Warriors Super Edition: StormClan's Folly

Warriors Super Edition #18

by Erin Hunter

Uncover the star-crossed fate of StormClan in the next thrilling, superlong stand-alone adventure in Erin Hunter’s #1 nationally bestselling Warriors series!

Stripestar has always imagined a life beyond the forest, but, as leader of ThunderClan, he knows that his duty to his Clanmates comes first. When tragedy strikes and WindClan’s leader, Galestar, approaches with an offer of allyship, he swiftly accepts. But he and Galestar have history, a connection that only deepens as they continue to work together.

Galestar loves being a WindClan cat, but her relationship with Stripestar makes her question the strict Warrior code that forbids them from being together. Determined to build a family, she and Stripestar decide to combine their Clans into StormClan. However, StarClan refuses to approve and vows to punish them for breaking with Clan tradition.

Stripestar and Galestar decide to leave the forest and seek new land for their Clan. But they are soon faced with the reality of life without StarClan’s guidance, sending them down a path of peril, loss, and despair. Can these cats find the way forward without StarClan, or are they doomed to a grim fate that will echo for generations to come? 

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Childrens, Romance, Animals, Cats, Young Adult

459 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 12, 2025

About the author

Erin Hunter is the pseudonym of five people: Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, Tui T. Sutherland, Gillian Philip, and Inbali Iserles, as well as editor Victoria Holmes. Together, they write the Warriors series as well as the Seekers and Survivors series. Erin Hunter is working on a new series now called Bravelands.

Erin Hunter is inspired by a love of cats and a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. As well as having a great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior, shaped by her interest in astronomy and standing stones.

Reviews

[S.L. Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

is this the darkest Warriors book ever published?

It reads like a fanfiction, I will not lie. As I'm rereading a lot of the older books in my chronological order reread, the difference in the writing is kind of astounding. I don't... hate it? it's not going to make me stop reading, but it's definitely noticable and grates on me sometimes. I feel like HarperCollins needs some better editors. There's a lot of mistakes and discrepancies and words the Clans simply wouldn't use. Note: this is, in fact, the first Warriors book to contain the word... "breast" in context of a cat instead of winged prey. I'm surprised they got away with that in a book shelved under the juvenile fiction genre.

anyways. The themes and despair? oh my god? Warriors is known for dark themes but MY GOD. This is a real *read with caution, not for kids* type beat. StarClan was brutal here. It appears the notion that StarClan can't control the destiny of the Clans has been officially thrown out. they can and WILL strike you down.

This book is also the first MAIN (not graphic novel) mention of actual gay cats. Pebblenose and Thrushfall are awesome. Galestar is for the girls, she just doesn't realize it yet (in my head).

chronologically, I think it's awesome to finally have something between Cloudstar's Journey and Mapleshade's Vengeance. While these new books don't make up for the MASSIVE amount of retcon going around in the earlier books... they fill in some gaps and they do have their place.

I speak this as team "let Warriors have infinite publications", because there are so many ideas and themes they haven't even touched yet. I'd love a Birchstar novella, what's her deal? Tinyclaw x Stripestar? Doors are being unlocked here.

Is it my favorite? no. Is it my least favorite? Also no. It's fine. Dark as hell, but fine. I feel like the Warriors team is starting to realize their fanbase is growing up... and they aren't sure what to do with that information. neither am I, actually, this is my third reread of these things, isn't that concerning.

[Rebecca Chisam · Rating 4 out of 5]

that was actually pretty good??

Gale Rise's arc was really great, I'm so happy for her honestly, I wish Warriors had more arcs like that! Bound Hunt has my whole heart lol

Stripebark's arc was just depressing lol

[fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

alright although galestar and stripestar are both annoying and selfish, I'm too much of a lover to not have some empathy for them. plus by the end i think they both somewhat get what they deserve. some of the most graphic/violent scenes in wc thus far, a couple really getting me. 5 stars because its a wc book 👍🏼

[BRASH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly tragic, twisting, and full of love. I never expected a super edition to be written so well, or so thought out? Normally, stuff just happens and we the reader are forced to somehow make sense of it. But, with this story, it starts from ground zero. The idea of Stormclan is new and exciting, and I find this new era of warrior cats wonderful :)) I also may have liked this super edition because of the new author Conrad Mason. Oh also this reads like a fanfic, but in a good way!

[Tiana Richter · Rating 3 out of 5]

the first half was boring I'm ngl, BUT THE END? WILDCAT CULTURE LOOKS SO FREAKING COOL. I WANT A WHOLE BOOK ABOUT THAT INSTEAD OF TRAVELING.

[Emily Raker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally starclan: sorry riverclan we cant choose a leader for u

Also starclan: YOU, youre the new leader of thunderclan FUCK this guy

[Kyleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

i have never read a warrior cats book with such flawed protagonists and i kinda love it

[Kaylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright. This book is getting a low-ish three stars from me. But. I have been sitting on a LOT of rants about Warrior Cats for a while now, so I’m going to use this review as an excuse to bring up my list of grievances with this series now, as someone who has read literally every single book (except that one Warriors Guide to the Clans or whatever that stopped being printed a while ago- never could get my hands on a copy of that).

I’m going to rip this book (and this series) apart in this review, so before I start, I’ll just put a little disclaimer here: I do enjoy reading Warriors books. They’re very nostalgic, and I do believe some of them are quite good. This book just. . . Isn’t one of those good ones, so I’m using it as a catalyst for all my other complaints.

Ok. StormClan’s Folly is a more experimental book for Warriors, in terms of writing, so I’ll start with that aspect. The writing is still. . . Weird. The Erins have a new writing style for Warriors, ever since A Starless Clan, and honestly, the more I read it, the less I enjoy it. Everything feels rushed and barely described, important moments are glossed over for no apparent reason, and I just don’t feel grounded in the story like I used to. Now, what I do like about this book is that there’s sort of a reason for this: this book is basically an anthology if it was focused on one storyline. Time jumps are how the story is told, in fact, it’s weird when a chapter DOESN’T start at least a few days after the conclusion of the previous one. And while I think this idea had mixed results at best (I’ll get to a big part of why it didn’t work in the character section), I do appreciate that the authors tried something new. And I DO think that sort of story suits this writing style more than the traditional Warriors pace-by-pace plot, but at least in this case, it wasn’t very enjoyable to read about. Oh, and they really needed to stop name-dropping the word ‘folly.’ It’s such a rare word for this series that throwing it in multiple times felt less cool and more cliché. While they never directly title-dropped, it was NOT subtle when the authors included it, so it became annoying very quickly. Hopefully they don’t do this again if the title’s not already a common word in the series.
On a slightly different topic, the organization of this book was pretty standard for Warriors Super Editions, and I liked it. Though not 500 pages, it was over 400 at least, so it felt like an actual Super Edition. To avoid hitting the word limit, that’s all I’m going to say on this topic.
But let’s return to the writing, shall we? Here is my first series critique: what the heck is happening to the Erin Hunter writing style? As I mentioned earlier, ever since A Starless Clan, these books have read weirdly. I don’t have a great way to describe what changed, but I can tell you that the series just FEELS different now. I don’t know if the ghost writers changed, or the maybe the editors, but something has changed in the way these books are produced that makes them feel less. . . Tangible? Real? Grounded? What’s weird to me is that I sort of noticed this in Bamboo Kingdom, too, which makes me wonder if it’s an editor thing rather than a writer thing.

