Decided to make a seperate post for this since it will get a bit long and my initial post on here is already not that short either. I'll put most of the different sections of my review under spoilers so that it saves some space.
My Thunder ReviewPlease note that this is not a professional review, but rather instead just my own personal thoughts and takes on the book and its characters as well as plots.
Pros:- all three of the protagonists had interesting chapters and experienced character development/growth
- the RiverClan conspiracy plot finally got revealed, including the ringleader and Reedwhisker's killer
Somewhat Cons:- some points taken away because of it being a travelling book (it wasn't that bad though but still)
- the leader of ShadowClan is still Tigerstar II
Plot Points:Squirrelstar & BrambleclawI initially did not understand or like that the first attempt of making Squirrelflight leader at the Moonpool failed, only for the second to then work, as it felt kinda like a cop-out and waste of pagetime when reading about it on the spoiler thread.
But upon actually reading through it, I've come to realize that they probably just did that so Sunbeam and Nightheart would be able to spend at least some time together at the start of the book, since he would then be gone from ThunderClan for the rest of it due to being on Frostpaw's quest. At least that's my guess.
Anyway though, I've said it before, and I'll say it again (ever since River came out), I'm truly still hoping for Squirrelstar to retire at the end of this arc just like Brambleclaw has done now. Instead of her staying as leader, I'll keep on hoping for Ivystar or someone else to replace her as leader.
Squirrelstar is also traumatized and tired from the events of TBC, she's just simply written to react differently than Brambleclaw to that trauma Ashfur has inflicted on them both. Brambleclaw is more affected by what happened because Ashfur possessed him for moons (took over his body and then imprisoned his spirit multiple times later on).
I just really hope this arc ends with BrambleSquirrel at peace in the elders' den. Because I'm so tired of them arguing and still both being in the spotlight of the story (even though I also still adore them both as individual characters, not the ship).
Already said it when the excerpt came out (and made a thread about it too), but congrats again to Ivypool for canonically making it to deputyship, thanks to Squirrelstar naming her as such. You go girl, I'm rooting for you to become leader soon!
Frostpaw getting spayedJust as I already said on the spoiler thread when this got revealed, I'm still unsure what to think of it happening.
On one hand, in real life, spaying feral cats is a good thing to prevent overpopulation and so on.
But on the other one, Frostpaw is a fictional character who, while not human, is humanized due to how she, and every cat, is written in this series. She was not left with a real choice here, since she didn't know the twoleg who saved her life would also spay her. Granted, Smoky doesn't seem to know what the vet did either, just that he did something that happens to a lot of she-cats who go to the vet.
Although Frostpaw wanted biological kits and a mate (thankfully no longer with Splashtail as of this book), she can still kinda have both of those things, just not biologically (and not Splashtail as a mate). I lowkey hope she adopts a few kits or one later on in life. That would be neat. Even if it doesn't change the fact that the choice to get pregnant and to give birth was taken away from her. It would still probably be devastating news for her, unless she decides to not want kits or a mate anymore in the future.
The Frostpaw & Nightheart QuestI loved their initial dynamic of Frostpaw not trusting him and constantly sassying him while Nightheart just went with it for the most part without that much complaint. But they still helped each other out. The otter fight sure was interesting to read about, those animals really know how to defend their prey and themselves. The rest: trouble with twoleg kits and crossing the river, was a tad less exciting for me to read about. Although I, of course, felt truly horrible for Frostpaw when she was clinging to that tree and got reminded of Curlfeather's death.
Sunbeam's Trials and life in ThunderClanI truly love that Sunbeam is being accepted so much by Sparkpelt, Finchlight, Myrtlebloom and Bayshine. She deserves to have a good support system like that.
Her first trial with the SpotStem kits to help them hunt prey for the elders and bond with them, was such a wholesome chapter to read through. Sunbeam really would be a good mentor.
The conversation between Ivyppol and Dovewing (page 174 to 180) sure was something. I get that Dovewing wants to stand beside her mate and Clan. But Tigerstar is just wrong in how he's going about "helping" RiverClan in this case. And the fact that she said, "I won't let you manipulate me into manipulating him!" to her sister felt rather like an overreaction to me. Sunbeam talking with her dad Sparrowtail felt a bit lackluster to me in comparison. Glad they still kinda get along, but that's that.
