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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
Excellent - but felt rushed from the moment Bluefur became deputy. Also, how did nobody realise two riverclan cats, the same age as bluefur’s lost kits, had the same names?
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A round of applause, for the absolute salty-boss-bitch resting face on the cover. That is, indeed, my Bluestar.
There's so much to say about Bluestar, my favorite cat as I began the Warriors series, but also a cat whose story changes as more is revealed. Everything I thought I knew and even appreciated about her character kind of got turned on its head or morphed into different motivations completely. A retconning, I guess, that I'm not sure why we got, but we did and it is a whole-ass ride.
As is the template for many Super Editions, the first chunk of the book follows Bluekit/paw through her adolescence, a storyline that has repeated enough that I find it uninteresting. Moreso here because we're essentially getting a rehashed timeline of Crookedstar's Promise, just from a different cat and clan POV. The podcast Paws and Clause raised a valid and obvious point about the over-representation of kit-hood in the Super Editions - they're written for kids, so the kit parts of the stories likely appeal the most to younger readers. I'll allow it.
Much of this plot hinges on the deterioration of upper management. As chronological readers know, Pinestar checks out of not only his role as a father to newborn kits but his job leading Thunderclan, running off to be a (gasp!) kittypet with bisexual king, Jake. Goosefeather is quiet quitting medicine cat duties, presumably succumbing to the trauma of receiving literally every doomsday Warriors prophecy all at once and at a young age. Meanwhile, Thistleclaw is making a run for the all-coveted deputy position and Bluefur has received word that she must stop him. Thus, she is thrust into the management drama mix, whether she wants in or not.
It's this book, imo, that really shows the harsh reality of destiny, a big ongoing theme in the series. The initial portrayal, in The Prophecies Begin, of Bluestar as a cat so ambitious for leadership she gives up her kits and role as a mother turns out to be...not true. What the prequel novel(s) deliver is the reality she faced - give up her kits so she can become a leader and save her clan from the potential tyranny of Thistleclaw. The truth doesn't make me like her any less; to the contrary, she's revealed as much braver and more selfless than we first thought.
Additionally, you want to empathize with her so much more now. Her destiny took away the life she wanted and it's the first time in this series I really felt this was an anti-feminist stripping of choice. Giving up her motherhood and taking up leadership are such huge, life-altering changes, and it's devastating that both were forced on Bluestar. It puts her crashing out in The Prophecies Begin into a new perspective, as her faith in Starclan guiding the way shaped her entire trajectory, and then she loses that faith to betrayal. She gave up so much to save her clan, and the clan does triumph and live on...but at great cost to its leader.
Getting chronologically closer to The Prophecies Begin, these books become so poignant as they strengthen the connection between the original cast of cats. It's pushed even more that destiny is running the show, that Bluestar and Firestar's fates were written in Starclan from the get go, and that's a beautiful thing. The larger context for this that should go down in clan lore, I suppose, is that the warrior vs. kittypet bigotry should not have any basis in rational thought. It still does, of course, but Bluestar and Firestar joining forces to defeat fascist evil should signify a greater desire for these cats to work together. I'm not a big "destiny" person...that this damn series gives me the warm fuzzies to know these cats were always "meant to be" is absolutely bananas.
The number one lesson from this, kids, is that even a one-night-stand can get you pregnant if you don't use protection.
As is the template for many Super Editions, the first chunk of the book follows Bluekit/paw through her adolescence, a storyline that has repeated enough that I find it uninteresting. Moreso here because we're essentially getting a rehashed timeline of Crookedstar's Promise, just from a different cat and clan POV. The podcast Paws and Clause raised a valid and obvious point about the over-representation of kit-hood in the Super Editions - they're written for kids, so the kit parts of the stories likely appeal the most to younger readers. I'll allow it.
Much of this plot hinges on the deterioration of upper management. As chronological readers know, Pinestar checks out of not only his role as a father to newborn kits but his job leading Thunderclan, running off to be a (gasp!) kittypet with bisexual king, Jake. Goosefeather is quiet quitting medicine cat duties, presumably succumbing to the trauma of receiving literally every doomsday Warriors prophecy all at once and at a young age. Meanwhile, Thistleclaw is making a run for the all-coveted deputy position and Bluefur has received word that she must stop him. Thus, she is thrust into the management drama mix, whether she wants in or not.
It's this book, imo, that really shows the harsh reality of destiny, a big ongoing theme in the series. The initial portrayal, in The Prophecies Begin, of Bluestar as a cat so ambitious for leadership she gives up her kits and role as a mother turns out to be...not true. What the prequel novel(s) deliver is the reality she faced - give up her kits so she can become a leader and save her clan from the potential tyranny of Thistleclaw. The truth doesn't make me like her any less; to the contrary, she's revealed as much braver and more selfless than we first thought.
Additionally, you want to empathize with her so much more now. Her destiny took away the life she wanted and it's the first time in this series I really felt this was an anti-feminist stripping of choice. Giving up her motherhood and taking up leadership are such huge, life-altering changes, and it's devastating that both were forced on Bluestar. It puts her crashing out in The Prophecies Begin into a new perspective, as her faith in Starclan guiding the way shaped her entire trajectory, and then she loses that faith to betrayal. She gave up so much to save her clan, and the clan does triumph and live on...but at great cost to its leader.
Getting chronologically closer to The Prophecies Begin, these books become so poignant as they strengthen the connection between the original cast of cats. It's pushed even more that destiny is running the show, that Bluestar and Firestar's fates were written in Starclan from the get go, and that's a beautiful thing. The larger context for this that should go down in clan lore, I suppose, is that the warrior vs. kittypet bigotry should not have any basis in rational thought. It still does, of course, but Bluestar and Firestar joining forces to defeat fascist evil should signify a greater desire for these cats to work together. I'm not a big "destiny" person...that this damn series gives me the warm fuzzies to know these cats were always "meant to be" is absolutely bananas.
The number one lesson from this, kids, is that even a one-night-stand can get you pregnant if you don't use protection.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
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:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
This was among the worse books of the series. You're not supposed to abandon your children, for goodness sakes! Kits should come before the Clan. This is not a good message.
I LOVED IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bluestar's such an interesting character!
Bluestar's such an interesting character!
