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Warriors Graphic Novels #2
Winds of Change
With new beginnings come new dangers. . . .
Forced out of the forest that had long been their home, WindClan survived many hardships on the journey to their new territory around the lake. Now they face more uncertainty: their leader Tallstar's health is fading, and tensions are high as the warrior Clans negotiate new borders.
Though heartbroken over his leader's illness, WindClan deputy Mudclaw is prepared to win his Clan the territory and respect it deserves—when he becomes its leader.
But when Tallstar stuns WindClan by naming another warrior as his successor, Mudclaw can barely contain his sense of betrayal. As allies emerge from WindClan's ranks and beyond, Mudclaw must ask himself what it means to put his Clan first—and how far he'll go to reclaim his rightful place.
Forced out of the forest that had long been their home, WindClan survived many hardships on the journey to their new territory around the lake. Now they face more uncertainty: their leader Tallstar's health is fading, and tensions are high as the warrior Clans negotiate new borders.
Though heartbroken over his leader's illness, WindClan deputy Mudclaw is prepared to win his Clan the territory and respect it deserves—when he becomes its leader.
But when Tallstar stuns WindClan by naming another warrior as his successor, Mudclaw can barely contain his sense of betrayal. As allies emerge from WindClan's ranks and beyond, Mudclaw must ask himself what it means to put his Clan first—and how far he'll go to reclaim his rightful place.
204 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2021
962 people are currently reading
1149 people want to read
About the author
Erin Hunter
281 books10.8k 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 169 reviews
June 7, 2021
I liked this! Mudclaw was an interesting character to follow and this book did a good job explaining his motivations. The artwork was beautiful and complimented the story well.
June 3, 2021
I liked the storyline. It was nice to see how Mudclaw was doing what he thought was right. I didn’t like him in the great journey, but this one, I liked him. It was sad to see him die, but nice to see the significance of the tree that fell on him. Weren’t he and Onestar cousins? One star’s father was Stagleap and Mudclaw’s mother was Ryestalk. Stagleap and Ryestalk were littermates.
June 1, 2021
Oh my gosh this was so good! This is why I love Warriors books, all it takes is a new perspective to make you look at something in a whole new way. It just goes to show that good characters can do bad things without being evil. I love it!
February 2, 2023
I love love love love love this book!!!💙🐾😻 I loved seeing it from Mudclaw's perspective!
March 26, 2021
Reviewing this one for School Library Connection.
Warriors fans will enjoy it, of course.
Warriors fans will enjoy it, of course.
September 5, 2024
how many letters in windclan?
February 17, 2023
2023: Having finally read that arc when the journey happened... I hate how they shifted Mudfur's character and made him look like he only did what he did because he wanted the good for the clan - no he didn't. He was never near Tallstar on the journey whilst Onestar was constantly there helping him and guiding him. After reading those books and what happened I don't like him as much anymore, I still feel bad for him having been killed the way he was but I can't believe that the same cat who was in the main books would be fooled by Hawfrost this easily. I am not a huge fan of Mudclaw and I am so glad that we never got Mudstar because I doubt that he'd act for the good of his clan.
2022: I liked this one decently enough. It's a rather short story, and it's yet another one trying to redeem a vilain but this one actually works, because I ended up liking Mudclaw by the end and sympathising with him because he was only doing what he did because he thought that he was doing what was best for his clan. I also loved Onestar in this one, i just wish that he stayed the leader that he was in this book instead of turning into the garbage that he became in later books.
2022: I liked this one decently enough. It's a rather short story, and it's yet another one trying to redeem a vilain but this one actually works, because I ended up liking Mudclaw by the end and sympathising with him because he was only doing what he did because he thought that he was doing what was best for his clan. I also loved Onestar in this one, i just wish that he stayed the leader that he was in this book instead of turning into the garbage that he became in later books.
