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A review by chamomiledaydreams
The Blazing Star by Erin Hunter
3.0
WARNING: This review contains spoilers for this book and previous installments in "Dawn of the Clans"!
Star Flower, Star Flower, Star Flower. She is here at last! (And so is Moth Flight, but she's much more of a background character.)
This is the first book where I'm starting to tolerate Clear Sky. He's on thin ice, but I like the emphasis on his relationship with Gray Wing. Gray Wing thinks about Clear Sky all of the time, but it's nice to see them actually interact, as confirmation that Clear Sky cares about his brother in return.
I love River Ripple and his relationship with Gray Wing, as well. River Ripple is a wild combination of hilarious (as evidenced by that time he stopped to groom his belly in front of a group of other cats) and wise (because he seems so more in touch with the nascent StarClan than most of the characters). Maybe I'm biased, because RiverClan is my favorite, but his character has stood out to me from the very beginning, and I loved seeing him invite Gray Wing to his island and work to reassure him that he is a wonderful father and a valued member of his community.
As for Star Flower... Well, she's pretty much what I expected. I don't love her character, but I do appreciate the drama she brings. I like Lightning Tail's jealousy, and I gasped out loud when Thunder turned on Star Flower, saying that she had no right to stay and mourn her father. (Lightning Tail and I were exchanging knowing looks in that moment, like, "We both knew this was going to turn out badly.")
My biggest complaint is something that's bothered me about Warrior cats books in the past: the way adoptive parents are treated. Specifically, it's the way that Turtle Tail's kits view Tom. When Turtle Tail died in the last book, I didn't like their immediate reaction that there was nothing left for them on the moor, but I dismissed it as an impulsive outburst of grief. But I feel as though I've missed something, where Turtle Tail's children went from thinking of Gray Wing as their father to suddenly dismissing him from their lives. Did Tom tell them something when he took them back to his nest? Why did they believe him so quickly? Wasn't there a moment where they doubted the words of a strange cat their mother hated? And why can they so easily forget how Gray Wing's parented them their entire lives?
Luckily, Thunder did a nice job of reaffirming Gray Wing's worth as a parent in this book, as he basically reached the point of thinking, "Gray Wing is more of a father to me than Clear Sky." I wish that Turtle Tail's kits had gone through a similar arc. I especially wish that someone had explained the situation with Tom to them, how he was indirectly responsible for their mother's death and how he had abused her and her friend in the past. These children have already gone through the death of their mother; why can't they have a serious conversation about healthy relationships and cruel fathers, so they can understand why Gray Wing is the better option and why everyone is so uncomfortable with them palling around with Tom?
Just like with Thunder and Clear Sky, Gray Wing is the cat who's raised these kids, and I hate how many characters are content to drop him once their unkind biological father comes along and wants to control them. Let's open up some honest dialogues about parenting with these cats and teach them about the people who really matter in their lives!
Star Flower, Star Flower, Star Flower. She is here at last! (And so is Moth Flight, but she's much more of a background character.)
This is the first book where I'm starting to tolerate Clear Sky. He's on thin ice, but I like the emphasis on his relationship with Gray Wing. Gray Wing thinks about Clear Sky all of the time, but it's nice to see them actually interact, as confirmation that Clear Sky cares about his brother in return.
I love River Ripple and his relationship with Gray Wing, as well. River Ripple is a wild combination of hilarious (as evidenced by that time he stopped to groom his belly in front of a group of other cats) and wise (because he seems so more in touch with the nascent StarClan than most of the characters). Maybe I'm biased, because RiverClan is my favorite, but his character has stood out to me from the very beginning, and I loved seeing him invite Gray Wing to his island and work to reassure him that he is a wonderful father and a valued member of his community.
As for Star Flower... Well, she's pretty much what I expected. I don't love her character, but I do appreciate the drama she brings. I like Lightning Tail's jealousy, and I gasped out loud when Thunder turned on Star Flower, saying that she had no right to stay and mourn her father. (Lightning Tail and I were exchanging knowing looks in that moment, like, "We both knew this was going to turn out badly.")
My biggest complaint is something that's bothered me about Warrior cats books in the past: the way adoptive parents are treated. Specifically, it's the way that Turtle Tail's kits view Tom. When Turtle Tail died in the last book, I didn't like their immediate reaction that there was nothing left for them on the moor, but I dismissed it as an impulsive outburst of grief. But I feel as though I've missed something, where Turtle Tail's children went from thinking of Gray Wing as their father to suddenly dismissing him from their lives. Did Tom tell them something when he took them back to his nest? Why did they believe him so quickly? Wasn't there a moment where they doubted the words of a strange cat their mother hated? And why can they so easily forget how Gray Wing's parented them their entire lives?
Luckily, Thunder did a nice job of reaffirming Gray Wing's worth as a parent in this book, as he basically reached the point of thinking, "Gray Wing is more of a father to me than Clear Sky." I wish that Turtle Tail's kits had gone through a similar arc. I especially wish that someone had explained the situation with Tom to them, how he was indirectly responsible for their mother's death and how he had abused her and her friend in the past. These children have already gone through the death of their mother; why can't they have a serious conversation about healthy relationships and cruel fathers, so they can understand why Gray Wing is the better option and why everyone is so uncomfortable with them palling around with Tom?
Just like with Thunder and Clear Sky, Gray Wing is the cat who's raised these kids, and I hate how many characters are content to drop him once their unkind biological father comes along and wants to control them. Let's open up some honest dialogues about parenting with these cats and teach them about the people who really matter in their lives!