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Warriors: A Vision of Shadows #6
The Raging Storm
Erin Hunter’s #1 bestselling Warriors series continues with the thrilling conclusion to the Vision of Shadows story arc.
ShadowClan has returned under the leadership of a new Tigerstar, but their renewed strength has brought the tensions around the lake to an explosive breaking point. SkyClan’s place among the Clans is about to be decided once and for all.
Full of epic adventure and thrilling intrigue, this fifth Warriors series is the perfect introduction for readers new to the Warriors world—while for dedicated fans, it’s a long-awaited return to the era of Bramblestar’s ThunderClan, after the events of Omen of the Stars.
ShadowClan has returned under the leadership of a new Tigerstar, but their renewed strength has brought the tensions around the lake to an explosive breaking point. SkyClan’s place among the Clans is about to be decided once and for all.
Full of epic adventure and thrilling intrigue, this fifth Warriors series is the perfect introduction for readers new to the Warriors world—while for dedicated fans, it’s a long-awaited return to the era of Bramblestar’s ThunderClan, after the events of Omen of the Stars.
322 pages, Paperback
First published November 6, 2018
910 people are currently reading
3111 people want to read
About the author
Erin Hunter
284 books10.9k followersErin 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 260 reviews
January 16, 2019
-takes deep breath-
I had moderate hopes for this book. Series three was really bad, but the last book made everything worth it for me. I was hoping something similar would happen with this series. Maybe God was telling me not to read it when months passed and I still had zero drive to pick it up.
I DNFed it with 40 pages left. I have never DNFed a Warriors book. I have read, literally, every Warriors book out until this one. I'm a die-hard fan. I put up with crappy books and unlikeable characters because of good plots or good characters. There was always something to hold on to. This book--this series--has nothing.
I still can't fully figure out what the point of it was other than bringing SkyClan home? It was a bloody soap opera the entire time afterwards. ShadowClan gets demoted to villain status for the entire series because, for whatever reason the authors can't think of any other clan to make into the villains. ThunderClan is in everyone's business to the point that it's so bossy. ThunderClan thinks they have a right to step into every situation and solve problems or boss people around and no one wants it. Firestar did that because that's who he was. Not the whole clan. Half the clan never liked it when he did that, and the other half begrudgingly went along with it. Like three people were okay with Firestar wanting to fix everything. He's gone. Why are they still doing this?
Every clan is petty in this except WindClan who has been shoved to the side after the fiasco that was Onestar's arc (still the most idiotic thing I've ever read). RiverClan wants to push itself away from everyone while also being a part of the warrior society. Not sure how that works, but OK. ShadowClan is bad because, uh, uh, they've always been the villains, so they gotta be the villains again, right? K. ThunderClan is nosy. SkyClan wants a break. Everyone is arguing or fighting over what each clan needs to do or not do or what SkyClan will do, but instead of doing anything, they all shrug it off and leave SkyClan to fend for themselves, which Leafstar points out as the reason why they leave. Leafstar gets it--the writers don't care about anyone but ThunderClan, so might as well go back to the Gorge.
Also, what's with every single character having the same voice? No one is unique in this. Jayfeather wasn't snarky and grumpy. He sounded like Alderheart who is supposed to have anxiety. They both sounded like every other clan cat in this book. No one has a unique voice/character at all.
Now, I was prepared to let that slide and simply read this book to the end and let it go. Have a nice bonvoyage to Warriors and agree that the series is past it's prime. But the authors HAD to have the Finleap/Twigbranch thing. This. Was. Not. OK. Finleap spends the entire book being depressed because Twigbranch doesn't want to have kits, which she is totally allowed to say and feel, but he tells her that because she said she wants to wait, she doesn't love him. He guilts her, tries to manipulate her emotions by saying "I thought you loved me enough to have my kits," and blames their failing relationship ON TWIGBRANCH. He takes zero responsibility for his own actions/speech and places it all on her. To top that off, later on, Tree tells Twigbranch that maybe she should just do what Finleap says because "queens only stay in the nursery until their kits are weened." THAT IS NOT THE POINT. It is NEVER okay in a relationship for one side to attempt to force the other person to do something they don't feel comfortable with. The fact that this was put in a children's book further frustrates and confuses me because why does a child need to read about this? And who in their right mind thinks it's OK to put a toxic relationship like this in a KID'S book?
I would say we can talk about the plot, but there was none. This was a soap opera, plain and simple. ShadowClan and SkyClan spent the entire book pointing paws at one another and complaining and everyone else milled around looking confused and saying "What can I do? It's not my problem." Let me remind you that enough of the cats that took the trip from the Old Forest through the mountains and fought against the Dark Forest in a united clan are still alive. These people know how to work together. They shouldn't just suddenly "forget" how to do it or even be too lazy to step in when they know something is wrong.
I'm mad, OK? And I'm done. This series should have ended after Omen of the Stars. That wrapped up the prophecy from Skywatcher, finished the issues with the Dark Forest, and had a giant grand finale. It was epic, it was sad. I cried. The Raging Storm doesn't even carry a fraction of that. It feels like a filler book with no purpose except to fill space for books 5 or 6. The problem is, this IS book 6. The next series is about SkyClan, and I'm not bothering. Obviously no one cares enough to write stories of quality and heart like the first series, so I'm not going to keep spending my money, time, and energy to read to read these newer books.
I had moderate hopes for this book. Series three was really bad, but the last book made everything worth it for me. I was hoping something similar would happen with this series. Maybe God was telling me not to read it when months passed and I still had zero drive to pick it up.
I DNFed it with 40 pages left. I have never DNFed a Warriors book. I have read, literally, every Warriors book out until this one. I'm a die-hard fan. I put up with crappy books and unlikeable characters because of good plots or good characters. There was always something to hold on to. This book--this series--has nothing.
I still can't fully figure out what the point of it was other than bringing SkyClan home? It was a bloody soap opera the entire time afterwards. ShadowClan gets demoted to villain status for the entire series because, for whatever reason the authors can't think of any other clan to make into the villains. ThunderClan is in everyone's business to the point that it's so bossy. ThunderClan thinks they have a right to step into every situation and solve problems or boss people around and no one wants it. Firestar did that because that's who he was. Not the whole clan. Half the clan never liked it when he did that, and the other half begrudgingly went along with it. Like three people were okay with Firestar wanting to fix everything. He's gone. Why are they still doing this?
Every clan is petty in this except WindClan who has been shoved to the side after the fiasco that was Onestar's arc (still the most idiotic thing I've ever read). RiverClan wants to push itself away from everyone while also being a part of the warrior society. Not sure how that works, but OK. ShadowClan is bad because, uh, uh, they've always been the villains, so they gotta be the villains again, right? K. ThunderClan is nosy. SkyClan wants a break. Everyone is arguing or fighting over what each clan needs to do or not do or what SkyClan will do, but instead of doing anything, they all shrug it off and leave SkyClan to fend for themselves, which Leafstar points out as the reason why they leave. Leafstar gets it--the writers don't care about anyone but ThunderClan, so might as well go back to the Gorge.
Also, what's with every single character having the same voice? No one is unique in this. Jayfeather wasn't snarky and grumpy. He sounded like Alderheart who is supposed to have anxiety. They both sounded like every other clan cat in this book. No one has a unique voice/character at all.
Now, I was prepared to let that slide and simply read this book to the end and let it go. Have a nice bonvoyage to Warriors and agree that the series is past it's prime. But the authors HAD to have the Finleap/Twigbranch thing. This. Was. Not. OK. Finleap spends the entire book being depressed because Twigbranch doesn't want to have kits, which she is totally allowed to say and feel, but he tells her that because she said she wants to wait, she doesn't love him. He guilts her, tries to manipulate her emotions by saying "I thought you loved me enough to have my kits," and blames their failing relationship ON TWIGBRANCH. He takes zero responsibility for his own actions/speech and places it all on her. To top that off, later on, Tree tells Twigbranch that maybe she should just do what Finleap says because "queens only stay in the nursery until their kits are weened." THAT IS NOT THE POINT. It is NEVER okay in a relationship for one side to attempt to force the other person to do something they don't feel comfortable with. The fact that this was put in a children's book further frustrates and confuses me because why does a child need to read about this? And who in their right mind thinks it's OK to put a toxic relationship like this in a KID'S book?
