Lily Hefner's Reviews > River

** spoiler alert ** Okay yeah here we go again ramble time

So! Quite an interesting arc setup to say the least, Riverclan is very obviously going to be the main focus which makes me very excited. I’ll start with Frostpaw pov stuff for now since I thought that was the best parts of the book.

She’s going to be a great protagonist I feel! A bit nervous, but unfortunately not anything we haven’t seen before. Her position though being half acting leader with Mothwing is setting up for an interesting character arc. Her connection with Starclan, being described as different I believe, is ultimately confusing. But I do think it’ll be clearer and it might be because I haven’t read a proper medicine cat pov in a few years aside from Shadowsight and he was far from normal. She’s got a lot on her back, and unfortunately I have a bad feeling the whole leaders dropping dead is going to either continue or be seen as a very bad sign. Mistystar’s death was insane but long coming. I’m suspicious Reedwhisker’s death was a murder, but by who? I dunno. Curlfeather’s, though I predicated it was really heartbreaking though. Biggest soother of Frostpaw’s nerves, and she was amazing I loved her. I’m sad we only got her for this book and nothing more.

Our second protagonist, who was actually shown first, is Flamepaw/Nightheart. Which. Huh??? I’ll come back to that weird name change and Bramblestar in a minute. First of all, I’m not quite sure I’m submersed in his pov or if I even like him. He seems a bit dramatic, but boy does he have mommy issues. And daddy issues. He just has issues. It was insane it took three warriors assessments for him to pass and then him being named Flameheart? Be for real leave the kid alone HE IS A BLACK CAT WHAT ABOUT THAT SCREAMS FIRE???? So like yeah Nightheart makes sense in that regard. Still have the tie of Fireheart but whatever fine compromise but I wish we’d seen his feelings about that name. I do however wish he’d keep his mouth shut sometimes. Sorry baby boy but sometimes we need to keep things to ourselves.

I do in fact wish Bramblestar and Squirrelflight would get kitty-cat divorced. They are never getting along, and maybe I’m just sour from how he was behaving in however far I got in Squirrelflight’s hope before this and Sky arrived but OUGH. PLEASEEEE. Bramblestar also needs a therapist. Mercy lord.

Finally we have Sunbeam. Idk how to feel about her either. She is. Quite. An overthinker. Blazefire yikes dude erm. Justice for her though she didn’t deserve nothin Lightleap is just a douche for no reason 😭. Y’all I literally understand why she’s (as in Sunbeam) so upset because DAMN GIRL.

I am quite worried about. A potential romance with Sunbeam and Nightheart. Very deeply concerned. I was really hoping we could have an arc with no romance because man sometimes it’s old. PLEASEEEEEE I’m so tired of the romance ONE ARC I AM BEGGING FOR ONE ARC WITHOUT ROMANCE DRAMA I get it’s a selling point but the general clan drama is crazy enough YOU CAN SELL RIVERCLAN BEING IN SHAMBLES SO EASILY BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WANNA KNOW WHAT THE FISH CATS ARE DOING PLEAEE GOD

Anyways I said I’d read this arc for the drama and I’m glad. I liked this book. I do think there are faults in the writing and there are some really shocking editing errors. Leadbare made me cackle personally. And I am kind of finding Nightheart and Sunbeam annoying right now. So. Three stars for now. Going to be starting Sky asap