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Post by wolfcry32 on Oct 31, 2020 18:27:19 GMT -5
Just a random unorganized mess of my thoughts. I cannot believe...I’m glad we know the Imposter’s true identity. It was getting tiresome seeing people still try and say it might be someone else. It’s Ashfur. Like we all knew from the start!
Poor Shadowsight. He’s being mistreated and manipulated so much. Give the boy a break.
Spotfur expecting kits! No one is surprised! I thought she might get killed via hawk. Glad she wasn’t but sad she’s MIA.
Pancake! Eggs! Bacon! Cutest themed names and I will not take constructive criticism. Nobody else try naming cats ever again.
Ok, I wish Lionblaze had taken him down. I bet Hollyleaf would approve. Stop trying to save Bramblestar, Squilf! I’m sure Bramblestar would understand needing to die in order to save literally everyone. It’s not like he was an outstanding leader anyway...
The scene with the spirits is kind of horrifying. Does this mean Ashfur is corrupting them? Many things to think about. I’m sure it’ll inspire tons of art though!
Hawkwing is a beast! He just picked him up and YEETED him into a tree stump. And remember Ashfur is in BRAMBLESTAR’S body. Bramblestar is not a small cat by any means. I anticipate some good animations of this scene. Go strong grandpa!
So Ashfur is stuffing other spirits in Bramblestar’s body too? That’s going to make it annoying to figure out the right time to strike. You could kill Bramblestar until he’s actually dead but never get to Ashfur. Do you think he might try another body if that happens?
Oh boy, just...dragged Squirrelflight into the Moonpool. So is he controlling access? Sounds bad.
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Post by Numquam on Oct 31, 2020 18:44:52 GMT -5
I love love LOVE that Ashfur is such a horrific shitbag I think he's becoming one of my favourite villains in this series.
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Post by *Ottersplash* on Oct 31, 2020 19:16:10 GMT -5
If Squirrel isn't the one to rip Ashfur's throat out, I won't be happy
He is such a piece of trash.
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Post by Saint Ambrosef on Oct 31, 2020 20:19:53 GMT -5
ashfur is horrible but he's the sort of antagonist i can't help feeling a glimmer of pity for. he's possessive, has no regard for others, murders, and is just all around a terrible dirtbag. yet there is something truly pitiable about how obsessed he is to get the affirmation that he's lovable from this one ex-girlfriend who dumped him forty years ago. to literally move heaven and earth to get that because it's the only thing from existence you crave is ridiculously depressing.
that's what makes a good villain, though. you hate them and want them to be defeated but they still feel unbelievably "human" still, and part of you sympathizes with that.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2020 21:10:16 GMT -5
Wow okay it’s 4 am, I wasn’t gonna read these but I did because I don’t have patience to wait 10 more days and... no words. THE SCENE WITH THE GHOSTS WAS SO CREEPY, I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO GET THAT OUT OF MY HEAD AHH. 11/10 best book ever, the cliffhanger at the end is the biggest wtf moment ever, but it’s clear Ashfur is taking Squirrelflight to the Dark Forest the same way Shadowsight did it in Veil of Shadows, by swimming in the Moonpool. Thank you so much for giving us these detailed summaries! I had a blast reading them <3 off to sleep now, hopefully I don’t have nightmares of that ghost scene (also apparently Spiresight isn’t a villain HAH my first instinct when reading Veil of Shadows was correct, when Ashfur said to ask the black cat with yellow eyes he meant he did something to him, not that Spiresight was helping him)
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Post by Deleted on Oct 31, 2020 21:36:10 GMT -5
Wait, that was it? I thought Reedclaw's mate was supposed to be revealed in this book. Also, were there any Mothwing and Tawnypelt sister moments? Either way, thanks again for taking the time and energy to post these. Yeah I thought that too, but I didn't see any mention of it. Though we got Dewspring confirmed to be the father of Nectarsong's kits, so I guess that's alright? Bit disappointed about not learning Reedclaw's though.