I would say we can talk about the plot, but there was none. This was a soap opera, plain and simple. ShadowClan and SkyClan spent the entire book pointing paws at one another and complaining and everyone else milled around looking confused and saying "What can I do? It's not my problem." Let me remind you that enough of the cats that took the trip from the Old Forest through the mountains and fought against the Dark Forest in a united clan are still alive. These people know how to work together. They shouldn't just suddenly "forget" how to do it or even be too lazy to step in when they know something is wrong.
I'm mad, OK? And I'm done. This series should have ended after Omen of the Stars. That wrapped up the prophecy from Skywatcher, finished the issues with the Dark Forest, and had a giant grand finale. It was epic, it was sad. I cried. The Raging Storm doesn't even carry a fraction of that. It feels like a filler book with no purpose except to fill space for books 5 or 6. The problem is, this IS book 6. The next series is about SkyClan, and I'm not bothering. Obviously no one cares enough to write stories of quality and heart like the first series, so I'm not going to keep spending my money, time, and energy to read to read these newer books.
November 13, 2018
Was it good? No. Was it worth reading? Maybe for the last third. Anything that wasn't Alderheart's POV felt like frustrating padding.
November 12, 2018
3.5/5
Well. Another Warriors arc complete. And if I'm being honest, this series was overall disappointing. The characters were for the most part boring and unoriginal, and the plot felt recycled and drawn out unnecessarily.
But let's talk about this final book.
Firstly, I must say, I was completely shocked by the fact that this book actually showcases what is good in a relationship and what is not. Like, who would have thought that a book about CATS WHO LIVE IN CLANS AND FIGHT would be talking about the healthy and unhealthy parts of relationships. So that's a big bonus, for any genre, but it gets an even bigger bonus considering the target demographic of this series, as it will show younger readers what is ok, and not ok to do.
Secondly, I enjoyed Tree. He was my favourite character this series. I must say, for all the talk about how "important" he was, he didn't actually do anything that important??? Like what?
The plot of this fell flat for me as far as finales go. I didn't feel any concern for anyone, or particularly care. In all the other Warriors finales, I would normally be anticipating everything, but for this, I was honestly just indifferent. The plot has been done before, IN THIS VERY SERIES NO LESS, so I knew how it would end.
Hopefully the next Warriors arc will bring back the greatness that was the first 5 series!
Well. Another Warriors arc complete. And if I'm being honest, this series was overall disappointing. The characters were for the most part boring and unoriginal, and the plot felt recycled and drawn out unnecessarily.
But let's talk about this final book.
Firstly, I must say, I was completely shocked by the fact that this book actually showcases what is good in a relationship and what is not. Like, who would have thought that a book about CATS WHO LIVE IN CLANS AND FIGHT would be talking about the healthy and unhealthy parts of relationships. So that's a big bonus, for any genre, but it gets an even bigger bonus considering the target demographic of this series, as it will show younger readers what is ok, and not ok to do.
Secondly, I enjoyed Tree. He was my favourite character this series. I must say, for all the talk about how "important" he was, he didn't actually do anything that important??? Like what?
The plot of this fell flat for me as far as finales go. I didn't feel any concern for anyone, or particularly care. In all the other Warriors finales, I would normally be anticipating everything, but for this, I was honestly just indifferent. The plot has been done before, IN THIS VERY SERIES NO LESS, so I knew how it would end.
Hopefully the next Warriors arc will bring back the greatness that was the first 5 series!
November 7, 2018
It started out slow, with lots of messy conflict and unnecessary romantic subplots that I felt I had to grit my teeth to get through. The bits with Finleap and Twigbranch were miserable, and Finleap was insufferable. The only real plot line I was interested in was the one with Alderheart and ShadowClan.
However, the pace really picked up towards the end, when all of the Clans realized their mistakes. It was refreshing for a leader to not only see the error of his ways, but to apologize for it and promise to make it right. Not only that, it was nice to see an antagonist character who was truly good, but did bad things for what he thought was right, and then when punished, accepted that what he did was wrong and tried to fix it not to redeem himself, but simply to do good.
Finleap and Twigbranch making amends felt right, rather than forced, and the Clans all working together at the end to make sure everyone had equal share of the territory was genuinely heartwarming and left me feeling happy.
I thought this book was going to be full of unnecessary deaths and evil characters and would leave me with a feeling of despair and annoyance, but I'm happy to be proven wrong.
However, the pace really picked up towards the end, when all of the Clans realized their mistakes. It was refreshing for a leader to not only see the error of his ways, but to apologize for it and promise to make it right. Not only that, it was nice to see an antagonist character who was truly good, but did bad things for what he thought was right, and then when punished, accepted that what he did was wrong and tried to fix it not to redeem himself, but simply to do good.
Finleap and Twigbranch making amends felt right, rather than forced, and the Clans all working together at the end to make sure everyone had equal share of the territory was genuinely heartwarming and left me feeling happy.
I thought this book was going to be full of unnecessary deaths and evil characters and would leave me with a feeling of despair and annoyance, but I'm happy to be proven wrong.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2020
After a decade, I'm finished with the Warriors series. I can't begin to describe how infuriating this arc is, but this franchise has been on the decline since Dawn of the Clans. So many older cats are behaving out of character, and the newer additions are boring af. I'm tired of ShadowClan being villians, and the lack of repercussions for breaking the Warrior Code is outrageous in Vision of Shadows.
I can't do it anymore, guys. I'm done.
I can't do it anymore, guys. I'm done.
March 21, 2019
I DON'T BELIEVE I LET ANY SPOILERS SLIP IN, BUT THERE MAY BE TINY DETAILS THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED SPOILERS.
I hate to be a downer, but this was by far the worst book in the Warriors series ever, and it was supposed to be a finale for this six-book one with Alderheart.
I was very interested at first, because... Well, the title says it all. The raging storm was foretold by Starclan, and of course the Clans don't really want to listen. I wouldn't consider that a spoiler since it seems to be the general plot in the books.
Basically, I expect something big to happen in the sixth book in a Warrior cat series. Yes, we sort of got that in the last forty pages, but it was not what I was looking for. Ultimately, I was disappointed by the ending. The characters also fell flat. Jayfeather didn't sound like his grumpy self, and even let Alderheart take the lead which was very odd. Twigbranch snapped at her own apprentice many times, even treating her like a nuisance.
One issue I was frustrated with was the romance between Finleap and Twigbranch. He was pressuring her to be in a relationship that she wasn't ready for, one that included kits no less. It was horrible that he treated her poorly, saying that if she didn't want kits... Well, she apparently didn't love him because she should be done what he asked. I'm really glad they resolved this in the end, but I am not happy that this is what the Erins stooped down to in order to keep readers.
I'm also disappointed that the authors were okay with implying "sex before marriage". No, there was no chapter (or anything descriptive) on that, but one of the female cats discovered she was pregnant before she actually officially got together with the male. Yeah, I know they are just cats because the don't have the same set of rules in reality. But I am just bugged that the cats are knowledgeable in this fiction, and the authors didn't seem to mind promoting sex before marriage. Agenda, anyone?
Just my two cents, and if you don't agree, that's fine. I'm not looking for an argument as everyone does have their own opinion regarding beliefs. If it makes you feel any better, little kids probably would miss this detail and I would have too if I weren't able to read into things now.
Overall, meh. Horrible ending. But since another series is in the works, I will probably check it out because Warriors is my childhood and I hope they can return it to its former glory... :P
I hate to be a downer, but this was by far the worst book in the Warriors series ever, and it was supposed to be a finale for this six-book one with Alderheart.
I was very interested at first, because... Well, the title says it all. The raging storm was foretold by Starclan, and of course the Clans don't really want to listen. I wouldn't consider that a spoiler since it seems to be the general plot in the books.
Basically, I expect something big to happen in the sixth book in a Warrior cat series. Yes, we sort of got that in the last forty pages, but it was not what I was looking for. Ultimately, I was disappointed by the ending. The characters also fell flat. Jayfeather didn't sound like his grumpy self, and even let Alderheart take the lead which was very odd. Twigbranch snapped at her own apprentice many times, even treating her like a nuisance.
