I have praised the first three books in the series. Let's see how things continue after our first main baddie has been defeated. Spoilers ahead.
Thorn has been appointed the next Great Father, a heavy burden for him to carry which he wants to keep secret at all cost. Fearless is still trying to get his revenge on Titan, whose sanity seems to be slipping. Meanwhile, Sky leaves her herd and ends up taking in two cheetah cubs.
I liked part of this book, I really did. But other than that it also felt a bit...underwhelming, especially after how good the second book was. Book one and three were also better than this.
Stinger was a really strong villain and the fact that now we're seemingly stuck with Titan as our main big bad. And he's such a weakly written and bland villain. And now we're adding the stereotypical ableist "oh he's going insane" trope into the mix as well. I honestly would've preferred if Titan had died in book three and Stinger was our big bad instead. He was such a well-written and nuanced villain. Now Titan just feels very weak in comparison.
There's also two other minor villains/antagonists. First of all, a band of golden wolves that's ravaging the Bravelands but so far ultimately don't amount to much. Second, Berry is the new leader of Thorn's troop, and she seems to be shaping up to be a villain or at the very least an antagonist like her father. And I really don't like this. I don't even get what message this is supposed to send? Berry loathed Stinger and his actions in the last book, yet here's she's just casually sending her henchmen to break the Code and murder in her name just like he did? Where did this random 180 degree turn come from?
Thorn being the next Great Parent is interesting, however he doesn't even tell anyone until the book is almost over, which is kind of a shame. I get why, but it just feels like it's dragging the plot along quite a bit because we need more time to create drama for him to show what'll happen if he doesn't accept his new role.
I also kind of hate the implication of just being given the role of what is essentially God and just having to deal with it. Kinda fucked up that they can't reject their role and are just forced into it whether they want to or not. I get that it makes for good conflict, but as a world-building trope it makes me rather uncomfortable. You literally get no choice. Either you're the Great Parent until you die if you accept your role, or you'll live a live a life of suffering and regret if you reject it. I get that it's interesting but also like, yikes. There's plenty of animals who do want to be the Great Spirit's host but will never be, and then there's Thorn who is, after so much suffering under Stinger, finally trying to get his life back on track.
One aspect I did like: Fearless has finally spawned a distinct personality! He's now kind of a paranoid asshole constantly trying to assert his dominance over his pride. Honestly, I like this, as it makes him a flawed and less-boring character. Before he felt rather flat and standard for me, as far as protagonists go.
Overall the book was decent but it just didn't feel as interesting as the last three, particularly books two and three. I'll continue the series, obviously, but this wasn't my favorite installment in the series.
Rating: 3/5
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