Though it suffers from the inherent problems of being both a travelling book and having more setup than payoff, Needlepaw, Sparkpaw, and especially Alderpaw are an interesting trio, Sandstorm's journey and eventual death is an emotional farewell to one of the series' original characters, and the ending is as traumatic as it is a great way to hype up what comes next. One of the better first books in Warrior Cats' pantheon (though that's...not a high bar to clear.)