One issue I was frustrated with was the romance between Finleap and Twigbranch. He was pressuring her to be in a relationship that she wasn't ready for, one that included kits no less. It was horrible that he treated her poorly, saying that if she didn't want kits... Well, she apparently didn't love him because she should be done what he asked. I'm really glad they resolved this in the end, but I am not happy that this is what the Erins stooped down to in order to keep readers.
I'm also disappointed that the authors were okay with implying "sex before marriage". No, there was no chapter (or anything descriptive) on that, but one of the female cats discovered she was pregnant before she actually officially got together with the male. Yeah, I know they are just cats because the don't have the same set of rules in reality. But I am just bugged that the cats are knowledgeable in this fiction, and the authors didn't seem to mind promoting sex before marriage. Agenda, anyone?
Just my two cents, and if you don't agree, that's fine. I'm not looking for an argument as everyone does have their own opinion regarding beliefs. If it makes you feel any better, little kids probably would miss this detail and I would have too if I weren't able to read into things now.
Overall, meh. Horrible ending. But since another series is in the works, I will probably check it out because Warriors is my childhood and I hope they can return it to its former glory... :P
February 25, 2025
So badly written. In the beginning there is conflict and tension and then BOOM it magically works out, zero development what so ever. Why and how did the characters change their mind? I’m glad they did but it just randomly seems to happen when it’s convenient. And don’t get me started on the sudden romances ugh! Nothing had consequences everything just revolves in this arc, but then what’s the stake of the decisions the characters make? It just gets boring!
November 21, 2018
It was....okay. I felt bored reading it. The story arc didn't go anywhere. There was no big event or anticipation or suspense about anything. The Alderheart sections were decent, but the outcome of that was so flat. It seemed like one big filler book. For it being the last of the six books in the series, it didn't have that "finale" feel to it, and that was disappointing. I always look forward to reading the last book because it tends to be exciting and I usually can't put the book down. This one just didn't do it for me.
February 14, 2020
I loved this series. The sixth series is amazing. It brings such joy into everything. I can’t wait for the next series yahhh
April 8, 2021
I love this series! It was so good. I cant wait to read the Broken Code!!!!
November 7, 2021
A vision of Shadows as a whole was such a disappointment, so many fillers, and nonsense which could have been skipped - but then there would only be around two to three books and not six.
What I felt about this book is that more than half of it could have been skipped and still would make sense. The complete thing they have built up for the past five books, is just something that comes up within the last 40/30 pages? And gets fixed in less than 3 chapters.
It's a really disappointing read, I have enjoyed reading warriors for a long while but... this series is just a real disappointment in general - the start had great potential, then it just fell flat.
One thing that the Erins have done remarkable in this series is its character development, and going deeper into characters in general - at least the main characters.
What I felt about this book is that more than half of it could have been skipped and still would make sense. The complete thing they have built up for the past five books, is just something that comes up within the last 40/30 pages? And gets fixed in less than 3 chapters.
It's a really disappointing read, I have enjoyed reading warriors for a long while but... this series is just a real disappointment in general - the start had great potential, then it just fell flat.
One thing that the Erins have done remarkable in this series is its character development, and going deeper into characters in general - at least the main characters.
Read
December 5, 2019hell yeah shadowclan is back
August 22, 2019
*me halfway through a book* WOW I HAVE INTENSE THOUGHTS
*me having finished a book*
Meh
WELL I didn’t do any updates for this cause I planned to do a review so.... here goes
So while for A Song of Ice and Fire it would take me so much effort to write beautiful long reviews, I get a pit inside me when I realize there are so many fans and people with strong opinions mine don’t matter at all, so I just make half coherent updates for my own reference.
WARRIORS ON THE OTHER HAND I MUST preserve my thoughts to laugh over later XD
ALSO this is rather unfortunate, but my only reviews that ever get noticed by anyone other than my few friends, are my ones on say Wings of Fire, or Warriors.
And I have to say, I don’t need some middle schooler who is a genuine fan of these books giving their polite opinion on my reviews, because I’m just putting this out there, my “reviews” are half coherent joking roasts on this bloated universe that I fell in love with over 6 years ago and kinda just stuck around for kicks.
I dedicate this piece to Alex, my dear friend, we originally bonded over our mutual love/hate relationship with Warriors.
So
The good stuff
This is like the sixth Warriors SERIES. WARRIORS. And I have to say, that while the quality of other books in this series was eh, (also side note. For some reason I have the book before this I think as read but not the book before that one, honestly I’m sure confused but don’t remember anything anyways so) this one at least had consistent decent writing with not TOO much high level vocabulary that these cats shouldn’t know, or just weird stuff like (oh god what kind of stuff did they say in that other book. Awesome? That’s a pretty cat? I don’t know)
Also who let Ivypool have kits, THRIFTkit and FLIPkit. (Alex catch me with my kit BLUEFACE BABY)
Anywayssssss where to actually start with this...
I love how Tigerstar IMMEDIATELY becomes a stereotypical generic over ambitious ShadowClan leader I mean who was that cat who thought maybe the stereotypes were exaggerated but then took that back.
I also love how these cats are so damn jaded they’re all “nah we’ll survive this storm I trust in StarCaln we’ll pull through we always have”
D U D E
STARCLAN WARNED YOU ISH WOULD HAPPEN AND YOU IGNORED THEM
THATS THEM PROTECTING YOU FROM THE STORM
OKAYYY????
Every natural disaster, catastrophe, global warming, this is all due to them DAMN CATS WHO CANT GET THEIR HEADS OUTTA THEIR ASSES
Also SkyClan takes no shit I mean Leafstar is just like “these cats hypocrites they don’t respect us we gave em chances PEACE OUT”
All these cats like “hmmmm we’ve had drama in the past buttttt let’s let’s make the same mistakes as usual oh is that SkyClan needing help? OH LOOK A BLADE OF GRASS I DONT CARE ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS”
And this my friends, is an entirely too real demonstration about society, maybe warriors DOES know what it’s doing, I mean I constantly hate how these cats never learn from their mistakes, are deeply principled and religious to a fault, also leading to their EXTREME prejudices, close-mindedness, lack of willingness to compromise as well as their propensity for violence....just to name some
Hello humanity
Oh shit there’s no hope for America is there
LISTEN TO STARCLAN PEOPLE THE FIVE SAPLINFS THE F I V E S A P L I N G S
Daenerys Stormborn yo
Tree. You’d think this dude would do something he’s not SMART he just has COMMON SENSE but he quickly learns these cats are idiots so he’s no more useful than Bran in season 7
Also dude can just CHANNEL SPIRITS???? Okay.
Ah so Twigbranch
You KNOW I love a good feminist progressive message and diverse female characters with different goals and personalities but after basically completing 6 series and who knows how many super editions and short stories, we finally decide to MAYBE not do a forbidden love arc for the millionth time and try something new... like maybe her not wanting kits right away.
A relevant topic, and something I’m highly for, I don’t think everyone needs to get married or have kids; and if you do, HAVE A LIFE AND GET A JOB FIRST YOU AINT SEEING ME ENTERING SHIDDUCHIM IN A YEAR
I mean I’m like the biggest advocate for this.
But here’s the thing guys.
These are cats.
Feral cats who don’t have long life spans, birth control, or live in large societies.
I mean count the allegiances in the beginning theres not a lot of cats in each clan and they always seem to be dying.
So first off, it’s kinda selfish to be “I’m not sure if I even ever want kits”
Second of all. We have established throughout The who knows how many books in this universe how these cats just get into all these relationships and... *drumroll please* HAVE ALL THESE KITS
now I’m not SAYING it’s not possible for these cats to have self control and be in a loving relationship yet somehow stay celibate... I’m just saying that any previously mentioned cats were all like KITS??!!! OMIGODNESS I DID NOT SEE THIS COMING and suddenly we have two cats calmly discussing family planning OVER AND OVER AND OVER BEATING US OVER THE HEAD WITH JAYFEATHERS STICK THEY CANT DISCUSS FAMILY PLANNING THEY DONT HAVE ACCESS TO BIRTH CONTROL OR ABORTIONS OR ANYTHING DONT TELL ME THESE CATS ARENT HORNY AF I READ THESE BOOKS OKAY
I’m just SAYIN if it’s that easy to not have kits I wanna have words with a number of cats
yea I’m making a big deal okay XD I HAVE A RIGHT
*me having finished a book*
Meh
WELL I didn’t do any updates for this cause I planned to do a review so.... here goes
So while for A Song of Ice and Fire it would take me so much effort to write beautiful long reviews, I get a pit inside me when I realize there are so many fans and people with strong opinions mine don’t matter at all, so I just make half coherent updates for my own reference.