For Mothwing and Tawnypelt, I didn't see any. Tawnypelt appeared like once or twice in the book so we didn't see her a whole lot. We did see Mothwing interacting with Tigerstar and she pretty obviously respects him and he respects her, so I suppose that's good enough. But yeah, I was hoping for some sister moments too. Yeah, I was really glad about that, and who the father is, I was hoping it'd be Dewspring. Sandynose got two sets of grandchildren this arc. It's good that Mothwing and Tigerheart are getting on well, it's weird to think that Mothwing is Shadowsight's half great-aunt.
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Post by Lizard 🦎 on Nov 1, 2020 1:50:14 GMT -5
Omg. That was terrifying. But now cats can be dragged into the Moonpool? I wonder how that will affect the series! I've changed my mind on Ashfur. He's such a great villain. Super scary and obsessed.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2020 4:32:08 GMT -5
More thoughts : I was expecting Graystripe to come back by the end of this book but I guess it makes sense since Tigerstar also left in book 4 and he returned at the very end of book 5 so Graystripe will probably come back in TPONS. I LOVED how much attention Lionblaze got in this book, and I can’t wait to see him as leader in the next book! MULTIPLE spirits are in Bramblestar’s body!? WHAT??? I’m so glad we saw that Bramblestar’s fine but poor Spiresight... his few words were TERRIFYING The Sisters are back YESSS!!! I was expecting this and I’m so glad it happened! Ashfur and Shadowsight? Omg their interactions were GOLD. I’m really surprised we didn’t get a Squirrelflight POV. Like, how are we gonna know what’s going on in the DF in the next book? Although, I have a horrible suspicion about this... what if Shadowsight gets killed or badly injured again for letting Ashfur escape and we see the DF from his POV, and he’s gonna be together with Squirrelflight and Ashfur... *shudders* Dewspring ahh I’m so glad you’re the father <333
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2020 5:00:16 GMT -5
Also, I felt really bad for Ashfur... yes I said that. When Hawkwing and Tigerstar kept hurting him, I felt pity for him... it wasn’t as bad when Lionblaze attacked him but Hawkwing and Tigerstar almost killed him...
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Post by 🔥Firestar🔥 on Nov 1, 2020 5:22:57 GMT -5
This book is so creepy *Shudders*, but one of the best!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 1, 2020 5:24:49 GMT -5
This book is so creepy *Shudders*, but one of the best! #DarknessWithin
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Post by shadoww on Nov 1, 2020 11:34:24 GMT -5
i luckily got the book preordered myself!
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Post by Hollyfall on Nov 1, 2020 13:48:44 GMT -5
My thoughts on the book: Ashfur was pretty well written and definitely creepy. He's tied with Tigerstar I for being my favorite villains. My favorite chapters in the book were probably Shadowsight's, and his interactions with Ashfur were quite interesting. Half the time, Ashfur seemed to want to manipulate him, but the other times, he appeared to genuinely had a form of...begrudging respect for Shadowsight and was grateful that he was the only cat who stepped in to defend him. Ashfur knows how to gaslight cats into attacking him, and it nearly got him killed twice from Lionblaze, and then later Tigerstar and Hawkwing. Ashfur's control over the spirits is interesting too. He seems to be able to make the spirits go into a large amount of pain, and even...force them to possess bodies. The fact that he let Bramblestar repossess his body briefly, only to yank him back out, was just cruel, and it makes me hate Ashfur even more. I'm interested in learning how he got the power he did, as Ashfur says, he learned it when he discovered how "easily he could travel between worlds". What was really the highlight, in my opinion, is when he escaped from ShadowClan and tried to convince Squirrelflight to come with him. After Squirrelflight essentially told him to go screw himself and she'll never love him, and his immediate response is to physically attack her, it makes me believe that in that moment, he's finally comprehended that no matter what he does, no matter how hard he tries, she will never love him, and she loves Bramblestar. The guy is delusional to the point of thinking that deep down she still loves him because of her whole lovey-dovey speech in chapter 2. He's such a delusional, creepy, and possessive crapsack of a cat, and seeing how that he believes that the best course of action is to kidnap her and drag her to the Dark Forest (given book 5's blurb), it just makes him even more