Post by 𝔯𝔞𝔟𝔟𝔦𝔱𝔣𝔯𝔬𝔰𝔱 on Apr 11, 2021 13:09:32 GMT -5
I've been looking forward to this set of novellas since I found out they were coming out. I thought the Erins made some interesting choices for the characters for this next set of novellas. But I have some very mixed feelings about it.
Blackfoot's Reckoning was my favorite in this set - it may well end up being one of my favorite novellas ever. It was such an interesting concept; rather than having a long period of time crammed into ten chapters, they stretched his nine lives ceremony over the entire novella. I loved seeing his flashbacks to different parts of his life before receiving each life. I love how StarClan didn't just blindly allow this cat who had done some bad things to become leader with nine lives - they made him think about his prior choices and really decide if this was what he wanted to do, if he was truly the best choice to lead ShadowClan. This was such a stark difference to all of the leadership ceremonies we've seen in the past (particularly Brokenstar's and Tigerstar's). I loved seeing Blackfoot come to terms with the things he had done in order to set himself up to become the good leader his Clan deserved.
Daisy's Kin was also really good. It was interesting to see her battling with what her place in the Clan might be, and leaving the Clan for a period to help Smoky raise his kits. I absolutely loved how she was called back to ThunderClan in the end, and that she felt that pull to go home. It wasn't a super exciting novella, but I definitely liked it. It was really nice to have the chance to get to know Daisy as someone aside from the somewhat whiny queen who came to the Clan for protection. (I love Daisy, but if we're being honest, that's typically how she's portrayed in the main arcs).
Spotfur's Rebellion was... disappointing. I had a hard time getting through it, to be honest. While I finished Daisy's Kin and Blackfoot's Reckoning within just an hour or two of starting, Spotfur's Rebellion took me several days. I'm seriously disappointed in this novella, because they could have made it interesting. Instead, we basically got a shortened version of The Broken Code through Spotfur's POV. I would've preferred to see it start with them as adults and her becoming mates with Stemleaf, then have his death early on and show her coping with the loss and the discovery that she is expecting his kits. I feel like seeing that part of the story from her POV would've been more interesting than basically getting a recap of all of the information from the arc we already knew.
What do you think about these novellas? Which is your favorite?
Blackfoot's Reckoning was my favorite in this set - it may well end up being one of my favorite novellas ever. It was such an interesting concept; rather than having a long period of time crammed into ten chapters, they stretched his nine lives ceremony over the entire novella. I loved seeing his flashbacks to different parts of his life before receiving each life. I love how StarClan didn't just blindly allow this cat who had done some bad things to become leader with nine lives - they made him think about his prior choices and really decide if this was what he wanted to do, if he was truly the best choice to lead ShadowClan. This was such a stark difference to all of the leadership ceremonies we've seen in the past (particularly Brokenstar's and Tigerstar's). I loved seeing Blackfoot come to terms with the things he had done in order to set himself up to become the good leader his Clan deserved.
Daisy's Kin was also really good. It was interesting to see her battling with what her place in the Clan might be, and leaving the Clan for a period to help Smoky raise his kits. I absolutely loved how she was called back to ThunderClan in the end, and that she felt that pull to go home. It wasn't a super exciting novella, but I definitely liked it. It was really nice to have the chance to get to know Daisy as someone aside from the somewhat whiny queen who came to the Clan for protection. (I love Daisy, but if we're being honest, that's typically how she's portrayed in the main arcs).
Spotfur's Rebellion was... disappointing. I had a hard time getting through it, to be honest. While I finished Daisy's Kin and Blackfoot's Reckoning within just an hour or two of starting, Spotfur's Rebellion took me several days. I'm seriously disappointed in this novella, because they could have made it interesting. Instead, we basically got a shortened version of The Broken Code through Spotfur's POV. I would've preferred to see it start with them as adults and her becoming mates with Stemleaf, then have his death early on and show her coping with the loss and the discovery that she is expecting his kits. I feel like seeing that part of the story from her POV would've been more interesting than basically getting a recap of all of the information from the arc we already knew.
What do you think about these novellas? Which is your favorite?