October 3, 2025
Mudclaw is a such a tragic figure—not because he fomented discontent that led to a skirmish within his own clan but because he did it for reasons that many readers would sympathize with.
He truly believed he was going to help WindClan prosper by assuming leadership. He couldn’t understand Tallstar’s decision to select Onewhisker to succeed him over him—not until it was too late.
Mudclaw’s ambition paired with his hardheadedness really blinded him to how he was being used in pursuit of darker, more vicious goals.
I think this story did a good job of telling his story as well as explaining how good intentions can still spur bad actions or choices.
Another good read~
He truly believed he was going to help WindClan prosper by assuming leadership. He couldn’t understand Tallstar’s decision to select Onewhisker to succeed him over him—not until it was too late.
Mudclaw’s ambition paired with his hardheadedness really blinded him to how he was being used in pursuit of darker, more vicious goals.
I think this story did a good job of telling his story as well as explaining how good intentions can still spur bad actions or choices.
Another good read~
January 14, 2022
I never actually thought we'd get to see Mudclaw's POV about his uprising after leadership was taken from him. But the Erin's surprised us and have given it to us in graphic novel form. And in colour as well!
It's so interesting to read about Mudclaw's thoughts and how he reacts to everything that happens and you really do feel bad for him, considering what kind of leader Onestar turned out to be anyway. It makes you think if Mudclaw really would've been the best leader for WindClan in the end.
It's so interesting to read about Mudclaw's thoughts and how he reacts to everything that happens and you really do feel bad for him, considering what kind of leader Onestar turned out to be anyway. It makes you think if Mudclaw really would've been the best leader for WindClan in the end.
April 15, 2023
I honestly prefer the books to the mangas but this was really amazing. Warriors doesn’t have a lot of bad guys to good guy characters and this really showed how Mudclaw really wasn’t bad. He wasn’t jealous like he was portrayed in the books and honestly just wanted what was best for everyone, and thought that he could help. He just got lied to and helped in the wrong way, but at least he was forgiven even if he had to die. I definitely prefer the one book mangas to any of the multi- mini series but this was really great!
June 2, 2021
Wonderful look at this character and his passion. I really liked the illustrations as well. A very fun and beautiful read.
September 30, 2022
It was really interesting to see Mudclaw's POV!
July 5, 2025
Ngl kinda on mudclaws side
November 22, 2021
I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised with the Warrior Cat comics as of late.
I had gone into A Shadow in RiverClan reluctant, because usually, I always have an issue with the comics, be it either the stories are lackluster or the art is not very impressive. But it seems like the team has been making efforts to improve on both of these features. The stories get to be longer, standalone stories rather than chopped into three separate books. The art style is greatly improved and the colors they use for the pages in these books are quite beautiful.
And lately, I have loved the stories they have been telling with these. I did not expect Mudclaw of all characters to ever get a comic dedicated to him. While somewhat important to the plot of New Prophecy, I kind of figured him to be one of those one-time antagonists that the authors have basically all but forgotten about as time has gone by. So when I found out this comic was going to explore his feelings and motivation for leading his political coup, I was eager to read.
Mudclaw is a rare instance of moral ambiguity in Warriors. People to this day debate whether he should've been the leader of WindClan, especially when seeing what Onestar became as the series went on. I think this book did a good job illustrating Mudclaw as an understandable, but ultimately flawed character.
On one hand, this book shows Mudclaw's experience, his dedication to his Clan, his reasoning for feeling like Onestar was merely being a puppet to Firestar. On some scenes, you really do feel for him. Suddenly being demoted when you don't even know why would certainly suck.
However, despite this, Mudclaw is not perfect either. The illustrations perfectly capture that while he is saddened by Tallstar's passing, he still ultimately leaps at any opportunity to throw around leadership, he considers himself above menial warrior work, and he is unreasonably petty in some scenes - such as deeming a newly-appointed Ashstep a poor deputy for making a mistake on the first day of her job. It shows that he does feel guilt for the coup, but that he ultimately thought that the ends would justify the means and that his Clan would prosper.
