Premise: Winter has fallen on the five warrior Clans living around the lake. But this winter is the most troubling they've seen in a long time. With prey even more scarce than is usual during the season, and the Moonpool now frozen over, the Clans face starvation without any guidance from StarClan. Only one medicine cat has any sort of connection with StarClan left – Shadowpaw of ShadowClan. But why would StarClan only communicate with an apprentice? Even Shadowpaw doesn't know – nor does he know if he likes what he's receiving from them.
Story/Writing: At last, the first book of a new arc that is NOT finished! To be totally honest, I don't truly know how I feel about that, but whatever! "Lost Stars" is the first book of the seventh arc in the "Warriors" series, "The Broken Code." The Erin Hunter team never seems to be short of great story ideas, and bless them for it! To keep this series going after nearly seventeen years is quite an accomplishment. And I'm happy to say that if the rest of the arc turns out to be as good as this book alone is, then it has the potential to be one of the best in the series! Right from the start you get the feeling that things have really changed, especially if you read the arc before this "A Vision of Shadows." This is the first time the five Clans have been together in forty years (according to my estimates). Since the previous arc was about them returning to live with the other four Clans again, it only makes sense that the next arc be about the first huge problem they face together now that they're all united once more. The soul-crushing winter is a good starting point, but that only sets the stage for the real point of conflict. I thought it was such a brilliant idea to freeze the Moonpool over! This would never have happened with the Moonstone back in the old forest! It really takes advantage of the environment the Clans have been living in for the last eight years (again, according to my estimates). Not to mention I'm sure it's a question that's been on the minds of fans ever since the Clans did move to the lake. What would happen if the Moonpool ever froze over? Would the Clans lose their connection to StarClan? Well, it seems the authors had the same questions we did and set out to answer them for us!
Characters: In addition to being the first story arc to feature all five of the warrior Clans (not counting "A Vision of Shadows"), this arc also features probably the most diverse main cast of all the others so far. Only one of the main characters is from ThunderClan now. Another is from SkyClan. And the third surprisingly is from ShadowClan. I honestly wouldn't have it any other way! It goes to show how important the Clans really are, or should be, to one another, no matter their past struggles or mistakes.
Shadowpaw – I was delighted to learn that Shadowpaw would be one of the main characters in this arc! I really liked him in previous titles ever since he was born during "Tigerheart's Shadow." I knew in that super edition that he was gonna be a special cat. I just didn't know how special. Not to mention it makes sense that he's one of the three main characters, given he's the son of Tigerstar II and Dovewing. So he comes from a seriously important lineage. That said, it's still important to look at him as his own cat. And while this is only the first book in this arc, I'm very pleased to say that Shadowpaw really left a great impression already! His character is similar to Alderheart when he started out in the "Vision of Shadows" arc. But he's also very different from him. For starters, from a young age he knew he wanted to be a medicine cat. And ever since that young age, he's had seizures which present him with probably the most bizarre visions given to any medicine cat since Goosefeather of ThunderClan. I really felt for Shadowpaw and how left out he felt among his fellow medicine cats, to the point where he's more willing to tell his father about his visions than his own mentor, Puddleshine. Speaking of which, I also felt for his desire to please his mentor and his father in particular, given how much he loves them and how much they mean to him. He's already over a year old and has been an apprentice for awhile, but it's clear he still has much to learn. Not to mention much to prove, not just to all the Clans but to his own Clan, and even his fellow medicine cats. Even they doubt that he had his visions simply because he's ShadowClan. And he's not even sure if these new visions he's receiving are even from StarClan (which I doubt they are, for the record). He's also shy and clearly not comfortable speaking out in public, unless he absolutely has to. But he's a good and caring soul with a heart for other cats and will do as he sees best for every cat in need of help. I see a bright future ahead of Shadowpaw as a medicine cat and as a character, especially considering he's a ShadowClan cat!
Rootpaw – I was equally delighted to learn that the second main character hails from SkyClan. Even better, he's the son of Tree and Violetshine, one of my favorite couples in the series (plus his sister is named Needlepaw)! Not to mention it also reminded me that while Tree does live among the Clans, he's not really a Clan cat. It's a problem for Rootpaw from the beginning. It's clear he loves his family, but he also is aware of how even his own Clanmates view his father. I mean, yes, it's a typical thing for children to be embarrassed by their parents (even when the children are grown up), but Rootpaw is obviously aware that his Clanmates' collective opinion of how weird Tree is will affect how they view him in turn. While he does have the tendency to come across as an angry teen with something to prove, he also has a great heart, particularly for cats outside his Clan. I thought it was adorable at first that he starts having a crush on Bristlefrost after she rescues him from drowning in the lake. But then I saw just how sweet he can be when he goes out of his way to bring a bit of prey to her as a way to thank her, which really made me feel for him when it ends up being embarrassing for him! I also thought it was heartwarming when he offers to walk with Shadowpaw when he passes by SkyClan territory on his way to the Moonpool. And even though Moonlight in "Squirrelflight's Hope" said that seeing the dead is an ability passed down in those connected by blood with the Sisters, I was seriously surprised, not to mention alarmed, when he sees what could only have been Bramblestar's spirit at the very end of the book! Obviously this is gonna be of major importance in the future! I only hope Rootpaw embraces his gift by then. For now though, I really like his character and see great potential for him!
