This is the last (6th) book in the Warriors: The New Prophecy series by Erin Hunter. While this book tied up the series fairly well; I was a bit frustrated with how anti-climatic it was.
This book follows where the last book left off. The Thunder Clan, having driving out the badgers, are trying to rebuild their camp. A number of questions are answered as things progress. Will Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight forgive each other and get back together? Will Leafpool's prophecy about "blood killing blood and the lake running with blood" come to pass? Will Brambleclaw's secret dream meetings with his brother Hawkfrost and father Tigerstar lead to anything? Will Brambleclaw succumb to the call of power or will he remain loyal to his clan? Will Hawkfrost manipulate the clans into war? What about Mothwing and her inability to communicate with Starclan?
The majority of this book deals with Brambleclaw's story as well as Leafpool's prophecy. Overall it is an engaging book and a page turner. There is again less action in this book, although it ties up the majority of the major plot points well. I was very frustrated with the anti-climatic way the book ended, I mean they spent 3-4 books foreshadowing the horrors to come with Leafpool's horrible prophecy, and I found the ending to be a bit of a let down. That's all I will say about that in an effort to avoid spoilers.
The book is left somewhat open ended with regards to Tigerstar and the general plans of Thunder Clan. Obviously these story-lines are picked up in the next Warriors series called The Power of Three.
I will not be reading anymore of these series, as I did not find them to be all that interesting and found the laborious way the plot dragged on to be frustrating. I really think that all six of these books could have easily been made into 1-3 books with a more interesting and condensed plotline. Lovers of cats may like the series anyway; although as mentioned in my last review on book 5 of this series, I thought many of the cats' actions were very uncatlike. A much better book about adventuring cats is Tad Williams Tailchaser's Song. Tailchasher's Song takes you on an epic adventure with a cat who faces the ultimate in kitty evil; and it is a great story with a fast-paced plot in one book.
Showing posts with label Warriors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Warriors. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Twilight (Warriors the New Prophecy, book 5) by Erin Hunter 3/5 stars
This is the 5th book in the second series about the 4 Clans of Cats; Warriors the New Prophecy. Once again it was okay. I am finding myself just wanting to be done with these books so I can move onto something better. I think this book can aptly be described as a teenage soap opera where all of the teenagers are cats.
This book deals with the cats settling into their new territories and trying to find a Moonstone so that the medicine cats can communicate with the Star Clan. All the medicine cats are still dreaming of something horrible that will happen to the clan. Most of this story revolves around Leafpaw. Although Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, and Crowfeather also take center stage at times. As with the last couple books the whole book is spent setting up a major action scene that takes place in the last few chapters of the book; once again a very specific formula is followed in writing this book.
If cats could star in a teenage soap opera you would get this book. It's all about who loves who, who is mad at who, who is apprenticed to who, etc. etc The cats are entering their teenage years (I guess) and all of the sudden all of the great characters from the beginning of the series are getting very unreasonable and temperamental. I honestly did not like any of the main characters in this book; they all needed to be scruffed and shook a bit to help them reason better. I am hoping that this degradation of characters in all of the cats is leading to something interesting...but whatever it is leading to it's not happening in this book. Soooo...hopefully something will happen in the 6th (and final) book.
Same deal as the last book...the chapters propel you through the novel, there is a little suspense, it is a fast read. Unfortunately I am getting to the point where I just want to be finished with this series. If I didn't already own the last book I would probably just skip it, but alas I own it so I mine as well read it.
This book deals with the cats settling into their new territories and trying to find a Moonstone so that the medicine cats can communicate with the Star Clan. All the medicine cats are still dreaming of something horrible that will happen to the clan. Most of this story revolves around Leafpaw. Although Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, and Crowfeather also take center stage at times. As with the last couple books the whole book is spent setting up a major action scene that takes place in the last few chapters of the book; once again a very specific formula is followed in writing this book.
If cats could star in a teenage soap opera you would get this book. It's all about who loves who, who is mad at who, who is apprenticed to who, etc. etc The cats are entering their teenage years (I guess) and all of the sudden all of the great characters from the beginning of the series are getting very unreasonable and temperamental. I honestly did not like any of the main characters in this book; they all needed to be scruffed and shook a bit to help them reason better. I am hoping that this degradation of characters in all of the cats is leading to something interesting...but whatever it is leading to it's not happening in this book. Soooo...hopefully something will happen in the 6th (and final) book.
Same deal as the last book...the chapters propel you through the novel, there is a little suspense, it is a fast read. Unfortunately I am getting to the point where I just want to be finished with this series. If I didn't already own the last book I would probably just skip it, but alas I own it so I mine as well read it.