This book’s plot is also weird. The time jumps make the pacing feel very unnatural, and the plot is, of course, a rehash of every traveling book ever. None of the settings feel unique; none of them are important either. And the PLOT CONVENIENCE is so commonplace it scares me.
Warriors critique #2: plot convenience (and plot holes). We all know about the eye color and reviving cats issues, but what about when an entire book makes no sense? This book irks me so much because it shouldn’t have happened. The curse of ‘clans do whatever is necessary for the plot to happen’ stakes again. Why do the two leaders need to bring their entire clans with them when they leave? Why doesn’t StarClan suggest leaving the clans? Why does StormClan follow their leaders blindly when they apparently so vehemently disagree? Why do they have no AGENCY? Why are the only characters who can drive the plot the POV cast? That’s a huge issue with Warriors that I really think needs addressing. Almost any plot will feel stale when the only characters who can impact it are the leads, and everyone else just goes along with whatever will make the book happen. It makes the background cats feel shallow and the plot unbelievable. Erins, please fix this.

Now, this book is relatively unique among Warriors Super Editions in that is has more than one POV character. However, I wasn’t too impressed with either of them, to be honest.
Galestar was fine. Her chapters were always pretty interesting, all things considered, but as per usual there was just nothing for this character. Any personality we are given for Galestar comes from Stripestar admiring her, or later Bound Hunt listing the most stereotypical personality traits ever given to a Warrior cat. She’s brave, I guess? She has absolutely zero flaws, which is par for the course with Warriors. This series really needs to do a better job at making their protagonists more interesting.
Actually, let’s make that series critique #3: more complex main characters. In a book like this, we get to see Galestar and Stripestar’s entire backstory. It’s pretty boring and doesn’t give us much, but that’s great; at least we have a backstory for both cats that sets them apart at least a little from the background cats. Now they need motivations: making StormClan and finding a home to live with their family. Great. What BOTH of these characters are missing, though, is a unique personality. Warriors ALWAYS, and I mean always, misses one of those three core parts of a character: personality, motivation, or backstory. The only cat who fits all of these for any substantial amount of time, conveniently, is Firestar, who was our protagonist in Arc 1. And he has the most stereotypical personality ever, so when every other POV cat gets the exact same one in the following books, they might as well not have anything, because they’re not unique at all.
So, returning to Galestar, we have this cat with a very interesting story and strong motivations, with a passably interesting backstory. But there are 0 flaws, 0 notable personality traits, nothing to make her unique. Stipestar always says she gets StormClan to listen to her most, but of course this only happens during his chapters so we can have pointless misunderstandings. I liked her cute romance with Bound Heart, though it did move way too fast to really seem genuine. While we’re on that topic, all the romance with Galestar was rushed. Her and Stripestar meet ONCE as apprentices, apparently, before they’re suddenly leaders allying together and becoming mates. It just feels way too fast to me. But that’s minor. Galestar, or Gale Rise, I guess, was a fine main character. She didn’t annoy me much, at least.
Stripestar was very annoying. The entire ‘tragedy’ at the end of this book relies entirely on this cat not communicating, which makes him instantly unlikeable. He has the same issues as Galestar, being bland in personality. But his ending is far less satisfying to me, since the Erins try really hard to make it a tragedy, but I think it really falls flat. Stripestar isn’t someone I care about, so his ending doesn’t seem all that tragic to me. Despite the story trying to add stakes to the end, with StarClan possibly refusing to allow StormClan to return, it never really feels real when we already know what happens from Ivypool’s Heart. Stripestar just had nothing going for him: he was the same as every other Warriors protagonist, just with a love interest who’s actually his mate pretty much from the start. He was also passable, but with Galestar also not being unique, both of these characters were disappointing.

Ok, but what about every other character? Some of the side characters must have been interesting, right? Wrong. Here’s Warriors critique #4: give the side characters some actual personality! At the very least, give them some relevance. I think this book is the worst example of this issue in this entire series so far. Galestar and Stripestar are traveling with TWO entire clans, but I feel like 80% of the time they might as well be traveling alone. Other cats only exist in this book to die tragically, or occasionally have some of those neverending arguments Warriors is so fond of. There is literally a fight scene with. . . Some creature I couldn’t pinpoint based on the cat description, about halfway through the book. Keep in mind there are two entire clans present for this fight. The ONLY cats who fight in that scene are Galestar and Stripestar? Excuse me? ‘The others were all helping the kits escape’ is the excuse the book uses. Really? All 40-some of them?! At the same time? That was just the most egregious example to me, but there’s more. Additionally, not a single cat in this entire book has any personality I could reference. Not. One. Tinyclaw is loyal to Stripestar, I guess. Is that a personality trait? And I’m being serious here. After a cat dies or leaves, Galestar and Stripestar will think about how sad it is that these cats died, and how much they meant to them. . . And we will have literally never had this cat mentioned before. Why should I care about a character that was literally created just to die? Why should I care if you were close when we never get to see it? It got to a point where anytime a character started getting talked about or featured in a scene, I assumed they would die in the next few chapters. And I was right, every time. And for the ones who don’t die, at least MENTION these cats in the background so they don’t feel like they come out of nowhere. There’s a cat in this book who used to be a kittypet, and he FIRST APPEARS halfway through the book when StormClan needs help with Twolegs. I genuinely thought the Erins had just made him up to plot convenience their way around this obstacle. I had to check the allegiances to be sure this cat was actually real. That is BAD. Warriors always has background characters and side characters, but this book is especially egregious at their usage. Side characters don’t need arcs (though they can have them), but they need personality. Background characters need to be mentioned so we know they exist. That is the bare minimum. Come on, Erins. I know you can do better with this.
As a little add-on here, this is the first published Warriors book to feature a canon gay cat couple. It’s confirmed in the book multiple times. That’s great! They still have no personality though. I definitely appreciate the start of some actual representation, however late, but I hope in the future we can have gay (or lesbian!) and bi cats that actually. . . You know, do something in the story. Pebblenose has some significance at first, but when he and his mate leave halfway through the book, it just added to that side characters problem from before. I’m still very happy to see it though, I just hope not straight characters get more focus in the future.

Now, StormClan’s Folly doesn’t have any villains, which I think was pretty much unavoidable given the subject (it’s another traveling book. Hooray.). And I don’t think this book needed any. Especially given the tragedy angle they were trying to go for, I’m not mad that this book doesn’t have an overarching antagonist.
That being said, here’s a brief tangent about Warriors villains: GIVE! US! STAKES! Cats need to DIE, and I mean important cats, not boring background characters we’ve barely heard of. Villains aren’t scary if they aren’t a real threat to the protagonists and the cats around them. This was a big issue with Splashtail in the last arc. Also: there’s only so many times Twolegs or other animals can be side villains; the main villains have to be able to stand on their own for an entire arc, too. I’m thinking Tigerstar in Arc 1: there were threats like rats and dogs scattered throughout the books, but they all tied back into the main villain, who also was very adept at killing important characters, if you’ll recall. I’m hoping for more of THAT from Warriors in the future, not a Darktail who lasts three books (though he was a good villain) or a Splashtail who was dragged out far longer than necessary (he was less of a good villain, and his plot was dragged out). Oh, and while we’re on this topic: more she-cat villains! Come on! Mapleshade can’t hold over all 100+ books in this series by herself! (Yes, I know Curlfeather was technically a villain, and there’s that one side villain in Graystripe’s Vow who’s female. But Curlfeather dies before it’s even revealed she was a villain, and the BloodClan successor in Graystripe’s Vow was one cat who was not a main series antagonist.)
None of that has anything to do with this book, so we’ll count this as general Warriors complaint #5.

