isabellabaker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
novelheartbeat's review against another edition
5.0
This book....ya'll, this book BROKE me. Yellowfang has always been my favorite character in the Warriors world, even though she was only part of a fraction of the books I've read in this universe. I knew this one was going to be difficult emotionally because of the snippets we got in Prophecy Begins, but DAMN, DUDE. Damn.
I am completely heartbroken for Yellowfang and everything she went through. The loss she experienced, all she gave up, all she endured. This book just made me love her even more! She was so fierce and resilient; and she picked herself up and kept going, no matter the hardships she faced. (And also it gives some insight as to why she acts so tough on the outside even though she's a sweet cinnamon roll on the inside) My poor baby Yellowfang *sobs* It broke my heart to see her give up a future with Raggedpelt to be a medicine cat. She gave up EVERYTHING. And she didn't have much of a choice, which really killed me - she wanted to be a warrior SO BAD, but because she could literally feel the pain of her injured clanmates, she didn't have much of a choice.
Right from being a kit, Yellowfang had wanted to be the best warrior she could, to serve her Clan. Now she had to face the fact that she might serve her Clan better by turning her paws onto another path.
I'm happy that she ultimately ended up being okay with being a medicine cat, but it still hurt like crazy. Especially when she told Raggedpelt that she was expecting kits and begged him to take care of them:
"Very well, but on one condition: You must promise to never tell these kits the truth. It is better that they grow up without a mother than knowing that their mother chose to abandon them."
Yellowfang's heart cracked a little more as she made the promise Raggedpelt asked for. I will never abandon you, little ones, she whispered to her unborn babies. I will be with you, always.
The scene where she kitted and two were stillborn had me sobbing. Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, she names the ONE surviving kit Brokenkit because she named her son for the feeling in her chest as she left him there, as if her heart were cleaving in two, as if her life had broken down the middle. This. BROKE. Me. I always thought he was named for his broken tail. My heart!! There were a couple passages that had me tearing up again, especially this one:
She felt dazed, sore, and lost without the kits at her belly. My dear daughters, I will always grieve for you. And for you, my son. It was even more painful to think of Brokenkit, knowing that he was alive, but not with her.
then
"You can be a good force in his life. Don't give up on him, Yellowfang. You could be his only hope."
And she never did T.T I felt sick with heartache when Yellowfang was trying to be a friend to Brokenkit and he just rebuffed her. He was treated so poorly by his Clanmates, and seeing how that broke Yellowfang's heart broke mine, too. So did seeing him turn into a twisted, dark cat so fueled by ambition that he was willing to kill to get what he wanted. Honestly, I'm a little traumatized by how many kittens and too-young apprentices died toward the end before Yellowfang was banished. This book was dark and a bit difficult to read at times. And knowing the final outcome and what Yellowfang ultimately had to do? Made it even more heartbreaking.
All in all, Yellowfang straight up deserved so, SO MUCH MORE. More than Raggedpelt, who was an absolute turd (WHY did she love him so much, his emotions gave me whiplash and she can do better); more than all the pain that she went through losing two kits and giving up the third; more than the way she was treated by her own son. The fact that she faced everything she went through with strength and perseverance, and yet was still able to show so much empathy, just makes me want to squish her T.T
I love that she finally stood up to Raggedstar, after all the mental and emotional abuse her put her through, when he was trying to blame her for Brokentail:
"He's our son now, is he? I have never been allowed to be his mother! You said you would only keep my secret if I never called him my son. What can I possibly do to change him? Brokentail is your problem, Raggedstar. You have told me too many times that I am nothing more than a medicine cat. I heal my Clan, that's all. You are responsible for what your warriors do."
GO YELLOWFANG, GO!
This book made me want to read Prophecy Begins again. I loved seeing Yellowfang's first meeting with Firepaw through her POV!! SO MANY FEELS IN THIS BOOK. I actually read this whole book in one day (flew through all 528 pages of it in just under 4 hours) - I don't even remember the last time I did that and I don't think I've ever read a book over maybe 350 pages in one day! I gobbled this up almost in one sitting - the only reason I didn't read it all in one fell swoop was because I was tired AF and fell asleep on the couch. (I'm getting old, shut up okay)
I am completely heartbroken for Yellowfang and everything she went through. The loss she experienced, all she gave up, all she endured. This book just made me love her even more! She was so fierce and resilient; and she picked herself up and kept going, no matter the hardships she faced. (And also it gives some insight as to why she acts so tough on the outside even though she's a sweet cinnamon roll on the inside) My poor baby Yellowfang *sobs* It broke my heart to see her give up a future with Raggedpelt to be a medicine cat. She gave up EVERYTHING. And she didn't have much of a choice, which really killed me - she wanted to be a warrior SO BAD, but because she could literally feel the pain of her injured clanmates, she didn't have much of a choice.