Starlight (Warriors the New Prophecy, book 4) by Erin Hunter 3/5 stars
This is the 4th book in the second series about the 4 Clans of Cats; Warriors the New Prophecy. It was an okay book but moved really slow, without much of significance happening.
This book is definitely a transition book, leading to a main event and not an adventure story itself. The book basically details how the cats deal with setting up the territories in their new home. All of the medicine cats are having dreams about the lake filling with blood. There is a lot of political maneuvering between and within the Clans of cats. I really thought that not much happened in this book. A lot of the book dealt with day to day details on how the cats make their new territories homey and how they deal with the evils of their new territories (manly other predators). There is one part that really bugged me where some cats fell off a cliff and broke their necks; I mean come on, if you are going to write about cats do some research. Cats tend to land on their feet, having a longer drop makes it more likely they will be able to finish the full body rotation and land on their feet. So falling from a higher spot is actually better for a cat, at worst if the impact is too great they could break their legs...but they are not going to break their necks. I mean maybe a little research should go into feline behavior if you are going write about it; for some reason this drove me absolutely crazy.
Despite the fact that the story doesn't move forward all that much, it is still an engaging story and the characters are engrossing. I did find myself holding my breath hoping that a cat would be okay and hoping they escaped from different situations. The book again alternates between different cats and the tale is told from multiple points of view. Every chapter leaves you hanging so you end up being propelled through the book. These books seem to have a very specific formula to them. They leave you hanging at the end of a chapter and all of the action happens over the last couple chapters; the beginning and middle of the book are usually filled with a lot of set-up and tons of foreshadowing that is repeated over and over so many times there is no way you could ever forget what is going to happen.
If you have read all of the books up to this point you will probably finish the series (as I will) but I won't pick up anymore of these books to read.
This book is definitely a transition book, leading to a main event and not an adventure story itself. The book basically details how the cats deal with setting up the territories in their new home. All of the medicine cats are having dreams about the lake filling with blood. There is a lot of political maneuvering between and within the Clans of cats. I really thought that not much happened in this book. A lot of the book dealt with day to day details on how the cats make their new territories homey and how they deal with the evils of their new territories (manly other predators). There is one part that really bugged me where some cats fell off a cliff and broke their necks; I mean come on, if you are going to write about cats do some research. Cats tend to land on their feet, having a longer drop makes it more likely they will be able to finish the full body rotation and land on their feet. So falling from a higher spot is actually better for a cat, at worst if the impact is too great they could break their legs...but they are not going to break their necks. I mean maybe a little research should go into feline behavior if you are going write about it; for some reason this drove me absolutely crazy.
Despite the fact that the story doesn't move forward all that much, it is still an engaging story and the characters are engrossing. I did find myself holding my breath hoping that a cat would be okay and hoping they escaped from different situations. The book again alternates between different cats and the tale is told from multiple points of view. Every chapter leaves you hanging so you end up being propelled through the book. These books seem to have a very specific formula to them. They leave you hanging at the end of a chapter and all of the action happens over the last couple chapters; the beginning and middle of the book are usually filled with a lot of set-up and tons of foreshadowing that is repeated over and over so many times there is no way you could ever forget what is going to happen.
If you have read all of the books up to this point you will probably finish the series (as I will) but I won't pick up anymore of these books to read.
Dawn (Warriors the new Prophecy, book 3) by Erin Hunter 4/5 stars
The third book in the Warriors: The New Prophecy by Erin Hunter. This was a pretty good book. It takes up right where the last book left off with Brambleclaw and company returning from their quest to the sun-down place.
When Brambleclaw and others return they find the Thunder Clan camp abandoned. It seems the Two-legs have gotten more aggressive and are destroying the entire forest. Will the Clans be able to stop the Two-legs destruction? Will Midnight's prophecy come true and the Clans forced to leave their forest? All this and more is answered in this book.
I like this book better than the previous one. More progress was made on the storyline and the main story wrapped up pretty nicely. It is a pretty depressing read as more and more cats are captured, killed, or starved to death. Sometimes I really wished the book would just let up a little and let something good happen.
I have a couple minor complaints about the book. The first is that so much time was spent deciding whether or not to leave the forest despite the prophecy that Brambleclaw and crew brought back. It would have been nicer to have the Clans spend more time journeying. My second complaint is that with all the cats from all 4 Clans involved in the story the amount of names thrown at you is immense. I got to the point where I recognized the important names and just ignored all the other billion cat names that are bandied about. I still don't understand the necessity of naming all of these individual clan members when they don't have a part to play in the story.