Bristlefrost – I know I've said this twice already, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Bristlefrost was the third main character! I was not expecting that at all, but I was pleased to realize it made sense. She's our (by now) obligatory main character from ThunderClan. Plus, she's Shadowpaw's first cousin, given her mother is Ivypool and Shadowpaw is the son of Dovewing. And for the record, Bristlefrost's name is one of my favorite in the series! Moving on though, from the first chapter that was told from her point of view, I felt this character really endeared me to her. I felt for her struggle and desire to be a warrior. She even fails her first assessment despite doing everything right because there was no prey for her to catch. And while I'm usually not a fan of this kind of motive, I surprisingly also felt for her desire to be mates with Stemleaf. At least she has good taste, given that Stemleaf is shown to be an honorable and valiant ThunderClan cat. It really got me in the feels when she finally made a warrior and then confessed her feelings to him, only for him to turn her down and even say he was interested in Spotfur, even though he tried his best to break it to her lightly. Makes me wonder though if her budding relationship with Rootpaw will go anywhere…! Anyway, I was glad though that Spotfur didn't turn out to be a jerk either, and that Bristlefrost did quickly accept that Stemleaf wanted to be with her instead. But back to Bristlefrost herself, what really endeared me to her was her reverence and respect for Bramblestar, and even StarClan. While she's obviously not a medicine cat, she reminds me of Twigbranch in a way in that she does care about StarClan's role in the lives of the Clans. Plus, since she's in ThunderClan, it's through her that we get to see what's going on with Bramblestar. While this book is her debut, I already really like her a lot and can't wait to see where she goes!
Various Other Characters – While Needlepaw isn't featured too much in the book, I like that she takes the opposite approach from her brother Rootpaw when it comes to dealing with their father's weirdness. She obviously loves him just as much. In fact, she loves him enough not to let his oddities bother or affect her. I hope she features at least a bit more in future books, 'cause I like her self-confidence, especially considering her young age. I'm so glad that for once Tigerstar isn't portrayed as a near-villain here! Even if he can still be a bit overbearing at times, he clearly cares about his Clan and his family, especially his mate and son. He even cares about ShadowClan's place among the other Clans, given how angry he is when Jayfeather accidentally reveals that ShadowClan wasn't consulted when the others tried to literally break the ice at the Moonpool. He's also one of his son's few supporters, which is refreshing given how he tended to dismiss his son's visions early on in Shadowpaw's life. Speaking of which, I was glad that Puddleshine also consistently supported Shadowpaw. I mean, yes, it makes sense since Shadowpaw is his apprentice, but still. If nothing else, he supported Shadowpaw despite his doubts, even standing alongside his apprentice when he carries out his incredibly unconventional and risky treatment of Bramblestar. Speaking of which, it was pretty alarming seeing Jayfeather belittle a medicine-cat apprentice. I mean, yes, Jayfeather's always been a cranky grump. But even if he was acting in character, those parts where he just dismisses Shadowpaw in frustration were tough to get through. Yet at the same time, I can't blame him, considering that it's his leader and foster father whose life is on the line. Also…who knew that Mothwing would eventually start to believe in StarClan after all?! I mean, she is older and more experienced, but still. Beliefs in general are pretty hard to change, especially when you're older. If anything, it shows how open-minded she still is, which is one of my favorite things about her. And last but not least, who possessed Bramblestar's body, why, and how? I have no idea what happened when Bramblestar's spirit left his body, but clearly it wasn't Bramblestar who came back! Heck, Rootpaw sees his spirit at the end! I don't know who this imposter is, but I'm willing to bet it's the voice that spoke to Shadowpaw in his visions! The one who told him about the so-called codebreakers and that they must be driven out. StarClan knows what trouble he's going to cause and what a villain he's gonna turn out to be, however much he claims to respect the warrior code!
Overall: This was a fantastic start to the "Broken Code" arc! It felt full of suspense and intrigue and mystery. And of course it has great characters for readers to view the story unfold through and get behind. I can't wait to start to second one and I especially can't wait for the third book coming out in April!