awful. Bringing him back was honestly a brilliant writing decision. He's a great villain. He was totally creepy and really just stole the show every time he appeared. He's such an awful, deplorable cat with no regard for others, and I love it. Shadowsight being ostracized by ShadowClan and effectively demoted back to an apprentice was a bit grating. I understand where Mothwing was coming from, saying that his inexperience was a part in killing Bramblestar, but I don't really think it was his fault. A few cats like Lightleap, Blazefire, and Gullswoop seemed to like him still, and Tigerstar still very much trusted him, but it sucked seeing him getting shut down a lot because he was manipulated by Ashfur, and Shadowsight feels a great deal of shame and guilt because he knows he did play a part in killing Bramblestar. Him being forced to treat Ashfur, despite Shadowsight's obvious hatred of him, was at least a bit cruel. Ashfur knew how to gaslight him and get him angry. That said however, their relationship was...interesting. Shadowsight very, very much hates Ashfur and Ashfur knows this. He pokes at Shadowsight's insecurities (eg. killing Bramblestar, being demoted to an apprentice, not being able to help his Clan) and manipulates him. But the thing is, Ashfur did seem genuinely pleased to see Shadowsight whenever he visited. Not in a malicious way, but like he would be happy to have the company. He apologizes to him for getting him demoted, and was even grateful that Shadowsight stopped Lionblaze from killing him. It's an interesting relationship between the two. For Lionblaze, I liked him in the book. While he was sometimes a bit harsh to Squirrelflight and some other cats, I think this can be chalked up to how much he really wants Ashfur dead. Lionblaze screaming at Ashfur to get out of Bramblestar's body and then beating the absolute light out of him was very well written, in my opinion. He also seemed like a competent enough deputy. He made sure that the fresh-kill pile was always stocked and sent out lots of patrols to keep everyone busy. He even makes it so no cat leaves the camp alone, since Ashfur's spirit could be out there. He steps up a bit as leader near the end when Squirrelflight is upset that they're going to kill Bramblestar's body, an I'm interested in seeing Lionblaze in the next book since he's now the de facto leader. He butted heads with Squirrelflight a few times, given their differing opinions on how to handle Ashfur, but he himself says he respects her and he obviously loves her, but he still remains loyal to her. I know some people weren't happy he got the deputyship, but I think it's hard to deny that he's at least doing a decent job. Squirrelflight, as I've said in previous threads on here, is becoming more and more likable to me as TBC goes on. Aside from the whole drama about her not being a "real leader" (which is bs, imo), she runs the Clan effectively and is definitely the best cat suited for the job. Later in the book as more and more cats think that killing Bramblestar's body is the best course of action, she lets her feelings for him get in the way of being practical, which is something she admits later on. I know BrambleSquirrel isn't the...healthiest of ships, and gets it's fair share of flak from the fandom, but in this book it's very obvious she loves Bramblestar, and she's willing to do a lot for him. I did enjoy her speech to ThunderClan about staying united, and how she told off Ashfur near the end. Her feelings are pretty realistic given the circumstances, and she realizes that she needs to put ThunderClan first near the end. I really felt for her when Lionblaze and Alderheart stated that killing Ashfur is the best course of action, while Jayfeather (at the time) wanted to consult the Sisters first. I hate the Sisters as much as anyone else, but they were more tolerable in this book. I find it a bit ironic that under the leadership of Snow, who was arguably the most openly prejudiced against toms in SqH, the group seems much more accepting and tolerant of toms in this book. Sunrise was a very good aunt to Needleclaw and especially Rootspring. Leaf was also a nice character, and definitely seems to have taken after his namesake. There were acknowledged family relations in the book, which is great! Stuff like Lizardtail being the father of Harelight and his siblings or Dewspring being Nectarsong's mate was fantastic. Sunrise was a great aunt to Rootspring and Needleclaw. There were some good relationships in here too. Mothwing and Tigerstar have a good deal of respect for one another. Lionblaze, although butts heads with Squirrelflight sometimes, respects her, and she respects him. There's an offhand line about Squirrelflight taking the fact that