Can’t wait to read the next one!
I've come to terms with the fact that I'm going to keep reading these books until they stop writing them or humans go extinct, whichever comes first. The nostalgia is just too strong.
Anyway. The writing was okay. Flamepaw's a brat, Frostpaw's a bean, and Sunbeam falls somewhere in between. It's probably a pretty decent book if you're actually in the target age range, but I found it to be solidly meh. Cheers.
wow! this really lived up to my expectations. it was nice that this was so soon after tbc because you don't have that classic intro of "the clans had many moons of peace before now." we jumped straight into all the problems tbc had left behind.
Code changes- I'm still processing this, i'm more open to it now that it was explained. first off, now you can get rid of a leader if you and your clanmates feel they are a threat. i can see a chance this might be put in place with Bramblestar, that's just my theory though. Secondly now, you can have a mate from a different clan, i feel like this is good and bad because it's good because they no longer have to do it in secret and be deceiving to their clan, but on the other side that was one of the erins greatest plot twists and now its not going to be that big of a deal.
Characters:
Flamepaw- i can definitely feel myself sympathizing this poor boi. Flamepaw is the great-grandson of the "all amazing wonderful" Firestar. and for some reason (which it makes no sense because none of the only kin of Firestar had this problem but whatever) but all of Flames family seems to think he is Firestar, and he has this huge burden on his back of living up to that, and it sucks for him. He is dealing with that along with abandonment issues and being alone. So he's definitely a depressing character to read, but i can see some great character development coming. I love how he spoke up at the end to change his name because he didn't want to be Firestar. i love the name Nightheart now.
Frostpaw- yet another depressing character to read about. Frostpaw is thrust into the spotlight of being the only cat in her clan to speak to to StarClan. She's utterly confused and when her leader and deputy are dead, she's basically expected to lead the clan. and then add to that her mom dies. how fun. i'm not sure how i feel about her right now, but i'm hoping for some more character development.
Sunbeam- shes not my favorite, because her character was bland. most of what we read about her is the fact that shes in-love with this idiot cat who "loves her" but doesn't think they're a good match, what the heck. i think we'll get more development from her in the next books, i really hope we do because she just felt flat. i also feel like Sun x Night is going to be a ship.
Plot- obviously in most of the warrior books the plot is spread out throughout the series and we don't really get the full plot til the 4-6 books. I'm not quite sure what will happen but what i can predict is: Bramblestar being rid of as a leader because he's really struggling with PTSD from the dark forest and most of the cats in his clan are fearful of him, next Sun x Night ship, nextly, Frostpaw becoming clan leader for RiverClan (i have absolutely no idea why i think this but wHo kNoWs).
well that's all i have to say, i'll see you in my next review!
I really liked this book, and my favorite character from it is Nightheart. I like how he chose his own name instead of Firestar’s warrior name. I also liked Sunbeam, and my favorite part was when Flamepaw passed his assessment and changed his warrior name. The part that surprised me the most was when Curlfeather died, because I thought that she was going to become the leader and save RiverClan.
Plot wise, there really wasn't much happening in this book. It was a lot of the same as all of the rest - small problems and Clan conflicts. A lot of adjusting to new life in the Clans and recovering from the damage Ashfur did in Broken Code.
It was a little slow, but I was never really bored. I wish there had been more going on, as there were no stakes in this book, but I was still happy to jump back into the Warriors world. I was going through a bit of withdrawal after Broken Code ended! It is starting to feel a little bit redundant - regurgitated characters, same conflicts happening over and over again, etc. The newer characters are all starting to blend together a little bit, and sometimes I have trouble telling them apart.
I did really like Frostpaw, though, and am interested to see where her character arc goes! I felt sorry for Flamepaw and the pressure on his shoulders for being named after Firestar. However, I don't really know how I felt about Sunbeam. She was kind of a wet rag. She was a stickler for the rules to the point that it got annoying because she was basically just a narc. I feel like a lot of the problems she had could have been solved by simply talking to people instead of tattling on them. I didn't like Lightleap's reckless behavior, but if Sunbeam really was her best friend she should have talked to her about how she felt about it instead of going behind her back to other cats (after *promising* not to say anything).