On a positive note the plot makes progress and not all is lost. It was fun to return to the mysterious Tribe of cats in the mountains. There are a number of interesting characters in this book and you really feel for the Clans. The book propels you forward and is hard to put down. All in all a good book. So far I haven't been absolutely in love with this series but I enjoy it. The books are quick read and I like reading about the struggles of the Clans. From how this book ends it looks like another major story arc is going to start in the next book.
I will definitely read the rest of the books in this series; although I don't think I will go back to read the original Warriors series. These books are good but I don't look forward to reading them as much as I would like to.
When Brambleclaw and others return they find the Thunder Clan camp abandoned. It seems the Two-legs have gotten more aggressive and are destroying the entire forest. Will the Clans be able to stop the Two-legs destruction? Will Midnight's prophecy come true and the Clans forced to leave their forest? All this and more is answered in this book.
I like this book better than the previous one. More progress was made on the storyline and the main story wrapped up pretty nicely. It is a pretty depressing read as more and more cats are captured, killed, or starved to death. Sometimes I really wished the book would just let up a little and let something good happen.
I have a couple minor complaints about the book. The first is that so much time was spent deciding whether or not to leave the forest despite the prophecy that Brambleclaw and crew brought back. It would have been nicer to have the Clans spend more time journeying. My second complaint is that with all the cats from all 4 Clans involved in the story the amount of names thrown at you is immense. I got to the point where I recognized the important names and just ignored all the other billion cat names that are bandied about. I still don't understand the necessity of naming all of these individual clan members when they don't have a part to play in the story.
On a positive note the plot makes progress and not all is lost. It was fun to return to the mysterious Tribe of cats in the mountains. There are a number of interesting characters in this book and you really feel for the Clans. The book propels you forward and is hard to put down. All in all a good book. So far I haven't been absolutely in love with this series but I enjoy it. The books are quick read and I like reading about the struggles of the Clans. From how this book ends it looks like another major story arc is going to start in the next book.
I will definitely read the rest of the books in this series; although I don't think I will go back to read the original Warriors series. These books are good but I don't look forward to reading them as much as I would like to.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Moonrise (Warriors: The New Prophecy, Book 2) by Erin Hunter (3.5 stars)
This is the second book in the second Warriors series called The New Prophecy. There are 6 books total in the series. This book followed the style of the first book but wasn't as good. Not as much happened; the plot line seemed a bit stuck.
This book begins right where the last book left off. Brambleclaw and crew are trying to make their way home from the ocean. Leafpaw and the Thunderclaw are trying to figure out why the Twolegs have started destroying their forest. That is basically the whole story right there.
The book was well-written and engaging. In fact so far these books have written in a very precise way. They alternate between two viewpoints and when they leave a viewpoint they leave it hanging at a critical point. This style does propel the reader through the book effectively; although it makes it hard to put the books down.
I was disappointed that the story didn't make more progress. This book was basically a slow and torturous story about how bad things are getting for the Clans. I found it a depressing read; but tried to remember that a lot of series need to hit their low point in the middle.
The most irritating thing was that the book ended with nothing resolved; not even minor story points. Personally I find this irritating. I kind of feel like some parts of the story should progress and be resolved in a book, even if the main story isn't. Anyway that's my biggest beef with this book. It ends mid-everything. I suppose this will make the reader run out and buy the next book to find out what happens (regardless of whether or not they actually thought it was well-written). Personally if I didn't already have the next book and had to wait a year for the next book to come out I would probably have stopped reading this series out of sheer irritation.
It is a good series though. And since I have the next book I can continue the story. So far I feel like this should have been one book and not 6. I suppose if all of these story-parts were put in one volume the sheer size of it would intimidate the bravest of souls. If you've read the first book chances are you will read this one just cause you don't want to die of suspense and you will also read the next book and the next one...
This book begins right where the last book left off. Brambleclaw and crew are trying to make their way home from the ocean. Leafpaw and the Thunderclaw are trying to figure out why the Twolegs have started destroying their forest. That is basically the whole story right there.
The book was well-written and engaging. In fact so far these books have written in a very precise way. They alternate between two viewpoints and when they leave a viewpoint they leave it hanging at a critical point. This style does propel the reader through the book effectively; although it makes it hard to put the books down.
I was disappointed that the story didn't make more progress. This book was basically a slow and torturous story about how bad things are getting for the Clans. I found it a depressing read; but tried to remember that a lot of series need to hit their low point in the middle.
