Hello! As you probably know already, I have a huge history with the Warriors series. It being one of the series that got me into reading a lot when I was a young teen. So today we're going to look at the first arc of this book series: The Prophecies Begin. I have a special fondness for this arc, but let's see if I can properly judge it.
So here. I’m going to review every
single book in arc One of Warriors. The time has come. Aside from a huge
spoiler warning, I don’t have much to say here. Let’s dive right into the book
that started it all: Into The Wild.
Book One: Into The Wild
Into The Wild stars a housecat named Rusty, later renamed Firepaw, who joins a ThunderClan, a group of feral cats living in the forest. There’s also three other clans, ShadowClan, WindClan and RiverClan. Firepaw is an apprentice in ThunderClan, where he trains to become a warrior. However, his Clan faces a threat in the form of ShadowClan and its mighty leader. Firepaw even discovers that within ThunderClan itself there might be more going on than meets the eye. Will the young apprentice face these threats and become a full warrior?
The plot I
also greatly love. Brokenstar might not be the most interesting or intimidating
villain the Warriors universe has ever seen, but he and ShadowClan still make
for a genuine threat in this book. This story also lays down the basics for the
overarching plot, like Tigerclaw’s dark nature and Fireheart’s later mission to
thwart his plans.
The
characters are varying. I know I used to joke a while back that the vast
majority of these cats have the personality of straw, but it’s not as bad as I
remember.
Firepaw is
our protagonist, and he’s probably one of the less interesting characters to
me. He’s kind of the hero who almost does everything right, even if it goes
against the warrior code. He may not be the most flawed character, but that
doesn’t mean that you don’t want to see him succeed. He’s still his own cat and
a noble hero on a quest to stop the evilest cat the forest has ever seen. Well,
aside from Thistleclaw, maybe.
The
villains are decent as well. Like I said before, the main villain of this book,
Brokenstar, may not be the evilest cat in Warriors history, but he still makes
for intimidating antagonist for our characters to stand up to. Tigerclaw’s
darker personality is hinted at properly as well. While he doesn’t quite have
the main villain role in this book at first, it slowly becomes clear that he is
not to be trusted. Into The Wild does a good job of setting him up as the
somewhat final villain of this arc.
The pacing
was also just right. Things never feel like they drag too much. Firepaw gets
introduced to the world of the warrior cats at the right pace, as I stated
before.
I also just
want to talk about the prologue of this book. It already established so much in
just these few pages. There’s cats living in the forest and they fight one
another for things like territory. Tigerclaw is a battle-hungry cat. RiverClan
cats swim. StarClan watches over the Clans. Spottedleaf is a medicine cat and
can receive messages from them. A symbolic “fire” will save ThunderClan.
There’s already so much established and hinted at in just this small prologue,
and I just love it.
Rating: 4/5
Book Two: Fire and Ice
Now onto the sequel: Fire and Ice.
In this book,
Fireheart, now a Warrior, wishes to prove to Bluestar that Tigerclaw did in
fact murder Redtail, though this proves harder than he initially thought. He
and Graystripe also go on a mission to get WindClan back, something ShadowClan
and RiverClan do not agree with. On top of all of this, Bluestar loses a life,
Fireheart seemingly loses his best friend to a pretty RiverClan she-cat,
Brokenstar and his old allies attack the ThunderClan camp, and Firestar’s own
apprentice get in an accident that leaves her disabled.
I recall
enjoying this book a lot as a young one, and quite honest, it still holds up. I
adore the plot once more. With the ongoing struggle against Tigerclaw and the
other conflicts. The one part of the book I didn’t much care about was the romance
between Graystripe and Silverstream.
Talking
about that, let’s talk about Graystripe for a moment. While I enjoyed him a lot
in the first book, he kinda comes off as a jerk here. He turns on Fireheart,
who only wants what’s best for him, after having been best friends with him for
such a long time. He just makes me roll my eyes so many times in Fire and Ice.
Granted, he does make amends with Fireheart at the end of the book, but
throughout the majority of it he was such a disloyal jerk.
Fireheart
is still the same as before. A bit generic, but still a good hero you want to
follow on his quest. We also get the return of an old favourite, Ravenpaw,
albeit brief. Bluestar, Whitestorm, Yellowfang, Sandpaw and the others are also
there, of course. I slowly grow to like Sandpaw in this book.
