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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying
Minor: Abandonment
adventurous
medium-paced
Very decent start to a new arc in the Warriors series. Due to perfect circumstances, I was able to read this within a 24-hour period, and I think that played heavily into my enjoyment of the book. If I had to put it down for a couple days and then return to it, I'm not sure it would have held the same impact. Either way, it's already much better than Bramblestar's Storm, and holds more promise than the Dawn of the Clans.
I like the new "main" characters: Alderpaw, Sparkpaw, and Needlepaw. They were very vibrant and distinct, and neither of them fell into the ruts that some Warriors have tended to do in the past. I'm always interested in the medicine cats more than warrior life, so I was excited when Alderpaw went down that path. His personality clashes wonderfully with Jayfeather, and I'm looking forward to more interaction between the two. I like his pessimism! Might be weird to say, but I can relate to Alderpaw and his personality, so we jive. Sparkpaw is a good balance to her brother, even if she's a tad too perfect. I like her ADD attitude, her constant optimism, and her dedication to the rules. Needlepaw is a nice touch that we haven't seen in a while, and I hope it doesn't go splat in the next book. Connecting the Clans through friendship, even if it's just a handful of cats, would be a nice change to the sometimes-repetitive setting.
Of course, there's some sadness involved in this book, and we all saw it coming. Might make some of you angry and rate the book lower, but, come on... it had to happen sooner or later. It's surprising that a handful of cats have survived through all 30+ books, and they can't all live forever. RIP *name not included for spoiler's sake*.
I like the new "main" characters: Alderpaw, Sparkpaw, and Needlepaw. They were very vibrant and distinct, and neither of them fell into the ruts that some Warriors have tended to do in the past. I'm always interested in the medicine cats more than warrior life, so I was excited when Alderpaw went down that path. His personality clashes wonderfully with Jayfeather, and I'm looking forward to more interaction between the two. I like his pessimism! Might be weird to say, but I can relate to Alderpaw and his personality, so we jive. Sparkpaw is a good balance to her brother, even if she's a tad too perfect. I like her ADD attitude, her constant optimism, and her dedication to the rules. Needlepaw is a nice touch that we haven't seen in a while, and I hope it doesn't go splat in the next book. Connecting the Clans through friendship, even if it's just a handful of cats, would be a nice change to the sometimes-repetitive setting.
Of course, there's some sadness involved in this book, and we all saw it coming. Might make some of you angry and rate the book lower, but, come on... it had to happen sooner or later. It's surprising that a handful of cats have survived through all 30+ books, and they can't all live forever. RIP *name not included for spoiler's sake*.
I was worried that a return to the "modern day" Clans would be awkward. However, the A Vision of Shadows series seems to be off to a strong start. Warriors as a book series feels fresh again. Well, at least fresher than the last couple series that featured the "modern day" Clans. I can't wait to see what happens next.
You know? This was really good, like, actually good!
From what I've seen, i'm quite alone in my love for Skyclan, but i've been by the opinion for so long that Skyclan is the best thing that happened to this series. At first just because it was a welcome break from the status qou, but also because it deviates so creativly from the clans and their tired old rules. I never cared that they can't be a clan when they're alone, and a lot of the rules don't apply to them at all, because that was what i loved about them.
Compared to every other travel book, something which is hated by the fandom at large, this one managed not only to entertain, but to create new bonds and character developments and plot openings, much better than the fourth apprentice ever could. It has managed to throw aside the old plot of teh dark forest (as a new series should!) and focus on the new while also keeping us updated on all the old cats we know and love!
As usual there are many ways i think this could have been better, but overall it has already far surpassed my bar for interest that i've had for this universe lately, so im hoping it'll stay up there along the way.
A Vision of Shadows is a promise of something entirely new, and i am so ready to see what's to come!
From what I've seen, i'm quite alone in my love for Skyclan, but i've been by the opinion for so long that Skyclan is the best thing that happened to this series. At first just because it was a welcome break from the status qou, but also because it deviates so creativly from the clans and their tired old rules. I never cared that they can't be a clan when they're alone, and a lot of the rules don't apply to them at all, because that was what i loved about them.
Compared to every other travel book, something which is hated by the fandom at large, this one managed not only to entertain, but to create new bonds and character developments and plot openings, much better than the fourth apprentice ever could. It has managed to throw aside the old plot of teh dark forest (as a new series should!) and focus on the new while also keeping us updated on all the old cats we know and love!