WARRIORS ON THE OTHER HAND I MUST preserve my thoughts to laugh over later XD
ALSO this is rather unfortunate, but my only reviews that ever get noticed by anyone other than my few friends, are my ones on say Wings of Fire, or Warriors.
And I have to say, I don’t need some middle schooler who is a genuine fan of these books giving their polite opinion on my reviews, because I’m just putting this out there, my “reviews” are half coherent joking roasts on this bloated universe that I fell in love with over 6 years ago and kinda just stuck around for kicks.
I dedicate this piece to Alex, my dear friend, we originally bonded over our mutual love/hate relationship with Warriors.
So
The good stuff
This is like the sixth Warriors SERIES. WARRIORS. And I have to say, that while the quality of other books in this series was eh, (also side note. For some reason I have the book before this I think as read but not the book before that one, honestly I’m sure confused but don’t remember anything anyways so) this one at least had consistent decent writing with not TOO much high level vocabulary that these cats shouldn’t know, or just weird stuff like (oh god what kind of stuff did they say in that other book. Awesome? That’s a pretty cat? I don’t know)
Also who let Ivypool have kits, THRIFTkit and FLIPkit. (Alex catch me with my kit BLUEFACE BABY)
Anywayssssss where to actually start with this...
I love how Tigerstar IMMEDIATELY becomes a stereotypical generic over ambitious ShadowClan leader I mean who was that cat who thought maybe the stereotypes were exaggerated but then took that back.
I also love how these cats are so damn jaded they’re all “nah we’ll survive this storm I trust in StarCaln we’ll pull through we always have”
D U D E
STARCLAN WARNED YOU ISH WOULD HAPPEN AND YOU IGNORED THEM
THATS THEM PROTECTING YOU FROM THE STORM
OKAYYY????
Every natural disaster, catastrophe, global warming, this is all due to them DAMN CATS WHO CANT GET THEIR HEADS OUTTA THEIR ASSES
Also SkyClan takes no shit I mean Leafstar is just like “these cats hypocrites they don’t respect us we gave em chances PEACE OUT”
All these cats like “hmmmm we’ve had drama in the past buttttt let’s let’s make the same mistakes as usual oh is that SkyClan needing help? OH LOOK A BLADE OF GRASS I DONT CARE ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS”
And this my friends, is an entirely too real demonstration about society, maybe warriors DOES know what it’s doing, I mean I constantly hate how these cats never learn from their mistakes, are deeply principled and religious to a fault, also leading to their EXTREME prejudices, close-mindedness, lack of willingness to compromise as well as their propensity for violence....just to name some
Hello humanity
Oh shit there’s no hope for America is there
LISTEN TO STARCLAN PEOPLE THE FIVE SAPLINFS THE F I V E S A P L I N G S
Daenerys Stormborn yo
Tree. You’d think this dude would do something he’s not SMART he just has COMMON SENSE but he quickly learns these cats are idiots so he’s no more useful than Bran in season 7
Also dude can just CHANNEL SPIRITS???? Okay.
Ah so Twigbranch
You KNOW I love a good feminist progressive message and diverse female characters with different goals and personalities but after basically completing 6 series and who knows how many super editions and short stories, we finally decide to MAYBE not do a forbidden love arc for the millionth time and try something new... like maybe her not wanting kits right away.
A relevant topic, and something I’m highly for, I don’t think everyone needs to get married or have kids; and if you do, HAVE A LIFE AND GET A JOB FIRST YOU AINT SEEING ME ENTERING SHIDDUCHIM IN A YEAR
I mean I’m like the biggest advocate for this.
But here’s the thing guys.
These are cats.
Feral cats who don’t have long life spans, birth control, or live in large societies.
I mean count the allegiances in the beginning theres not a lot of cats in each clan and they always seem to be dying.
So first off, it’s kinda selfish to be “I’m not sure if I even ever want kits”
Second of all. We have established throughout The who knows how many books in this universe how these cats just get into all these relationships and... *drumroll please* HAVE ALL THESE KITS
now I’m not SAYING it’s not possible for these cats to have self control and be in a loving relationship yet somehow stay celibate... I’m just saying that any previously mentioned cats were all like KITS??!!! OMIGODNESS I DID NOT SEE THIS COMING and suddenly we have two cats calmly discussing family planning OVER AND OVER AND OVER BEATING US OVER THE HEAD WITH JAYFEATHERS STICK THEY CANT DISCUSS FAMILY PLANNING THEY DONT HAVE ACCESS TO BIRTH CONTROL OR ABORTIONS OR ANYTHING DONT TELL ME THESE CATS ARENT HORNY AF I READ THESE BOOKS OKAY
I’m just SAYIN if it’s that easy to not have kits I wanna have words with a number of cats
yea I’m making a big deal okay XD I HAVE A RIGHT
April 5, 2022
That was a good ending, sometimes they have to much drama, but this one was nice and smooth. Finleaps character changed a lot, in a bad way, I hope that will get better in the next series. I can’t wait to read the next series!
April 10, 2023
This is the final book in the clan series. The next books for a prologue to this series.
April 16, 2023
This arc really felt like it went on longer than any of the others, and that's saying something considering one plot went over two arcs.
I was getting really stressed at the end there, considering how much was left to be resolved and how little was left to go.
But overall, this arc was good, and this book concluded it very well.
I was getting really stressed at the end there, considering how much was left to be resolved and how little was left to go.
But overall, this arc was good, and this book concluded it very well.
September 30, 2019
This book was okay. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't one of my favorites. I found Twigbranch extremely unlikable in this book, but I found Finleap the same way. Both of them felt very petty and had things that could've been sorted out if they just! Talked! I do have to give credit though- they brought in a real-life relationship issue, and I could've respected that more if I didn't find both characters as unlikable as I did. I was surprised and optimistic when I realized they both had apprentices. We don't see mentors like Twigbranch very often, so it was really interesting to see a mean one from their own perspective. I wasn't a fan, though, of how her problem sorted itself out without much explanation.
Tree and Violetshine were both okay. I love Tree's character, and their relationship was SO CUTE! My biggest problem was with the fact that they made Tree a mediator in the last book, and his job was completely tossed this book. I get that it was like that to advance the plot, but it made his presence feel worthless to me. Why create this position if not to listen to them? I also really didn't like Tigerstar, but I'll have to read his super edition book before I criticize him too harshly.
Juniperclaw got on my nerves too. He seemed like he was shaping into a worthy villain character, but then they just shift it so that he doesn't understand that what he's doing is wrong? And then they force in a redemption arc? I miss lasting villains like Tigerstar (the evil one). I didn't like that they forced in a redemption for him, and then just killed him off. It seemed like a rushed conclusion to get rid of him after he did something bad. As for the plot? Meh. It felt very boring and repetitive.
This series overall was okay. I liked the first three books because they followed a growing plot, but the last three books were not my favorite. Especially this last one. I didn't like that everything was seemingly resolved in book 5. They had to create a whole new problem for this book in order to give it a plot, and I really just. Was not that big of a fan. I'm hoping for better things in the future though!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2020
OOOOOOOHHHHH!!! This book was amazing! But, what is wrong with Twigbranch????? This book was so interesting, and by far my favorite book in this sub series. I don't understand why the series HAS to go on. I mean, the Clans are PEACEFUL right now, which usually is very rare!
January 11, 2022
This was a really good book. Loads of adventures.
May 10, 2025
This book was a total dud. Knew it wasn’t gonna be worth my time, and I was right. How do they possibly write Tigerstar so stupid? I used to really like him and respect his character when he was deputy. But now?… It’s like he’s a totally different cat. It was his idea in the first place to give SkyClan land, and now he wants it back cause he’s leader all of a sudden? Also, did all of ShadowClan forget who welcomed them in when their clan collapsed like one moon before?
Such stupid, petty drama in order to cause trouble. This whole series has been the WORST arc of them all.
And all of this happens right after ShadowClan gets torn apart by Darktail and his rogues… then entirely falls apart under Rowanclaw. DID THEY LEARN ANY HUMILITY DURING THESE EVENTS? And how many times is ThunderClan going to give them one of their medicine cats?
With NO appreciation whatsoever? Come on.
It’s so redundant! It’s always ShadowClan causing trouble!
Oh… and… let’s not forget my biggest pet peeve throughout this arc… ANOTHER JOURNEY AWAY FROM HOME. In almost EVERY SINGLE BOOK! And there’s always a patrol of cats who goes to look or retrieve the misplaced lot.
Use something else! Let’s get original here!
I was speed-reading when I reached the middle of the book. And it all happened exactly as I thought. Leafstar got angry, she wanted to give up and leave after one measly attack on her camp (by the way, what clan doesn’t leave a guard to watch the camp during the night??? Once more demonstrates shoddy writing on the Erin Hunters’ end. I found that totally unrealistic) but then learns it was a bad idea and nearly gets killed and they all come back realizing their mistake. Ugh.
So dragged out. There wasn’t even hardly a PLOT.
Also… my raging MUST go on…
The fact that Alderheart, a ThunderClan cat, has to investigate the crime scene in SkyClan’s camp and find the deathberry seeds that Juniperclaw used, whereas NO SKYCLAN CAT THOUGHT TO LOOK FOR FURTHER EVIDENCE (not even Violetshine herself when she witnessed it happening) WAS UTTERLY RIDICULOUS. I mean OUTRAGEOUSLY ridiculous.
You just HAVE to give it to one of your main characters🙄
But this one could’ve been pretty obvious. Violetshine should have been motivated to investigate the scene. It wasn’t hard to do at ALL. It took Alderheart ten seconds to track Juniperclaw’s scent to the shoveled dirt patch… and then the WHOLE “let’s return to the gorge” fiasco could’ve been avoided with proof of a code-breaking murderer in ShadowClan. But ohhhh no. Can’t have that. It would’ve been too easy. So we have to drag it out and let Alderheart play the smart hero as usual.
…
Such a waste.
I don’t know about any of y’all out there, but I knew INSTANTLY what Juniperclaw had done when Violetshine spotted him by the fresh-kill pile. OF COUUURSE. And no one else thinks to check the prey he tampered with?…
*suffocating noises*
…
The final two chapters were the best. I enjoyed Juniperclaw saving Violetshine despite what he did to SkyClan. And Shadowkit’s innocent, triumphant words when he’d willingly thrown himself into the raging flood and nearly drowned himself to get the clans to work together… that was good. That was… so wholesome.
I liked that.
And the final chapter with all the cats coming together and finally discussing the land problem without the haze of stupidity floating around their heads… that was good too. It was like they’d finally woken up from being brainwashed or something.
I also favored reading more about Tree. He’s like the only good character written in this arc. I hope we see more of him.
Twigbranch’s chapters were the lamest. Nothing but love issues with Finleap and being a bad mentor… ohhh my gosh. And I still can’t STAND her name. Twigbranch. Nice goin’ Bramblestar.
… I guess I’ll just stop here and give it a rating and let you all move on with your lives.
In light of everything you’ve read above…
According to my Warriors rating system:
**{ ~ 3.2 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️.✨ ~ }**
According to my overall book rating system:
**{ ~ 2.9 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️.✨ ~ }**
Such stupid, petty drama in order to cause trouble. This whole series has been the WORST arc of them all.
And all of this happens right after ShadowClan gets torn apart by Darktail and his rogues… then entirely falls apart under Rowanclaw. DID THEY LEARN ANY HUMILITY DURING THESE EVENTS? And how many times is ThunderClan going to give them one of their medicine cats?
With NO appreciation whatsoever? Come on.
It’s so redundant! It’s always ShadowClan causing trouble!
Oh… and… let’s not forget my biggest pet peeve throughout this arc… ANOTHER JOURNEY AWAY FROM HOME. In almost EVERY SINGLE BOOK! And there’s always a patrol of cats who goes to look or retrieve the misplaced lot.
Use something else! Let’s get original here!
I was speed-reading when I reached the middle of the book. And it all happened exactly as I thought. Leafstar got angry, she wanted to give up and leave after one measly attack on her camp (by the way, what clan doesn’t leave a guard to watch the camp during the night??? Once more demonstrates shoddy writing on the Erin Hunters’ end. I found that totally unrealistic) but then learns it was a bad idea and nearly gets killed and they all come back realizing their mistake. Ugh.
So dragged out. There wasn’t even hardly a PLOT.
Also… my raging MUST go on…
The fact that Alderheart, a ThunderClan cat, has to investigate the crime scene in SkyClan’s camp and find the deathberry seeds that Juniperclaw used, whereas NO SKYCLAN CAT THOUGHT TO LOOK FOR FURTHER EVIDENCE (not even Violetshine herself when she witnessed it happening) WAS UTTERLY RIDICULOUS. I mean OUTRAGEOUSLY ridiculous.
You just HAVE to give it to one of your main characters🙄
But this one could’ve been pretty obvious. Violetshine should have been motivated to investigate the scene. It wasn’t hard to do at ALL. It took Alderheart ten seconds to track Juniperclaw’s scent to the shoveled dirt patch… and then the WHOLE “let’s return to the gorge” fiasco could’ve been avoided with proof of a code-breaking murderer in ShadowClan. But ohhhh no. Can’t have that. It would’ve been too easy. So we have to drag it out and let Alderheart play the smart hero as usual.
…
Such a waste.
I don’t know about any of y’all out there, but I knew INSTANTLY what Juniperclaw had done when Violetshine spotted him by the fresh-kill pile. OF COUUURSE. And no one else thinks to check the prey he tampered with?…
*suffocating noises*
…
The final two chapters were the best. I enjoyed Juniperclaw saving Violetshine despite what he did to SkyClan. And Shadowkit’s innocent, triumphant words when he’d willingly thrown himself into the raging flood and nearly drowned himself to get the clans to work together… that was good. That was… so wholesome.
I liked that.
And the final chapter with all the cats coming together and finally discussing the land problem without the haze of stupidity floating around their heads… that was good too. It was like they’d finally woken up from being brainwashed or something.
I also favored reading more about Tree. He’s like the only good character written in this arc. I hope we see more of him.
Twigbranch’s chapters were the lamest. Nothing but love issues with Finleap and being a bad mentor… ohhh my gosh. And I still can’t STAND her name. Twigbranch. Nice goin’ Bramblestar.
… I guess I’ll just stop here and give it a rating and let you all move on with your lives.
In light of everything you’ve read above…
According to my Warriors rating system:
**{ ~ 3.2 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️.✨ ~ }**
According to my overall book rating system:
**{ ~ 2.9 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️.✨ ~ }**
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2021
I am so sad. I had so much hope for this book. I didn't feel any danger really at all, and only one character I cared about died. Normally that's a good thing, but I felt really no emotion for the new characters, and the end was very anticlimactic. I felt like if this disappeared from the warriors saga, it wouldn't change anything. I didn't think the way they ended it was good, I mostly keep reading because of Jayfeather. I didn't like violate shine, twig branch, and I think I was only excited for Alder heart's chapters because he was a medicine cat, (which means more Jay feather.) I feel so sad cause warriors is my favorite series of all time I just think they couldn't top Omen of the Stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 14, 2023
I takim sposobem w walentynki skończyłam 6 tom z 6 serii "Wojowników". Jak to pięknie brzmi...
Odejmuję jedną gwiazdkę bo na początku mi się dłużyło i przez to na jakiś czas ją odłożyłam.
Nie mam pojęcia, który tom z tej serii był najlepszy bo w tej chwili mam dylemat, ale ta część na pewno będzie wysoko
Oczywiścia jak to w "Wojownikach" bywa, musiało się zakończyć z przytupem
Zdążyłam polubić Shadowkit'a, więc muszę sięgnąć po 7 serię bo słyszałam, że będzie tam jednym z głównych bohaterów
Jeśli chodzi o serię to podobało mi się, że dwie postaci, które mnie irytowały dedły hihi
Na koniec:
Alderheart, Tree>>>
Odejmuję jedną gwiazdkę bo na początku mi się dłużyło i przez to na jakiś czas ją odłożyłam.
