Shadowstar's Life felt... off to me. [Spoilers]
Apr 21, 2019 16:13:53 GMT -5
kinkajou and Hawkflower like this
Post by Tas on Apr 21, 2019 16:13:53 GMT -5
And I'm not just talking about how terrible it was. There was more than just that for me. The whole writing style of the book (and this isn't just Clarissa, because Tawnypelt's Clan and Redtail's Debt didn't feel like this) was strange, and a little off-putting. It's a little bit hard to describe, but I'll try.
It felt like a big weird dream. I honestly wouldn't have been surprised if Shadowstar had woken up in her nest at the end of the book. The passage of time, character interactions, how Shadowstar acted... it just felt kind of surreal, and very unlike Warriors.
The biggest example for me was Shadowstar's obsession with the "amber eyes". It wasn't just an "oh look, he has amber eyes"; it was a constant thought in the back of her head through the entire book:
Here, it's natural. She's remembering them for the first time, and wonders if it could be someone in the Clan. But as the story continues, it plagues her more and more. It is clearly a focal point of her character and the story-- she's paranoid and unsure, constantly thinking about these amber eyes, and the fact that she only has one life left.
And she is also always trying to convince herself that she's overreacting, but she never quite gets over it. And let me stress, this is not just a memory she has. Every time she sees amber eyes, even when it's her medicine cat:
But I think you get the picture.
This is not normal behaviour, especially not for someone as naturally cool as Shadowstar. You might argue that yes, she's paranoid because she's on her last life, but it is still very surreal for a POV to be obsessing over something. It reminds me somewhat of Jayfeather with his Stick, but it's pretty unprecedented.
Another thing is the whole conflict in this book, with Quick Water. As Kinkajou pointed out in another thread, Quick Water's "villainy" is very similar to Willow Tail's. It mirrors Shadowstar's paranoia of dying one last time (which we see even before she loses her eighth life) with the fairly recent conflict with Willow Tail -- a combination often seen in dreams, but not so often in real life. Another thing that makes this book canonically surreal, in my opinion.
The passage of time is also strange. Shadowstar has lost seven lives, but based on allegiances very little time has passed. That's not a main concern of the book, though... unlike the fact that Shadowstar waited almost a moon after Sun Shadow died to name a new deputy. It also takes her that long for her leg to heal... which is unusual for the cats. She's described as being tired during that time, too. I find it strange that, even if she wanted to make the right decision, so much time would pass. Again, a little unrealistic:
There are more things that I noticed while reading, but I can't exactly give examples... they're just feelings I had that little details were strange, and off from what I have grown to expect from Warriors. And it's not that they're mistakes, or that it's because Clarissa's writing and not Kate or Cherith... Idk
To conclude, the whole book felt like Shadowstar was having a really long paranoid dream. Stress of being leader and of only have two lives left (and eventually one) got to her, and she had a nine-chapter-long ultra-realistic dream in which she and her deputy were killed by a SkyClan cat, no one believed her that the SkyClan cat did it, and in the end there was a battle and Shadowstar lost her life.
It being a dream would have been a better ending than we got, anyway.
It felt like a big weird dream. I honestly wouldn't have been surprised if Shadowstar had woken up in her nest at the end of the book. The passage of time, character interactions, how Shadowstar acted... it just felt kind of surreal, and very unlike Warriors.
The biggest example for me was Shadowstar's obsession with the "amber eyes". It wasn't just an "oh look, he has amber eyes"; it was a constant thought in the back of her head through the entire book:
Amber eyes...
Shadowstar gasped as she remembered the eyes she'd seen searching her from the dark woods as she fought the dogs. She knew she had not imagined that cold, unblinking gaze. But would one of her Clanmates have looked on as she and Sun Shadow died? Without trying to help? A cold feeling spread through her belly. Some cat had watched them die.
Mouse Ear had amber eyes. So did Shade Pelt.
Shadowstar gasped as she remembered the eyes she'd seen searching her from the dark woods as she fought the dogs. She knew she had not imagined that cold, unblinking gaze. But would one of her Clanmates have looked on as she and Sun Shadow died? Without trying to help? A cold feeling spread through her belly. Some cat had watched them die.
Mouse Ear had amber eyes. So did Shade Pelt.
[...] that's not why I don't want to be with my Clanmates.
She couldn't stop remembering the amber eyes shining out of the dark woods as she fought for her life. And she kept looking at her amber-eyed Clanmates, wondering if one of them...
She couldn't stop remembering the amber eyes shining out of the dark woods as she fought for her life. And she kept looking at her amber-eyed Clanmates, wondering if one of them...
The medicine cat's amber eyes glinted as he looked up at Shade Pelt. "Keep off it for the rest of today."
Shadowstar caught her breath. Amber eyes. Again she pictured the cold eyes that had watched her from the forest as she struggled and died.
Shadowstar caught her breath. Amber eyes. Again she pictured the cold eyes that had watched her from the forest as she struggled and died.
This is not normal behaviour, especially not for someone as naturally cool as Shadowstar. You might argue that yes, she's paranoid because she's on her last life, but it is still very surreal for a POV to be obsessing over something. It reminds me somewhat of Jayfeather with his Stick, but it's pretty unprecedented.
Another thing is the whole conflict in this book, with Quick Water. As Kinkajou pointed out in another thread, Quick Water's "villainy" is very similar to Willow Tail's. It mirrors Shadowstar's paranoia of dying one last time (which we see even before she loses her eighth life) with the fairly recent conflict with Willow Tail -- a combination often seen in dreams, but not so often in real life. Another thing that makes this book canonically surreal, in my opinion.
The passage of time is also strange. Shadowstar has lost seven lives, but based on allegiances very little time has passed. That's not a main concern of the book, though... unlike the fact that Shadowstar waited almost a moon after Sun Shadow died to name a new deputy. It also takes her that long for her leg to heal... which is unusual for the cats. She's described as being tired during that time, too. I find it strange that, even if she wanted to make the right decision, so much time would pass. Again, a little unrealistic:
Shadowstar gingerly lowered her paw, shifting her weight onto her foreleg, then relaxed. It barely twinged. It had taken half a moon, but her leg was finally healed. [...]
"It's true that not knowing who's going to be your deputy is causing some conflict," Pebble Heart said. "It's been more than half a moon since Sun Shadow's death. Maybe it's time to name his successor?" [...]
Thunderstar, calmer, looked down at where his and Skystar's deputies sat near the base of the rock. "You haven't picked a new deputy yet?" [...]
"I notice you don't have a new deputy yet," Windstar remarked briskly to Shadowstar. "A leader needs a new deputy to bear some of the weight of running a Clan."
"It's true that not knowing who's going to be your deputy is causing some conflict," Pebble Heart said. "It's been more than half a moon since Sun Shadow's death. Maybe it's time to name his successor?" [...]
Thunderstar, calmer, looked down at where his and Skystar's deputies sat near the base of the rock. "You haven't picked a new deputy yet?" [...]
"I notice you don't have a new deputy yet," Windstar remarked briskly to Shadowstar. "A leader needs a new deputy to bear some of the weight of running a Clan."
To conclude, the whole book felt like Shadowstar was having a really long paranoid dream. Stress of being leader and of only have two lives left (and eventually one) got to her, and she had a nine-chapter-long ultra-realistic dream in which she and her deputy were killed by a SkyClan cat, no one believed her that the SkyClan cat did it, and in the end there was a battle and Shadowstar lost her life.
It being a dream would have been a better ending than we got, anyway.