As usual there are many ways i think this could have been better, but overall it has already far surpassed my bar for interest that i've had for this universe lately, so im hoping it'll stay up there along the way.
A Vision of Shadows is a promise of something entirely new, and i am so ready to see what's to come!
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was a mix between "Fire And Ice" when FireHeart and GrayStripe were on their quest to find Windclan and "Midnight" when Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, Feathertail, Stormfur, Tawnypelt and Crowpaw were on their quest. But, it was a failure instead.
adventurous
mysterious
sad
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:
Yes
It was a great book.
Alderpaw is a very cool character even if he’s really insecure. On the opposite, Sparkpaw is confident, funny and fearless, which reminds me so much of her mother. Just because of that similarities, Sparkpaw has to become my fave between these two.
About Needlepaw, I didn’t like her at the Gathering but when she joined the quest, I really loved her. I feel like her and Alderpaw are going to be in love (or maybe only Alderpaw will fall in love) but I think she’s a really good match for Sparkpaw, like a cute enemies to lovers things, and I imagine Alderpaw being jealous but still supportive because he’s so kind.
Just like in Bramblestar Storm, I feel like Bramblestar did a really good job at picking mentors for our two new apprentices.
I loved Jayfeather in this book, he really made me laugh and it’s very interesting because I used to hate this character (not as much as Lionblaze but still). Speaking of him, I would have like to saw his kits as apprentices instead of new warriors.
I loved Sandstorm and Alderpaw’s relationship and I didn’t expect her dying at all. Now I’m looking forward for a cute relationship between Alderpaw and Leafpool because she’s is aunt so.
I’m not really excited about Skyclan’s return because I’m not a fan of them and because I feel like it was weird. Finding the two kits and thinking it has a link with the prophecy (which is by the way the most mysterious prophecy of all arcs for me) seemed weird.
One thing that really annoyed me is how every Clan is mad that Thunderclan is the main character. I mean, I could totally understand but the authors decided to make it the main character so it’s very weird to now write that the others Clans didn’t like that.
Lilyheart seems so cute and her kits too. I’m sad Violetkit is not the one who stays but whatever.
Alderpaw is a very cool character even if he’s really insecure. On the opposite, Sparkpaw is confident, funny and fearless, which reminds me so much of her mother. Just because of that similarities, Sparkpaw has to become my fave between these two.
About Needlepaw, I didn’t like her at the Gathering but when she joined the quest, I really loved her. I feel like her and Alderpaw are going to be in love (or maybe only Alderpaw will fall in love) but I think she’s a really good match for Sparkpaw, like a cute enemies to lovers things, and I imagine Alderpaw being jealous but still supportive because he’s so kind.
Just like in Bramblestar Storm, I feel like Bramblestar did a really good job at picking mentors for our two new apprentices.
I loved Jayfeather in this book, he really made me laugh and it’s very interesting because I used to hate this character (not as much as Lionblaze but still). Speaking of him, I would have like to saw his kits as apprentices instead of new warriors.
I loved Sandstorm and Alderpaw’s relationship and I didn’t expect her dying at all. Now I’m looking forward for a cute relationship between Alderpaw and Leafpool because she’s is aunt so.
I’m not really excited about Skyclan’s return because I’m not a fan of them and because I feel like it was weird. Finding the two kits and thinking it has a link with the prophecy (which is by the way the most mysterious prophecy of all arcs for me) seemed weird.
One thing that really annoyed me is how every Clan is mad that Thunderclan is the main character. I mean, I could totally understand but the authors decided to make it the main character so it’s very weird to now write that the others Clans didn’t like that.