Her second trial of pushing a big rock away from the ThunderClan camp cliff's edge with the help of Cherryfall, Alderheart and Bayshine was a neat chapter as well. It's fun that Cherryfall was chosen as the cat to challenge Sunbeam's place in ThunderClan (as well as Dewnose and Plumstone for Nightheart, and her to a lesser extent). Since it means they got an upgrade from just being ThunderClan background extras, with one line per book if they got lucky, to being (un)supporting roles instead. Good for them.
Sunbeam's third and final trial of navigating ThunderClan's territory and finding different important locations based on clues given to her by four of her new potential Clanmates (Lionblaze, Jayfeather, Cherryfall and Sparkpelt) was a fun chapter (18) and trial as well.
Cherryfall trying to sabotage her by giving the wrong clue (about the rock from her second trial instead of the Acient Oak) and then Plumstone keeping Sparkpelt from reaching her position as the final cat to meet Sunbeam during her trial by chatting towards her made me think they planned that together. Rude.
Sunbeam then standing up to Cherryfall (and later on Berryheart twice) was fantastic! Can't wait to hopefully see more of this from Sunbeam in the last two ASC books. Still waiting for her to interact with Fernstripe though. She got mentioned a few times but we never see her, kinda wasted opportunity there to not let these two bond over being from different Clans and then having them become friends.
The Cats of the ParkLove them immediately. They got that hippie community vibe to them on point. Cannot possibly remember all the names, but my favs of those were Firefly, Chalk, Bee, Wasp and Waffle. In terms of characters, Rook was intriguing with her intensity and Bee with his "wise beyond his years" vibe and him having the same strange dream for a while was cool as well.
Waffle's backstory still makes me mad, just like on the spoiler thread. Putting cats into bags and throwing them away (into a river in this case) is just a truly abhorrent thing to do. So glad the park cats saved him and took him in.
Waffe and Wasp being the two cats to go with Nightheart and Frostpaw is awesome. I fully expected Waffle to only have like one line and then either not show up again or just be a bg park cat but here he is wanting to join the Clans. Hope we get more of Wasp too since he hasn't had that many lines compared to Waffle. Still suprised that Bee didn't come with them too though due to his recurring dream.
MeditationI honestly love that meditation is what helped Frostpaw unlock her innermost thoughts, emotions and memories. It already fit so well with Riverstar as a character. Also, love the "find your inner kit" message that Bee gave her. Heard that one before. Frostpaw just had to grow up so fast after what happened in RiverClan.
The Curlfeather & Splashtail RevealStill not surprised at the 'Splashtail tried to kill Frospaw' reveal. That one felt pretty obvious ever since Shadow even if it was only here fully confirmed. Glad to know the SplashFrost ship has now sunk completely. As for her always knowing it and never wanting to admit it, denial truly is a powerful thing. She does also say later on that she was naive to trust him and easy to manipulate due to her feelings being so clear. But as Nightheart said, that still doesn't mean it's her own fault. Since Splashtail chose to use her and then to attack her.
Even after seeing the theories about Curlfeather floating around ever since River came out and then me reading the actual reveal of it on the spoiler thread, this is still so shocking. Because it once again means Frostpaw gets more trauma and trust issues all over again and that she truly just can't catch a break. A win for me since I get another new female villain besides Berryheart. But a loss for Frostpaw. And now I feel bad, great.
Berryheart's Exile & Splashtail's PromotionChapter 21 and 22 sure had a lot of Gathering drama going on as the final ones for this book.
Seeing Berryheart put on a show, first by trying to publicly humiliate her own daughter Sunbeam in front of everyone and then by trying to get Tigerstar removed from his leadership position, proved for a dramatic entrance and exit on her part.
Her plan falling apart because she didn't even truly have the full support of her Clanmates and medicine cat like she thought, was fun to read through for sure. It really was a neat fallout, to witness how Puddleshine turned out to have used her to showcase what happens when 'a cat with a grudge' tried to exploit the new rule to remove leaders for their own gain. Good character moment for him. And then her followers (Whorlpelt, Yarrowleaf and Snowbird) also did not even follow her into exile. Kinda wondering where my girl Gullswoop was though, she was part of that group but still at least funny in a way for loving gossip so much.
