So let's have a look at the final book of the latest arc! Let's hope it ends with a bang! Spoilers ahead.
With time running short before both StarClan and the Dark Forest will be destroyed by the dark goop and mist, Rootspring, Bristlefrost and Shadowsight will have to find a way to unite both the living and the dead in the Place of No Stars and stand against Ashfur.
This was overall a very thrilling conclusion to this arc. Is it perfect? No, but I very much liked the stuff going on here.
First of all, something that was already kind of established in the fifth book: not all Dark Forest cats are beyond redemption, or at least beyond trying to do what's right. We have Snowtuft before, but in this book Bristlefrost even convinces a few more Dark Forest cats to join her and her friends on their mission. They're still not the most friendly of cats, but they do some good things in this book.
That's not to say that all Dark Forest cats are on the side of good; cats like Mapleshade and Thistleclaw and even Darktail join the war on the side of Ashfur in hopes of somehow making their way to the living world by possessing other cat's bodies.
This, together with the ticking timebomb that is the fading of StarClan and the Dark Forest themselves, makes for an exciting climax in which cats from the Dark Forest, cats from StarClan and some of the living all participate. And there's a few devastating deaths here as well.
Not only Graystripe finally finds his place in StarClan, but Bristlefrost in the end takes the initiative and decides to drown Ashfur permanently in the dark goop that's swallowing the Dark Forest. Yep, the dark goop that totally kills one, even their spirit, if they fall into it. This ends up saving Shadowsight's life and killing Ashfur permanently, but it's not without its sacrifice: Bristlefrost dies. Permanently. No StarClan for her soul, not even life as a spirit roaming the lake aimlessly. She's just gone forever.
While I never cared much for her relationship with Rootspring, it does really make my heart ache for both of them. Bristlefrost knew what she was doing as she drowned Ashfur, and what the consequences were. And she was okay with it. The last things she feels before her death is comfort and love. Just the fact that she's so accepting towards it just really hurts me, but in a good way. And of course poor Rootspring desperately tries to summon her spirit after the whole ordeal is over, but she is just gone forever.
This is just something really new the series hasn't done before. Protagonists have died in their respective arc before (e.g. Grey Wing), but his death really meant the end of the book series, whereas The Broken Code has a bit of an epilogue after Bristlefrost perishes. Grey Wing also didn't die a second spiritual death, he's still in StarClan doing well. Bristlefrost is just gone forever and even after her loved ones such as Rootspring and Ivypool die and go to StarClan, they'll never see her again, which must be such a horrifying thought to all of them since being able to see your family and friends again in StarClan after you die is such a huge part of Clan life.
Ah well. What else is there to talk about? The connection to StarClan is restored, at last. Turns out it was Ashfur causing the disruption in the first place. There also seems to be some kind of weird balance between the Dark Forest and StarClan, in a "one cannot exist without the other"-kind of way. That's interesting to say the least.
Ashfur's final death was pretty memorable, too. One thing I wasn't too keen on, however, was how StarClan treats the Dark Forest cats that aid them after everything is over. Despite these cats having risked their lives to do what is right and fight on StarClan's side, they're refused into StarClan after it's all over. Honestly, why?
Before, they made it clear that StarClan doesn't always make the right judgement (just look at Ashfur), but they don't even seem to reconsider letting the Dark Forest cats having redeemed themselves. Surely these cats proved that they're not completely irredeemable and at least some of them should be allowed into StarClan after all this? But nope, back into the Dark Forest they're forced to go. And the book seems to have that be a decent conclusion, like the Dark Forest isn't a very pleasant place to live, but these cats see it as their home in their own way.
That's just very messed up. The Dark Forest isn't just a slightly uncomfortable and dark place, it's a place where these cats are literally suffering, being permanently lost and hungry. It's not a good place to be, not a place where one could ever feel comfortable, and yet even after all their efforts to do the right thing they're not even reconsidered to be allowed into StarClan. That's just... messed up and doesn't feel right.
As for the epilogue, Bramblestar is finally restored as leader and seems to have brought balance back to ThunderClan, Squirrelflight of course still being his deputy, and there seem to be some changes made to the warrior code. We'll have to see how stuff continues from here in the next arc. I still hope they someday get ride of the "no mates in other Clans" and "no medicine cats may have a family"-rules as they seem archaic and have seemed so for ages now. If Twigbranch and Dovewing can shift Clans in order to be with their mates, I think it shouldn't be a problem for two cats of different Clans to be together. Maybe so long as one of them moves to the Clan of the other, who knows.
Overall I liked this arc! It was pretty strong and the second half had me much more engaged than the second half of A Vision of Shadows. It's still not perfect, but no Warriors book or arc is. I hope to see you all in my review of River soon!
Rating: 4/5
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