Lilyheart seems so cute and her kits too. I’m sad Violetkit is not the one who stays but whatever.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What if I started writing reviews on the 25th warrior cats book lol
Anyways, this is a middle grade book about cats :) There's definitely a noticeable writing shift between this book and the end of arc 4. I think this is because the writing team changed, but it's also definitely impacted by the shift to new POV characters after spending so long with Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and (a bit more new) Dovewing/Ivypool. This book feels targeted towards a slightly younger crowd with its more limited main cast (there's only like 4-5 relevant cats at any given time) and wayyyy more focused plot. I liked the single-character POV after the chaotic main cast of OOTS. Alderpaw is also very sweet! I like that this guy just straight up has anxiety. It's an interesting bit of characterization that I can't remember seeing this blatantly or consistently in past Warrior Cats characters. He feels young and inexperienced in a way that I thought was missing from a lot of the other apprentice characters in previous arcs even though he's actually very competent. I also like that Alderpaw gets 200% better at whatever he's doing once he's able to focus in on the moment instead of worrying about every other detail he can think of. This guy is excellent in a crisis and a disaster when left alone with his thoughts <3 My only big Alderpaw complaint is his little hunting arc. His inability to hunt seems like a thing he's really caught up on in the first half of the book, and it seems like it's going to be a big moment for him when he finally figures out how to stop worrying and start following his instincts. A big step for character growth, yunno? Instead he just figures out how to "improve his hunting skills" offscreen because he's hungry, and it felt like such a waste of an established character trait.
Other characters! Sparkpaw is a perfectly decent supporting/background character. I'm hoping to see more of her in the next books in this arc, but I like what I've seen so far. She's high-energy, very bright, optimistic, has great faith in her own abilities, and acts as a great foil to Alderpaw's more pessimistic and anxious outlook. I also like that she's a bit jealous when other people out-perform her. It gives a nice edge to her character to know that she's used to being better than other cats her age (since Alderpaw is pretty much her only comparison). Needlepaw on the other hand... has potential, but I didn't love how she was used. I like a character who's a rule-breaker, headstrong, and overconfident. She's all of those things! Alot! And it's fun that she actually does have the skills to back up her bragging. (Though, I do think this book does a little too much to make Sparkpaw and Needlepaw capable, but whatever it's a kids book.) What bugged me about Needlepaw was how much she steamrolls other characters. It's okay and actually a good bit of characterization to have Alderpaw focus mainly on her (since she's his age, the opposite of him in every way, and someone he wants to simultaneously impress and befriend), but her presence seemed to override the other questing cats' purposes. She's a better foil to Alderpaw than Sparkpaw is, she's opinionated enough that she's always the loudest voice in the group, and she seems able to solve every single problem she's presented with. Idk it just got a bit annoying to have the 12 year old be able to fight every enemy on her own, hunt for everyone, charm rogues, swim down a waterfall, track the group, solve riddles, etc, etc, etc!! Let other cats have a turn, Needlepaw! Blugh. I liked the hint of actual character we got when she was crossing the branch with Alderpaw. She has no idea how to admit to being scared or unsure or anything because she never has to do that. It's similar to why I like that Sparkpaw is jealous. Needlepaw is proud. Flaws are important.
Background cats! Bramblestar is insufferable and I do not like him. He was a whole guy in arc 2 and now his character has been eviscerated and reanimated so many times that he is unrecognizable and could be literally any cat! He should have died when he had the chance to wrap up his character arc in a meaningful way! Can't wait to see him limp on and on as some sort of clan leader >:( Squirrelflight is perfectly average, but I do not understand why she can suddenly have kids?? That was an established part of her character, and there's really no reason Alderpaw and Sparkpaw need to be related to previous main characters. Jayfeather's still a jerk and I love that for him. I wish we got to spend a bit more time with him as a mentor especially when he and Leafpool are low-key arguing. Btw Leafpool was perfectly adequate here. I like that she's back to being a medicine cat. I'm glad we got out of her weird half-warrior/half-medicine cat role without needing to fully hash it out on-screen. The contrast between Molewhisker and Cherryfall as mentors is also hilarious to me. I like both their characters, and it's actually kinda fun to see Molewhisker as a mentor who clearly doesn't know how to handle an apprentice when it's expected that Cherryfall would fill that role (since she's more chaotic and less rule-focused). Sandstorm felt a bit weird to me here, but that may just be because I read Firestar's Quest right before this. I feel like Sandstorm is two entirely separate characters depending on how the POV character(s) see her, so I guess it's fine that we get Wise Sandstorm here. She's fun idk
