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A review by atlasanatolia
Midnight by Erin Hunter
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I'm starting my reviews of The New Prophecy from the beginning instead of working backwards like I have been with Power of Three. I'm not going to have very much to say about any of the books in this arc, unfortunately. My reading was a while ago, and I don't know if I have it in me to reread it. It's generally regarded as sitting towards the bottom of the arc tier list, which is a sentiment I'd sadly have to agree with.
Let's start with the characters. Squirrelpaw is one of the most likable characters in the series, at least in my opinion. Her back must hurt from the way she's carrying this entire arc. Her sister, Leafpaw, is a bit on the undeveloped side this book, but their sister-empathy-telepathy bond is really cute, and I wish future arcs remembered it. Her little baby crush on Mothwing is also adorable.
Brambleclaw, though, is a stinky, stinky man. He has his moments, but I know how he turns out, and you can see the beginnings of his toxic relationship with Squirrelpaw in the way he micromanages her in this book. His concerns about his parentage were resolved wonderfully in Arc 1; they didn't need to make a resurgence that spans the entire arc.
I don't have as much to say about the others, except that I feel Firestar was totally mischaracterized in order to have a brief "my daughter can't be around this guy" side plot. Which, I agree, but his reasoning was driven by good ol' Misinterpretation Trope, which I don't love. It felt like a conflict from a Disney direct-to-DVD sequel.
I don't remember that much else. I liked the scene where Squirrelpaw got stuck in a fence, and the other she-cats came up with the idea of rubbing slippery leaf juice on her to make her slip through. It's a minor moment, but it's fun bonding, which isn't something that happens a lot.This is a problem, because by the end of the book, Midnight says they have "become one" when we, the readers, have simply not seen that happen. I do like the saltwater signs the cats receive as they get closer and closer to their end goal, though. All in all, not the worst book I've read; it has that Baseline Warriors Enjoyment Factor. I just didn't find it to be terribly memorable.
Let's start with the characters. Squirrelpaw is one of the most likable characters in the series, at least in my opinion. Her back must hurt from the way she's carrying this entire arc. Her sister, Leafpaw, is a bit on the undeveloped side this book, but their sister-empathy-telepathy bond is really cute, and I wish future arcs remembered it. Her little baby crush on Mothwing is also adorable.
Brambleclaw, though, is a stinky, stinky man. He has his moments, but I know how he turns out, and you can see the beginnings of his toxic relationship with Squirrelpaw in the way he micromanages her in this book. His concerns about his parentage were resolved wonderfully in Arc 1; they didn't need to make a resurgence that spans the entire arc.
I don't have as much to say about the others, except that I feel Firestar was totally mischaracterized in order to have a brief "my daughter can't be around this guy" side plot. Which, I agree, but his reasoning was driven by good ol' Misinterpretation Trope, which I don't love. It felt like a conflict from a Disney direct-to-DVD sequel.
I don't remember that much else. I liked the scene where Squirrelpaw got stuck in a fence, and the other she-cats came up with the idea of rubbing slippery leaf juice on her to make her slip through. It's a minor moment, but it's fun bonding, which isn't something that happens a lot.