Ivypool's Heart excerpt is out!

Aww, Ivypool and Rootspring meet up to talk about Bristlefrost! That's really bittersweet! And now we know exactly when this takes place in the timeline; poor Frostpaw didn't even get to say goodbye to Whistlepaw. And I was wondering if Rootspring was ever going to get a new love interest eventually, so it's kinda funny that they confirmed Wrenflight having a crush on him (unreciprocated as it is), especially since she was scared of his father as a kit. And it's always nice seeing Dovewing and Ivypool actually act like sisters, so I'm actually looking forward to seeing how they'll be portrayed for the rest of the book. Also, I guess Icewing going eliminates her from leadership, unless the group comes back like halfway through Star or something, but I'm glad she's still been given a big role all the same.

Ok, why isn't Frostpaw in the Allegiances? Have they done this before?
Really like how Ivy and Root are sharing their feelings, but I'm especially happy with Fernsong. What a lad.
Poor Frostpaw, not having a chance to speak with Whistle. At least we know the protagonist trio's taking care of the Runaway Three.
Heh, Antpelt
Whistlepaw doodling is canon
Cinderheart as temporary deputy is interesting, I guess they don't want TC without a deputy
REALLY not happy with Squelch going off on Ivypool for not supporting her leader. The irony is wild.
Dovewing not taking a hint is very much in character though. At least she's consistent.

I don't think it was touched upon in OotS, but interesting that Ivypool has regrets about killing Antpelt. I love Fernsong and Ivypool! I also think Fernsong brings up some good points. It's normal to miss your daughter, but it's no good to live in the past and unable to move on from grief.



But in Wind, Harestar accepts that Splashtail is a fraud, no? I'm assuming this is just an inconsistency.



They're self-aware at this point, right?

I'm intrigued on what this "debt to repay" is. My first thought is somehow another lost Clan/group that's been largely forgotten to history, but Ivypool implying it's got something to do with the Dark Forest? Hm. Though it looks like we'll get some sisterly bonding between Ivypool and Dovewing. I 100% believe they're going to confide in each other about losing a kit. Wrenflight absolutely has a crush on Rootspring too. I like that Cinderheart is temporary deputy, though tbh I would have liked to see Lionblaze fill in for it since he already has experience. But then again, he didn't want to be deputy back when Squirrelflight became leader.

Yay, more Icewing relevance! I guess we get some small spoilers into what happens in Star, but that's a given. I guess this means Icewing doesn't become RiverClan's leader?

I’m so excited for this book. I also love all the characterizations so far, and I’m not even a big fan of Dovewing, but I’m liking the journey group alot. And godddd I love love love Fernsong, he is wonderful, and the perfect mate for Ivypool. I especially love how real Ivypool’s grief is, that simple talks about it aren’t just magically solving everything. I love journey plots, so I’m eating wonderfully right now!

This is the strongest intro to a Super Edition yet in my opinion. There’s a lot to like here.

I wonder what Whistlepaw’s vision is about and who the brown tom is. I was thinking Mapleshade’s kits a bit, as an ancient wrong, but it’s very unlikely.

I love Fernsong and Ivypool’s relationship. They’re polar opposites. Ivypool is stuck in her past and trauma, emotional and quick to anger. Fernsong tries to look forward and not dwell on the past, even if it hurts. He never gets angry with Ivypool, even when she accuses him of not caring enough about his daughter, and is just understanding and patient. They’re adorable!

Rootspring is clearly hardened by what happened to him and Bristlefrost. I hope the rest of the book explores this more.
Interesting that Wrenflight has a crush on him, I thought it would be Turtlecrawl. They called her gray and white when in the allegiances she’s always been golden lol.
It was interesting how Ivypool implied she’d be angry if Rootspring took another mate, which is so sad yet realistic.

Interesting that they’re bringing back fading! We might get more of how that works. That plus a vision from outside StarClan, relevance to fading cats, and some ancient wrong, this book will probably do wonders for worldbuilding and answer a lot of questions. I’m thinking the prophecies come from faded cats perhaps, but I’m not too certain where this is going.

Ivypool is still traumatized from killing Antpelt. Nice detail there.

