Well! When I first picked up this book to see what all the fuss was about - Isabelle is devouring the series - I was skeptical. I must also admit, I was perhaps even a bit turned off when I read on the back cover that the world the author created was "shaped by her interest in astrology and standing stones." I never suspected I would give this book 5 stars!
Actually, I wavered quite a bit between 4 1/2 and 5 stars. I hesitated with the 5-star rating because from the beginning, I just wasn't comfortable with the idea of characters fighting to the death, even if the characters are all anthropomorphized cats. Truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of books about anthropomorphized animals to begin with.
But, in the end, this world of cat clans living in a forest on the edge of human civilization just won me over. Right off the bat, the book starts with an extensive character list and a couple of maps. I love it when books have maps! And, it helped that we eventually learn that the ThunderClan warriors - the ones the book is mostly about - "do not kill unless they have to."
I love that the book offers up some valid lessons amidst the adventure and suspense of Firepaw's introduction into the ThunderClan. Firepaw learns to honor the warrior code, but he's not just a blind follower, he's praised for being a "thinker." He learns to not back down when faced with a challenge (unfortunately, this lesson is taught through physical fighting, but as I said, I had to move past that); that every member of a community has a useful role to serve; that you should respect your elders and be conscientious in your training. Even the importance of good, honest, fair leadership is made clear.
There were a few unexpected twists, and by the time I got to the end of the book, I was surprised at how much I had been drawn in. Knowing that this book is only the first of a series, I should have realized earlier that not all loose ends would be tied up by the end! I'll just have to read the next one.
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