Aside from
these old characters, we have a bunch of new characters we meet in Fire and
Ice. We have Tallstar, Deadfoot and the rest of WindClan, as well as more cats
from other Clans, some new ThunderClan apprentices, and Fireheart’s sister,
Princess.
The
villains are still good. Tigerclaw is threatening as ever, Brokenstar returns,
and the RiverClan and ShadowClan cats that pose as the antagonists in the
climax both have their reasons to do what they do.
The pacing
felt maybe a little slower in this book than in the first one, but it was still
fast enough to keep one engaged.
This is still a very solid follow up on Into the Wild.
Book Three: Forest of Secrets
Onto the third book, and what I like to call the “mid-Arc finale”, Forest of Secrets.
In this
installment, Fireheart is still dead set on proving Tigerclaw’s guilt,
something Bluestar previously refused to believe. The deputy is still a threat
to him, as are some stray cats roaming around, as well as ShadowClan and
WindClan, once they find out Brokentail is being kept prisoner by ThunderClan.
This book I
like to consider the second-strongest installment in the series so far. Not
only is it awesome as part of the series, but even on its own I think this one
just has some of the most devastating moments in the series. The reveal of what
happened to Bluestar’s kits and the sacrifice she had to make. Silverstream’s
death. Yellowfang killing her own son. The betrayal of Tigerclaw and the
consequences it has, including breaking Bluestar mentally. And of course the
part where Graystripe leaves ThunderClan and Fireheart to stay with his kits.
There’s just so many heart wrenching and exciting moments in this book, and
therefore it’s one of my all-time favourites in this series, as well as in
general.
The plot is
once more good. We have the underlying plot of unmasking Tigerclaw, which finally
comes to an end in this book when the big tabby turns on Bluestar. There’s also
the smaller subplots, which are exciting as well. I honestly do not fault
ShadowClan and WindClan at all for wanting to kill Brokentail, and was even
kind of rooting for them at this point. Overall, I think Forest of Secrets has
some of the most exciting plot-lines out of the entire series.
The pacing
was perfect in this book. I don’t think there’s any other Warriors book where I
feel like it’s done this perfectly. I don’t have a moment to grow bored with it
at all. Everything comes together so perfectly here.
The
characters are still good. I enjoy Fireheart in this, how, despite it going
against the warrior code, he is willing to do anything just to prove
Tigerclaw’s guilt. He even goes into RiverClan territory to speak with some of
their cats just to confirm the details the Sunningrocks fight, and even starts
hunting in ThunderClan territory for them.
This book
also marks a big turning point in Graystripe’s character. After Silverstream’s
death he of course loses his humorous and positive attitude for a bit, with his
heart broken. It’s no secret that I didn’t like Graystripe’s selfish and
disloyal behavior in the second book, but in Forest of Secrets I once more
enjoyed him, with him having made amends with Fireheart once more. It’s heart
wrenching to see how broken he is after what happened to his mate, and how he
finally leaves his Clan to go with his kits.
Other
characters are still good, too. We slowly see Cinderpaw mature, there are
important moments in the character arcs of Yellowfang and Bluestar, and
Ravenpaw returns. Yes, he’s one of my favourites, okay?
Tigerclaw
peaks as a villain in this book, with him being a bigger threat than ever
before as he finally executes his plan to wipe out Bluestar and become leader
himself. The big showdown between him and Fireheart is one of my favourite
fights in Warriors history, by the way.
I couldn’t ask for a better mid-point in the
story. Props, Erins, to this being one of my favourite books you’ve written to
date.
Book Four: Rising Storm
Let’s get into the next book: Rising Storm.
After the
banishment of Tigerclaw and Graystripe taking his leave, Fireheart is now
deputy of ThunderClan, and he struggles with this position, as well as his
loudmouth of an apprentice. Bluestar is only a shell of her former self,
something caused by Tigerclaws betrayal, and the blazing summer heat may pose a
bigger threat than anticipated.
Another
solid installment. The plot is really engaging, as it’s interesting to see how
Fireheart is coping with his new position as deputy and being without his best
friend. Tigerclaw is at large, so it seems like he can show up at any moment in
the book, which, at one point, he does.
I do feel
like this one paced slightly slower than some of the other Warriors books, but
that’s totally fine. We need a breather once every while.