The most irritating thing was that the book ended with nothing resolved; not even minor story points. Personally I find this irritating. I kind of feel like some parts of the story should progress and be resolved in a book, even if the main story isn't. Anyway that's my biggest beef with this book. It ends mid-everything. I suppose this will make the reader run out and buy the next book to find out what happens (regardless of whether or not they actually thought it was well-written). Personally if I didn't already have the next book and had to wait a year for the next book to come out I would probably have stopped reading this series out of sheer irritation.
It is a good series though. And since I have the next book I can continue the story. So far I feel like this should have been one book and not 6. I suppose if all of these story-parts were put in one volume the sheer size of it would intimidate the bravest of souls. If you've read the first book chances are you will read this one just cause you don't want to die of suspense and you will also read the next book and the next one...
Midnight (Warriors: The New Prophecy, Book 1) by Erin Hunter (4/5 stars)
Having constantly seen these books in the book store and hearing how good they were I really wanted to read some of them. That being said when I got the first book in the series I didn't realize I was getting the first book in the second series. So I never read the first 6 book in the Warriors series and my first Erin Hunter book is actually the second series about the Warrior Clans. Strangely enough I did read that Erin Hunter is not an actual person but is the pen-name for a group of 3-4 women who all write for this series; I just thought that was interesting. Anyway, on to the book review.
This was an engaging, suspenseful, and fun to read book. It is about the four Warrior Clans of cats (introduced in the Warriors series). The story focuses on Brambleclaw who has a dream about salt water accompanied by a warning about a horrible storm that will come to the home of the Clans. When Brambleclaw finds that Warriors in the other Clans are also having similar dreams, he groups up with them and they go off on a quest to find the salt water in hopes that this will reveal the storm that is supposed to overtake their home.
The book is well written; not anything spectacular but it is good reading. The cat's personalities are somewhat stereotyped but still well developed. This book reminded me very strongly of Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams. If you like this series I would definitely recommend you read Tailchaser's Song; it is a wonderful book if a bit darker than these books. There is quite a bit of action in this story; it is definitely a fantasy adventure type of story. The book kept me interested and pulled me right through the story. I am starting the second book as we speak because (although the main objective of the book is concluded) the events surrounding the main goal of the cats in this book are not concluded and you are kind of left hanging.
My biggest complaint with this book is that in the first few chapters you have a billion names thrown at you and they are all similar so it is very hard to keep everyone straight. I think maybe I would have had an easier time with this if I had read the 6 books in the first series. Hunter does try to help you out by throwing an index in the front of the book with all of the Clans and all of the cats in the Clans; unfortunately that information didn't mean squat to me until I had struggled through the first few chapters. I decided to relax and just go with it; hoping that it would be easier to keep everyone straight when the cats took off on their quest. Ends up I was right, when the cats took off on their quest things got much better and I was much less confused. I still get the feeling though that Hunter didn't really need to introduce all those different Warrior cats in the first few chapters. Most of them don't play any role in the story; at least not yet. If not for the first few chapters I would have given this book more like 4.5 stars.
This was an engaging, suspenseful, and fun to read book. It is about the four Warrior Clans of cats (introduced in the Warriors series). The story focuses on Brambleclaw who has a dream about salt water accompanied by a warning about a horrible storm that will come to the home of the Clans. When Brambleclaw finds that Warriors in the other Clans are also having similar dreams, he groups up with them and they go off on a quest to find the salt water in hopes that this will reveal the storm that is supposed to overtake their home.
The book is well written; not anything spectacular but it is good reading. The cat's personalities are somewhat stereotyped but still well developed. This book reminded me very strongly of Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams. If you like this series I would definitely recommend you read Tailchaser's Song; it is a wonderful book if a bit darker than these books. There is quite a bit of action in this story; it is definitely a fantasy adventure type of story. The book kept me interested and pulled me right through the story. I am starting the second book as we speak because (although the main objective of the book is concluded) the events surrounding the main goal of the cats in this book are not concluded and you are kind of left hanging.
My biggest complaint with this book is that in the first few chapters you have a billion names thrown at you and they are all similar so it is very hard to keep everyone straight. I think maybe I would have had an easier time with this if I had read the 6 books in the first series. Hunter does try to help you out by throwing an index in the front of the book with all of the Clans and all of the cats in the Clans; unfortunately that information didn't mean squat to me until I had struggled through the first few chapters. I decided to relax and just go with it; hoping that it would be easier to keep everyone straight when the cats took off on their quest. Ends up I was right, when the cats took off on their quest things got much better and I was much less confused. I still get the feeling though that Hunter didn't really need to introduce all those different Warrior cats in the first few chapters. Most of them don't play any role in the story; at least not yet. If not for the first few chapters I would have given this book more like 4.5 stars.
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