Une forêt divisée

Warriors: Dawn of the Clans #5

by Erin Hunter, Aude Carlier (Translator)

Découvrez les origines de la guerre des clans dans le cinquième livre de L'Aube des Clans, le préquel de Erin Hunter.

Les esprits du Clan des Étoiles ont parlé : pour survivre, les chats des montagnes doivent accroître leur nombre et étendre leur territoire. Et vite. Ciel Bleu est persuadé que le seul moyen d'y parvenir est de rester unis, mais il peine à convaincre et les chefs se divisent les terres. C'est la création des clans. Il est maintenant temps pour les chats de décider où ils veulent vivre et à qui prêter allégeance...

Genres: Fantasy, Animals, Middle Grade, Fiction, Cats, Childrens, Adventure

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 7, 2015

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

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won't lie, I got off to a pretty rough start with this one.

There wasn't a lot of progress made plot wise throughout A Forest Divided. The plot went very slow, which left a lot of focus on characters that I can't stand. The plot of the first half was literally Thunder and Clear Sky fighting over Star Flower, who's basically a gold-digger who tries to seduce anyone who she thinks she can gain something from being with.

I hate reading from Clear Sky's point of view. His decision making process is just so improbable to me. He is so easily duped by literally anyone, I just wanted to slap some sense into him.

The plot did pick up toward the end when a certain character we haven't seen in a while resurfaces. After that, my interest picked up and it ended with a great cliffhanger.

I think there's a lot of potential for a great last book, and this one took a lot of time making a good set up. I can't wait for the last one!

[Mary]

Sorry, but my review will not be coming out for a while. I apologize. I promise I will get to it eventually, but right now there's a lot going on like other books, work, school, etc. As such, I will leave my rating blank for now. Thank you!

No expected publishing date...no cover....!

WHY....I can't...


UPDATE:

IT COMES OUT RIGHT BEFORE MY BIRTHDAYYYY!!!

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[Atlas]

Better than the previous book, A Forest Divided follows Gray Wing, Clear Sky, and Thunder as they each walk their own paths. Gray Wing and his cats leave the hollow for the pine woods, following the lead of Tall Shadow. Thunder returns to the forests that hold his heart with his annoying father, Clear Sky, only for Star Flower to reappear. There's not much action, A Forest Divided is more of an examination and reflection upon the paths each cat has taken and who they have become.

http://atlasrisingbooks.blogspot.com

[Astraea · Rating 2 out of 5]

ready to be done with this arc

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Status update on my obsession, a neighbor posted a video of a stray cat carrying a dead squirrel across the yard and I lost my damn mind, WARRIOR CATS ARE REAL AND IN MY HOOD.



It's leaf-bare and we're still trying to figure out how to "grow and spread like the Blazing Star" and...it's not going great! I'm very amused that the DOtC cats are constantly asking for more specific guidance from Starclan and Starclan is all, "Sorry, no," leaving them to argue endlessly about whether it means they need to band together or move farther apart. They eventually settle on a vote, where each cats chooses which camp they want to live in, and this results in five groups. It's interesting to see the cats' different motivations here, how some choose alliances that separate them from kin and others choose a camp based solely on the terrain.

Gray Wing stumbling upon Fern and Slash and then choosing not to tell his camp about their plans to spy on them is wiiiiiiild. I gained a little more empathy for Gray Wing as a character by the end of this one, but WHAT is his motivation for keeping the Fern/Slash intel to himself?! Slash is very much Abusive Boyfriend Material, and Fern has more than implied she'll fall in line with his wishes, fearing pushing back on them. It's disappointing he wasn't more proactive about this and you see the inevitable consequences a mile away.

It's still hard to know how we're supposed to feel about Clear Sky at any given time. He's not an evil villain, but he's also kind of dumb and kind of a dick. He continues to argue with his brother and son. He knowingly sends cats into starvation mode when there's plenty of food in the area. And in a daytime TV-esque episode I didn't see coming, he allows himself to be seduced by Star Flower, with virtually no thought to how Thunder would feel about this, "My Father Stole My Lover!" development. AND THEN, he saves Jagged Peak's kits from a tree/crow situation, compelling redemption. WHO IS THIS MAN?! I'm all for morally grey characters, but Clean Sky comes across less as that and more as a cat the Erins just don't know what to do with.

Star Flowerrrrrr. Well. Let's just say she isn't talking about Thunder's "large paws" anymore. Warriors has finally gone spicy and I don't like it! While she comes off as a Strong Female Character for taking charge of situations and making her own decisions, I don't love or trust Star Flower's insistence on inserting herself into others' affairs. This cat is up to no good, and I don't think we know her whole story, but she's drawn some dicey cats into the territory by the end that look to cause trouble.