Not much to say on the plot of this book as a stand-alone (it's a pretty simple quest/travel story), but lots of speculation on this arc's overarching plot! I'm incredibly curious about what's going on in Shadowclan! Obviously, it's something to do with why there's so many apprentices, but I really hope the book has more of an explanation than that. I mean, there's literally no reason that an apprentice like Needlepaw should be so used to traveling out of her own clan's territory and fending for herself as long as she's got a mentor (even an inexperienced one). I love that Skyclan is going to become a part of the mainseries! I always enjoyed them in Firestar's Quest as a kid, and I'm excited to see what they'll grow into once they're onscreen again. I hope they're not actually scattered, though. We already did the whole "putting a clan back together" plotline with them. The role of "daylight warriors" is also really neat, and I like what it says about the Skyclan mentality and the warrior code. The 4 lake clans really do have a ton of arbitrary rules that they only seem to follow because of tradition and pressure from older cats and the other clans, so I'm excited to see what Skyclan's interpretation of these rules is from the point of view of cats living isolated and without generations of tradition. I hear I have lots of silly warrior names to look forward to :)) One thing I don't like that this arc introduced is it's new prophecy! I kinda hate all the Warrior Cats prophecies tbh since half the time they don't seem necessary to the plot, and the other half of the time it feels like Starclan is just hiding essential information in riddles just for kicks. Literally, why would they give the clans this prophecy? Why do the clans care? Except for Shadowclan's apprentice problem, it doesn't really seem like any of the clans need this prophecy right now. Why not just be like "hey, we want you to go help Skyclan" and let the cats figure out what they want to do from there?
But yeah, I think this book was okay, and I'm having a lot of fun reading these little kids books as a brain break from school! Hopefully they stay interesting! I'm also hoping that I've done all the required reading before starting this arc. I know Dawn of the Clans is technically after OOTS in the written order, but man I just wanted to get to some more modern-day progression. I've finally passed into territory I never reached reading these as a kid, so I want to see how the characters I already know are changing. For that reason, I didn't want to spend a lot of time reading super editions and novellas in between OOTS and AVOS and only read Firestar's Quest (for Skyclan) and Dovewing's Silence (cause I heard it was an OOTS epilogue).
Anyways, this is a middle grade book about cats :) There's definitely a noticeable writing shift between this book and the end of arc 4. I think this is because the writing team changed, but it's also definitely impacted by the shift to new POV characters after spending so long with Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and (a bit more new) Dovewing/Ivypool. This book feels targeted towards a slightly younger crowd with its more limited main cast (there's only like 4-5 relevant cats at any given time) and wayyyy more focused plot. I liked the single-character POV after the chaotic main cast of OOTS. Alderpaw is also very sweet! I like that this guy just straight up has anxiety. It's an interesting bit of characterization that I can't remember seeing this blatantly or consistently in past Warrior Cats characters. He feels young and inexperienced in a way that I thought was missing from a lot of the other apprentice characters in previous arcs even though he's actually very competent. I also like that Alderpaw gets 200% better at whatever he's doing once he's able to focus in on the moment instead of worrying about every other detail he can think of. This guy is excellent in a crisis and a disaster when left alone with his thoughts <3 My only big Alderpaw complaint is his little hunting arc. His inability to hunt seems like a thing he's really caught up on in the first half of the book, and it seems like it's going to be a big moment for him when he finally figures out how to stop worrying and start following his instincts. A big step for character growth, yunno? Instead he just figures out how to "improve his hunting skills" offscreen because he's hungry, and it felt like such a waste of an established character trait.
Other characters! Sparkpaw is a perfectly decent supporting/background character. I'm hoping to see more of her in the next books in this arc, but I like what I've seen so far. She's high-energy, very bright, optimistic, has great faith in her own abilities, and acts as a great foil to Alderpaw's more pessimistic and anxious outlook. I also like that she's a bit jealous when other people out-perform her. It gives a nice edge to her character to know that she's used to being better than other cats her age (since Alderpaw is pretty much her only comparison). Needlepaw on the other hand... has potential, but I didn't love how she was used. I like a character who's a rule-breaker, headstrong, and overconfident. She's all of those things! Alot! And it's fun that she actually does have the skills to back up her bragging. (Though, I do think this book does a little too much to make Sparkpaw and Needlepaw capable, but whatever it's a kids book.) What bugged me about Needlepaw was how much she steamrolls other characters. It's okay and actually a good bit of characterization to have Alderpaw focus mainly on her (since she's his age, the opposite of him in every way, and someone he wants to simultaneously impress and befriend), but her presence seemed to override the other questing cats' purposes. She's a better foil to Alderpaw than Sparkpaw is, she's opinionated enough that she's always the loudest voice in the group, and she seems able to solve every single problem she's presented with. Idk it just got a bit annoying to have the 12 year old be able to fight every enemy on her own, hunt for everyone, charm rogues, swim down a waterfall, track the group, solve riddles, etc, etc, etc!! Let other cats have a turn, Needlepaw! Blugh. I liked the hint of actual character we got when she was crossing the branch with Alderpaw. She has no idea how to admit to being scared or unsure or anything because she never has to do that. It's similar to why I like that Sparkpaw is jealous. Needlepaw is proud. Flaws are important.
