[Spoiler Warning for A Starless Clan] I was hoping to be able to make this post yesterday, because as of yesterday, it has been half a year since I finished reading Star for the first time. But I didn’t finish rereading it until last night, so I’m making this today. I have a LOT to say. I’m just gonna start by being honest. This might be my favorite Warrior Cats book ever. I said before that A Starless Clan is an example of everything I love about Warriors, especially this book. And I meant it. Star, and the rest of ASC, is driven by the characters, their interactions, and their relationships. Nothing really happens for the plot, instead the plot happens for those other things. Nightheart and Sunbeam may be one of the best-written relationships in the series. It works so well because we know so much about both of them as individuals, and also get to see how their personalities blend together. It is one of the biggest examples of the writers’ improvement over the course of the series, because something I’ve realized is how poorly written early couples — namely Graystripe and Silverstream — were written in comparison. This arc works really well because the characters have problems that feel more real than prior arcs. Nightheart’s trying to find his place in the world, Sunbeam’s being torn between her own desires and her loyalty to her family, and Frostdawn… Frostdawn’s arc might be one of my favorite parts of this arc. It’s such a unique and interesting thing for the writers to have explored: the effects of putting huge amounts of responsibility of a child who is not ready for it. Frostdawn was barely an apprentice when the arc started and she was forced to work tirelessly to help RiverClan. Her mistakes had huge impacts on the clan and the burden of that in turn had a huge impact on Frostdawn. But she continued to work because she thought she had to. It drained her, and she went through things that no one — especially someone as young as her — should have to go through. Her innocence was forcefully taken from her, and while she’s in a much better place now, that is something she can never get back. It’s such a deep and powerful story that explores the loss of innocence in a really saddening way, and something I think is very relevant to certain situations in the real world. My favorite part of it is the second half of Star when everything Frostdawn has been through finally becomes too much for her, and she’s genuinely considering not waking up. It highlights just how badly this kind of stuff can affect a person, especially someone who has had to suffer through it most of their childhood. One thing I think helped make the characters’ struggles in this arc have a very real feeling to them is that A Starless Clan is the first arc since The Prophecies Begin to have a conflict and antagonist that is completely from within the clans themselves, with no involvement from outside parties (such as loners, rogues, or spirits). I think it helped make this arc feel like a much-needed breath of fresh air. And for me, rereading it alongside the rest of the series made me realize just how much the writers have improved. The Prophecies Begin has a lot of elements that are kinda underdeveloped that I think would’ve been done so much better if they were written today (a few of those things *are* being done better in the graphic novel adaptations), especially if the arc had multiple POVs like every other arc. A Starless Clan doesn’t really have that issue as much. Everything important that the arc lays out gets explored and developed in meaningful ways (I doubt it’s perfectly done — you could probably find something if you look hard enough). I love this book, and this arc, so much, and seeing everything about it that brings me joy gives me a lot of hope for the future of the series ~One little side note: Rereading this book changed my opinion on Berryheart… JUST A SMIDGE! Her actions in this arc are still unacceptable, and driven by bigotry and ignorance. But I don’t think she’s entirely beyond saving. It’s like Sunbeam said, maybe reflection is what the Dark Forest is for. I think it’d be interesting to see if Berryheart comes to terms with the mistakes she made and becomes a better person because of it. Maybe she could join the Dark Forest allies…. Maybe. ~~~ Art (except for the Star cover) belongs to @LinkScratchStar Character belongs to Erin Hunter
