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Post by *Faith* on Aug 31, 2021 22:25:16 GMT -5
Oh, and, uh... Feathertail is in the graphic novel. Despite being dead when it takes place. Mosspelt is also there. ? where is feathertail in the GN? She's not mentioned by name, but she appears when Mistyfoot returns to RC after being taken. You see her snuggling Mistyfoot before the GN ends.
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Post by ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ท๐พ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ต on Aug 31, 2021 22:27:46 GMT -5
Well... that was disappointing that we didn't get to see the battle. Also... how in the wide, wide world is Reedwhisker still in apprentice in Dawn? I can't believe that they actually kept that mistake especially since Mothwing and Hawkfrost are younger than him. He even still looks like an apprentice. He is definitely the oldest apprentice in Clan history. Sheesh! i got a headcanon that mistyfoot was so scared to lose reedpaw that she held him back and kept him an apprentice for a long time, and since she's deputy, mistyfoot was able to convince leopardstar to keep him an apprentice longer since she didn't feel like he was ready. I don't think she would've had any say in the matter. She was his mother and deputy, sure, but such matters are usually between the leader and mentor, and I don't think Reedpaw would've liked to have stayed an apprentice for much longer. I also don't see why their mentor would agree to this just because Mistyfoot was being overprotective of who at this point would've been an apprentice for three years. Apprentices are no less vulnerable than warriors are.
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Post by Hollyfall on Aug 31, 2021 22:30:22 GMT -5
Well, mistakes or not, I really like Reedwhisker's tail. It looks just like a reed and is super adorable. That's also how Reedtail got his name. As do I! Weird that he looks like a tabby though, especially when both his parents are solids. Then again, it might be a design choice by James. My friend also pointed out that Reedwhisker and Mistyfoot seem to have similar facial structures. It could just be a coincidence, but I think that's interesting if it's actually intentional by James.
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Post by *Faith* on Aug 31, 2021 22:36:34 GMT -5
HollyfallReedwhisker is actually a solid black in the books as he's never been mentioned to be a tabby. So I think it's just the GN.
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Post by *Faith* on Aug 31, 2021 22:45:11 GMT -5
I wonder if Reedwhisker was so injured in the fight that he had to stay in the medicine cat den for moons. I mean, Sorreltail got hit by a car at one point in her apprenticeship and stayed for a few moons in the medicine cat den to recover while her brothers went on to become warriors before her. Though, for Reedwhisker, the timeline stretches a long way.
He was born in Forest of Secrets and became an apprentice in A Dangerous Path after Leopardstar becomes leader. Then we have three whole seasons pass before the start of Midnight. It's all just really confusing.
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Post by Moonblazer on Aug 31, 2021 22:50:26 GMT -5
Iโm genuinely excited to fully read this book. I love how immensely flawed Leopardstar is, I love how it seems that she knows sheโll never be excused for her actions but wants to rebuild Riverclan and make up for her foolishness. I love just how close Riverclan in general is, and I can see why theyโve always been so good at staying isolated together.
Reedwhisker is goddamn adorable and I just really really wish we got more content with him before he most likely is killed for plot in the next arc.
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Post by Hollyfall on Aug 31, 2021 23:14:32 GMT -5
What's your opinion on the book overall, Hollyfall ? Honestly? It's not terrible. I went in with low expectations as I've never really liked Leopardstar or RiverClan for that matter. I was expecting the book to try and justify her actions, but it's shown that what she did was utterly horrible and in no way tries to justify or glorify what she did "for the good of the Clan". She made absolutely deplorable decisions towards her Clan and that's established multiple times. She tried to do what she thought was best, and later realized how wrong she was. She's flawed, and genuinely wants what's best for RiverClan, but that's used against her by Tigerstar into joining TigerClan. Some people have pointed out it's similar to Mudclaw in Winds of Change, and they're not entirely wrong either. It also reminds me a bit of Blackfoot in his novella, where they directly address all the horrible things he did, but never try to validate them. The same goes for Leopardstar here. She's still a bad leader though, and made poor choices. Especially as leader.