I was a bit upset at a few deaths in the book, but overall I felt underwhelmed emotionally. I didn't cry like I should have. It's almost like they're pushing too hard for shock value.
I'm hoping there will be a bit of redemption in the second book and that this series doesn't end up like another Omen of the Stars (or Vision of Shadows, which I skipped entirely because of the reviews).
Just for a little round up, here's my overall series rating thus far: Prophecies Begin - 4.5-5/5 New Prophecy - 4/5 Power of Three - 3.5-4/5 Omen of the Stars - 3/5 Vision of Shadows - skipped Dawn of the Clans - skipped Broken Code - 4/5
i absolutely loved this book, just like the others!! i sympathised with flamepaw when he failed two of his assessments, and with sunbeam when blazefire technically rejected her. one thing is for sure, frostpaw’s story was the most depressing. like, mistystar, reedwhisker and the new, but not announced leader, curlfeather, who was frostpaw’s mother too, all died! i was kinda shocked when bramblestar changed flamepaw’s name entirely to nightheart at the end of the book, and i cant wait to see his clanmates reactions! im sure that they’ll retaliate and protest.
”Your name will now be Nightheart.”
thanks, Erin, for continuing the loving series of Warriors, and I hope that many more books will be published by your team in the future!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This picked up on the next generation after the last series ended. Not a bad thing. However...
This series needs to die, the main plot is the subplot and the character beats have become the main plot. Never a good move, and it only got interesting at the end. It feels like humans anymore; i keep forgetting they are cats. It's just politics!😫
I thought I liked having narrators from multiple clans, but I actually liked having only one. None of the characters are distinct enough to hold their own perspectives
i thought it was pretty decent, and I really like all of the new main characters. it's difficult to see what direction the arc is going in, since we don't have a clear villain, or a major issue yet (obviously there's the riverclan situation and the speculation about the code but there's no way we'll have another arc about the code after tbc, and the riverclan situation doesn't affect anyone else). I saw someone suggest that someone we already know might go evil, and it might be finchlight, but idk, i dont see that happening. I hope we get a good villain though because the vibe of the first three books of avos before the death of Darktail was so good, especially shattered sky, top tier book right there. I really felt for Violetshine when she got taken, idk the world building was so good. I really don't want another cross clan romance amongst the main characters, but i'd like to see one with the supporting characters, kind of reminiscent of what happened with silverstream and graystripe. lightleap seems like a good candidate? also is it me or are the deaths getting even more disturbing? C and R (using initials bc spoilers) rattled me and i'm nearly 15...i mean poor F she's probably got intense trauma after witnessing all that. i feel like it was a bit far considering 7 year olds read these books. im glad M is dead though, which is a weird thing to say about a cat, let alone one of my fave characters, but she'd been alive so long it was getting ridiculous. anyways i'll organise the rest of my thoughts based on character
Nightheart/Flamepaw
I loved him tbh! the whole concept of having a prefix changed is SO weird but i mean there's a first time for everything... Kind of reminiscent of Rootspring and Alderheart before him. I want to see him fall in love and have it reciprocated, I feel like that'd be funny but cute. but NOT from another clan omg i'd cry it rlly would be Rootspring 2.0
Sunbeam
I rlly like how she was alreadt a warrior and OMG I SHIP BLAZEFIRE X SUNBEAM SO MUCH. its so cute bro I love it. I really like her calm demeanour as well it's nice. I also enjoy the concept of the tiger mum with Berryheart.
Frostpaw
She's my fave! I've always had a soft spot for the 'frost' prefix it's so pretty and it makes me think of a pure white she-cat with piercing blue eyes i love it (idk i've always though there was somethijg angelic and mystical about white cats, probably bc they're so rare). interested to see her full name, also i feel awful for her considering the trauma she's now got bc of what happened with C, and also all that responsibility at such a young age. please starclan dont let whistlepaw and her have a romance i feel like it's so overdone with the mcs having forbidden romances.