And I love that.
The Hawkfrost stuff drags a bit of the plot down for me, but that is kind of due to the fact that Hawkfrost's plan was pretty odd to me even in the original text, so it feels almost unfair to judge the book for it. And hey, I am happy in both books Hawkfrost is getting some spotlight, especially since he is used so little in the actual books, despite being a final antagonist.
The ending also feels a little bit rushed, (SPOILERS): with Mudclaw basically accepting Tallstar's explanation and his untimely death almost immediately and helping Onestar out (SPOILER END) but it also was a nice ending and a good explanation for why Mudclaw ultimately ended up in StarClan despite many thinking he deserved to be in the Dark Forest or cat... Purgatory, or whatever.
Overall a very neat book, and I am eager to get my hands on a copy of Nightstar's book that is coming soon!
I had gone into A Shadow in RiverClan reluctant, because usually, I always have an issue with the comics, be it either the stories are lackluster or the art is not very impressive. But it seems like the team has been making efforts to improve on both of these features. The stories get to be longer, standalone stories rather than chopped into three separate books. The art style is greatly improved and the colors they use for the pages in these books are quite beautiful.
And lately, I have loved the stories they have been telling with these. I did not expect Mudclaw of all characters to ever get a comic dedicated to him. While somewhat important to the plot of New Prophecy, I kind of figured him to be one of those one-time antagonists that the authors have basically all but forgotten about as time has gone by. So when I found out this comic was going to explore his feelings and motivation for leading his political coup, I was eager to read.
Mudclaw is a rare instance of moral ambiguity in Warriors. People to this day debate whether he should've been the leader of WindClan, especially when seeing what Onestar became as the series went on. I think this book did a good job illustrating Mudclaw as an understandable, but ultimately flawed character.
On one hand, this book shows Mudclaw's experience, his dedication to his Clan, his reasoning for feeling like Onestar was merely being a puppet to Firestar. On some scenes, you really do feel for him. Suddenly being demoted when you don't even know why would certainly suck.
However, despite this, Mudclaw is not perfect either. The illustrations perfectly capture that while he is saddened by Tallstar's passing, he still ultimately leaps at any opportunity to throw around leadership, he considers himself above menial warrior work, and he is unreasonably petty in some scenes - such as deeming a newly-appointed Ashstep a poor deputy for making a mistake on the first day of her job. It shows that he does feel guilt for the coup, but that he ultimately thought that the ends would justify the means and that his Clan would prosper.
And I love that.
The Hawkfrost stuff drags a bit of the plot down for me, but that is kind of due to the fact that Hawkfrost's plan was pretty odd to me even in the original text, so it feels almost unfair to judge the book for it. And hey, I am happy in both books Hawkfrost is getting some spotlight, especially since he is used so little in the actual books, despite being a final antagonist.
The ending also feels a little bit rushed, (SPOILERS): with Mudclaw basically accepting Tallstar's explanation and his untimely death almost immediately and helping Onestar out (SPOILER END) but it also was a nice ending and a good explanation for why Mudclaw ultimately ended up in StarClan despite many thinking he deserved to be in the Dark Forest or cat... Purgatory, or whatever.
Overall a very neat book, and I am eager to get my hands on a copy of Nightstar's book that is coming soon!
August 17, 2024
À n’importe quel prix
Pour ce roman graphique, nous reprenons l’histoire des clans au moment du grand périple.
Alors que les chats arrivent à la terre promise, le clan du vent est mal en point : son chef, Étoile Filante, est vieux et épuisé par le voyage. C’est donc naturellement que griffe de Pierre, lieutenant du clan du vent, décide de prendre cette charge sur ses épaules.
Il est prêt à tout pour que le clan du vent soit libre, fort et indépendant, sans interférences de la part d’Étoile de feu...mais peut-être est-il trop méfiant? C’est ce que semble penser Étoile Filante juste avant sa mort, puisqu’il décide de confier le rôle de chef à Moustache.
