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apicatmeow's review
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
chamomiledaydreams's review against another edition
4.0
Because I listen to the audiobooks for this series, I had to wait over a month after this book was released to hear it for myself. I managed to avoid MOST spoilers, but I still knew about one major plot point before I began. Luckily, this did not affect my enjoyment at all; it only made me more excited to get started and to see what happens next.
I love listening to MacLeod Andrews narrate Warrior cats books. He breathes such vibrant life into the characters, and I'm positive that my opinions have been colored by his performance. For example, some lines spoken by Berryheart were narrated in a much more hostile tone than the dialogue tag described. But this fit with her character and added an extra layer of emotion that I appreciated while listening.
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
Haunted Bramblestar is my favorite Bramblestar. I thought it was comedic that Nightheart seemed to take his disorientation personally, but the honest conversations they had later about his trauma and deep desire to rest moved me... I am sincerely hoping that Bramblestar retires successfully in the next book and that this sets a positive precedent for the rest of the Clans. I also hope it will improve his turbulent relationship with Squirrelflight. I'd like to think that he will be a patient, more compassionate cat now that his ordeal in "The Broken Code" is over.
Sunbeam and Nightheart's relationship didn't annoy me as much as I thought it would. At first, I was upset that Sunbeam didn't stay mad at Nightheart for joining her Clan without asking her first, but I thought it was humorous that she dug in her heels once her mom was xenophobic towards him. It was realistic that Sunbeam fell for Nightheart by the end of the book, and it made me furious with Nightheart that he dragged her into his identity crisis, making things about romance when it should have been about his family issues. He left ThunderClan for himself, no matter how he justified it through love of Sunbeam, and the fact that she seemed to have fallen harder for him by the end of the book was painful. I honestly thought that Sunbeam could be starting her villain arc, leaning into her mother's xenophobia because a ThunderClan interloper had broken her heart in two. I'm relieved for her sake that Sunbeam isn't choosing vengeance (though I am a bit disappointed), and I look forward to seeing more ThunderClan perspectives during the next book, as Squirrelstar comes to power. It'll be nice, too, to see Nightheart reconcile with his Clanmates and further address his own problems.
As for Frostpaw... Her story is still the most separate of the three protagonists, even though ShadowClan has had such a big presence in RiverClan this past book. It was her romantic relationship that truly made me want to scream. I don't like Splashtail, and I hated the way that he treated her in this book. More than that, I hated the way that Frostpaw justified and defended him, promising herself that she still had a crush on him and wanted to be his mate, even when he devalued her opinion and seemed almost resentful of her. I think that Frostpaw's having a bad case of Warrior cats amatonormativity. Now that she's not a medicine cat apprentice, she wants to hit all the milestones for a warrior, including settling down with a mate and having kits. In my ideal world, there would be more than two medicine cats at any given point in time, so there isn't as much pressure to have visions from StarClan and do everything on your own. Then, it would be much easier for one medicine cat to take off their duties for a while to have kits. (Maybe if there were more than two doctors, the hospital would be able to afford giving them paternity leave!) The problems, unlike with Nightheart, seem to reside not within Frostpaw but in the way that her society is structured. I wish she were growing up under better circumstances so she could have more opportunities to authentically be herself.
At any rate, this book kept my attention the entire time, even if I had to break for the day when there was too much romantic drama assailing my ears. I'm aware that many recent arcs are stronger in the first three books than in the last, but I hope that won't be the case for "A Starless Clan." At least they haven't pulled "A Vision of Shadows" and confronted the big bad already. There's still a lot of buildup for the mystery in RiverClan and the worrying collusion of RiverClan and ShadowClan cats to fake a medicine cat. I am eager to brainstorm my own theories over the next few months and to see other people's takes on this installation in the most recent story arc. As always, I am looking forward to the next book! It's a lot of fun to be caught up to the main series for once.
I love listening to MacLeod Andrews narrate Warrior cats books. He breathes such vibrant life into the characters, and I'm positive that my opinions have been colored by his performance. For example, some lines spoken by Berryheart were narrated in a much more hostile tone than the dialogue tag described. But this fit with her character and added an extra layer of emotion that I appreciated while listening.
