I know, I know, it’s been awhile but someone keeps taking them out so I couldn’t read them in order. I guess it goes to show Hunter and the Warrior cats’ enduring popularity. Go them!

Hunter’s next set of books pave new ground after the world-changing events of Omen of the Stars with Firestar’s death and Bramblestar’s ascension. Not to mention the prophacy of three, the return of Skyclan and more outsiders dividing the clan’s loyalties to the Starclan’s prophecy.

Here, the prophecy is once again the root of the problem as Starclan forsees the five clans coming together. But the introduction of Skyclan near the lake fuels territorial disputes and scarcity of resources.

Ontop of that, the protagonists aren’t necessarily related to Bramblestar/Firestar’s family which makes things different at least in terms of legacy characters and the problems of living in someone else’s bigger shadow. Violetkit and Twigkit were initially Skyclan kits taken into Thunderclan because of Skyclan’s detoriation. When Bramblestar and Alderheart help the Skyclan revive their ranks and move territories, the kits’ loyalties become divided and they feel they’ll never be accepted or find a home anywhere.

I really enjoyed how Hunter breaks new ground in terms of characters really trying to figure out their loyalties, and what is more important, finding the clan that will truly make them happy while respecting their own moral compass. I also appreciate that while they do live in Thunderclan, they are part of other clans so we get an inside look into Shadowclan and Skyclan.

However, some conflicts do get old like Alderheart feeling torn between duty as medicine cat and potential love only for him to choose medicine cat because they’re just not allowed to be happy. I mentioned this before but someone either needs to change the law or Hunter needs to find a different romantic conflict. Same with the return of Tigerstar as a villain. . . only not really. It gets confusing with the repetition of names. Oh, and an outsider coming in and stirring up trouble within the clans. That’s getting old too though I do like it really did divide Shadowclan to the point of overthrowing their current leader. That was exciting.

So on to the rankings!

1. Shattered Sky: As usual, the halfway point provides plenty of drama and excitment with Shadowclan disbanding after the machinations of Darktail and his rogues exacerbate the Shadowclan cats’ grievances against Rowenstar. Meanwhile, Violetkit and Twigkit get to earn their mettle by participating in battle to stop the invasion of Riverclan territory only for their efforts to be rebuffed by dueling sides of those wanting to help and those believing Thunderclan should remain isolationist. his arguement is even more heated among the Medicine cats. Of course, Thunderclan joins but Violetkit’s wariness of battle turns to grief at Twigkit’s supposed death. I love the angst. It’s resolved in the book but only adds to the fuel when they’re placed into Skyclan, they’re original clan but stranger to them after all these months.
2. River of Fire: Rowenclaw/Rowenstar can’t lead a disloyal clan so Shadowclan is a complete mess, its members subsumed by rogues and other clans. But it’s the differences between Violetpaw and Twigpaw whose sisterly bond is tested by the former’s choice to stay in Thunderclan while Twigpaw chooses the Shadowclan. Violetpaw feels like she’s making the wrong choice as she misses her friends in Skyclan and doesn’t feel accepted after going back and forth. Meanwhile, Alderheart gets his own drama with the aforementioned romance with a house cat turned stray called Velvet. Like I said, it’s not my favorite conflict but it’s in the beginning stages here so not as irritating.
3. Darkest Night: This is a lighter book rife with natural disasters, injuries and sicknesses rather than warring clans but it provides a nice opportunity for Twigpaw, Violetpaw, Alderheart, and Finpaw get character development, sowing the seeds for later conflict that I mentioned above.
4. The Raging Storm: The grand finale can always be a hit or miss and this one is a bit of a miss. Mainly becomes there was such a gap between when I read the first three books and the last three. But also because it relies on deus ex machina whenever it comes to the clans turning their backs on Starclan only to return to it. And then for their to be a sudden epidemic that brings the clans together to work as one. Though I like that this time it seems that it will stick. We’ll find out with A Broken Code I guess. I do enjoy Twigbranch and Figleap resolving their differences and Tree realizing his pressuring of Twigbranch to have kits was not cool and more a product of his own insecurities that Twigbranch might leave him.
5. Thunder and Shadow: This was an interesting book as Violetpaw briefly joins the darkside with Darktail’s rogues among the Shadowclan. She’s sorta a spy, sorta confused which makes sense since she’s a kit. But she does help cure the yellowcough epidemic with Alderheart thanks to plant knowledge. Plant knowledge always saves the day! Also Twigkit proves she’s such a good sister. It’s nice when the Shadowclan sibling isn’t always portrayed as the evil, misguided one.
6. The Apprentice’s Quest: The intro book suffers what most intro books suffer from. Setting up the foundation, introducing the new protagonists and meandering through the importance of Skyclan in case first-time readers haven’t read the supplemental materials. So yeah. It’s just slower compared to all the action of later books.