Background cats! Bramblestar is insufferable and I do not like him. He was a whole guy in arc 2 and now his character has been eviscerated and reanimated so many times that he is unrecognizable and could be literally any cat! He should have died when he had the chance to wrap up his character arc in a meaningful way! Can't wait to see him limp on and on as some sort of clan leader >:( Squirrelflight is perfectly average, but I do not understand why she can suddenly have kids?? That was an established part of her character, and there's really no reason Alderpaw and Sparkpaw need to be related to previous main characters. Jayfeather's still a jerk and I love that for him. I wish we got to spend a bit more time with him as a mentor especially when he and Leafpool are low-key arguing. Btw Leafpool was perfectly adequate here. I like that she's back to being a medicine cat. I'm glad we got out of her weird half-warrior/half-medicine cat role without needing to fully hash it out on-screen. The contrast between Molewhisker and Cherryfall as mentors is also hilarious to me. I like both their characters, and it's actually kinda fun to see Molewhisker as a mentor who clearly doesn't know how to handle an apprentice when it's expected that Cherryfall would fill that role (since she's more chaotic and less rule-focused). Sandstorm felt a bit weird to me here, but that may just be because I read Firestar's Quest right before this. I feel like Sandstorm is two entirely separate characters depending on how the POV character(s) see her, so I guess it's fine that we get Wise Sandstorm here. She's fun idk
Not much to say on the plot of this book as a stand-alone (it's a pretty simple quest/travel story), but lots of speculation on this arc's overarching plot! I'm incredibly curious about what's going on in Shadowclan! Obviously, it's something to do with why there's so many apprentices, but I really hope the book has more of an explanation than that. I mean, there's literally no reason that an apprentice like Needlepaw should be so used to traveling out of her own clan's territory and fending for herself as long as she's got a mentor (even an inexperienced one). I love that Skyclan is going to become a part of the mainseries! I always enjoyed them in Firestar's Quest as a kid, and I'm excited to see what they'll grow into once they're onscreen again. I hope they're not actually scattered, though. We already did the whole "putting a clan back together" plotline with them. The role of "daylight warriors" is also really neat, and I like what it says about the Skyclan mentality and the warrior code. The 4 lake clans really do have a ton of arbitrary rules that they only seem to follow because of tradition and pressure from older cats and the other clans, so I'm excited to see what Skyclan's interpretation of these rules is from the point of view of cats living isolated and without generations of tradition. I hear I have lots of silly warrior names to look forward to :)) One thing I don't like that this arc introduced is it's new prophecy! I kinda hate all the Warrior Cats prophecies tbh since half the time they don't seem necessary to the plot, and the other half of the time it feels like Starclan is just hiding essential information in riddles just for kicks. Literally, why would they give the clans this prophecy? Why do the clans care? Except for Shadowclan's apprentice problem, it doesn't really seem like any of the clans need this prophecy right now. Why not just be like "hey, we want you to go help Skyclan" and let the cats figure out what they want to do from there?
But yeah, I think this book was okay, and I'm having a lot of fun reading these little kids books as a brain break from school! Hopefully they stay interesting! I'm also hoping that I've done all the required reading before starting this arc. I know Dawn of the Clans is technically after OOTS in the written order, but man I just wanted to get to some more modern-day progression. I've finally passed into territory I never reached reading these as a kid, so I want to see how the characters I already know are changing. For that reason, I didn't want to spend a lot of time reading super editions and novellas in between OOTS and AVOS and only read Firestar's Quest (for Skyclan) and Dovewing's Silence (cause I heard it was an OOTS epilogue).