And here’s #6: stop with the traveling books. I mentioned this in my Ivypool’s Heart review, too. I am sick and tired of reading about cats walking from Point A to Point B with these exact plotpoints inbetween: someone almost gets captured by Twolegs/actually does get captured by Twolegs, they meet another group of cats (or a kittypet or loner, depending on the book), there are poorly done references to other Warriors books, some kind of wild animal will attack them for no reason (or even multiple, if they’re feeling really creative), and everyone will argue the ENTIRE JOURNEY. Not banter, or converse in interesting, unique ways, or even flirt, but ARGUE. It’s so annoying to read about, and the repetition across the series makes it even worse. The Erins just need to take a break from traveling books, or find a way to make them more interesting (having unique characters bounce off each other instead of have the same basic arguments every book would be a great start to spicing up these plots). Especially with this new brisk writing style, I don’t think there’s any appeal for me anymore to read about cats walking. So yeah. StormClan’s Folly focusing on a very overdone, bland plot was definitely another drawback that made me less enthused.

With my main points out of the way, I’m going to mention some other things that have been bothering me about Warriors recently. First, the cover art. Owen Richardson is the artist who creates the new covers for the USA and UK releases, and. . . Is it rude to say it feels like he’s putting in less effort now? As an artist, it’s kind of dispiriting to see these covers have such inconsistent quality, even seemingly regressing as time goes on. Now, I don’t miss the New Prophecy new covers, let’s be clear. But the cover for The Elders’ Quest felt so lazy, as did Ivypool’s Heart, and StormClan’s Folly is just another example to me. Cat poses just keep getting reused, lighting makes absolutely no sense, the cats’ proportions are way off, and the harshness of lighting and how it affects the cats’ coats is incredibly inconsistent. For example, books like The Raging Storm and River have cats with multicolored fur on full display, but with very bright, fantasy colored lighting. In contrast, books like The Apprentice’s Quest and River of Fire turn every cat orange or red, despite the light seeming to be the same intensity. And right when the fur colors seem to have improved a bit recently, this new series comes out, and aside from the giant bobble head at the bottom of the books, it’s almost impossible to even guess who each cat might be. And with this book specifically, the cover just feels. . . Lazy to me. The lighting makes no sense; Galestar and Stripestar don’t even look like they’re in the same place because of it. The background under the dust jacket, usually a highlight of Super Editions, is the colorscheme of Crowfeather’s Trial with even less background. And Stripestar’s pose is almost IDENTICAL to. . . Whoever is the main focus of River of Fire’s cover (which is ALSO very similar to a flipped image of Thunder Rising’s cover!). Obviously every artist improves at their own pace, and I’m certainly not expecting each cover to be amazing, but it really is saddening to see such what appears to be a lack of interest in putting out the best effort possible. We know this guy is a fantastic artist; we’ve all seen Veil of Shadows, and fans of his art have probably seen the Unwanteds books’ covers, too. I hope to see some improvement in the cover art in the future, though I don’t know if I should hold out much hope.
On the topic of covers, what’s up with the downgrade in cover quality? The physical dust jackets of the new Warriors books are a new, weirdly glossy texture that I am not a fan of. And worst of all, they took away the embossed Warriors logo! This particular book doesn’t have that glossy texture, but it is missing the raised lettering on the logo, which is very sad to me. As a visual and tactile person, embossed lettering is always one of my favorite physical parts of a book. It’s part of why I can’t read ebooks or audiobooks- I love that actual, tangible book in my hands. Obviously, this change isn’t a dealbreaker. It probably means the publisher is making less money from the books now and is therefore investing less in the physical books. HOWEVER. If the embossing on the paperbacks is touched, I will stop buying those. I don’t need to buy every main series book in paperback when I already have them in hardcover, but right now the appeal for me is in the physical texture and lettering on the cover. So if anyone from HarperCollins is somehow reading this, don’t change that, or you’ll start making less money from me:) StormClan’s Folly does have another of the new Warriors downgrades, though, which is that the pages are a different type. I’m not even sure they’re that much thinner than what Warriors used to have, but they’re probably cheaper, another clue that maybe the publisher isn’t making quite as much from this series as it used to. I’m not even complaining here; thinner pages means smaller books means more shelf space means more books, so it all works in my favor. I just thought it was worth mentioning, since I’m basically adding every thought I’ve had about Warrriors since I reread the series into this review for some reason.
As an aside, I do really miss the manga that used to follow each of the Super Editions. I feel like they always added a nice touch to the stories, and gave them a sense of completeness. I’m not too upset about missing these now, but I am sad to see that they appear to truly be gone now.
Something I am happy about, though, is that this is the first book I have seen published that had an AI notice in their copyright disclaimer! I’m very proud of whoever decided to include that; I really hope other publishers take notice of that and include it in their works, too. Whatever I think of a book, the love and time that went into making it deserves to be protected, not stolen to train a soulless bot to regurgitate. I’ll leave on that note, I think. Whatever I think of this book, or this series, I’m still grateful for the opportunity to read it and leave my thoughts somewhere on the internet. Hopefully someone will read this someday and get something from it.

So, to conclude this absolutely massive review, StormClan’s Folly was pretty disappointing. For a book that had such huge potential, I found myself let down in almost every aspect. However, I do really appreciate that the Erins tried to do something a little different this time, and I would love for them to continue experimenting with their writing and plots. I think this book is a great one to grow from, and I really hope in the future I can look back on this as a stepping stone for the future of Warriors.

[B. Valdez · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have been reading the Warriors books for twenty years, since the beginning of the franchise pretty much. This book, and StormClan as a whole, felt like fan service to me. It wasn't a necessary part of the Warriors universe. Perhaps I would feel differently if it had been executed better. The whole book was a traveling book (which I have come to not enjoy as much in this series). What's worse is that it is filled with massive time skips and the two main characters constantly pining after each other. It feels utterly depthless.

That said, I gave the book two stars instead of the one the horrible story deserves because it features the first confirmed gay couple in the entire franchise (speaking strictly for the Warriors novels/novellas as I haven't read any of the graphic novels). I couldn't believe what I was reading that I instantly started up a Google search when I read the first line implying it. This pairing was validated many times throughout the book by referring to the two male characters as "his mate" to each other. I would love to see more focus devoted to diverse characters like these two in the future. If nothing else, read this book for the validation of reading about those two.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like the deaths in this book were a lot more gory than in other books. Also the journey aspect of this book was extremely boring. The book was just filled with them moving camps and something bad happening forcing them to move again over and over again. I feel like some characters were forgotten about when they could’ve taken this book as an opportunity to help fill in more of the family tree. It gets bonus points for having the first canon gay couple in it. I also like the concept of the Wild Cats group.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely read the book and make your own opinions on it; I thought it was a very good read, for being Warriors. The writing was new and refreshing, and Galestar and Stripestar's relationship was well-written from beginning to end. A natural progression of falling out of love and yet still holding one another so dear in their memories is a difficult thing to write, and I don't think the Erins did half bad.