Graystripe left ThunderClan the hardest of all, which I thought was kinda sad. Leafstar and Tigerstar don't appear to have any more bad feelings towards each other anymore either. Heck, although Tigerstar was a bit hostile to the Sisters when they first arrived, he begins conversing with them soon after without much indication of hostility, from what I saw. They're mostly minor things, but I liked seeing them. I see complaints about Bristlefrost just being a camera for other characters, but I don't feel like that ever really happened in this book. I'm not denying there are some instances where she's just watching stuff happen (eg. ThunderClan arguing about the most menial things). She's trying to be the best warrior ThunderClan needs, but it comes into conflict with her feelings with Rootspring. Aside from her chapters on the journey, I liked seeing her perspective. On the topic of RootBristle, I don't like the ship. Bristlefrost's feelings came out of nowhere in Veil of Shadows, but in this book, her feelings do seem to be genuine. The way they're written this book is nice, but it's a bit weird when we got no instance of them in previous books. Rootspring and Bristlefrost are also handling their feelings in quite a mature manner too, putting the needs of their Clan first and knowing the consequences of if they do decide to pursue each other. It's nice to see a decently written romance where they don't immediately decide to run away and then get pregnant. The things I didn't like: - Bristlefrost's and Rootspring's chapters really...dragged sometimes. I don't hate their characters, but some of their chapters, especially during the journey to find the Sisters, were just...boring. It might be because journeys aren't usually the best written, but I didn't enjoy it. I was far more interested in Shadowsight's chapters.
- ThunderClan is continuously written as "Thunderclan" throughout the book. The other Clans are proper, but ThunderClan isn't. It's a minor grammatical issue but it was a little off-putting when it was throughout the entire book.
- Mothwing was a mixed bag for me. I liked that she has a good deal of respect for Tigerstar and ShadowClan, but her treatment of Shadowsight was a bit of an issue for me. She was never outright mean or rude to him, but she a bit condescending to him. I get she's more experienced than he is, but she could have been a bit nicer about it. I wouldn't call her "ruined", but she definitely could have been a bit nicer to Shadowsight.
- Mistystar annoyed me. The fact that she blatantly refused to go to the vigil gathering at the start was quite rude. She sent Reedwhisker in her place, but Reedwhisker went out of his way to be friendly and kind to Mothwing, Icewing, and Harelight. Mistystar does appear more later in the book, but it's only to really deal with the topic of Ashfur and doesn't do much else aside from that.
Regardless, this is a pretty solid book, and one of the better book 4's, in my opinion.
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Post by Hollyfall on Nov 1, 2020 14:07:53 GMT -5
say, can you show us the cover poster?
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foxstep
loves squirrelflight way too much
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Post by foxstep on Nov 1, 2020 14:07:58 GMT -5
that moment when you haven't read the last two or three books and come back to see everything in flames poor squilf though the erins need to stop using her for drama and angst let our girl have a break
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#a3c5e6
Name Colour
𝓣𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓿𝓲𝓮𝓵
Warrior Fanatic
All hail me, the flower-flushing queen of Prague
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Post by 𝓣𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓿𝓲𝓮𝓵 on Nov 1, 2020 14:23:21 GMT -5
say, can you show us the cover poster? I'm pretty sure they meant the other side.
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Post by Hollyfall on Nov 1, 2020 14:29:36 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure they meant the other side. I had thought that too, but the other side here is just blank. Rip.
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Bisexual
ravenmoon
"I'm smarter than you!" - Gary Smith
Pronouns: Any pronouns fine
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Post by ravenmoon on Nov 1, 2020 15:52:23 GMT -5
bit of an unpopular opinion but not personally a fan of this book or arc lol.
R/Incelfur needs to be killed and Squirrelflight needs to live and become leader also can Bramblestar never come back pls thanks.
Idk I'm just still not really a big fan of the whole spirit-posseing stuff it's getting kinda ridiculous imo.