Griffe de Pierre prend cet acte comme une trahison et il est prêt à tout pour reprendre sa place!
Cet épisode marquant pour les clans avait été raconté, dans la série de roman, du point de vue du clan du tonnerre. Il est donc intéressant de vivre l’aventure du point de vue du premier concerné!
Ce nouveau format en BD, et surtout en couleur, est extrêmement agréable et j’espère que cette série continuera encore longtemps.
Pour ce roman graphique, nous reprenons l’histoire des clans au moment du grand périple.
Alors que les chats arrivent à la terre promise, le clan du vent est mal en point : son chef, Étoile Filante, est vieux et épuisé par le voyage. C’est donc naturellement que griffe de Pierre, lieutenant du clan du vent, décide de prendre cette charge sur ses épaules.
Il est prêt à tout pour que le clan du vent soit libre, fort et indépendant, sans interférences de la part d’Étoile de feu...mais peut-être est-il trop méfiant? C’est ce que semble penser Étoile Filante juste avant sa mort, puisqu’il décide de confier le rôle de chef à Moustache.
Griffe de Pierre prend cet acte comme une trahison et il est prêt à tout pour reprendre sa place!
Cet épisode marquant pour les clans avait été raconté, dans la série de roman, du point de vue du clan du tonnerre. Il est donc intéressant de vivre l’aventure du point de vue du premier concerné!
Ce nouveau format en BD, et surtout en couleur, est extrêmement agréable et j’espère que cette série continuera encore longtemps.
August 7, 2021
This is the first Warriors Manga I've read with my kids, and while it wasn't what I was expecting in terms of Manga, we did enjoy the book. If you're looking for traditional Manga, this isn't it. In my opinion, this a graphic novel. We will definitely be reading more of this standalone series though. My boys (9 and 11 years) seemed to enjoy the format. Sometimes the traditional Warriors novels include extra subplots and enough extra characters that we have a hard time keeping track of everything that's going on. We still love those books, but because of the format of this book, it is focused on a single plot and much easier to follow.
June 13, 2021
This was a really good graphic novel. I love the Warriors graphic novels. They're so much fun to read! I was thinking about the fact that if I, as a human, were to stumble upon the clans... not even my love of cats would stop me from thinking that many were disgusting. There are so many and no twolegs ever seem to notice. I feel like something would've been done. I guess it depends on whether there's that many wild cats around me and I don't notice them, lol
February 20, 2022
i’ve always loved warriors books, and the graphic novels are a good way to get a quick read in. this novel gave me better insight into the other clan’s mind’s that i had never thought about while reading the main series. it was well illustrated and well written, but it did make me sad so 4 stars for the sadness.
November 9, 2022
3.5/5 stars
Really enjoyable! Glad they explored Mudclaw's story a bit more here. His character was rather flat in the main series novels, to their detriment. Onestar is a really frustrating character. I love him as a character, but as a person, god he's annoying. Well, I guess he's a cat. Anyways, maybe his Super Edition will make me think differently. For the moment, Mudclaw is best boy. And Leopardstar and Blackstar remain the best morally dubious leader characters.
Really enjoyable! Glad they explored Mudclaw's story a bit more here. His character was rather flat in the main series novels, to their detriment. Onestar is a really frustrating character. I love him as a character, but as a person, god he's annoying. Well, I guess he's a cat. Anyways, maybe his Super Edition will make me think differently. For the moment, Mudclaw is best boy. And Leopardstar and Blackstar remain the best morally dubious leader characters.
January 27, 2023
Muss echt sagen, dass die Graphic Novels mein liebstes Format der Warrior Cats Reihe bisher sind. Vor allem die farbigen Seiten erwecken die Katzen so richtig zum Leben und man kann sich die zum ersten Mal richtig gut vorstellen. Auch dass dort eher weniger prominente Nebencharaktere behandelt werden, finde ich richtig klasse!