This book felt all over the place, but if anything anchored it, it was Quiet Rain and Sun Shadow's arrival from the mountains. It felt good to see them and see the way they brought the feuding brothers together, but the joy is short-lived as Quiet Rain becomes ill and dies. She DIES. Ugh, y'all. Warriors has a track record with their female characters coming secondary to the male ones, and this one was heavy. A mother figure, literally brought back into the story so she can die and further her sons' grief/trauma arcs. Damn. If nothing else, it was interesting to have a mountain cat show up and put the events of the forest into perspective. Quiet Rain's disbelief that the cats who were so bonded in the mountains have all turned on each other is palpable enough to make readers have to reconcile with all this death and violence between cats that used to be family.

Gray Wing is oblivious to Slate's crush on him and the whole thing is kind of cute, but I had low-key pegged him as the official Warriors asexual king, so I kind of hope they don't hook up. But. Foreshadowing says otherwise. Alas.

[Littlebookterror · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still not a fan of Star Flower. Holly, though, she's my girl.

Finally, the moved into the camps that were predestined for them. That whole scene was very moving. Turtle Tail's kits splitting up made me sad.

Also, Star Flower actually turning out to be Clear Sky's mate is weird and I'm not sure how exactly I feel about this. Granted, I don't like either of these characters much.
The side plot of two more mountain cats following them was kind of pointless? Why did it happen?
I called it, Gray Wing would be a part of Wind Runner and her clan.

[Aurora Dimitre]

g e t the cool names already please

[˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Mia ♣˚₊· · Rating 2 out of 5]

i hate how this ended

[Willemijn jufwillemijnopallstars · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Ja, ja, en egels kunnen vliegen.'>

Het grapje "en egels kunnen vliegen" komt vaak terug en ik moet er steeds om grinniken 😂 De katten zijn nog steeds aan het onderzoeken waar ze precies willen wonen. Het haalt families en vriendschappen uit elkaar, maar iedereen kiest wat het beste bij hen past.

Er waren weer kittens die stiekeme dingen deden en daardoor in de problemen raakte, er waren weer vervelende zwerfkatten, er waren zieke katten, er zijn katten in verwachting, het is winter en prooi is schaars. Veel terugkomende elementen en toch is elk Warrior Cats boek anders.

[ArtsyAshlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good. I liked it because it is an adventure. The main characters are Gray Wing, Thunder, and Clear Sky. This book was about each cat deciding where to live. My favorite part was when Quiet Rain, Clear Sky, and Gray Wing's mother traveled through the mountains to come see them. The saddest part was when Quiet Rain died because she was sick from traveling so far. I recommend this book if you like adventures.

[Gil-or (readingbooksinisrael) · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only reason I finished it was to get to the next book.

[Niffty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dawn of the Clans: The Sun Trail ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Dawn of the Clans: Thunder Rising ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dawn of the Clans: The First Battle ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dawn of the Clans: The Blazing Star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dawn of the Clans: A Forest Divided ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dawn of the Clans: Path of Stars ⭐️⭐️
Moth Flight's Vision (super edition) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thunderstar's Echo (ebook) legends of the clan ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Shadowstar’s Life (ebook) path of a warrior ⭐️⭐️
Average: 3.278

This book is the cats dividing into five groups. Everyone chooses one of the five groups to join. So far they don’t have names. Most of this book is the cats settling in there new homes, drama with Starflower (she comes back), new visiter from the mountains and a new villain appears.

Star Flower herself doesn’t bother me. I really did not like Star Flower dating Clear Sky drama. It was really weird, gross and annoying that Clear Sky ended up becoming mates with his child’s ex. If it wasn’t for that i wouldn’t find the relationship that much.

I kinda wish they expanded or explained Star Flower’s relationship with One-eye more because even though she is loyal to him and betrayed the clan cats i wouldn’t really call her a villain. She definably does love her father though.

We get to see a character that we haven’t seen since the first book, which was nice. I didn’t really enjoy the book that much until that character came it. She was great especially how she told off Clear Sky.

The villain is pretty much just like One-Eye but not as good. They could of almost gave One-Eye another book.

[Dani St-Onge · Rating 2 out of 5]

Make sure to check out http://betterbooks.tumblr.com/!

“Each cat here has a home waiting. Even you. But you have to find it for yourselves, and you must find it soon.”

The cats are still reeling from the message their spirit kin left them. Clear Sky is convinced that it means all the cats should unite as one, but the others believe they should spread into different groups and choose homes for themselves.

The plot in this book is negligible. Compared to the last four books in the series we don’t see tons happen. The cats spread out to their new homes and...mainly talk a lot. There are no battles, no new kits. None of the expected structural changes to go from camps to the clans we know. The last book will have a lot riding on it’s shoulders.

A villain is introduced to take One Eye’s place, but doesn’t actually do anything until literally the last ten pages of the novel. Dawn of the Clans has been such a strong arc for the Warriors novels so far that it’s sad to see this book give so little and we can only hope that the final installation manages not only to clear off the villain but show the clans forming the rules and traditions we know.

[Sarah Bauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Theme Song: Still Alive (from Mirror's Edge) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jofma...

Oh wow. A lot happens. Most of it would be solved if CATS WOULD FREAKING TALK TO EACH OTHER.

This book was a real downer, but it did become more hopeful near the end until Slash came in. Luckily, the bonus scene is very heartwarming. It was good to see Quiet Rain again and I would love to read a short story of her journey. Probably the saddest part of the book was when she learned that most of her friends were dead, and then she disowned Clear Sky. I wonder what Sun Shadow's purpose in the story will be.

Slash is creepy. Very creepy. Cats are so afraid to defy him that even with an army at their side they'll still follow him out of fear. And the part where he slashes Star Flower and just slowly licks her blood made me physically cringe. I'm still not a huge fan of Star Flower but she became a lot more tolerable in this book.

It's satisfying to see everything coming together. Now there's a clear five Clans and every cat is in their proper place. Also, Clear Sky has now completed his heel-face turn. This should be interesting.

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always so confused when I start one of these books- I tend to read parts of different series at different times but I've finally come back to the Dawn of Clans arc and can follow this book with the next one without getting confused! Yay!

But as always, I do enjoy them when I fall in. They are simple, repetitive, and in this case, we know how they end and how we wanted them to end. Each cat has choices to make as to where they want to live and start families, and I'm loving all the pairing off.

A good book, but a bridging one. Four stars.

[Devon · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing I really enjoyed about this particular book in the series is the fact that its events move very smoothly. One event leads directly into the other without large gaps of time between chapters. Plus there was a lot of ground covered in who decided to stay where and resolving matters from the first book. It certainly has me looking forward to the final book!

[Madeline Flowers]

Very well done. I recommend this book to people who like the following: death, drama, excitement, love, heartbreak, grief , and plot and character twists. This was a good series and I love how much detail it gives. Erin Hunter is truly a great writer.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this series in the warriors books, it seems to have more heart compared to some of the other ones, it does have a little less adventure but it’s still amazing! I really like Slate, she seems so nice and I can’t wait to read the next book!

[Pat K · Rating 5 out of 5]

New evil characters. Suspenseful but, a huge cliffhanger.

[lizzie ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why does clear sky steal everyone's mate... Like first his brother and then his son🤢

[Isa · Rating 5 out of 5]

So tell me why this was genuinely good in the year 2024

[Historyprincess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Premise: Though One Eye has been vanquished, our favorite cats seem to be both closer to unity yet further away from it than ever before. Clear Sky wants all cats to come together in order to survive this particularly harrowing winter, but no one – not even his own kin – is exactly eager to agree, much less follow him. With all five of the founding leaders establishing their own territories in different surrounding areas, and a new enemy looming on the horizon, the decisions that every cat in every group makes will cause ripple effects for years to come.

Story/Writing: It took me three days to read this as opposed to the usual two, but that in no way means this book wasn't just as good as all the others! I admit, it was a little weird reading a book without a clear enemy like One Eye. I don't exactly consider Slash to be too prominent of an enemy here, since we only really see him in the beginning and the end. But the conflict hasn't eased at all! If anything, I was glad to read that the disease had a bigger effect on the territories than I first thought. Winter usually means a lack of food – but with the disease having wiped out at least half of all prey, the threat of famine looms large over all cats. I definitely felt the cold and desolation they faced. Not only that – I found the tension between a lot of the characters real and expected. It was like reading about humans arguing rather than cats, which goes to show how good these women are at what they do – as I keep saying in my reviews. With that in mind, I tried to remind myself to slow down so I could actually tell whose point of view was being focused on. Reading a bit too fast has always been a bit of a problem of mine anyway – but I'm trying to do better!

Characters: Once again, I can see how the characters are growing. At first, it felt like there was a little bit of repeat from some of the previous books, but it was done freshly enough to keep me invested and interested. I found it realistic that they were going through some drawbacks just when it seemed they were starting to get ahead. What made it great for me though was that even with all the heavy stuff happening around them, they still keep trying to push on.

Gray Wing: Man, did I feel for Gray Wing in this book. I always have, but I was particularly sympathetic towards him in this story. I don't think he'll ever stop loving his brother, but Gray Wing is no longer quick to trust him. He's never fully recovered from the damage the fire did to his lungs. And the way the pine forest agitates him – in contrast to Tall Shadow – eventually convinces him to move to the moor with Wind Runner and Gorse Fur…and Slate (*wink wink*). It's not an easy decision for him though. Now that Jagged Peak has a mate and kits, he feels much more confident in himself. For awhile now, Gray Wing has been wondering if he's needed anymore. And it's all the more aggravating for him when he's told he's not as strong as he once was, and is just trying to hold onto his old leadership position. I felt his frustration and indignation.

Clear Sky: Wow, these authors really know how to play tug-of-war with my feelings over this character. One moment, I want to root for him – yet a few pages later, I want to cuff him on the ear. I really did felt sympathy for Clear Sky, but I thought just as much that he was misguided. In the beginning, he's so happy to see his long-dead sister Fluttering Bird, it seems to go to his head, causing him to misinterpret her words. I don't blame him for wanting to make amends and wanting to get everyone back together. But I don't blame anyone either for wanting to keep their distance from him. You find it mind-boggling how he can continue making certain decisions and mistakes – especially when you take into account everything that's happened in the previous two years. Still, it's not hard to feel along with him that he just can't make up for his appalling actions during that time, no matter how hard he tries. Taking that into consideration, however much you disagree with how he goes about things, some of his decisions are quite understandable.

Thunder: It seems Thunder has yet again matured somewhat since the previous book – but I couldn't help but sympathize with him now that two of the three relationships that've meant the most to him in his life have soured. As far as he's concerned, his relationship with his father in particular seems like it's constantly close to going down in flames. And it's pretty sad that his first love had ended up betraying him so deeply that he's on high-alert whenever he's around her now. All that said, I did like that he had grown wiser and learned from his big mistake in falling for Star Flower – even if I was a bit irritated at how willing he was to welcome her into his father's group. Probably the thing that endeared me to him most though was that he went out of his way to get Gray Wing and then Clear Sky on the same day Quiet Rain came, wanting to see them. Yeah, he does complain a bit – I admit I probably would've too – but still. He may have never met her until now, yet he loved Quiet Rain as his kin enough to see to it that she was reunited with all her sons.

Star Flower: Oh, did this she-cat really put me on edge. At the end of the previous book, I wanted to believe she was sincere – and I still kinda believe she was. But there were scenes featuring her that made me want to claw her muzzle, what with her using her beauty and flattery to manipulate Thunder and Clear Sky – making it no less weird when the latter takes her as his third mate, never mind that she's the same age as his son. Yet as the story went on, she slowly started to become a bit more likable – even though she never fully denounced her father, One Eye. In fact, I strangely found myself feeling kinda sorry for her, and wondering if she'd been conditioned by her father. She may not be my favorite character, but I do hope she makes it out okay by the end of the next book – for the sake of her kits if nothing else.

Quiet Rain: When the previous book ended with her joining Sun Shadow on the sun trail, I got so excited knowing she was gonna be reunited with her sons and meet some new kin. As expected though, I found it to be a really bittersweet reunion – and I mean that in the best way. She'd traveled so far, going hungry and getting hurt – only to learn her firstborn had started a sort of miniature war, and had killed one of his former Tribemates. I'll admit, it was kinda satisfying when Clear Sky tried to defend himself, and she clawed his muzzle. I'm really glad though that she did eventually forgive him. Her death while being surrounded by all her living kits was one of the most touching scenes in the series so far for me. May she be at peace now that she's in StarClan with her daughter.

Slate: The bonus story at the end is about how Slate came to live with Wind Runner and her family – and it was cool! As Cloud Spots said, Slate is a fighter. I was rooting for her from the first page of her story. She came close to death's door twice but didn't give an inch of ground. I especially liked it when she avenged her brother by giving that fox the killing blow. I'm also interested in seeing where her relationship with Gray Wing goes. I can easily envision him with this tough yet tender she-cat by his side.