Nie mam pojęcia, który tom z tej serii był najlepszy bo w tej chwili mam dylemat, ale ta część na pewno będzie wysoko
Oczywiścia jak to w "Wojownikach" bywa, musiało się zakończyć z przytupem
Zdążyłam polubić Shadowkit'a, więc muszę sięgnąć po 7 serię bo słyszałam, że będzie tam jednym z głównych bohaterów
Jeśli chodzi o serię to podobało mi się, że dwie postaci, które mnie irytowały dedły hihi
Na koniec:
Alderheart, Tree>>>
July 24, 2025
The entire "A Vision of Shadows" arc was a moonkitti reference.
Props to my girl Twigbranch for standing up to herself, because she was 100% right and shouldn't ever be forced into having babies.
At first I was immensely frustrated with Twigbranch and Flypaw, but I'm glad to see their mentor-apprentice relationship turned less sour over time.
My biggest question though: Where was my brain when Alderheart turned into a confident, risk-taking medicine cat ?
Props to my girl Twigbranch for standing up to herself, because she was 100% right and shouldn't ever be forced into having babies.
At first I was immensely frustrated with Twigbranch and Flypaw, but I'm glad to see their mentor-apprentice relationship turned less sour over time.
My biggest question though: Where was my brain when Alderheart turned into a confident, risk-taking medicine cat ?
November 28, 2021
Tigerstar is still a jerk. Putting your clan first is fine but when it costs the lives of other cats who helped you when Shadow Clan had fallen apart, then it's just cruel. Also, I'm over grumpy Mistystar. I understand that she's been through a lot but she being cruel and calling it taking care of her clan.
Also, some cat needs to just be on 24/7 watch on Shadowkit.
Tree and Violetshine is my new OTP, they are way too cute together.
Also, some cat needs to just be on 24/7 watch on Shadowkit.
Tree and Violetshine is my new OTP, they are way too cute together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2023
ugh such a slow start and so drawn out like you would expect with the first or second book in the arch. however, the ending is so good and it’s great to see how things get resolved- everything “slow” happened for a reason
June 5, 2020
This Warriors series has been significantly better than the one before it (Dawn of the Clans), and I was satisfied by the ending. I’m getting pretty close to finishing my full Warriors reread!
July 8, 2024
Spannendes Ende des Staffel.🤩 Schön dass der WolkenClan jetzt seinen Platz hat!☺️
October 30, 2024
Meh.
The cover art on these books just gets worse and worse, jesus.
The cover art on these books just gets worse and worse, jesus.
December 24, 2019
Premise: Tigerheart has returned to take up the mantle of leadership of the new ShadowClan as Tigerstar. But ShadowClan's revival doesn't immediately bring peace. When they give SkyClan an ultimatum to surrender their land or fight for it, the remaining battle-weary Clans prefer to draw back and let the two feuding Clans settle the dispute themselves. Yet it soon becomes clear that SkyClan's place by the lake isn't the only one that's at stake. The real question is, can the five warrior Clans be saved from the coming tempest that threatens to destroy them all?
Story/Writing: Man, I seriously need to learn to adjust my expectations when I come to these books! But I mean that in the absolute best way! I'm just saying that I'd assumed that now that ShadowClan had come back, things would be at least a little easier for the Clans. But this book was kind enough to remind me that SkyClan still needed to fight for their place among the warrior Clans beside the lake. And I do mean fight for it! This concluding volume of the "Vision of Shadows" arc pulls no punches and sheathes no claws when it comes to conflict. It's called "The Raging Storm" for a reason, and not just because there is an actual raging storm near the end. There's a storm of emotions and tension and drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat, especially if you've been reading the whole arc up to this point! It was particularly impactful for me given I've been reading this series in chronological order. So I knew very well already all that SkyClan had gone through to take its rightful place beside the warrior Clans. I also thought I knew well by the time I picked this up that they would still have to go through a ton more before they finally did make their permanent home beside the lake. But boy was I wrong about the latter! I just could not put this book down! I knew that things would most likely turn out well for SkyClan. But man, experiencing the road they take to get there was an emotionally rough yet extremely satisfying trip! The authors of the Erin Hunter team do such a fantastic job of getting us invested in both personal and larger conflicts that the Clans and their important players face. By the time we get to the end, when the storm has passed and the four Clans finally do what they should've done in the first place, it really does feel so earned and that SkyClan has at last been vindicated. It makes you seriously wonder if last peace between all the Clans is finally possible, even though we now know that's not the case given that the authors are still writing the "Broken Code" arc. But still! It seriously gives you the sense that SkyClan's long and hard road of returning to the Clans has at last come to an end!
Characters: This cast of characters I honestly think is one of the most morally complex in any of the books. What I mean by that is no one is completely right or completely wrong, completely good or completely bad. If anything, the real villain in the end is the storm. That said, I do kinda feel bad sometimes for StarClan, given how stubborn the warrior Clans can be when it comes to listening to them and taking them seriously.
Alderheart – It's fun in this series to look at characters as they were when introduced at the beginning of the arc and compare that picture to how they are at the end. And I think it's safe to say that Alderheart really has come into his own as a medicine cat and as a character. He feels like his own cat rather than just a shadow of Leafpool and Jayfeather. This book in my opinion features him at his best! You really feel for him and his dilemma! He's a simple medicine cat who wants to do the will of StarClan and wants to see it carried out among the Clans as well. Yet he has such a hard time making everyone see reason 'cause everyone is so stubborn and only seems to care about what's right in front of them rather than the bigger picture. Not to mention his friend and fellow medicine cat Puddleshine is reaching death's door from the injuries he sustained in the chain-link fence mesh (Do NOT leave stuff like that lying around!). He's tried everything to the point where he's willing to use deathberry flesh. He's so committed to his job yet he still has to convince even his mentors! That said, it was cool to see him gain ShadowClan's respect and to see him bond with Shadowkit. And it was such a thrill reading about him putting everything on the line to expose Juniperclaw's dirty trick! If there's any kind of lasting peace between the Clans, I seriously hope Alderheart is remembered for his part in it!
Twigbranch – It was also great to see Twigbranch really come into her own as a ThunderClan warrior! It was so great to read about her receiving her warrior name (which I think is excellent) in "River of Fire" after all the hard work she's gone through and all the times she's had to prove herself! I was looking forward to seeing her as a full-time warrior, and I'm glad to say I was not disappointed! She's now training her first apprentice and like most first-timers at almost everything, she's having a hard time adjusting. While you could argue she is a bit harsh with Flypaw at times, I admit that early on I felt about as frustrated with her apprentice as she did. That said, you can also tell she's trying and that she does care about Flypaw. Again, like most of us, she tries multiple angles and methods until she finds the one that fits her student, even though actually finding it takes her awhile. This also plays into the particular problem she's having with Finleap – namely that he wants kits and she wants to wait ��� which, again, is a typical relationship problem, especially for newlyweds. I must say though I'm glad she's being wise about it and recognizing that she wants to get more experience as a warrior and mentor, rather than just rushing into having kits with Finleap in an attempt to immediately solve the problem. It's also great that she's assertive and defends her choice. But of course, her relationship issues aren't the only things she has to deal with. I got so excited when she came up with the idea to gather SkyClan supporters from each of the Clans to go find SkyClan and bring them home. She may not be a Clan leader, but she has serious leadership skills!
Violetshine – It was such a joy to see how far Violetshine has come as a warrior and as a character, given her very troubled and unstable – even traumatic upbringing. She's finally found a place where she really belongs, with kin and Clanmates to love and be loved by her. Again, like her sister Twigbranch, she may not be a Clan leader, but she's really inspiring and will clearly do anything for her Clan. She really added the emotional core to SkyClan's dilemma. Both she and they have been tossed around and been through so much that you really wish life would just cut them a break. While she does understandably still feel some sympathy toward ShadowClan, since they raised her, it's clear that she will fight almost anybody to the death for her true Clan. And she'll go with them anywhere, even if that means giving up the tom she loves best (other than her father). Probably her best moment though was just after she helped to rescue Sunnypaw from sinking in the mud, and she gives them a speech that might as well have been pre-prepared given how good it is! She tells them of how she's seen what happens when a Clan falls apart, and that not only is she sure that SkyClan won't go the same way, she will personally make sure that they don't. After all, she arguably single-handedly vindicated her Clan when she saw Juniperclaw beside the fresh-kill pile during ShadowClan's raid of the SkyClan camp, and thereby provided herself as the only witness. Speaking of whom, it's really surprising, especially when you remember that he purposely poisoned one of her Clanmates, that she trusts Juniperclaw with her life and the lives of her kits when he rescues her from the torrent, and at the cost of his own life. Overall, I'm so glad Violetshine has grown into such a strong and confident young warrior, and I can't wait to see her raise her kits with Tree!