February 3, 2023
That was cool seeing what happened from Mudclaw’s pov.
October 13, 2023
These graphic novels do a great job of fleshing out the characters in the series. I enjoyed this quite a lot!
January 19, 2024
Intense and sad.
April 6, 2024
A lovely, nostalgic read. Definitely worth your time/money. The graphics really are stunning, especially during Mudclaw’s coup.
April 8, 2023
Pretty good!
April 4, 2025
Not sure how I feel about them trying to make Mudclaw seem not so bleh...
May 20, 2021
This manga takes a look back to when the clans first arrived at the lake. The clan deputy Mudclaw is doing his best to protect his clan as his leader Tallstar is dying. Unfortunately, on his deathbed, Tallstar names Onewhisker his deputy effectively making him Windclan's leader. Mudclaw is furious and believes that Firestar had something to do with the decision. He thinks that Firestar is trying to take over Windclan. Mudclaw begins to plan a coup to take over Windclan and kill Onewhisker and Firestar. Will his plan succeed? What is best for the clan?
Thanks to Edelweiss for providing me with a free DRC.
Thanks to Edelweiss for providing me with a free DRC.
April 29, 2021
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
Winds of Change takes place near the beginning of the second series, The New Prophecy. As with all the Warrior Cats books, the story is engaging, there are no slow times, and these graphic novels are well worth the read since they flesh out hidden storylines and give us new perspectives on the lives in the other Warrior Cat clans.Story: Mudclaw's story is retold from his viewpoint as he strives to protect his clan at all costs. When Firestar looks to be a threat, Mudclaw begins taking advice from Hawkfrost, who feeds his clan chief's paranoia. This causes his original goal of protecting his clanmates to morph into something dangerous under Hawkfrost's goading. Letting his actions spur out of control under the influence of the malicious Hawkfrost, Mudclaw, still the noble deputy he was before, comes to the realization that he was used and must come to accept his failure.
The characters are on-point and the translation from novel to graphic format is very well done. Character stories are fleshed out and I am not disappointed in the direction that the manga took in that regard. It is great to see a character who didn't get much page time get his own story.
In this stand-alone story, Mudclaw gets a redemption arc that is well written and full of pathos. It's great to see a viewpoint that is not Thunder Clan and instead we see the reasons and motivations of how other clans interact with them (in this case, Wind Clan).
Admittedly, I am not a fan of the drawing style. It tries to give very distinct facial expressions to the cats but it ends up looking wonky. In this particular novel, the colors also felt very bland and washed out - when it should be a colorful world in my mind. The panels had good angles for the backgrounds and the attention to detail was very well done throughout.
In all, I highly recommend this graphic novel. It explores several side characters stories, gives us perspectives from the other clans, and allows us to see the story in a new way. The art is serviceable and the read is always engaging. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
May 21, 2025
This is my favorite warriors graphic novel thus far. The art was so gorgeous, especially on the night of gatherings, and during the StarClan segment.
I really enjoyed what this had to offer. The other two warriors, graphic novels I've read (Exile & Thief), were enjoyable but didn't add too much to the overall story. But, this one really added another layer to the story. I like that it showed that everything is not always black and white, just because Mudclaw opposes Onewhisker doesn't mean that he is evil. I love how it complied with canon while also enriching the story. It really puts into perspective how devastating this situation would be for Mudclaw. He truly did everything he was supposed to do as a deputy and right when all his hard work was going to be awarded, it's taken right from under his claws. It makes sense that these emotions slowly rise in him and that he was manipulated by Hawkfrost to do the "right" thing for his Clan.
This was an amazing edition to the series!