The inclusion of a new species / classification of feline is interesting to say the least. Again, Warriors suffers from making a mockery of native beliefs for the purpose of making their cats seem mystical and wonderous. What's new.

[Cami · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm grateful for this super edition, specifically for the original story that it portrays. Too often, Warrior cat super editions merely retell old scenes from a new perspective, creating errors and inconsistencies that muddle the story's impact.

"StormClan's Folly," on the other hand, follows the broad strokes of a story that we learned about only recently, in the previous super edition "Ivypool's Heart," and it invents dozens of new characters, almost all of whom I found pleasant and enjoyable: Tinyclaw, Pebblenose, Fogdrift, Bound Hunt, Galestar, Rainkit, Flash... At times, the cats were characterized only to make their subsequent deaths more impactful, but hey, at least they were characterized, period. And not only did we get a canon gay couple for the first time in the main series, but we also got a male cat whose suffix is -flower! It's about time!

Despite all that this super edition has going for it, it's not one of my favorites. This is largely because of the negative emotions that cropped up for me while reading it. There were large stretches of the text that I dreaded reading or simply did not find enjoyable, and I felt genuinely distressed after certain deaths so that I had to pause in between chapters and hug my own cats for moral support, feeling sick to my stomach as I remembered how the fictional cats had died. It felt different from other Warrior cats books in a way I can't quite put my finger on.

Maybe it has something to do with the visceral imagery featured in certain deaths, which surprised me with their use of language. Have we seen such brutality in Warriors before (old cats being reduced to pulp by passing cars, for instance), or am I just in a unique mindset to be upset by such descriptions, having young cats in my house I want desperately to keep safe?

It might also have to do with the futility of StormClan's quest. How I wish that Galestar and Stripestar had dealt with their forbidden romance privately, without dragging two whole clans into such a mess! Why didn't StarClan suggest as much to the leaders when they sought counsel at the Moonstone, telling them to step down as leaders and run away on their own, if they can't possibly abandon their courtship? How come ThunderClan and WindClan continued to treat Galestar and Stripestar as leaders even after their nine lives had been stripped away? Should StarClan have specified that they were no longer capable of acting as leaders and told them to revert to their old warrior names? Why did so many cats choose to follow them, especially when they were relatively new to their leadership roles?

I also experienced some disconnect concerning Galestar and Stripestar's relationship. Few Warrior cat pairing have chemistry, in my opinion, and these two were no exception. I can understand why Stripestar loved Galestar, but it's harder for me to understand why she loved him. I was honestly glad that Galestar got a cozier ending than Stripestar. It's not that I wanted Stripestar to suffer, but I was mad at both him and Galestar for the suffering that they caused their friends, and because I respected Galestar more as a character, the majority of my frustrations were directed to Stripestar specifically. I wish we had seen more of his first mate Fogdrift: another she-cat I like better than Stripestar himself!

I felt the absence in this book of the exclusive manga that you used to find at the end of each Warrior cats super edition. If I could have crafted it myself, then I would have spotlit Fernwhisper and Huntheart specifically. I want to know where those two ended up and to show readers that, despite all the misfortune that befell StormClan, at least it gave these two the chance to fall in love and start a life together. My heart goes out to them, along with many other victims of Galestar and Stripestar's romantic escapades.

[Siobhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Was it worth it, Stripestar?"

I had so many feelings during this book. At first, I wasn't sure this part of warrior cat lore needed a whole super edition. A novella would have sufficed. But because this is a super edition, it makes what happened so much more important.

Galestar, leader of WindClan and Stripestar, leader of ThunderClan fall in love. This is a couple of years after SkyClan has left the forest. Because this is ancient history, new rules like how cross clan relationships are permitted have not been discussed yet. Cross-clan relationships are strictly forbidden in this period of time. That doesn't stop Galestar and Stripestar from falling in love. I'm all for falling in love with soulmates and stuff but what happened because of their love was not warranted.

Let's talk about what happens when you fall into forbidden love as a warrior cat. On top of that, you are a leader!

First, because Gstar and Sstar couldn't keep their paws off each other, they decided to merge clans so they could be together. They called this clan StormClan. I'm honestly surprised their clans agreed to this. StarClan did NOT agree to this and took away their nine lives. The medicine cats saw this and were unsure but because of Gstar and Sstar's manipulations, they agreed to be okay with it. The other clans did not agree with this though. Having a mega clan made ShadowClan and RiverClan nervous.

Many things went wrong with their camps. The ThunderClan camp burned, I think and the WindClan camp had problems with prey. Cats from both clans complained about each other's campsites as well. Gstar and Sstar went begging to ShadowClan and RiverClan for prey but they did not deign to help and with good reason too. Who would help a megaclan that StarClan rejected? So the StormClan stars made the decision to leave. Like actually leave the clan territory.

About this time, Galestar had kits, but they died. Everyone took that as a sign that they were going against StarClan. It's amazing how many signs the stars ignored because they were so selfish to think they were doing the right thing for everyone when they were only doing it for themselves.

During their journey to find a new territory, a medicine cat called Kestrelwing got run over by a car. Petalstep deserted to become a kittypet because she no longer believed in StormClan. As they climbed a mountain, Rosebush fell to his death because of an injured paw. Pebblenose and Thrushcall decided to stay with the Tribe and StormClan moved on without them.

A year later, they were still on the road and there were new kits to welcome. Galestar felt jealous that the new StormClan kits weren't hers which showed her selfishness and narcissism. Anyway, one of those kits, Rainkit, got taken away by a hawk. Huntheart and Fernwhisper were her parents but after all that happened, they decided to also leave with their family. Lastly, some cats got attacked by a weird beaver badger thing and Mudsplash died as a result of his wound from that going bad.

As all this happened, Sstar had had a dream that told exactly where NOT to settle down. Where do you think he settled down? Exactly where he should not have! :DD Galestar is expecting kits again and gives birth to them. She names them Pebblekit after her old mate who she really disrespected, Fogkit after Sstar's old mate, who she killed and Thrushkit after Pebblenose's mate. Really solid name choices, I guess.

A storm started to arrive a few weeks after this and Sstar realized 'hey we shouldn't be here' so he tried to make the clan leave but Gstar got angry that he didn't tell her about the dream of impending doom and she decided to dig her claws in and stay. The storm ended up coming and Gstar lost a kit in the storm and got separated from the clan. After she found the kit, she was lost and hid in a rock crevice. Sstar looked for them the next day but could not find them so he thought they were dead. He ended up going back to the clans because the StormClan medicine cat had a dream that StormClan should go back and be ThunderClan and WindClan again. Which was kinda funny because that same medicine cat had already had a dream a couple months ago about how they were on the right path as StormClan. I suppose if they had just NOT settled down in that place they could have had a great future. But because of Sstar's stupidness and willingness to forget about important things, cats got separated for no reason. Nobody was happy and Gstar and her kits' supposed deaths was the last straw.