Right from being a kit, Yellowfang had wanted to be the best warrior she could, to serve her Clan. Now she had to face the fact that she might serve her Clan better by turning her paws onto another path.
I'm happy that she ultimately ended up being okay with being a medicine cat, but it still hurt like crazy. Especially when she told Raggedpelt that she was expecting kits and begged him to take care of them:
"Very well, but on one condition: You must promise to never tell these kits the truth. It is better that they grow up without a mother than knowing that their mother chose to abandon them."
Yellowfang's heart cracked a little more as she made the promise Raggedpelt asked for. I will never abandon you, little ones, she whispered to her unborn babies. I will be with you, always.
The scene where she kitted and two were stillborn had me sobbing. Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, she names the ONE surviving kit Brokenkit because she named her son for the feeling in her chest as she left him there, as if her heart were cleaving in two, as if her life had broken down the middle. This. BROKE. Me. I always thought he was named for his broken tail. My heart!! There were a couple passages that had me tearing up again, especially this one:
She felt dazed, sore, and lost without the kits at her belly. My dear daughters, I will always grieve for you. And for you, my son. It was even more painful to think of Brokenkit, knowing that he was alive, but not with her.
then
"You can be a good force in his life. Don't give up on him, Yellowfang. You could be his only hope."
And she never did T.T I felt sick with heartache when Yellowfang was trying to be a friend to Brokenkit and he just rebuffed her. He was treated so poorly by his Clanmates, and seeing how that broke Yellowfang's heart broke mine, too. So did seeing him turn into a twisted, dark cat so fueled by ambition that he was willing to kill to get what he wanted. Honestly, I'm a little traumatized by how many kittens and too-young apprentices died toward the end before Yellowfang was banished. This book was dark and a bit difficult to read at times. And knowing the final outcome and what Yellowfang ultimately had to do? Made it even more heartbreaking.
All in all, Yellowfang straight up deserved so, SO MUCH MORE. More than Raggedpelt, who was an absolute turd (WHY did she love him so much, his emotions gave me whiplash and she can do better); more than all the pain that she went through losing two kits and giving up the third; more than the way she was treated by her own son. The fact that she faced everything she went through with strength and perseverance, and yet was still able to show so much empathy, just makes me want to squish her T.T
I love that she finally stood up to Raggedstar, after all the mental and emotional abuse her put her through, when he was trying to blame her for Brokentail:
"He's our son now, is he? I have never been allowed to be his mother! You said you would only keep my secret if I never called him my son. What can I possibly do to change him? Brokentail is your problem, Raggedstar. You have told me too many times that I am nothing more than a medicine cat. I heal my Clan, that's all. You are responsible for what your warriors do."
GO YELLOWFANG, GO!
This book made me want to read Prophecy Begins again. I loved seeing Yellowfang's first meeting with Firepaw through her POV!! SO MANY FEELS IN THIS BOOK. I actually read this whole book in one day (flew through all 528 pages of it in just under 4 hours) - I don't even remember the last time I did that and I don't think I've ever read a book over maybe 350 pages in one day! I gobbled this up almost in one sitting - the only reason I didn't read it all in one fell swoop was because I was tired AF and fell asleep on the couch. (I'm getting old, shut up okay)
emoust's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
krejdar's review against another edition
4.0
My only issue: I wish there had been even 1 sentence of closure between Yellowfang and Raggedstar after his death. I found it a little unfair and she deserved that much for all she suffered through. Other than that, I enjoyed the story and the rare glimpse into another clan.
Crookedstar's super edition will always be my favorite, though.
Crookedstar's super edition will always be my favorite, though.
bibliophilicjester's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
this is a weird one for me because i'm not entirely sure what didn't work for me. just that it was meh. yellowfang has always been one of my favorites (yes, we all know i love a grumpy character who just speaks their mind and meh to the consequences) so i'd been putting this off for a while. the first two super editions BOTH made me cry, which is not a common occurrence. although these cats make me cry way more than books about humans lol. so i wanted to be "ready" for this backstory. and...meh?
shadowclan is always portrayed as the "bad" clan, full of nasty cats for the most part (the slytherins, if you will). and i love a good villain, but a lot of these cats just seem mean for no reason. the one who also has a thing for yellowfang's crush/friend (raggedpelt is it?) is mean to pretty much everyone. i could see if it was jealousy over what's his face favoring yrllowfang, but she's kind of rude to everyone. raggedpelt(?) is also the absolute WORST all the time. even when he's being nice, it feels manipulative and self serving.
spoiler section bc apparently i need to rant about these cats lol:
also, brokenkit literally being born scowling LOL come on. again, villains are fine. they are. but i needed more of an explanation than "born evil" *eye roll* i don't care what age this is written for. villains can be well written characters as well. kids are smarter than a one-note evil-for-the-sake-of-evil villain. if you can show parents abandoning their kits, you can show the villain to be an actual character. especially since this is where we get to see him grow up. but it ends up being more like, born evil, continues to be evil to others, others are mean to him and he's more evil, etc.