I also have a feeling that at the end of the arc either Bramblestar comes back to Squirrelflight and they rEuNiTe even though they should break up bc Bramble is toxic. Or, Squirrelflight dies, Bramble doesn't come back and Bristlefrost somehow becomes either leader or deputy. And I really don't wanna see Bristle as leader or deputy no thanks lol.
Thank you for posting this tho! Love getting some early spoilers and leaks!
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Post by Saint Ambrosef on Nov 1, 2020 16:57:32 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure they meant the other side. I had thought that too, but the other side here is just blank. Rip. isn't it only in SE that they have the "full cover"?
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#a3c5e6
Name Colour
𝓣𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓿𝓲𝓮𝓵
Warrior Fanatic
All hail me, the flower-flushing queen of Prague
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Post by 𝓣𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓿𝓲𝓮𝓵 on Nov 1, 2020 16:59:15 GMT -5
I had thought that too, but the other side here is just blank. Rip. isn't it only in SE that they have the "full cover"? That's not exactly what was meant. Lately the main books have been giving us posters on the covers with two quotes on them.
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Post by Saint Ambrosef on Nov 1, 2020 17:12:22 GMT -5
isn't it only in SE that they have the "full cover"? That's not exactly what was meant. Lately the main books have been giving us posters on the covers with two quotes on them. whoops. i haven't bought a warrior book since BrS lol.
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Post by Spinel on Nov 1, 2020 17:31:46 GMT -5
Thank you so so much Rockfoot for posting! As usual, your summaries for each chapter are wonderful!
while i do have some issues with this book, theres one thing i must say:
pancake, bacon, and eggs are the cutest names for kittypets thus far in the series don't @ me.
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Post by Mau Furlong on Nov 1, 2020 17:40:46 GMT -5
I was told that Beetlekit had a short tail? is that true?
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Post by Haze on Nov 1, 2020 23:01:06 GMT -5
I only saw this post today and finished reading all the spoilers, thanks for sharing. TBC should be renamed to Shadowsight suffering because the poor baby don't have a break. Mothwing was just terrible all the book, someone give her a history lesson and make her remember that Leafpool had to carry her sorry ass because she was incompetent during all the second arc.
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Post by nightwhisker on Nov 2, 2020 0:07:36 GMT -5
Thanks for posting this! The book seems really cool so far, Ashfur has stepped his manipulation up a lot. Sunrise seems great. I don't like Root x Bristle, I don't think it's going to happen, they're just pushing it gently to have some romance subplot. But I can't wait to read the book myself!
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Post by alphayamergo on Nov 2, 2020 0:59:52 GMT -5
If Squirrelflight doesn't get to end Ashfur, then what is even the point of this arc. And if that really was Bramblestar talking to Shadowsight, and he can see what's going on... Oof. Imagine having to watch helplessly as someone else uses your body to attack your wife.
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Post by midgetpaw on Nov 2, 2020 9:52:58 GMT -5
I kinda hope squirrelflight and Bramblestar both die by the end of the arc tbh, both are old
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foxstep
loves squirrelflight way too much
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Post by foxstep on Nov 2, 2020 19:07:19 GMT -5
i hope bramble goes to the dark forest and squilf goes to starclan i mean, come on it's time for them to kick the bucket, the plot has been centered around them for a long time and milking them for drama is getting so old now. like let them be.
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Post by wheeledwarrior on Nov 2, 2020 19:25:56 GMT -5
I am kind of hoping they will both be dead by the end of this arc, and this is coming from someone that likes both characters. They’ve just gone on for way too long, and I feel like it’s time to let new character shine. One could argue with who the imposter is, they would have to be alive, but I feel like the imposter could have plenty of other cats he could hold a grudge against or manipulate. Not to mention there was the whole idea of the imposter not being who he was in the first please, even though that’s now deconfirmed.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 2, 2020 20:09:52 GMT -5
i hope bramble goes to the dark forest and squilf goes to starclan i mean, come on it's time for them to kick the bucket, the plot has been centered around them for a long time and milking them for drama is getting so old now. like let them be. There is no valid, canon reason for Bramblestar to go to the Dark Forest. His relationship issues have nothing to do with how he is as a warrior or leader for the clan.
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