#talon reads bluestar’s prophecy

[talonpaw]

messy bluestar’s prophecy thoughts

finished bluestar’s prophecy (finally)

i very much enjoyed the story’s exploration of grief. i was shocked how much bluestar’s experience of grief resonated with my own lived experiences of grief, particularly as an adolescent. kudos to kate for capturing that particular feeling of melancholy rage-despair-nihilism

i also enjoyed the character relationships here—particularly the bond between bluefur and snowfur and the rivalry between bluefur and thistleclaw.

the relationship between bluefur and stormtail, while minor, is also interesting. reading bluestar’s prophecy as a kid, i definitely picked up on the fact that stormtail is an emotionally absent father, but it hits a lot harder rereading the story as an adult

not to mention the LOADS of interesting plots unfolding in the background— pinestar’s ineffectual leadership, guilt, and resignation; goosefeather’s deterioration and loss of respect among his clanmates; thistleclaw and tigerpaw’s radicalization. this version of thunderclan feels real, unlike modern thunderclan, where characters don’t really exist outside of whatever’s going on with the main story arc

unfortunately, one relationship that doesn’t measure up is the relationship between bluefur and oakheart. despite attempts at buildup over the course of the novel, it still feels like their fling comes out of absolutely nowhere.

the pacing here is roughhhhhh. to be fair, most of the super editions with the lifespan-time jump format have similar issues with pacing. but there are certain parts of this book that REALLY drag.

i am still trying to make sense of what the novel says about motherhood and how i feel about the portrayal of the “bluestar gives away her kits for the deputy position” plotline (are the erins making intentional commentary about misogyny and gaining power as a woman? or are they having another Misogyny Moment? this is a question for someone who is smarter and better at literary analysis than i.)

might come back later with more intelligent thoughts later but right now i am #exhausted 🥲👍

#talon reads bluestar’s prophecy

[talonpaw]

if i remember correctly, bluestar’s prophecy is the “everything is awful and everyone dies” book so rereading it is going to be very fun :D

i think part of why people are so fond of the prequel* super editions (excluding nostalgia) is that they were TRAGIC (and a bit more kill-happy), as opposed to the modern series which REFUSES to let beloved legacy characters go.

#i so DESPERATELY want to see a status quo-changing event in the main series like the famine in goosefeather’s curse #(part of why i was HYPED for bramblestar rabies theory 😭😭😭😭😭) #but i don’t think we’ll be seeing anything like that unfortunately 😔 #talon reads bluestar’s prophecy

[talonpaw]

i FORGOT about pinestar making bluepaw and snowpaw apprentices a day early to deflect from rising tensions w windclan…..… he’s SO horribly conflict avoidant, just like me for REAL

#talon reads bluestar’s prophecy

[talonpaw]

still making my way through bluestar's prophecy. a lot of my brainspace is taken up by the soapiness of the recent arcs, so i was a bit surprised by how different this book feels.

i love the volatile state of clan politics during pinestar's reign. kind of makes you miss when the warrior cats were at war with one another

#talon reads bluestar's prophecy