Final thoughts
Solid 4 stars, excited to see where this series goes. all of the cats are a tiny bit too similar to many of the previous protagonists though, i'd love to see a mc with the same vibe as Needletail, my love
Main series books really are just better than super edition ones because in the short amount of pages with three main characters the story moves very quickly. I’m so glad that Riverclan is finally getting a main character for the first time. Seriously though, it’s been Shadowclan-Thunderclan for a long time and barely any Skyclan, Windclan, and basically no riverclan in the books. I think this book really points out the flaws in the warrior code, and I wish it went into more depth on the new code. I really like Finchlight, I honestly wish she was the main character instead of Nightheart. I don’t understand why he is upset with his name, he can be himself with the admiration of being Fitrestars great grandchild. To be honest almost every cat in Thunderclan is related to Firestar right now. I’m so glad riverclan is getting the spotlight for once!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
So! Quite an interesting arc setup to say the least, Riverclan is very obviously going to be the main focus which makes me very excited. I’ll start with Frostpaw pov stuff for now since I thought that was the best parts of the book.
She’s going to be a great protagonist I feel! A bit nervous, but unfortunately not anything we haven’t seen before. Her position though being half acting leader with Mothwing is setting up for an interesting character arc. Her connection with Starclan, being described as different I believe, is ultimately confusing. But I do think it’ll be clearer and it might be because I haven’t read a proper medicine cat pov in a few years aside from Shadowsight and he was far from normal. She’s got a lot on her back, and unfortunately I have a bad feeling the whole leaders dropping dead is going to either continue or be seen as a very bad sign. Mistystar’s death was insane but long coming. I’m suspicious Reedwhisker’s death was a murder, but by who? I dunno. Curlfeather’s, though I predicated it was really heartbreaking though. Biggest soother of Frostpaw’s nerves, and she was amazing I loved her. I’m sad we only got her for this book and nothing more.
Our second protagonist, who was actually shown first, is Flamepaw/Nightheart. Which. Huh??? I’ll come back to that weird name change and Bramblestar in a minute. First of all, I’m not quite sure I’m submersed in his pov or if I even like him. He seems a bit dramatic, but boy does he have mommy issues. And daddy issues. He just has issues. It was insane it took three warriors assessments for him to pass and then him being named Flameheart? Be for real leave the kid alone HE IS A BLACK CAT WHAT ABOUT THAT SCREAMS FIRE???? So like yeah Nightheart makes sense in that regard. Still have the tie of Fireheart but whatever fine compromise but I wish we’d seen his feelings about that name. I do however wish he’d keep his mouth shut sometimes. Sorry baby boy but sometimes we need to keep things to ourselves.
I do in fact wish Bramblestar and Squirrelflight would get kitty-cat divorced. They are never getting along, and maybe I’m just sour from how he was behaving in however far I got in Squirrelflight’s hope before this and Sky arrived but OUGH. PLEASEEEE. Bramblestar also needs a therapist. Mercy lord.
Finally we have Sunbeam. Idk how to feel about her either. She is. Quite. An overthinker. Blazefire yikes dude erm. Justice for her though she didn’t deserve nothin Lightleap is just a douche for no reason 😭. Y’all I literally understand why she’s (as in Sunbeam) so upset because DAMN GIRL.
I am quite worried about. A potential romance with Sunbeam and Nightheart. Very deeply concerned. I was really hoping we could have an arc with no romance because man sometimes it’s old. PLEASEEEEEE I’m so tired of the romance ONE ARC I AM BEGGING FOR ONE ARC WITHOUT ROMANCE DRAMA I get it’s a selling point but the general clan drama is crazy enough YOU CAN SELL RIVERCLAN BEING IN SHAMBLES SO EASILY BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WANNA KNOW WHAT THE FISH CATS ARE DOING PLEAEE GOD
Anyways I said I’d read this arc for the drama and I’m glad. I liked this book. I do think there are faults in the writing and there are some really shocking editing errors. Leadbare made me cackle personally. And I am kind of finding Nightheart and Sunbeam annoying right now. So. Three stars for now. Going to be starting Sky asap
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.