ugh. i think i'm done complaining.
maybe it was my expectations, but this just disappointed me. extra books like this should add more to the preestablished story, not confuse readers about who characters "really are" if the super edition characterization just doesn't line up with the main story arc. i expected this to be a favorite since yellowfang herself is a favorite, so i think that's what i'm hung up on most. sigh. it won't stop me from catching up on all these extras before going back to the main arcs, but i'll definitely adjust my expectations for the rest. maybe this was just a case of one particular erin writing the majority of this, and i don't care for their writing style/plot/characterization/whatever as much as other erins. who knows?! but ti's always enjoyable at the very least to be in this world. and visiting the moon pool again! = )
shadowclan is always portrayed as the "bad" clan, full of nasty cats for the most part (the slytherins, if you will). and i love a good villain, but a lot of these cats just seem mean for no reason. the one who also has a thing for yellowfang's crush/friend (raggedpelt is it?) is mean to pretty much everyone. i could see if it was jealousy over what's his face favoring yrllowfang, but she's kind of rude to everyone. raggedpelt(?) is also the absolute WORST all the time. even when he's being nice, it feels manipulative and self serving.
spoiler section bc apparently i need to rant about these cats lol:
Spoiler
so we know brokentail/star ended up being yellowfang's, but their interactions in this book are just odd. it's also unclear to me why YF wouldn't be ale to raise her kit...sure, medicine cats aren't supposed to have mates/get pregnant, but as a cat on her second apprenticeship, i feel like the "oops" could've been justified. especially given how much YF seemed to love being around kits and wanted to be a mother herself, i expected her to fight a bit harder to keep him as long as she could. and sagewhisker (i think? YF's mentor medicine cat) was...honestly an awful mentor and not a great medicine cat. when YF saved that one cat who SW was kind of like "meh, it's up to starclan now"...wtf?? it's nice to show that YF won't give up on a patient, but that should absolutely be standard practice for any healer. it should only be "up to starclan" once the medicine cats have exhausted all possible treatment options. that part really bothered me. and i know it's supposed to show how YF really *does* want to help other cats etc, but meh. it's like the love triangles where one character starts being mean for no reason to show, yes, you're supposed to root for this one instead. why couldn't SW *and* YF both be good medicine cats. and then for SW to just be like..."eh i'm old. time to die now. peace yellowfang, you've got this girl" lol like what?!?! no. just, no.also, brokenkit literally being born scowling LOL come on. again, villains are fine. they are. but i needed more of an explanation than "born evil" *eye roll* i don't care what age this is written for. villains can be well written characters as well. kids are smarter than a one-note evil-for-the-sake-of-evil villain. if you can show parents abandoning their kits, you can show the villain to be an actual character. especially since this is where we get to see him grow up. but it ends up being more like, born evil, continues to be evil to others, others are mean to him and he's more evil, etc.
ugh. i think i'm done complaining.
maybe it was my expectations, but this just disappointed me. extra books like this should add more to the preestablished story, not confuse readers about who characters "really are" if the super edition characterization just doesn't line up with the main story arc. i expected this to be a favorite since yellowfang herself is a favorite, so i think that's what i'm hung up on most. sigh. it won't stop me from catching up on all these extras before going back to the main arcs, but i'll definitely adjust my expectations for the rest. maybe this was just a case of one particular erin writing the majority of this, and i don't care for their writing style/plot/characterization/whatever as much as other erins. who knows?! but ti's always enjoyable at the very least to be in this world. and visiting the moon pool again! = )
noahmarcuswhite's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
jayfeathertheone's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
ember14's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book about Yellowfang, but truthfully I expected more than what was there.
It wasn't as shocking or exciting as Bluestar's Prophecy or Crookedstar's Promise
and I found that, even though I read it quickly that it wasn't a very fast paced book.
I did give it 4 stars because this is my rating scale:
1 - hated it!
2 - not great, but it wasn't the worst book either.
3 - neither good nor bad...it didn't stick out
4 - good book. Not the best I've ever read, but enjoyable none the less.
5 - excellent! I was thoroughly please with the book. Had a fast paced story. Nice plot/twists.
It wasn't as shocking or exciting as Bluestar's Prophecy or Crookedstar's Promise
and I found that, even though I read it quickly that it wasn't a very fast paced book.
I did give it 4 stars because this is my rating scale:
1 - hated it!
2 - not great, but it wasn't the worst book either.
3 - neither good nor bad...it didn't stick out
4 - good book. Not the best I've ever read, but enjoyable none the less.
5 - excellent! I was thoroughly please with the book. Had a fast paced story. Nice plot/twists.
rottarottis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.25
The story went little bit slower thqn in the other special editions. Otherwise the plot was pretty good, it was really sad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
jewelian's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0