Tigerstar II and Leafstar – On the one hand, it's easy at first to just place both leaders and their Clans in the basic good and bad category. But this book in my opinion does a really good job at making sure no one is completely right or wrong in this situation – which of course is that Tigerstar wants Leafstar to give up the land ShadowClan gave to SkyClan while she wants him to back off. If you've read the previous books, it's easier to see that both sides to bring up legitimate points. With Tigerstar, I mean, yes, he could've been a bit more diplomatic and less insulting about things. But he's also a new leader, and he's of course nowhere near as terrible as his grandfather was. When he first became leader, ShadowClan had ceased to exist for awhile because of Darktail's villainy and Rowanclaw's disastrous leadership. He obviously loves his Clan and will do almost anything to put them back on their feet. When he's forced to face the fact that his deputy pulled such a dirty trick, he admits he made a bad choice and I approve his new choice of Cloverfoot as deputy. Furthermore, even though he tries to insist that Shadowkit is only having bad dreams rather than visions, you can tell it's because he loves his son and doesn't want to see anything bad happen to him. Plus, he does have a good point that ShadowClan shouldn't be the only Clan to make room for SkyClan. Which brings me to Leafstar. She's obviously an older and much more experienced leader, but you can also tell that her patience and faith are being stretched thin given how she's gone above and beyond in getting her own Clan through one of the toughest periods in its history. She levels some serious accusations against the Clans about how their actions almost never line up with their words. But it feels justified given how we've experienced those hardships along with her and her Clan. Even though she does go against the will of StarClan by deciding to take SkyClan back to the gorge, and ends up trapping them in the flood instead, it's still understandable given how tired she is and wants things to be easy for once.
Finleap and Tree – While I'm not the biggest fan of relationship drama being a driving force in a story, I've really come to care about these characters so that I do care about their relationships! First off, there's Finleap and Twigbranch. Despite how much he pushes her to have kits with him, the book does a really good job making us look at things from his point of view. He only really left SkyClan to be with Twigbranch. But when he sneaks off to visit his ill sister and gets into (rightful) trouble for it, he's only now starting to realize that he's left his kin behind along with his Clan. He thinks that the only way he'll ever truly belong in his new Clan is if he has kin. And he believes the only way to get what he wants is to have kits with Twigbranch, even though she doesn't think she's ready yet. It really did get me in the feels to see them argue about it, but that made it all the better when they do make up in the end! As for Tree, you could argue that he's being kinda selfish by preferring the life of a loner over leaving with SkyClan. But you also have to look at things from his point of view, just like with Finleap. He's used to living a loner's life, and he gets so frustrated and downcast when it seems neither ShadowClan nor SkyClan will allow him to do his job and mediate. He thinks he could never fit in as a member of not only SkyClan but any Clan. And yet, as is the case a lot in real life, it isn't until he loses SkyClan and especially Violetshine that he realizes how much both mean to him. So it was awesome to see him guide Twigbranch and her cats on the journey to find and bring back both of them! And what made it all the better was finding out that Tree and Violetshine were going to be parents!
Various Other Characters – This part might be a bit shorter than usual, but that's how it is. Like Twigbranch, I felt myself getting really frustrated at Flypaw and how easily distracted she was. But once they found a method that clicked with her, and especially when she went on the quest to help find SkyClan and bring them back, she became much more promising. And even if she is easily distracted, she at least wants to try. I also thought it was fantastic that there were warriors from every Clan (except maybe ShadowClan) who wanted SkyClan to stay and wanted to follow the will of StarClan, to the point where they were willing to go on that quest with Tree and Twigbranch. It was alarming to read about Juniperclaw poisoning Sparrowpelt on purpose, yet it sadly didn't surprise me. What did surprise me though was that he wasn't totally evil but seriously misguided. He did want to help his Clan and to keep them from what he saw as fighting endlessly for their territory. But as Tigerstar said, a Clan that doesn't fight for what it believes in is no Clan at all. I was also seriously surprised when he sacrificed himself to save Violetshine (the cat who told on him) and Shadowkit (the son of the leader who cast him out). I thought Bramblestar, even if he was a bit misguided himself, did the best he could and that he didn't make his decisions lightly, however disagreeable I thought them to be. It was great that he was willing to give SkyClan some of ThunderClan's land and convinced all the other Clans to adjust their borders as well. I was so happy that Puddleshine pulled through, not just for Alderheart's sake or even because I didn't want ShadowClan to once again live through that awful situation of losing their only medicine cat, but because Puddleshine himself is so endearing and likable. But for me, probably my favorite scene in the whole book is when Tree makes Pebbleshine appear, allowing her to say her final goodbyes to her beloved mate and their kits! It was so bittersweet, simultaneously happy and sad. At least she can now rest and move on to StarClan!
Overall: Another arc that was bittersweet to finish but did not at all end on a bittersweet note! It feels SO good to have SkyClan back among the warrior Clans again! I can't wait to see how this will form their future and how the young characters who lived through this momentous period will turn out! This is the seventy-fifth title I've read in this series, and I am still eager to read more!
Story/Writing: Man, I seriously need to learn to adjust my expectations when I come to these books! But I mean that in the absolute best way! I'm just saying that I'd assumed that now that ShadowClan had come back, things would be at least a little easier for the Clans. But this book was kind enough to remind me that SkyClan still needed to fight for their place among the warrior Clans beside the lake. And I do mean fight for it! This concluding volume of the "Vision of Shadows" arc pulls no punches and sheathes no claws when it comes to conflict. It's called "The Raging Storm" for a reason, and not just because there is an actual raging storm near the end. There's a storm of emotions and tension and drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat, especially if you've been reading the whole arc up to this point! It was particularly impactful for me given I've been reading this series in chronological order. So I knew very well already all that SkyClan had gone through to take its rightful place beside the warrior Clans. I also thought I knew well by the time I picked this up that they would still have to go through a ton more before they finally did make their permanent home beside the lake. But boy was I wrong about the latter! I just could not put this book down! I knew that things would most likely turn out well for SkyClan. But man, experiencing the road they take to get there was an emotionally rough yet extremely satisfying trip! The authors of the Erin Hunter team do such a fantastic job of getting us invested in both personal and larger conflicts that the Clans and their important players face. By the time we get to the end, when the storm has passed and the four Clans finally do what they should've done in the first place, it really does feel so earned and that SkyClan has at last been vindicated. It makes you seriously wonder if last peace between all the Clans is finally possible, even though we now know that's not the case given that the authors are still writing the "Broken Code" arc. But still! It seriously gives you the sense that SkyClan's long and hard road of returning to the Clans has at last come to an end!
Characters: This cast of characters I honestly think is one of the most morally complex in any of the books. What I mean by that is no one is completely right or completely wrong, completely good or completely bad. If anything, the real villain in the end is the storm. That said, I do kinda feel bad sometimes for StarClan, given how stubborn the warrior Clans can be when it comes to listening to them and taking them seriously.
Alderheart – It's fun in this series to look at characters as they were when introduced at the beginning of the arc and compare that picture to how they are at the end. And I think it's safe to say that Alderheart really has come into his own as a medicine cat and as a character. He feels like his own cat rather than just a shadow of Leafpool and Jayfeather. This book in my opinion features him at his best! You really feel for him and his dilemma! He's a simple medicine cat who wants to do the will of StarClan and wants to see it carried out among the Clans as well. Yet he has such a hard time making everyone see reason 'cause everyone is so stubborn and only seems to care about what's right in front of them rather than the bigger picture. Not to mention his friend and fellow medicine cat Puddleshine is reaching death's door from the injuries he sustained in the chain-link fence mesh (Do NOT leave stuff like that lying around!). He's tried everything to the point where he's willing to use deathberry flesh. He's so committed to his job yet he still has to convince even his mentors! That said, it was cool to see him gain ShadowClan's respect and to see him bond with Shadowkit. And it was such a thrill reading about him putting everything on the line to expose Juniperclaw's dirty trick! If there's any kind of lasting peace between the Clans, I seriously hope Alderheart is remembered for his part in it!