Leopardstar herself I found was consistently written as well, and her character development was interesting and well done. She's an interesting and I'd say well written character for what it's worth. I went into this book with a strong dislike of her, but seeing things from her perspective and the reasoning behind them, I'd say I dislike her a little less. Her relationships with characters like Mudfur, Crookedstar, Frogleap, Sunfish, Whiteclaw, Whitefang, and several others were nicely written and believable. It's actually great to see what Kate can do when she's given a character she actually likes. Leopardstar was written with passion, and that's very evident in the text.
I think characterization is actually one of the strongest elements in this book for not just Leopardstar, but for just about every cat with some semblance of page time. Minor characters like Reedtail, Beetlenose, Mosspelt, or even Skyheart and Blackclaw had an established personality even though they never appeared that much in the book itself. Tigerstar going back to his scheming, manipulative self after the mess that was Redtail's Debt was good to see. Mudfur is a fantastic father and while he could have been a little more understanding of Leopardstar at times, it's very clear he loves her. I also enjoyed Leopardstar's maternal relationship with Whiteclaw, and it was absolutely heartbreaking to see how hard she grieved for him and even saying outright she loved him as her own son. If you like character-driven stories, you'd probably enjoy this book.
The family relationships were nice to see as well. Grasswhisker, Vixenleap, and Silverstream being big older sisters to Whiteclaw was cute. I know Blackclaw and Mistyfoot don't appear to like one another much in further books in the timeline, but in here, they're pretty nice and Blackclaw, from the few instances we see, is a decent father. Frogleap and Mosspelt were a cute couple, and same with Sunfish and Beetlenose. As I said above, Mudfur is an excellent father to Leopardstar and while they obviously butted heads, he never stopped loving her. It's a shame they drifted apart as she became a warrior, and it was absolutely infuriating when she outright exiled him briefly, they made up and it's clear they both love each other as family, and I'm all for that.
I believe I mentioned this earlier in the thread, and it was pointed out by a few people as well, but a good portion of the chapters (namely the first half of the book) were rather dense, and a few of the chapters ended up going on for almost thirty pages. It really felt like they were trying to put too much in for the timeframe they were going for and made it a little hard to digest with all they're cramming in there. Most of the chapters were filled with timeskips of varying degrees and it made keeping track of things rather difficult as halfway through one chapter, the tone and context would suddenly change. It's not the worst thing in the world of course, but it was a little grating.
Up until the midway point, it also felt like the book was just a bunch of disjointed short stories (which the constant jumps in time did not help), and the only thing they had in relation to one another was that it was the same character. That was mostly fixed when she became leader and things became a bit more straightforward as the book ended. There's also the timeline inconsistencies, but with prequel books, that's bound to happen, so it's not too upsetting for me.
Overall though, I'd say it's a solid 6/10, perhaps even a 7/10. It's interesting to see her perspective and I'm very happy the book didn't try to paint what she did in a positive light.
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Post by Saint Ambrosef on Aug 31, 2021 23:49:00 GMT -5
i think the main difference (imo) between mudclaw and leopardstar is that mudclaw died before he had the opportunity to repent for his mistakes and learn from it, whereas leopardstar had the tragedy and horror of her failed ego shoved in her face for long enough to recognize where she went wrong
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Cloudy Sky
*briefly emerges from under my massive pile of schoolwork* I LIVE
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Post by Cloudy Sky on Sept 1, 2021 2:52:23 GMT -5
It's not showing for me, Hollyfall . Nether is the Tigerstar death scene. It doesn't show for me either, but I can see the one page you uploaded in a later post with Reedpaw (?) in it. I think it has something to do with Discord because of the URL, but I'm not sure what. Could you upload the pages the way you did the Reedpaw page please?
