declanj's reviews
229 reviews

the other clans were right thunderclan really does just let anyone go on a quest

Been sitting with this for a little while now. Originally gave this 3.5 stars, but over time I genuinely cannot think of a rating that adequately encompasses my feelings about this book. Maybe it's because I sat with this series for over three years, and this particular installment for over a year, but reading this book felt like a total slog. By the time I started this book, I didn't even care about it anymore; it would have been a DNF within the first few chapters had I not fallen deep into sunk-cost trenches. I've never read a book that so thoroughly encompasses the energy of "this meeting could have been an email" as this. The pacing is atrocious, the characters lack depth and agency, and the stakes are held high for so long that the tension they ought to generate feels more grating than anything. The only saving grace - and it's a saving grace only by comparison - is that the writing and narrative seem altogether more composed than other books SJM was releasing at the time. I don't necessarily regret reading this series, but given the choice of spending those three years reading this or anything of value, I would throw these books out without hesitation. Good riddance.

progress stagnated. revisit later

not the right time but planning to revisit later