I really enjoyed what this had to offer. The other two warriors, graphic novels I've read (Exile & Thief), were enjoyable but didn't add too much to the overall story. But, this one really added another layer to the story. I like that it showed that everything is not always black and white, just because Mudclaw opposes Onewhisker doesn't mean that he is evil. I love how it complied with canon while also enriching the story. It really puts into perspective how devastating this situation would be for Mudclaw. He truly did everything he was supposed to do as a deputy and right when all his hard work was going to be awarded, it's taken right from under his claws. It makes sense that these emotions slowly rise in him and that he was manipulated by Hawkfrost to do the "right" thing for his Clan.
This was an amazing edition to the series!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2021
Definitely one of the best installments in the Warriors series. It’s just a shame it’s not one of the core books, or a super edition—but maybe I should be grateful because they would have almost certainly botched a super edition version of this. I’m glad this was done so well though, it’s better than nothing.
The plot this book focuses on was one of my absolute favorite sub-plots that ever came out of the core series, back when it was still great. I was furious that we didn’t get a WindClan perspective in Starlight since it was literally all about a civil war within WindClan. This book follows Mudclaw, highlighting his thoughts and motivations throughout the story. We know ThunderClan’s perspective, obviously—they saw Mudclaw as power-hungry and aggressive, and supported Onewhisker as WindClan’s new leader because they’re ‘the good guys’.
This book does an excellent job justifying Mudclaw’s actions, and even does a fine job writing him as a Greek tragic hero, somehow. I mean, look at the qualifiers. 1) The tragic hero has to be of high stature or greatness (Check—he’s WindClan deputy); 2) He has a tragic flaw, usually excessive pride known as hubris (Check); 3) Because of his tragic flaw, he experiences a reversal of fortune (Check—Onewhisker replaced him as deputy at the last moment of Tallstar’s life, and his attempt at a coup ends with him getting killed by a tree); 4) This fall brings about feelings of pity and sympathy for the audience (Check); 5) He experiences a moment of self-awareness where he realizes the errors of his tragic flaw and the consequences of his actions (Check—even before getting to StarClan, there’s moments where he realizes this).
I really do think the guy got the shit end of the stick here—his Clan leader he’d been loyal to for seasons decided at the last minute he didn’t deserve to lead WindClan and didn’t even bother to invite him to the naming ceremony for Onewhisker as the new deputy. I’d suspect foul play as well. I like Firestar as a character, but in Mudclaw’s position I’d probably hate him too.
All in all, really enjoyed this!
The plot this book focuses on was one of my absolute favorite sub-plots that ever came out of the core series, back when it was still great. I was furious that we didn’t get a WindClan perspective in Starlight since it was literally all about a civil war within WindClan. This book follows Mudclaw, highlighting his thoughts and motivations throughout the story. We know ThunderClan’s perspective, obviously—they saw Mudclaw as power-hungry and aggressive, and supported Onewhisker as WindClan’s new leader because they’re ‘the good guys’.
This book does an excellent job justifying Mudclaw’s actions, and even does a fine job writing him as a Greek tragic hero, somehow. I mean, look at the qualifiers. 1) The tragic hero has to be of high stature or greatness (Check—he’s WindClan deputy); 2) He has a tragic flaw, usually excessive pride known as hubris (Check); 3) Because of his tragic flaw, he experiences a reversal of fortune (Check—Onewhisker replaced him as deputy at the last moment of Tallstar’s life, and his attempt at a coup ends with him getting killed by a tree); 4) This fall brings about feelings of pity and sympathy for the audience (Check); 5) He experiences a moment of self-awareness where he realizes the errors of his tragic flaw and the consequences of his actions (Check—even before getting to StarClan, there’s moments where he realizes this).
I really do think the guy got the shit end of the stick here—his Clan leader he’d been loyal to for seasons decided at the last minute he didn’t deserve to lead WindClan and didn’t even bother to invite him to the naming ceremony for Onewhisker as the new deputy. I’d suspect foul play as well. I like Firestar as a character, but in Mudclaw’s position I’d probably hate him too.
All in all, really enjoyed this!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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