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Post by โ
Maplefrostโ
on Sept 1, 2021 5:48:59 GMT -5
Pretty much what Saint Ambrosef said, same can be said for Blackstar, who at least was able to repent for his actions as well and help rebuild ShadowClan too. I think this book did a good job showing the flawed side of their characters and seems to be very character-driven, and for an SE, that's pretty important. I personally found the spoilers to be enjoyable, and I honestly look forward to reading the actual book. Leopardstar isn't a perfect leader imo, but I do like her character. Honestly, I'm glad they didn't sweep what Leopard (or Blackclaw for that matter)did under the rug, or tried to downplay it in any way. Because I found her actions and thinking to be very realistic in that sense, she did horrible things, there's no excuse for that. People are capable of doing horrible things, whether they're doing it intentionally or not, but living with that shame and struggling to change for the better makes a character much more powerful and interesting to read about. We actively see what Leopardstar is like later down the line, she's not a pushover, but she's also not a tyrant, and actually kept RiverClan involved in the plot while being a competent leader. Which is a vast improvement compared to her ambitious and naรฏve self growing up. Because of this I still don't think she's the worst leader, she actually shaped up and was properly redeemed, unlike a particular other leader in the series...I think Leopardstar is a good cat that did terrible things, like Blackstar and Mudclaw, and other cats that fall into that category. If anything I think this will make me like her even more, we honestly need more characters like her, morally gray characters that live with their sins, repent, and develop for the better. Makes me even more bitter that Rowanclaw didn't get a similar outcome as a leader too, I'm honestly just tired of the writers in general just killing off cats to solve issues. Or people only seeing characters in black and white, and leaving it at that. I'm still not a fan of Kate's writing in particular, but she honestly sounds like she did an okay job with this SE at least. I hope the Erins do more SE's like this, with characters that are complexed like Leopardstar, heck if we're lucky maybe they'll even finally do a villain SE.
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Post by carbonfoot on Sept 1, 2021 5:52:40 GMT -5
Reedwhisker is so cute!! It's really nice to have some more official art of him, despite being a deputy now he doesn't really get as much characterization as the other current deputies.
Also unless I missed it we never got closure on what happened to Tallstar's younger siblings! That kinda makes me a little upset-
All in all though I don't think this is a bad book? Obviously Leopardstar is a terrible cat but it didn't really seem like she was frustrating to read the POV of either.
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Non-binary
Slug
Waiting for books to add new characters
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Post by Slug on Sept 1, 2021 6:00:06 GMT -5
I may have read over it, but do we learn if Emberdawn died or not? I mean she doesn't appear in any other books, but just to be sure?
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Post by Hollyfall on Sept 1, 2021 8:19:19 GMT -5
I may have read over it, but do we learn if Emberdawn died or not? I mean she doesn't appear in any other books, but just to be sure? Unfortunately she seems to just vanish from the book in the later chapters. Nothing is said about if she died or not, sadly.
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Aroace
#90ec86
Name Colour
Pineclaw
Pronouns: He/Him or They/Them
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Post by Pineclaw on Sept 1, 2021 8:33:06 GMT -5
It's not showing for me, Hollyfall . Nether is the Tigerstar death scene. It doesn't show for me either, but I can see the one page you uploaded in a later post with Reedpaw (?) in it. I think it has something to do with Discord because of the URL, but I'm not sure what. Could you upload the pages the way you did the Reedpaw page please? Same for me, I can only see the page with Reedpaw.
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Post by Mau Furlong on Sept 1, 2021 10:21:17 GMT -5
RiverClan apparently loses alot of cats during the battle, iirc. I wonder who. Pikepaw or Primrosepaw will likely be among them, and poor Mistyfoot if that turns out to be the case. I also seem to remember Leopardstar actually wanting to lead her Clan someplace else and it's Firestar who urges her to fight. Which cats have died in the battle?
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Asexual
#07B04C
star_black.png
Name Colour
แนขanษypawโข
The Shiny User
๐ตGuess that's just the way it goes, easy come, easy go๐ต
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Post by แนขanษypawโข on Sept 1, 2021 10:48:28 GMT -5
Rockfoot, thank you so much for posting these! It was a great read, that's for sure. All I can say is that I'm glad Leopardstar finally grew up and she's seen the horrific consequences of her actions. This SE was great and I love her development.
(Mudfur is the best guy, by the way.)
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Bisexual
#FF00EC
Name Colour
Bาฝษพษพแงแฆส
ฯฯษฑ
Villain Enjoyer
Happy Pride Month <3 Art credit for this Firestar pride icon goes to warriorsproject!