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
Haunted Bramblestar is my favorite Bramblestar. I thought it was comedic that Nightheart seemed to take his disorientation personally, but the honest conversations they had later about his trauma and deep desire to rest moved me... I am sincerely hoping that Bramblestar retires successfully in the next book and that this sets a positive precedent for the rest of the Clans. I also hope it will improve his turbulent relationship with Squirrelflight. I'd like to think that he will be a patient, more compassionate cat now that his ordeal in "The Broken Code" is over.
Sunbeam and Nightheart's relationship didn't annoy me as much as I thought it would. At first, I was upset that Sunbeam didn't stay mad at Nightheart for joining her Clan without asking her first, but I thought it was humorous that she dug in her heels once her mom was xenophobic towards him. It was realistic that Sunbeam fell for Nightheart by the end of the book, and it made me furious with Nightheart that he dragged her into his identity crisis, making things about romance when it should have been about his family issues. He left ThunderClan for himself, no matter how he justified it through love of Sunbeam, and the fact that she seemed to have fallen harder for him by the end of the book was painful. I honestly thought that Sunbeam could be starting her villain arc, leaning into her mother's xenophobia because a ThunderClan interloper had broken her heart in two. I'm relieved for her sake that Sunbeam isn't choosing vengeance (though I am a bit disappointed), and I look forward to seeing more ThunderClan perspectives during the next book, as Squirrelstar comes to power. It'll be nice, too, to see Nightheart reconcile with his Clanmates and further address his own problems.
As for Frostpaw... Her story is still the most separate of the three protagonists, even though ShadowClan has had such a big presence in RiverClan this past book. It was her romantic relationship that truly made me want to scream. I don't like Splashtail, and I hated the way that he treated her in this book. More than that, I hated the way that Frostpaw justified and defended him, promising herself that she still had a crush on him and wanted to be his mate, even when he devalued her opinion and seemed almost resentful of her. I think that Frostpaw's having a bad case of Warrior cats amatonormativity. Now that she's not a medicine cat apprentice, she wants to hit all the milestones for a warrior, including settling down with a mate and having kits. In my ideal world, there would be more than two medicine cats at any given point in time, so there isn't as much pressure to have visions from StarClan and do everything on your own. Then, it would be much easier for one medicine cat to take off their duties for a while to have kits. (Maybe if there were more than two doctors, the hospital would be able to afford giving them paternity leave!) The problems, unlike with Nightheart, seem to reside not within Frostpaw but in the way that her society is structured. I wish she were growing up under better circumstances so she could have more opportunities to authentically be herself.
At any rate, this book kept my attention the entire time, even if I had to break for the day when there was too much romantic drama assailing my ears. I'm aware that many recent arcs are stronger in the first three books than in the last, but I hope that won't be the case for "A Starless Clan." At least they haven't pulled "A Vision of Shadows" and confronted the big bad already. There's still a lot of buildup for the mystery in RiverClan and the worrying collusion of RiverClan and ShadowClan cats to fake a medicine cat. I am eager to brainstorm my own theories over the next few months and to see other people's takes on this installation in the most recent story arc. As always, I am looking forward to the next book! It's a lot of fun to be caught up to the main series for once.
leonajasmin's review against another edition
4.0
Shadow is definitely picking up the pace of the series, and has left some very interesting cliffhangers. Hopefully the fourth book will pick up also rather than the usual Book 4 slump.
ccpprrjj's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
mychemicalseal's review against another edition
3.5
okay this one felt more like it had a point, but it still felt like a book full of filler. these series could be 3 books maximum.
clouded_jasper's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Waaaaay better than the previous book. Some bits are annoying, I still despise Tigerheartstar, Nightheart, Sparkpelt, and Bramblestar
Frostpaws a little annoying because plot reasons, but I do like Sunbeam and I LOVE Berryheart
wish we had more time with Lightleap and Sunbeam
Also I love the new light shed on background characters this entire series. Duskfur is stubborn and outspoken, Gullswoop is a gossip, etc
small things like that make the books much more enjoyable
Frostpaws a little annoying because plot reasons, but I do like Sunbeam and I LOVE Berryheart
wish we had more time with Lightleap and Sunbeam
Also I love the new light shed on background characters this entire series. Duskfur is stubborn and outspoken, Gullswoop is a gossip, etc
small things like that make the books much more enjoyable
dariakl15's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this book. I was so shocked at the end, cannot wait for the next book coming in November!!!
alicia_g's review
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I really liked this one, all the characters were developed really well!
krokodil's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0