Twigbranch – It was also great to see Twigbranch really come into her own as a ThunderClan warrior! It was so great to read about her receiving her warrior name (which I think is excellent) in "River of Fire" after all the hard work she's gone through and all the times she's had to prove herself! I was looking forward to seeing her as a full-time warrior, and I'm glad to say I was not disappointed! She's now training her first apprentice and like most first-timers at almost everything, she's having a hard time adjusting. While you could argue she is a bit harsh with Flypaw at times, I admit that early on I felt about as frustrated with her apprentice as she did. That said, you can also tell she's trying and that she does care about Flypaw. Again, like most of us, she tries multiple angles and methods until she finds the one that fits her student, even though actually finding it takes her awhile. This also plays into the particular problem she's having with Finleap – namely that he wants kits and she wants to wait ��� which, again, is a typical relationship problem, especially for newlyweds. I must say though I'm glad she's being wise about it and recognizing that she wants to get more experience as a warrior and mentor, rather than just rushing into having kits with Finleap in an attempt to immediately solve the problem. It's also great that she's assertive and defends her choice. But of course, her relationship issues aren't the only things she has to deal with. I got so excited when she came up with the idea to gather SkyClan supporters from each of the Clans to go find SkyClan and bring them home. She may not be a Clan leader, but she has serious leadership skills!
Violetshine – It was such a joy to see how far Violetshine has come as a warrior and as a character, given her very troubled and unstable – even traumatic upbringing. She's finally found a place where she really belongs, with kin and Clanmates to love and be loved by her. Again, like her sister Twigbranch, she may not be a Clan leader, but she's really inspiring and will clearly do anything for her Clan. She really added the emotional core to SkyClan's dilemma. Both she and they have been tossed around and been through so much that you really wish life would just cut them a break. While she does understandably still feel some sympathy toward ShadowClan, since they raised her, it's clear that she will fight almost anybody to the death for her true Clan. And she'll go with them anywhere, even if that means giving up the tom she loves best (other than her father). Probably her best moment though was just after she helped to rescue Sunnypaw from sinking in the mud, and she gives them a speech that might as well have been pre-prepared given how good it is! She tells them of how she's seen what happens when a Clan falls apart, and that not only is she sure that SkyClan won't go the same way, she will personally make sure that they don't. After all, she arguably single-handedly vindicated her Clan when she saw Juniperclaw beside the fresh-kill pile during ShadowClan's raid of the SkyClan camp, and thereby provided herself as the only witness. Speaking of whom, it's really surprising, especially when you remember that he purposely poisoned one of her Clanmates, that she trusts Juniperclaw with her life and the lives of her kits when he rescues her from the torrent, and at the cost of his own life. Overall, I'm so glad Violetshine has grown into such a strong and confident young warrior, and I can't wait to see her raise her kits with Tree!
Tigerstar II and Leafstar – On the one hand, it's easy at first to just place both leaders and their Clans in the basic good and bad category. But this book in my opinion does a really good job at making sure no one is completely right or wrong in this situation – which of course is that Tigerstar wants Leafstar to give up the land ShadowClan gave to SkyClan while she wants him to back off. If you've read the previous books, it's easier to see that both sides to bring up legitimate points. With Tigerstar, I mean, yes, he could've been a bit more diplomatic and less insulting about things. But he's also a new leader, and he's of course nowhere near as terrible as his grandfather was. When he first became leader, ShadowClan had ceased to exist for awhile because of Darktail's villainy and Rowanclaw's disastrous leadership. He obviously loves his Clan and will do almost anything to put them back on their feet. When he's forced to face the fact that his deputy pulled such a dirty trick, he admits he made a bad choice and I approve his new choice of Cloverfoot as deputy. Furthermore, even though he tries to insist that Shadowkit is only having bad dreams rather than visions, you can tell it's because he loves his son and doesn't want to see anything bad happen to him. Plus, he does have a good point that ShadowClan shouldn't be the only Clan to make room for SkyClan. Which brings me to Leafstar. She's obviously an older and much more experienced leader, but you can also tell that her patience and faith are being stretched thin given how she's gone above and beyond in getting her own Clan through one of the toughest periods in its history. She levels some serious accusations against the Clans about how their actions almost never line up with their words. But it feels justified given how we've experienced those hardships along with her and her Clan. Even though she does go against the will of StarClan by deciding to take SkyClan back to the gorge, and ends up trapping them in the flood instead, it's still understandable given how tired she is and wants things to be easy for once.
Finleap and Tree – While I'm not the biggest fan of relationship drama being a driving force in a story, I've really come to care about these characters so that I do care about their relationships! First off, there's Finleap and Twigbranch. Despite how much he pushes her to have kits with him, the book does a really good job making us look at things from his point of view. He only really left SkyClan to be with Twigbranch. But when he sneaks off to visit his ill sister and gets into (rightful) trouble for it, he's only now starting to realize that he's left his kin behind along with his Clan. He thinks that the only way he'll ever truly belong in his new Clan is if he has kin. And he believes the only way to get what he wants is to have kits with Twigbranch, even though she doesn't think she's ready yet. It really did get me in the feels to see them argue about it, but that made it all the better when they do make up in the end! As for Tree, you could argue that he's being kinda selfish by preferring the life of a loner over leaving with SkyClan. But you also have to look at things from his point of view, just like with Finleap. He's used to living a loner's life, and he gets so frustrated and downcast when it seems neither ShadowClan nor SkyClan will allow him to do his job and mediate. He thinks he could never fit in as a member of not only SkyClan but any Clan. And yet, as is the case a lot in real life, it isn't until he loses SkyClan and especially Violetshine that he realizes how much both mean to him. So it was awesome to see him guide Twigbranch and her cats on the journey to find and bring back both of them! And what made it all the better was finding out that Tree and Violetshine were going to be parents!
Various Other Characters – This part might be a bit shorter than usual, but that's how it is. Like Twigbranch, I felt myself getting really frustrated at Flypaw and how easily distracted she was. But once they found a method that clicked with her, and especially when she went on the quest to help find SkyClan and bring them back, she became much more promising. And even if she is easily distracted, she at least wants to try. I also thought it was fantastic that there were warriors from every Clan (except maybe ShadowClan) who wanted SkyClan to stay and wanted to follow the will of StarClan, to the point where they were willing to go on that quest with Tree and Twigbranch. It was alarming to read about Juniperclaw poisoning Sparrowpelt on purpose, yet it sadly didn't surprise me. What did surprise me though was that he wasn't totally evil but seriously misguided. He did want to help his Clan and to keep them from what he saw as fighting endlessly for their territory. But as Tigerstar said, a Clan that doesn't fight for what it believes in is no Clan at all. I was also seriously surprised when he sacrificed himself to save Violetshine (the cat who told on him) and Shadowkit (the son of the leader who cast him out). I thought Bramblestar, even if he was a bit misguided himself, did the best he could and that he didn't make his decisions lightly, however disagreeable I thought them to be. It was great that he was willing to give SkyClan some of ThunderClan's land and convinced all the other Clans to adjust their borders as well. I was so happy that Puddleshine pulled through, not just for Alderheart's sake or even because I didn't want ShadowClan to once again live through that awful situation of losing their only medicine cat, but because Puddleshine himself is so endearing and likable. But for me, probably my favorite scene in the whole book is when Tree makes Pebbleshine appear, allowing her to say her final goodbyes to her beloved mate and their kits! It was so bittersweet, simultaneously happy and sad. At least she can now rest and move on to StarClan!
Overall: Another arc that was bittersweet to finish but did not at all end on a bittersweet note! It feels SO good to have SkyClan back among the warrior Clans again! I can't wait to see how this will form their future and how the young characters who lived through this momentous period will turn out! This is the seventy-fifth title I've read in this series, and I am still eager to read more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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