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Post by Bาฝษพษพแงแฆส
ฯฯษฑ on Sept 1, 2021 10:49:19 GMT -5
How interesting that this book cut off mere seconds before the battle against BloodClan was fought but I actually like the abrupt ending. I'm definitely buying this book the minute it releases as a paperback. Although, what Tigerstar whispered to Gorsepaw before killing him still intrigues me but considering that he got furious immeadiately afterwards it probably had something to do with Firestar (he always got so angry when talking about him).
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Post by ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ท๐พ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ต on Sept 1, 2021 11:28:39 GMT -5
RiverClan apparently loses alot of cats during the battle, iirc. I wonder who. Pikepaw or Primrosepaw will likely be among them, and poor Mistyfoot if that turns out to be the case. I also seem to remember Leopardstar actually wanting to lead her Clan someplace else and it's Firestar who urges her to fight. Which cats have died in the battle? The only confirmed death is Whitestorm.
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Post by Mau Furlong on Sept 1, 2021 12:11:25 GMT -5
Which cats have died in the battle? The only confirmed death is Whitestorm. Oh ok...ty
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Post by Hollyfall on Sept 1, 2021 15:43:07 GMT -5
I'm unsure why some people can't view the graphic novel, but oh well. I made an album for it, hopefully that should solve the problem.
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Aroace
#90ec86
Name Colour
Pineclaw
Pronouns: He/Him or They/Them
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Post by Pineclaw on Sept 1, 2021 15:58:51 GMT -5
Yup, it works. Thank you!
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Post by *Faith* on Sept 1, 2021 17:14:39 GMT -5
Something else about Reedwhisker: Does anyone else notice that he looks like Reedtail in the graphic novel? A tabby with a reed like tail. On the other hand, Reedwhisker is a solid black. I wonder if James mixed up the two reeds somehow.
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Post by Chicken on Sept 1, 2021 17:18:28 GMT -5
Something else about Reedwhisker: Does anyone else notice that he looks like Reedtail in the graphic novel? A tabby with a reed like tail. On the other hand, Reedwhisker is a solid black. I wonder if James mixed up the two reeds somehow. I have a theory /j Reedwhisker actually isn't Reedkit from the P3 litter, he's actually from a second litter, which explains why he was an apprentice for sooo long. Also, Blackclaw isn't the father of this Reed, but Reedtail is. I think you could be right though honestly.
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Asexual
#07B04C
star_black.png
Name Colour
แนขanษypawโข
The Shiny User
๐ตGuess that's just the way it goes, easy come, easy go๐ต
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Post by แนขanษypawโข on Sept 1, 2021 17:36:48 GMT -5
Thanks for posting this Rockfoot! I guess James did mix up the two Reed's so it makes sense that Reedwhisker was colored incorrectly. Aside from that, it was a good read.
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Post by ๐ฏ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฃ๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐ฑ on Sept 1, 2021 20:30:53 GMT -5
I have been avoiding this thread like the plague, and I canโt do it anymore. Those of you who post spoilers before the bookโs official release are gonna be the death of me ๐. (In all seriousness, I appreciate the dedication you put into this. I just hate that Iโm unable to avoid reading it.)
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#04F9B3
StarClan leader
Name Colour
Featherstar
She could now see that destiny alone could not save RiverClan. - Frostpaw, Wind
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Post by Featherstar on Sept 5, 2021 19:24:38 GMT -5
Hey Hollyfall, can you post pics of Leopardstar's nine lives cermony if you can?