Whistlepaw drawing is fun, and her dream was one of the most creative and interesting of dreams we’ve seen. Cinderheart as deputy is interesting, and nice that they remembered her being Ivypool’s mentor. It was funny how Ivypool thinks she hasn’t lost any close cats besides Bristlefrost, even though her first apprentice Snowbush is in StarClan. Oops!

Mothwing needed treatment? That doesn’t bode very well.

I love that Icewing is here! Her character will be able to develop well among more fleshed out cats, and I REALLY hope there’s a scene where she and Ivypool discuss losing their kits to the Dark Forest forever. I think talking to someone who lost their kit similarly so long ago could help her.

Overall the way Ivypool’s grief has been written is so nice and refreshing. And there’s a lot of good quotes too.

“Are you thinking about Bristlefrost?” “I’m always thinking about Bristlefrost.”

“You don’t understand!” “Perhaps I don’t. I know how much I miss Bristlefrost. But I don’t know how it feels for you.”

“Remember that I helped look after Bristlefrost in the nursery when she was a tiny kit. I loved her very much. I remember every hair on her pelt, every paw step. I remember how she loved to play moss ball, and how proud she was when she caught her first mouse. I miss her more than I can say. But she’s gone, and we have to find a way to live in the present.”

Hits in the feels.

I feel like it's worth pointing out that Squirrelstar knows exactly what Ivypool is going through, considering she herself has lost three kits already. Yes, she could be more sympathetic, but I don't think she's being all that harsh, either. If anything, she's being no different than Fernsong or even Dovewing, even telling her to take the time to heal while she's gone. That said, I definitely won't be surprised if Ivypool steps down after she gets back and we eventually get Cinderstar instead (which is especially funny, because this was actually something Vicky had rooted for).

i'll be honest. the squilf scene was another one i thought "oh god" about. i was right apparently. i agree she's not really being much different than dove and fern.

Cherith never ceases pull at the heartstrings. This actually has me pretty hyped for this SE.

Might be overthinking it. But Dovewing’s behavior immediately strikes that she’s been deprived of social interaction in ShadowClan. Seemed pretty thirsty for it imo. Seems that perhaps cats in ShC still haven’t truly come to accept her beyond mere mandated tolerance, and she hasn’t made friends there.

Squirrelstar is reminding me of the dismissive and cold “leadership” you encounter in the corporate world when an employee dares to express human emotion that could impact the company’s KPIs. I love her - but Ivypool wasn’t the cat she should’ve picked for this role. Hindsight is 20/20. It doesn’t help that Squirrelstar has her own unresolved trauma after TBC.

Fernsong seems like he’s trying to be the grounded one through this, repressing his own grief to pull Ivypool back into the present - but it’s not what she needs right now. Instead of telling her to move on, he should try to meet her on her level for the time being. I don’t think either is coping with the loss healthily.

Dovewing is… well, acting like Dovewing. I personally headcanon her as neurodivergent, so there’s that lol.

Ivypool herself has struggled to empathize with other cats. I love how Cherith is writing this black hole Ivypool is in - where she doesn’t want to get out of it, and she wants to drag other cats into it with her. This is a depiction of complicated grief. The other characters are being written very intentionally - and I can’t fault any of them for being a tool of the writers. 

Exactly! Whether Squirrelstar should've chosen Ivypool to be her deputy at all is a different conversation, but the fact that Ivypool feels the need to confide in what seems to be only Rootspring regarding her grief, the fact that it's gotten to the point where she's nearly missed assigning patrols more than once, the fact that Squirrelstar allowed her to go on this mission at all without so much as a single complaint, and the fact that she is also only talking to her about it now—note that Ivypool is surprised that her leader actually noticed she's been slipping—should say alot. Given the circumstances—their positions as well as the situation with Splashtail—I'd say Squirrelstar has been as nice as she possibly can. Again, she basically tells Ivypool to take the time to heal while she's away, and for all anyone knows, the group won't be back for good while (obviously they'll be back either halfway or towards the end of Star since they basically leave at the start of it, but even then, who knows how much time the book will actually cover).

Or to quote the text itself: