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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
We're back to books in this arc that I don't have very much to say about comparatively. The reading experience did something Cocomelon-esque to me, where I enjoyed it during the process, but in hindsight I find a lot more things frustrating than I did fun. I ultimately do not remember very much about this book, so I had to consult the sacred text (Sunnyfall's A Trip Through Time) as usual to jog my memory. This means that I may end up parroting some of her points when those points bring up feelings I remember having during my readthrough.
One thing I do remember unprompted is the instalove between Leafpool and Crowfeather. Listen, I love my girl Leafpool. (And I love Sorreltail continuing to be her bodyguard. There's no other place that this fits into the review.) Her having a one-sided crush on this guy from a distance who seems mysterious and brooding with a tortured heart fits for how I read her character. However, him reciprocating to the degree of love after only a couple of interactions feels incredibly rushed. One can read this as him rebounding hard after Feathertail, but the narrative wants you to buy that they have a substantial bond, so it doesn't quite work.
There's more narrative dissonance going on in Brambleclaw's POV, as well as some rather egregious character inconsistencies. In Dawn, he dismisses the idea of Hawkfrost having any kind of special bond with him just because they share a father. In this book, he thinks Hawkfrost might be a little sus, but then tells off Squirrelflight for echoing those same sentiments. He then is totally okay with meeting up with his shady half-brother and the father he has spent his entire life disowning in his dreams. He tells Squirrelflight that he has an inherent bond with Hawkfrost akin to hers with Leafpool. He does not make these same exceptions for his half-sister Mothwing, or even his littermate, Tawnypelt.
Like in the prior case, there's an interesting reading you can take away from this. Maybe you could say that Brambleclaw subconsciously felt the lack of a father figure in his life, and that's now bubbling to the surface as him hurting his relationships with others to have some sort of bond with his male family members. But again, this is not what the narrative wants you to take from it. It wants Brambleclaw to be Good and Right, which undermines any interesting moral struggle that could come up with this sort of plotline. It also, as I've stated in previous reviews, goes back on some really strong development he already experienced around this topic in the first arc. All of this makes him a very frustrating POV character. Which brings me to my next point...
Crowfeather should've been the main POV of this book. I think the reason that I somehow enjoyed this book more than the first two of the arc is because I found the WindClan political drama to be more interesting than the meandering traveling in the arc's beginning. If we had a direct lens into that drama, this book could've been really fun. As is, I was just kind of under popcorn book hypnosis, having a vaguely good time occasionally interrupted by indignation.
There's more narrative dissonance going on in Brambleclaw's POV, as well as some rather egregious character inconsistencies. In Dawn, he dismisses the idea of Hawkfrost having any kind of special bond with him just because they share a father. In this book, he thinks Hawkfrost might be a little sus, but then tells off Squirrelflight for echoing those same sentiments. He then is totally okay with meeting up with his shady half-brother and the father he has spent his entire life disowning in his dreams. He tells Squirrelflight that he has an inherent bond with Hawkfrost akin to hers with Leafpool. He does not make these same exceptions for his half-sister Mothwing, or even his littermate, Tawnypelt.
Like in the prior case, there's an interesting reading you can take away from this. Maybe you could say that Brambleclaw subconsciously felt the lack of a father figure in his life, and that's now bubbling to the surface as him hurting his relationships with others to have some sort of bond with his male family members. But again, this is not what the narrative wants you to take from it. It wants Brambleclaw to be Good and Right, which undermines any interesting moral struggle that could come up with this sort of plotline. It also, as I've stated in previous reviews, goes back on some really strong development he already experienced around this topic in the first arc. All of this makes him a very frustrating POV character. Which brings me to my next point...
Crowfeather should've been the main POV of this book. I think the reason that I somehow enjoyed this book more than the first two of the arc is because I found the WindClan political drama to be more interesting than the meandering traveling in the arc's beginning. If we had a direct lens into that drama, this book could've been really fun. As is, I was just kind of under popcorn book hypnosis, having a vaguely good time occasionally interrupted by indignation.
adventurous
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Really enjoyed this one! Some parts were less exciting than others, but there's a lot to love in this book. Squirrelflight is great in this, and while her arguments with Brambleclaw could be solved instantly if they just communicated better, both of their perspectives are very believable. I also love Crowfeather, he's my little angst baby. The start to Crowpool in this book was really emotional and cute, even though it kinda developed from thin air, and I love how Leafpool was simply pretending she didn't have feelings for him. I also completely forgot Leafpool was the one to discover the Moonpool in the first place, earning her her full name and the suffix -pool. That's so cute and I can't believe I forgot. The fight with Mudclaw was also great, and I genuinely love how manipulative Hawkfrost is from the start. (Already knowing what's coming.) Squirrelflight's in the right but you can't blame poor Brambleclaw either. Very interesting read! Can't wait for Crowpool to break my heart next book. Also, Mothwing is a slaytheist!!! Lets go girlie!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i swear this one was better when i was 11 and leafcrow didn't begin out of thin air lol
More like 2.5 stars.
The first part of this one was kind of boring but it picked up a bit near the end.
The first part of this one was kind of boring but it picked up a bit near the end.