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Post by Emberdawn on Sept 7, 2021 13:09:37 GMT -5
You said Emberdawn is stated here to be a dark ginger she-cat with blue eyes? Just making sure...its right? Did I go through the effort of making an account on here just to comment on something? Maybe Hi guys, I'm Emberdawn from BlogClan! I woke up today to a very excited friend congratulating me on this SE after hearing "the news", and a little digging resulted in finding this thread and discovering that I'm now canon in the books. While I don't have the book myself to scour the pages and see if there's a description in it, I can confirm that the "character" Emberdawn on the blog is a dark ginger she-cat with blue eyes (you can thank my 6th grade self for that description and name). If you're looking for a specific breed, she's an Abyssinian! I have no idea whether or not Kate (bless her) also intended for the RiverClan Emberdawn to also have the same appearance and/or breed, though. I could ask her, if you guys would like? Otherwise, I'm very pleased that the little childhood dream of being in the Warriors books has come true, even long after I stopped following the series religiously! And my book self is the relative of a somewhat-important character! Mosspelt is still alive in TBC and maybe even will still be alive in the 8th arc! I'd love to see whether I might make another cameo in the books... but until then, I've just been retconned into the history of RiverClan!
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#04F9B3
StarClan leader
Name Colour
Featherstar
She could now see that destiny alone could not save RiverClan. - Frostpaw, Wind
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Post by Featherstar on Sept 7, 2021 13:35:18 GMT -5
You said Emberdawn is stated here to be a dark ginger she-cat with blue eyes? Just making sure...its right? Did I go through the effort of making an account on here just to comment on something? Maybe Hi guys, I'm Emberdawn from BlogClan! I woke up today to a very excited friend congratulating me on this SE after hearing "the news", and a little digging resulted in finding this thread and discovering that I'm now canon in the books. While I don't have the book myself to scour the pages and see if there's a description in it, I can confirm that the "character" Emberdawn on the blog is a dark ginger she-cat with blue eyes (you can thank my 6th grade self for that description and name). If you're looking for a specific breed, she's an Abyssinian! I have no idea whether or not Kate (bless her) also intended for the RiverClan Emberdawn to also have the same appearance and/or breed, though. I could ask her, if you guys would like? Otherwise, I'm very pleased that the little childhood dream of being in the Warriors books has come true, even long after I stopped following the series religiously! And my book self is the relative of a somewhat-important character! Mosspelt is still alive in TBC and maybe even will still be alive in the 8th arc! I'd love to see whether I might make another cameo in the books... but until then, I've just been retconned into the history of RiverClan! Your the mod from BlogClan that says W.A.S a lot to people, right?
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Post by Emberdawn on Sept 7, 2021 13:54:47 GMT -5
Did I go through the effort of making an account on here just to comment on something? Maybe Hi guys, I'm Emberdawn from BlogClan! I woke up today to a very excited friend congratulating me on this SE after hearing "the news", and a little digging resulted in finding this thread and discovering that I'm now canon in the books. While I don't have the book myself to scour the pages and see if there's a description in it, I can confirm that the "character" Emberdawn on the blog is a dark ginger she-cat with blue eyes (you can thank my 6th grade self for that description and name). If you're looking for a specific breed, she's an Abyssinian! I have no idea whether or not Kate (bless her) also intended for the RiverClan Emberdawn to also have the same appearance and/or breed, though. I could ask her, if you guys would like? Otherwise, I'm very pleased that the little childhood dream of being in the Warriors books has come true, even long after I stopped following the series religiously! And my book self is the relative of a somewhat-important character! Mosspelt is still alive in TBC and maybe even will still be alive in the 8th arc! I'd love to see whether I might make another cameo in the books... but until then, I've just been retconned into the history of RiverClan! Your the mod from BlogClan that says W.A.S a lot to people, right? Haha, yes! I am typically the mod from BlogTeam that says W.A.S. to people for Kate when people try to ask her for spoilers for upcoming books (we have permission from her to do so).
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#04F9B3
StarClan leader
Name Colour
Featherstar
She could now see that destiny alone could not save RiverClan. - Frostpaw, Wind
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Post by Featherstar on Sept 7, 2021 13:57:29 GMT -5
Your the mod from BlogClan that says W.A.S a lot to people, right? Haha, yes! I am typically the mod from BlogTeam that says W.A.S. to people for Kate when people try to ask her for spoilers for upcoming books (we have permission from her to do so). I am Featherpelt (#warriorcats18) or Stormwhisker on BlogClan. I was thinking about trying to solve your puzzle on BlogClan just a bit ago.
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