"We have sacrificed. We have sacrificed too much. Every cat here has given and given again. For YOUR dream, Stripestar. Yours and Galestar's. We have followed you. We have been faithful to you."
"We gave up our homes, our Clans, cats we loved and had to bid farewell to. And StarClan, we turned our backs on them."
"And where has it gotten us? Look at what's left of StormClan! Was it worth it Stripestar?"

Was it worth it indeed? Maturity is realizing both Galestar and Stripestar belong in the Dark Forest. All those cats who died can blame the leaders of StormClan. Galestar and Stripestar have blood on their paws. At no point in time did they think "oh way too many cats are dying, we'd better head back". They could not imagine a life without each other so they ruined their clans just so they could be together. This makes them no better than rogues. They are no Clan cats because they broke so many rules of the Warrior Code. The first thing they should have done when they realized they had feelings for each other was step down from leadership. Their feelings ruined their objective leadership.

At the end of the book Galestar decides to stay with wildcats she found nearby, because she is NOT dead. She falls in love with one named Bound Hunt and is said to have had kits with him. Her kits all get adopted into wildcat life and they all live happily ever after.

Stripestar goes back in shame to the clans. He steps down from leadership and StarClan passes judgment. They tell him to be a warrior again and he is renamed to Stripebark. Whitestep, Rosebush's mate, is made leader. Whitestar chooses Tumbletail as a deputy. StarClan tells them they must never speak of StormClan and what happened ever again. It is better if they forget so no cats get any ideas. Everyone kinda lives happily ever after as well.

Overall, the writing in this book was a little odd. It did not feel like a classic warriors book but maybe that was because the subject matter was so different. Anyway, I rated it 4 stars because while the subject matter was genuinely horrifying to read, it was such a new experience. Like these cats were actually so evil and they did not even think they were. I'd recommend reading, if only for the angst and drama.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for the first canon gay cat couple in warriors

[Isabella Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confirmed gay cats

[Lila Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG that was so good!!!! My only critique is the chapters were too long, but the writing was good enough that I hardly noticed!! 😁

[Stormstar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely a different book. I'm glad this was written cause it was a loose end from Ivypool's Heart, and I was curious about what happened. This was a good story, but it ended sad. And I totally agree with the other commenters who said that this was the most violent Warriors book. I'm sorry, Kestrelwing's death was an example of too much information. Like, you can write a death scene without adding every detail. There were a few other deaths that had too many details, too. The scary thing is that this book was in the junior section of the library. I must agree to disagree on Pebblenose x Thrushcall, but I did like their characters. Stripestar and Galestar were interesting characters, but both cats acted like kits part of the time, especially toward the end. Bound Hunt was a good cat. Tinyclaw could be annoying, and the Tribe cats just aren't my thing. It was a good book overall, but please DO NOT LET SOMEONE UNDER 13 OR 14 READ THIS BOOK!

[Shmurple Purple · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was very boring and the characters were unbelievably stupid

[Samantha Krechuniak · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would rate this lower if I could. I have read all the warrior booked to date, and in some instances read them multiple times. This is by far the worst one. It constantly left me annoyed, frustrated or just asking really? It reads more like a bad fan fiction than a book in a published, established series. I truly think any true warrior fan that has been with this series since the beginning, will find this a very hard read if not insulting to the series. The amount of retcon going on in this book is astounding. There is a very large focus on shoe horning in lore elements from other books to the point it doesn’t make sense. I would argue it also messes with the timeline of this series as things that should be forgotten are dredged back up. For example so many generations have passed the blazing star prophecy should have been forgotten and not used after Skyclan left to question that canonical plot point. In addition established lore is ignored when it’s plot convenient. It wasn’t a problem that GaleSTAR was having kits but it was a problem that it wasn’t with a mate in her clan (Sorry Bluestar, guess you could have kept your kits, still been leader, and just had cats judge you for your choice of father). I realize it’s not against the code for leaders to have kits but it’s generally discourage (especially for female leaders because it’s hard to balance leading the clan and its needs with raising a litter). Despite all of this, this book is lazily written. The map is literally the same map from Ivypool’s Heart despite the difference in the two book’s settings by many years. Characters don’t seem to make rational or characteristic decisions if it doesn’t fit with the plot. You are telling me that the same clans that were so rooted to their territories that they could not redraw borders and forced Skyclan out of the forest, just freely leave them a generation (at max) later because their leaders fell in love? Or that you would make an alliance with the cat that just killed your mate. Lastly Galestar and Stripestar are terrible characters. Both are terrible leaders constantly putting their relationship ahead of the needs of the clan. At one point Stripestar is so annoyed he can’t let Galestar be right and forces Stormclan to remain in a swamp where conditions are terrible because Galestar suggested they leave. That’s a good leader right there. I found neither character very likeable. Galestar seemed driven only by having kits while Stripestar constantly ignored facts and truth to “dream.” Their relationship one could describe as toxic. One minute that hate each other so much they don’t talk for days and the next they can’t imagine a world without each other. It’s a constant yo-yo back and forth. This yo-yo applies to everything. We should leave this place, well actually we should have stayed longer and made it work. We have to leave them behind but actually we should have spent longer looking. I would have bought the concept more if it was two warriors that ran away and tried to make their own clans but two leaders constantly dragging their clan into peril is absurd. Warriors fans do yourself a favour and skip this one.

[Void_Kiddo · Rating 3 out of 5]

sometimes warriors is SO GOOD and sometimes it’s just. Ehhhhhhhh

This one was pretty ehh. The story was really interesting, and so were the characters. I liked Galestar a lot, I found her really compelling, and while it sucks that most of the complex female characters in Warriors deal with being wives/mothers, I found her struggles with infertility and motherhood really well written.

Unfortunately, the pacing was Not Good. Things were breezed past - and I get it, because this book was already long and I’m assuming they didn’t want to make it any longer, but there was so much telling instead of showing. Big moments were simply told to us instead of shown and that was pretty upsetting and disappointing.

Also Stripestar was the most miserable character I have ever read about. I despised him. Like, Galestar was also annoying at some points, but at least she had redeeming traits. Stripestar just. Eugh. I didn’t like him.

Also erm this is perhaps the most gruesome warriors book. Maybe don’t let your fifth graders read this one unless you want them reading about cats graphically getting ran over and being miserable for 400 pages

[Millie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm glad I checked this book out at the library because this is one of the worse and difficult books I have read in this series. I have been reading the Warriors series since 2009, stop somewhere in The Broken Code series, and read up to Hawkwing's Journey for the super editions. Anything pass these books, I can't account for. Doing research, this super edition was not written by the Erins and it shows. The writing style is noticeably different and uses constant commas everywhere, often not making sense. There are words that the cats don't usually use and the cats sometimes feel like they are written more human like than cat. Some words and phrases are overused. One of the biggest offenders being mate like it's a romantasy novel. Lots of time skips and jumping to scenes. There is a lot of telling and not showing, making the scenes less impactful. Readers are often randomly told relationships or information of characters when something is going to happen instead of slowly giving info through dialogue and scenes. The dialogue is not great either. Many unnecessary chapter breaks within a single chapter, often not needing to be there as it doesn't entirely change a scene or setting. Sometimes there are so many chapter breaks that it's pages before the next chapter. This book is written like a fanfic and seems like it was barely edited. Both of the protagonist are annoying and unlikable.

