Time for the next installment! Spoilers ahead!
Moonpaw finally comes clear to others about Morningkit haunting her. Despite Tigerstar's best protests, Tawnypelt is still determined to find out what exactly is going on with the Moonpool and how the elders can help in this situation. And Starlingpaw is determined to speak the truth and save the Clans even if it means disobeying his superiors.
Ya'll known that I'm not too big on Warriors anymore these days, with the books being of a very varying quality. But this one, I'm pleased to say, falls into the "pretty solid" category. It's nothing great, but I did enjoy myself here and I do think that critically it holds up.
The first thing I really like about this book (and as a bigger whole, this arc) so far is the character interactions. Whether it's Moonpaw and Morningkit, or Moonpaw and Goldenpaw, or Moonpaw and Brambleclaw, or Tawnypelt and Brambleclaw, Tawnypelt and Squirrelflight, Starlingpaw and the cats around him, etc. etc., it's all good stuff. The only interactions I genuinely didn't care much for here were Tawnypelt and Crowfeather.
Speaking of. The ships. Yeah, this is where the book does kinda lose me. I don't mind romance in my books, don't get me wrong, but I need there to be some kind of chemistry. And TawnyCrow genuinely has some of the blandest and stalest chemistry-less romance I've ever come across both in and outside of Warriors. Moonpaw and Goldenpaw do have a cute connection and I would root for their ship...if it weren't for the fact that they're related.
Yeah, I don't know why Erin Hunter is so adamant about shipping incest, but the Warriors family tree is an inbred mess and it gets worse with every modern arc. If they'd found a way to make Moonpaw and Goldenpaw not be related I wouldn't have minded this ship at all, because their friendship and romantic connection in principle isn't as badly written as is common for most Warriors relationships. But since they are related, I obviously cannot root for this ship, even if their interactions are well-written.
As a positive, though, I do love all three of our protagonists. Any Warriors arc with multiple POVs is usually a mixed bag for me, because I tend to only connect well to one or two or the POVs. But here I'm glad to say that I really like all three, but for different reasons. Tawnypelt has the intrigue of her mysterious quest and her being pretty much the only really proactive cat trying to do something about the Moonpool situation. Moonpaw is very interesting with her ghost twin haunting her and this affecting her many relationships and her status in the Clan, especially now that she's come clean about the truth. Starlingpaw also has some interesting character development, with him desperately trying to do good but in turn this also leading to him undermining authority constantly. Also, he can apparently see ghosts like Tree and Rootspring. So I definitely think that we've got some interesting and so far pretty well-written characters whose POV we're reading.
I really do wonder where things are going next for them. The Moonpool has been transformed by Twolegs, so it seems that Tawnypelt was right, but we still don't have a solution to this problem. Will the Clans leave the lake territories? Moonpaw and Goldenpaw are now rogues, and I have no idea where their plotline is going next. Starlingpaw is kinda forming his own group of followers dead-set on doing what he thinks is right, but I can't help but think that this might go awry. Honestly it would be really ironic if Starlingpaw turned out to be the two-faced cat the prophecy warned about.
The plot also kept me rather engaged throughout, though I have to admit that Tawnypelt's POV lost me once or twice because she kept going back and forth between Clans and I didn't like her interactions with Crowfeather and Tigerstar.
Speaking of, yeah, Tigerstar by now has to be the most insufferable cat this arc. He could get pretty bad last arc as well, but he's just so damn annoying here. And I hate how he throws his authority around to punish and lash out at his mother like this. And just the fact that he refuses to listen until it is too late. Insufferable character.
Also, Brambleclaw died. I've seen people criticize that they don't think his death was "big" enough, but honestly it was fine for me. Not everyone goes out with an epic and glorious bang like Firestar did. Sometimes it's okay for a character to just quietly fade, especially one who has been through as much as Brambleclaw.
Overall this was a solid book, not my favorite Warriors entry by a long shot, but it kept me engaged and the character interactions and plotlines were all rather engaging. Looking forward to what comes next.
Rating: 3.5/5
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