The
characters are still likable. Fireheart really seems to struggle with being
deputy at first, which is good to see. I’m also starting to realize that he
isn’t a very bland character, which 2014 me used to think. He actually has
quite the sharp tongue sometimes, something I somehow missed in my 9 other
rereads of this arc. You really feel for him as he now more or less leads a the
Clan himself, as Bluestar barely does her leader duties anymore.
We get some
nice character development for Fireheart, but also for Cloudpaw, who arguably
goes through the biggest growth in Rising Storm. After totally ignoring the
warrior code by visiting Twolegs, and eventually being taken by them, it’s nice
to finally see the young white tom adjust to life in the wild when he comes
back and finally seems to realize what the code means.
The fire at
the end is devastating, as so much of the forest we’ve grown to love over the
past few books vanishes to it. We also get one of the most painful deaths with
Yellowfang here, especially once she admits how much she wishes Fireheart was
her son instead of Brokentail. It’s just a sad ending to the book.
Overall, I
think this is another good installment.
Book Five: A Dangerous Path
Now we continue in A Dangerous Path.
With
Bluestar’s mental health dwindling and Tigerclaw being the new leader of
ShadowClan, Fireheart faces yet another huge threat. A pack of dogs is loose in
the forest and killing animals left and right, and they don’t figure out that
until it’s too late.
I used to
think this book was the least engaging of the first arc, but, honestly,
rereading it, it’s actually quite good. I’m still not sure if it’s on par with
the other books I’m giving four stars in this arc, but it’s much better than I
remember.
Once more
ThunderClan faces Tigerstar’s threats, and things are getting more and more
dangerous. The peril in this book is not one to be understated. The dog pack is
very well within its power to kill the entirety of ThunderClan. Poor Swiftpaw
dies because of them, and then I’m not even mentioning the terrible maiming of
Brightpaw. Brindleface also finds her death in this book, becoming bait for the
dogs. And, of course, the mighty leader Bluestar herself joins StarClan as
well.
I really
don’t see anymore why I used to think this book was boring. Granted, I’m still
not a big fan of the WindClan/ThunderClan conflict early on in the book, but it
makes perfect sense and is actually resolved quite cleverly by Fireheart, even
if he ends up breaking Bluestar’s trust whilst doing so just to prevent more
lives from being lost.
The
characters are still quite good. Another flaw in Fireheart’s character becomes
apparent in this book. He actually really overlooks the evidence for the dog
pack being around and somewhat pushes it to the side to deal with matters he
finds more pressing.
Graystripe
and Sandstorm are still likeable as before, and it was also very sweet to see
the bond between Cloudtail and Brightheart. Cinderpelt takes on a mature role
now that Yellowfang’s gone. Tigerclaw is still a strong villain.
The only
character I started to really dislike by this book is Bluestar. She has a
responsibility as leader to her Clan, and she just completely lets them down
and lets poor Fireheart do everything for her. Not only that, but she also
misused her authority to force a horrible name on a recently disabled cat just
to push her own anti-StarClan agenda. Swiftpaw and Brightpaw also wouldn’t have
gone to find the dogs if Bluestar simply hadn’t refused to made them warriors.
This book is just really where I started to dislike Bluestar.
I know
there was an attempt at a last-minute redemption for her just before her death
as she sacrifices herself, but it isn’t enough to make up for how downright
horrible she acted in this book.
The pacing
felt a little slow at first, but it quickly picked up pace.
The climax
is actually really good. You feel the anticipation as the cats plan to lure
away the dogs to the gorge. From the dog chase to the swim in the rushing
river, I felt like this was an amazing climax.
I actually
think this is another really decent installment in the series. Aside from
making me really dislike Bluestar, it’s a solid book.
Book Six: The Darkest Hour
After
Bluestar’s death, Firestar is now leader of ThunderClan. His Clan faces its
biggest threat yet, as Tigerstar unites ShadowClan with RiverClan and promises
to drive out WindClan and ThunderClan if they refuse to join. ShadowClan’s
leader even recruited a bunch of street cats from Twolegplace to fight
alongside him.
However, on
the day where ThunderClan and WindClan expect they have to face Tigerstar, the
street cats’ leader, Scourge, betrays him, killing the mighty leader. Scourge
gives all four forest Clans a few days to leave the forest, or they’ll have to
fight for it against his Clan, BloodClan. Will the four Clans be able to defend
their beloved home?