The concept of the book is frustrating. Two leaders end up falling in love. Instead of stepping down as leaders and going off on their own adventure together as a couple, they decide to drag both of their clans into their selfish mess. (A leader stepping down before has happened, as with Pinestar from Thunderclan wanting to become a kittypet. Though that seemed it came out of nowhere too.) Clearly, most of the cats don't support merging the two clans and often fight with one another. I don't understand how these two cats even became leaders with their poor decision making and how they had any followers.

Scenes that don't make sense or are ridiculous:

One chapter, it's mentioned that Galestar can sleep through anything while Stripestar has a hard time sleeping. Then the next chapter, Stripestar is sleeping and Galestar is wondering how he can sleep. There is a lot of retconning in this novel. Also somehow one of the cats wakes up from a nightmare sweating. Cats can not sweat through their fur. A quick google search will tell you that.

When they travel outside the Clans' forest, they end up quickly at the Tribe of Rushing Water's mountain. It's been a lot of years since I last read Midnight, but I thought it took Brambleclaw and the group to travel through a lot of places to end up on that mountain. In this book, it's so close. It's not stated that they traveled back through the mountain to get to the forest again.

When both clans are sharing a camp, a fire breaks out. Galestar, who is currently pregnant, is running away from the fire. She ends up going into labor while the clan is escaping. It seems the fire randomly disappears for Galestar to give birth.

When they are communicating with Starclan at the Moonstone, they don't touch their noses to the stone and fall asleep. Instead all the cats that are in the cave see and talk to the same spirits. Again at the Moonstone, when a cat is receiving their nine lives, all the cats in the cave can see the ritual happening. The cat getting their nine lives receives them alone and isn't suppose to share what happens during the ritual.

We are somehow suppose to care that Galestar made a promise to her mother to never separate from her sister when it's mentioned. There is no built relationship to the sister as she was introduced briefly in chapter one and doesn't come back until this scene with Galestar wanting to travel outside the Clans' forest nine chapters later.

Stripestar and Galestar's relationship is in shambles at one point and when they eventually talk about some of their problems, Galestar mentions about thinking of her kits that passed away in the forest. How she thinks about them every day when it was never narrated in her point of view or affecting her decisions. After the scene when she gave birth to her dead kits, it seemed she got over them pretty quickly because the writer jumped to new matters instead of letting this continue to haunt the character throughout the book.

Galestar couldn't get pregnant with her previous mate, but can with Stripestar. It would have been interesting if there was conflict around it, but instead that cat is happy for them. They are also gay which doesn't make sense. Was there only one gay couple in the history of the Clans? There was no discrimination and hardships for out of the norm as they can't produce offspring. Were they gay because they are infertile? It would have been interesting to explore something like this.

In one chapter, they are living in the swamp and their camp gets attacked by a animal. (I think it's a mongoose?) It grabs a cat by the neck with it's mouth, making an eerie cracking sound and gush of blood. It's body is thrashed around, making it obvious that the cat would die from this. But it is narrated that they don't know if they are still alive. If something bites your neck, causing strange noises and bleeding, death. Somehow, the cat survives.

The ending conclusion for Galestar is nonsense. She gets separated by the cats traveling back to the Clans' forest by a storm. She and her kits get saved by some big wild cat who are surprisingly kind. The wild cat that recuses her quickly falls in love with her with no build up. Galestar ends up staying with these cats, ending her final chapter. Where did these wild cats come from? I dislike this ending for her as she doesn't get punishment for what she made her clanmates go through, yet Stripestar does? Doesn't Galestar also want to see her sister again?

The map is confusing and there's names for places that they never visited. From what I researched, it's a map for Ivypool's Heart and wasn't updated or fixed to match this book.

TLDR: This book does not contribute to the series and can be skipped. Poorly written and bad story with insufferable protagonists.

[Lara Vehar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book ever since Ivypool's heart came out and we met these new characters for the first time - but I just didn't really like this one.

I am not a fan of travelling books so I didn't really care for this one - but it has the added bonus of a brand new cast- we haven't met these cats before so once the book focuses on side character... they die in a couple of chapters- or even pages. And since we haven't met them before that point I hardly found myself caring about any deaths in this book and they lost all impact for me.

I hated StarClan - I hated how they flipped certain cat's personalities- like Riverstar being very out of character in this book. And I hated how they treated Galestar and Stripestar - also, they bring back up that five petal star prophecy and when cats rightfully question if it's even affecting anything at all since Skyclan left and they don't come back until years/decades later and the four remaining clans that stayed weren't really affected by it - StarClan is like: "There must be five clans around the lake!" - where was that energy and everything when SkyClan left and the other clans didn't let them stay? Why didn't they say the same thing back then and why didn't they demand the other clans bring SkyClan back?

I usually don't mind when the books drop the title or part of the title all the time - like Ivypool's heart - it makes sense if the book goes her heart was in the right place, her heart was huge - cats usually use the word heart so it doesn't sound weird or out of context- with folly... cats usually never use the word folly so it was so jarring when the cats in this book suddenly use it all the time - it felt so weird and it really took me out of the story.

The new main characters were fine.. but their romance felt rushed- they meet once as apprentices at a gathering where every cat is fighting - and they are suddenly so in love they start meeting in secret, Galestar gets pregnant and they want to be together forever - the thing is, their romance is so rushed that it starts showing cracks as soon as they start the journey. I didn't mind Galestar- she was a great leader and an interesting character, this book made me hate Stripestar though. He is constantly hiding things from his partner - the cat he wanted to be together with forever, and whilst his reasoning is okay- he doesn't want to stress her out because she is already pregnant and about to give birth ... it just becomes worse and worse as the book progresses because he is hiding more and more things from her and she resents him for it - rightfully so because he hides some pretty important things but confides in his deputy instead of with his mate and fellow leader.

The ending was ... interesting - StarClan demands they never talk about it again because they don't want any other leaders getting ideas about combining clans- I hope that this comes to play in the future because this could have worked if one of the leaders didn't hide things from his mate and if they didn't favour their clanmates instead of learning how to work together and live together with the other clan - but since this book is rushed and so much time is skipped we see them staying with their clan and besides two side characters getting together and having kids in spite of being from opposite clans we don't really get to see them mingle or do anything together.

This book does have one of the most hillarious and out of context lines when Galestar is suddenly like: "I must show my clan how their leader gives birth!" so that made me laugh and it gets a plus for me. And I did like the inclusion of same sex couple - they are side characters and the leave in the middle of the book but they are still there and they exist so I hope that we get more in the future.

Stripestar grows old and alone - and nobody ever mentions Galestar again because apparently never speaking of this includes her and everyone that died on that journey too - which is really weird- I mean ...does her sister who she was really close with just never mention her again? We never know because his P.O.V. ends with him being old in ThunderClan- and she met wildcats we meet in Ivypool's heart - she finds a new mate and has more kits- I just wish that we had a continuation of that first chapter when they meet again in StarClan because I would love to see that final chapter wrap up the story by finishing that first chapter and them actually talking and realizing why they never really worked and why they wouldn't work even if they stayed together. This book felt oddly rushed and unfinished and I just wish that it was longer since it's actually short for the Warrior cats super edition. I hope that we see more wildcats in the future though and that they are not just a one off thing like Warrior clan from Graystripe's vow was.