I still want Tigerstar to eventually be outvoted or overthrown. But this really wasn't going to work in Berryheart's favor. Can't wait to see what she's scheming up next (and what she'll apparently be sick with) during her exile in the next book. But hey, at least she's not alone and got her mate and one kit by her side (although I'm still sad her final kit Hollowspring did not end up with a mate from a different Clan as well like his littermates, just so I could see Berryheart faint from the shock and anger lol).
As for Splashtail using Podlight as probably a puppet medicine cat to make himself leader, that's going to make for a good plot next book. I really want Splashtail to have been the one to lure the dogs to Curlfeather and to thus have caused her death, only for Podlight (her brother) to find out and backstab Splashtail eventually. Even if he's also a villain, got threatened/blackmailed or is just a henchman, at least he'd avenge his sister's gruesome demise.
Main Character Development:
FrostpawShe got quite a bit of character development (and sadly even more trauma) in this book. From her distrusting every cat after being attacked, to Whistlepaw and Smoky helping her, to being healed and spayed by a twoleg, to going on the quest with Nightheart while still distrusting him, to them supporting and saving each other, to finding the park cats and her meditation making her unlock the truth of who attacked her and who was behind the RiverClan conspiracy and finally to her resolving to make her Clan a safe place and reveal the truth about what happened there to everyone, she really went through it again in this book (just like in the previous one and ever since the arc started).
A quick extra ramble about Frostpaw (one can tell she's my fav ASC protag)I really liked Frostpaw's little speech on page 289 to 290 (Ch 19) about how she wanted RiverClan to be a Clan of kindness that helps others instead of always competing with the other Clans. It truly makes me want for her to become their leader by the end of this arc even more. Or at the very least a mediator. But not just be a warrior and certainly not for her to go back to being a medicine cat. It's very clear that she's special (not that being a warrior or healer isn't special, but even Riverstar says she is).
Furthermore, I do really hope that the reveal of Curlfeather using Frostpaw as her own puppet medicine cat and then Thunderstar stating in the prologue that she was never meant to be one, means that Frostpaw will truly not be one again. And besides, as for her now having a proper StarClan connection and visions, so did Firestar before becoming leader. And he never became a medicine cat. Having that doesn't have to mean that someone is destined to be a healer.
NightheartHe kinda took a bit of backseat in this book but still also had something to do since he was involved in the BrambleSquirrel leadership situation as a guard/observer at the Moonpool, supported his mate Sunbeam when she was still new in ThunderClan at the start of the book and then was Frostpaw's support for the rest of it. In terms of character development, he experienced it less so in this book but had plenty in the previous one and still some here as well. Such as during his conversation with Plumstone and Dewnose after the first Moonpool attempt failed when he went back to camp and they stopped him and blocked his path (convo is on page 59 to 61). He admitted to having made plenty of mistakes and that he was aware of his privilege for being allowed back into ThunderClan so easily.
SunbeamShe had some great development this book. And all of it without Nightheart being there. Even though she thought about him often (and he did of her). I still hope NightSun ends up as friends rather than staying mates but Sunbeam staying in ThunderClan does sound neat now although I also wouldn't mind her going back to ShadowClan if she wanted to. On that topic, as I already wrote in her trial section in terms of plots, the way she stood up to her mother Berryheart at the final gathering of the book and also how she defended herself to Cherryfall after being antagonized by her and almost failing her final trial because of her meddling was just utter perfection. She's become so confident in herself and her abilities as well as having cats who support her in ThunderClan.
Sidenote: I was so glad to see that Tree was finally getting to do his job as mediator. Even though all of it then happened off-screen. They really should have used him for that sooner. Even if a war still happens, at least he tried.
This was definitely one of the best book fours for me. Then again, I've enjoyed most other fourth books of the different arcs as well except for SotM (minus the few Ivypool chapters who still couldn't save it though) and DN (love SkyClan but it also was a travelling book for the most part, even though some aspects of it were still exciting).
Chapters 6 (Sunbeam's first trial with the SpotStem kits), 9 (the Gathering were Brambeclaw's retirement and Squirrelstar's leadership ascension is announced), 19 (the truth about Curlfeather) and 21 (Berryheart getting exiled) were my favorite ones.