Another
really good book of the first arc, and I’m not afraid to call it the best book
of The Prophecies Begin. The stakes are higher than ever, with not only
ThunderClan, but all Clans possibly losing their homes. Many a cat finds their
death in this book, from noble Whitestorm to poor Gorsepaw. Seeing all the
Clans briefly unite against a common enemy is also something we didn’t see
before in the series, and just makes the threat BloodClan poses feel all the
more real.
The pacing
is once more just perfect. Everything is going on quite fast, but it also
allows for brief breather moments, which is nice, because there’s a lot going
on in this book. From ShadowClan’s and RiverClan’s union to the attack on
WindClan to the raid on TigerClan’s camp to Tigerstar’s death to Scourge being
the new villain to the final grand battle between LionClan and BloodClan. So
much happens, but I couldn’t ask for a better pacing in this book than what I
got.
The
characters really get their time to shine here. Firestar, while uncertain at
first, really proves that he does have what it takes to be a leader here, as he
is the one finally leading the united Clans into battle against Scourge’s cats.
He obviously has his self-doubts, but its made more than clear in this book
that he is a good leader.
Other
favourites also get to show what they’re made of. From Graystripe finding back
his loyalty to ThunderClan, to Whitestorm, wise until the end. Sandstorm
supports Firestar until the end, Cinderpelt showcases her wisdom, it becomes
clear how much character growth Ravenpaw has had...it’s just amazing.
We
obviously also have the villains. Tigerstar goes further than ever in his lust
for power, and it shows. He becomes a true force to be reckoned with. Part of
me is still sad that the final showdown at the end of this arc, the fight which
has been built up to from Into The Wild to here, isn’t between Firestar and
Tigerstar. I do know that ThunderClan’s leader eventually gets to battle
Tigerstar to the end in a later arc, but I feel like it would’ve also been a
really strong conclusion to this arc if this had been the final battle.
Darkstripe
shows his true colors in The Darkest Hour, going as far as to almost poison a
kitten and leave ThunderClan to stay at Tigerstar’s side. Even after
Tigerstar’s death, rather than choosing to redeem himself, he wants to kill
Firestar, before finally meeting his demise.
The main
villain of this book is Scourge. I have mixed opinions on him. I know that he’s
a good antagonist, but he still feels lacking. He does feel like a great threat
to Firestar and the Clans, don’t get me wrong. The fact that he can kill
Tigerstar with a single blow is more than enough proof of that. I just feel
like he had too little buildup in comparison to Tigerstar.
We spent
the entire arc building up to the final showdown between them, like I mentioned
earlier, and then suddenly this rando we’ve never seen before shows up and
becomes the new “ultimate evil”. I feel that maybe it would’ve been stronger if
Scourge and BloodClan had been established in an earlier book, so we knew a
little more about them before they suddenly showed up? Maybe a throwaway line
here or there would’ve helped.
However,
for what Scourge is, he does it well. I just feel like it could’ve been
stronger.
So, what’d
I think of this final book in the arc? Gonna be honest. I love it.
Rating: 5/5
Final Thoughts
Overall
thoughts of The Prophecies Begin? I still freaking love it. Even if Firestar
himself isn’t the most interesting protagonist out there, you still feel for
him, and I don’t doubt the fact that there’s maybe another character that really
speaks to you, the way Ravenpaw and Yellowfang did for me, for example.
We get to
see Firestar mature form a young, impressionable kitten to a full blown hero,
as well as one of the most legendary leaders ThunderClan has ever known, which
is just awesome. We get to see him and his friends face the biggest of foes,
discover secrets, go on adventures. It’s just an all round amazing series.
Don’t get
me wrong. It does obviously have its flaws. The characters could have more
depth to them, there’s quite a few inconsistencies or mistakes, and Bluestar is
there, but other than that it’s still a doozy.
Of course,
it’s not for everyone. If you’re not into xenofiction or stuff like that, it
probably isn’t for you. Having grown up reading these books probably also helps
a great deal. But, if you are interested in cats, xenofiction and the like, I
heavily suggest you pick The Prophecies Begin up ASAP.
The series
has also been translated in quite a few languages, so it’s become pretty
accessible by now, having read the Dutch editions myself.
Let me know your thoughts if you've read the first Warriors arc, of course! Happy reading!
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