[Good Manticore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have such mixed feelings on this book. On one hand, I like that the authors are willing to take chances on new characters and plots, and I like the writing style of this new ghostwriter. On the other hand, this book retreads a lot of previously used scenarios--forbidden romance, traveling and all of the random conflicts that come with it, (oddly specifically) a white kitten being swiped by a hawk, and of course the whole story having been laid out in its entirety within the previous Super Edition, Ivypool's Heart. The ending also makes very little sense. Does StarClan somehow magically force all the cats, except Stripebark, to forget StormClan? If not, how is it so forgotten that even the cats who returned end up fading from StarClan by Ivypool's Heart? Stripebark came back, surely he and the other clanmates shouldn't have faded away? And Tumbletail mentioning that they could use StormClan as a cautionary tale only to be struck down by Thunderstar and the other founders just makes StarClan (specifically the founders) seem even more idiotic than usual. The authors shouldn't have drawn attention to it and just forced the cats to forget without bringing up "what if's".

The writing style is noticeably different from previous entries in the series, and for the most part, I like it. However, there were some weird terms. I.e. referring to Galestar snuggling her kittens to her "breast." Also, apparently these cats know what "metal," "stairs," and "houses" are, when every other book calls these things by different names: "shiny material," "steps," and "Twoleg dens."

The violence is also more graphic than it has been for a long while. Most notably is the thunderpath-crossing scene where it describes a cat being smushed and smeared under car tires. Also the wolverine(?) attack, which was awesome, but surprisingly EXTRA gory compared to animal attacks in recent books.

There's also some surprisingly humorous moments in this book, such as Stripestar getting what I assume was coke/pepsi poured on his head. "It was in his eyes! It was in his fur, damp and cold and nasty!" It cracked me up.

My biggest issue with the book is continuity. The whole story was laid out in a much more concise way in Ivypool's Heart that left plenty of wiggle room for the reader to come up with how it all fits together in the timeline. Spread across 450 pages and given much more detail, though, leaves a lot of questions. For example, on page 402, Tinyclaw is gathering the warriors and apprentices to speak with Stripestar. By this point, two or three years have passed, and StormClan has had no kittens that remain in it. So, where did these apprentices come from? Likewise, there's a character called Flash who just appears at page 196 to infodump about Twolegs since he used to be a kittypet... but he's apparently been a part of WindClan since page 1. The book can't even keep its own continuity and cast consistent, let alone fit into the already established canon of the series. Also the map makes no sense. The characters can see the ocean from the wildcat camp, but the map shows it on the other side of the spread from the "sun-drown place." Also, locations from Ivypool's Heart are included on the map despite not being a thing in this book (i.e. the Sisters' camp and Slate and Beach's camp)... I guess they were just too lazy to update it.

As a standalone, taken out of context from the rest of Warrior Cats canon, the book is fine. Pretty good, actually, as a tragedy. It has a lot of shortcomings, but it's not one of the worst Warriors books I've read... It held my attention. It had some really great moments, and the lows were more "meh" than bad. I guess I'll give it 3.5 stars.

[Allie Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

certainly feels like an outlier from standard Warriors fare, seeing as how almost every character is brand new and this is part of a very underexplored span of time, but it did pay off. the writing in the super editions has been steadily getting better, starting off with Ivypool's Heart. i felt this one was strongly written, especially concerning the voices of the two protagonists. the protagonist and side character personalities also felt more consistent than usual; there wasn't anything that any of them did that felt extremely out of place the way it's sometimes happened in the main series. i noticed it was a new ghostwriter in the credits for this novel, and if he remains with the team as a writer, i won't be complaining if all his books will be like this one.

i was admittedly beefing with Stripestar lol, because i was a huge fan of Galestar for the whole book --- she's such a complex, strong character. i was offended on her behalf by Stripestar's insistence on secrecy and jealousy. he really can't let a girlboss win. his arc was quite tragic, being all about a fall from grace (which i feel is uncommon for a Warriors protagonist as things usually tend to look up for them in the end, but not with this guy) and well written. Galestar's arc was impeccable, and the resolution of her gradually adjusting to the wild cats' lifestyle and feeling valued for what felt like the first time in a long time was delivered so well. her acceptance of Gale Rise as a name was nice to see as well, it was a great physical indicator of her readiness to find new joy. This tale was surprisingly gruesome in parts, including but definitely not limited to Rainkit taken by a hawk a la Snowkit, Galestar's loss of her first litter, and Kestrelwing's sickeningly twisted death (that description of his remains stuck with me).

i can't finish this review without a shoutout to Thrushcall and Pebblenose, the only confirmed queer characters in the prose novels (Ravenpaw and Barley, while canon, haven't been explicitly stated as mates except in the graphic novel adaptations). it's giving me hope for the series as a whole, because close to the entire online fandom seems to be queer lmao, so this feels like the right gesture. Thrushcall and Pebblenose weren't just shoehorned in either; they were both written with distinct personalities and individual dynamics with Galestar so that they felt like genuine representation instead of a checkbox. Pebblenose was incredibly likable, being just a genuinely decent and thoughtful cat, and showed admirable reason and kindness. Thrushcall was definitely entertaining, being able to banter with his friends in every interaction especially during apprenticehood. His grouchiness was offset by a caring streak towards both his mate and Galestar; he and Galestar were genuine friends, and were able to enjoy each others' company despite having romantic feelings for the same cat. they weren't treated like they were special, and were addressed by the narrative in the same way that any straight couple was addressed (and honestly had both more screen time and interactions/chemistry with each other than most other couples in Warriors at all). I LOVE GAY CATS!!!

[DOGLVR · Rating 4 out of 5]

After 3 days, I've finally finished this book. I feel... conflicted.

Every other recent Warriors super edition could be summed up in one word. Onestar's Confession was annoying. Ivypool's Heart was surprisingly good? Riverstar's Home was just lazy. But StormClan's Folly? I'm not sure what to think.

Firstly, it's very clear that this book has a new writer, because the writing feels so different. The cats are way more humanized in this book than they've ever been. At one point, Galestar snuggles her kits up to her "breast," which I'm pretty sure is the first time the writers have used that word in reference to the cats instead of prey. And what's with the random battle cries of "StormClaaaaaaaaan! ThunderClaaaaaaaaaaaan!" It feels so awkward... They've literally never done this.

To find a story likeable, I need to connect with the characters so I can actually feel bad for them, but I found it very difficult to sympathize with the protagonists. Galestar and Stripestar are complete stubborn, prideful idiots. They doom their entire Clan(s) multiple times through this book in easily avoidable ways. "Am I doing something stupid? Probably... but let's do it anyway." And then one of their Clan members die. They keep falling into the same mistakes over and over again. Stripestar constantly keeps secrets from his mate, and Galestar is rightfully pissed off about it, but for some reason doesn't prod? She knows he's hiding something and just lets him? And then more cats die.