Various Other Characters: Jagged Peak has come a really long way from the kit who foolishly went off on the sun trail by himself, and Holly is the perfect mate for him. I'm glad Wind Runner seemed to have found peace after her previous losses, and more so that Moth Flight convinced Slate to stay. Slash certainly gives the impression that he's bad, bad news – I hope Fern gets over her fear of him though, and helps the others fight against him. Lightning Tail is already proving himself worthy of being Thunder's second-in-command. I really felt for Milkweed's plight. Pink Eyes may be nearly blind but those heightened senses of his could really work to everyone's advantage. Tall Shadow is as strong as ever, and will hopefully be a fantastic aunt to her nephew, Sun Shadow. Pebble Heart could eventually surpass Cloud Spots. And I'm so happy River Ripple seems to always be available when he's needed.

Overall: This was an absolute gem of a book. I daresay it left an impact on me in a way that the previous four haven't. Maybe because it's the next to last title in this story arc, but still. I loved the story, characters, writing, drama – everything about it! Moreover, I can't wait to see how it all comes together in the sixth and final book – particularly the official formation of the Clans!

[Will ⚰️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️

This book was much better than the previous ones. Many points came from the fact that Clear Sky got his well deserved redemption arc, truly showcasing his inner guilt nagging at him every waking moment. I absolutely enjoyed the coziness of Wind Runner’s camp and the way Grey Wing finally found his place. Finally, Thunder setting up his own camp with a couple of cats was really like a breath of air, like finally A HEALTHY CLAN GROUP. Oh and the fact that Quiet Rain (the mother of the main characters jesus) came all the way down from the mountains for her sons and the way the news broke her. Clear Sky, who bears enough grief and guilt and trying to change his ways, being disowned by her for murder and then forgiven before her passing was something straight up of a crime redemption novel.
The deducted points mostly came from Star Flower (ugh) deciding to go for her ex’s dad. She is Clear Sky’s THIRD mate meanwhile Thunder was just a young guy in love for the first time. MAN. Oh and also Slash, he sucks, no character development, he’s just evil and sadistic.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was fine. This series has been a little more shaky than the original overall, and this book exemplifies a lot of why: the idea of characters waffling on decisions, struggling to adapt to a new life, and slowly building up the culture readers are familiar with are all good story ideas in theory. However, over 6 books it can start to feel a bit repetitive. For example, random evil rogue cat appears and takes over out of nowhere, is defeated, then a new evil cat appears out of nowhere to do the same thing. Thematically I enjoy the idea of cycle of violence, and learning how to break it; but the execution here had its ups and downs.

Thunder, as usual, proved to be the most interesting character. While once again I Graywing to be extremely annoying in his self-contraditions. And I continue to wonder why all the female characters seem to be relegated to (often) inactive supporting characters, who exist to either birth kits or die for the emotional journey of a male protagonist. I know the women writing this can do better because they did so years earlier with the original series. However, I do look forward to seeing how this ends, and the formalization of the traditions and culture I know eventually exist.

[Dominic Sedillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series. There is a lot happening still into this fifth book (in a six book series). I am curious to see how they’ll wrap it all up.

If I had one small gripe about this book and the prequel series overall it is that there are lots of characters and lots of things happening that you have to keep track of.

With the first “Warriors” series about Thunder Clan all of the world and it’s rules are established, so everyone and everything is being revealed. In contrast, this series is making up the rules and there is no relationship with these characters and although you grow to like or dislike them, there is just a lot happening.

But like I said, that’s a small gripe.

There is plenty of drama and tension in this book. The end is very sad and leaves on a tremendous cliffhanger. I recommend!

[Juliette Locktree · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is my least favorite of the series. It felt a little bit like a filler. Not a lot of things were happening and it seemed as if some storylines were repeated in a way.

I have been binge-reading the series. So everything is becoming a little bit of a blur. I will write my final series review for book six.

[Adam Glover · Rating 4 out of 5]

***WARRIORS UPDATE***

This book was messy. Thunder’s old crush falling for his father? Gray Wing is finding love again? Clear Sky, of all the characters, has to unite all the cats?

I can’t wait to see how this prequel arc concludes in The Path of Stars.

[ten thousand bees · Rating 2 out of 5]

reeeeeeally dragged my feet with getting through this one man. i could not care less about clear sky and starflower or the side characters and kits in this series. its hard to get into it because all these cats are already dead in the canon im just here to see the clans finally form

[Jacob Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - Kate Cary is a much better author than Cherith Baldry.

[GuineaPigFalconer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was one of the better ones in what has become not my favorite Warriors series, but it’s given me momentum to read the last one. Onto Path of Stars!