There is a LOT of death in this book, and it's strangely graphic for a Warriors book. It's wise to skip this book if you're an elementary schooler or sensitive at all and don't like reading about cats getting graphically flattened by cars or shredded by otters for, like, 400 pages. The themes of death and despair are so dark for a Warriors book. It's not bad, but it's definitely a change.

Also, bonus points for the first ever gay couple in the series (in text. Yes, I know that Ravenpaw x Barley is canon but it's only confirmed in the graphic novels). Thrushcall and Pebblenose are so cute, and I love their personalities.

The Wildcats were interesting-- and much better written than the Tribe or Sisters ever were. I would love to see material on them if the cats ever go traveling again. And Bound Hunt is an amazing character. Now we can finally add a second cat into the pile of "calm male cats who take rejection reasonably" (why is this number so low????).

It does read a bit like fanfiction, but it's surprisingly entertaining. While it's a traveling book (usually a drag to read through) it was actually decent.

3.5 stars rounded up.

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of the Warriors books I feel very ambivalent towards.

Not because the storytelling is particularly bad or uninteresting. Not at all. But, because we know most of the StormClan story from the other books in the saga? I don’t feel like we got too much new information here. Some gory details, yes. But, new stuff? Questionable.

The most interesting part of this book was probably the prologue where Galestar and Stripestar meet again in StarClan—and it was so brief. The questions they pose to each other are more for us to consider than them.

Anyway.

Beyond that, I do find this book and the whole StormClan cautionary tale to be perplexing?

Like, what’s the message?

That society is structured the way it is for a reason and that tradition should be upheld to maintain order—culturally and spiritually? That those who go against tradition should be punished accordingly?

It’s not a super compelling message to me—especially considering that the transgression in question is just two cats from different clans falling in love and wanting to share a life together.

Granted, they may not have been the best match personality-wise.

But, because they were not just thrown out and ostracized from the four clans but cast out of StarClan and stripped of their connection and protection, it’s impossible to know what their future could have been. Maybe they worked. Maybe they didn’t. Too much interference to really tell.

Personally, the key takeaway from this story for me is that StarClan’s rules and the pact they have with the Warrior cat clans NEEDS to be adjusted so that tragedies like what befell StormClan do not have to happen again.

The problem here is not that two cats from different clans fell in love; the problem is how it was handled.

Such an inflexible law and world order is only going to break people and communities.

Anyway.

Per usual, these cats all deserve better. Hopefully they get it.

If you’re an avid reader of the series like me, I’d love to hear your thoughts~

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you know me, I rate every Warrior Cats book five stars, and this book is no exception! I know, this book took me so long to read, but it wasn't because I didn't like it. To summarize, this book was very eventful, but it also didn't take me by surprise because we got some insight from Ivypool's Heart.

Can I just say first that Stripestar and Galestar were never meant to be? Throughout the book, they proved that again and again, making me scream, "Just break up already!" I love how Erin Hunter was subtly emphasizing that their Clan and their relationship could never work. Stripestar is too immature for Galestar, and Galestar is too serious for Stripestar.

Even though the book was very eventful, it felt long and frustrating in some parts, probably because I'm not a huge fan of traveling and journey books in the Warriors series. It also didn't make sense as to why Stripestar hid the dream/nightmare about the "fish with legs" from Galestar, because they were literally mates and Clan leader partners? Also, Stripestar kept making decisions without telling her, and Galestar was passive-aggressive when she was angry at him.

I will say that I loved the ending of this book, probably because I knew about it from Ivypool's Heart. I like how Galestar's relationship with Bound Hunt was eased into, rather than immediately being mates. I also didn't expect that Stripestar would still be a warrior in ThunderClan, even after all he had done. Surprise! Surprise! I always wanted to know what happened to the survivors of StormClan after the big storm.

All in all, I did really like this book. Can't wait for more! 5/5 stars! This is my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt.

[Rachael Witt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read and kept up with every book of Erin Hunter's Warriors series since 2008. I have always been impressed with the plots, character developments, the antagonists, and how every book seems to add another beautiful branch to the Warrior Cats universe.

But not this book.

This book consisted of two lying narrators who acted more like star-crossed fools than respected, appointed leaders of clans. Who had underdeveloped back stories and, together, led the longest murky middle of a journey that no clan cat with a brain would have stayed on had they thought it through. Who knew nothing of clan loyalty and tradition and thought of no one but themselves. All they had was a dream (with clans who somehow didn't consistently rebel against them??), and their continual foolishness caused me to find them unlikable despite their small redemption arcs towards the end.

Overall, this was the hardest book in the Warriors series for me to ever finish. I hope to Starclan that first time readers to the Warriors series do not read this book first. This is not Erin Hunter's finest work, and I hope this isn't the start of the end to this wonderful world.

Note: If I had read this book rather than listened to it, perhaps I would have enjoyed it better. The audio performance is one of the worst I have ever heard for such a well-acclaimed book series, and I hope to Starclan MacLead Andrews makes a return.

[Mikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A warriors cat with a consistent plot and genuinely flawed main characters that the narrative doesn’t try to justify? It’s more likely than you think!

In all seriousness though, I found myself actually really enjoying this one! Is the plot absolutely absurd and makes no sense in the context of the broader timeline? For sure. But do I prefer this over the same tropes they’ve been using for 20 years? ABSOLUTELY.

I loved how they were NOT scared of killing off some of these guys. The whole: “StarClan will strike you down unless you play by their rules” and the resulting doomed narrative felt different and wayyy more interesting than the usual: “oh no! StarClan is all vague! What do we do??��� Which by now…is pretty dull. Here it’s basically turning that trope on its head and making everyone suffer, and lo and behold, there’s actual TENSION.

Like Rainkit? It’s giving Snowkit flashbacks…holy guacamole- and that’s not even getting into Kestrelwing (MY POOR BOY)

The book of course fell into the pitfalls of a lot of Warriors books. Rushed romances, pacing issues, etc. But that’s par for the course, and I don’t really go into these things expecting a whole lot anyways. So seeing some drama + a plot that hasn’t really been done in Warriors before had me having way more fun with it than I thought I would

[Toby Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new Erin and a new story.

i cant say this book was particularly amazing but it wasnt particularly bad either. This new Erin has a writing style that diesnt fit with the others. The cats are more human like then ever. It throws me off. It was simple details that bugged me. One such detail had a cat sweating from their pelt. That just doesnt happen. they sweat from their pads and mouth by panting.

Another nitpick was the overuse of shouting StormClaaaaaaan. Never in this series have we witnessed this. And you know what. I dont want to again. it was overused and simply doesnt fit the style of the book. Also, the cats didnt cheer the other cats name when they got promoted. That is a staple in this series since Into the Wild. Last nitpick. The writer described a twoleg den as a house. Excuse me!!! Its a Twoleg den. That is final.

Now with those out of the way. I loved how this aithor described blood and the hunting process of prey. i loved the heated emotions of Galestar and Stripstar. They went through so many ups and diwns and you can feel their emotions to a tee. its fantastic writing in that sense. I will say though that Tinyclaw and Stripestar should have ended up together cause Starclan sake they had good chemistry.

Overall, i beleive this new Erin still has lots to learn on how to be an Erin but this was a good start.