Omen of the Stars

The Fourth Apprentice
Fading Echoes
Night Whispers
Sign of the Moon
The Forgotten Warrior
The Last Hope
Average Rating:

After the Power of Three, I really expected to hate Omen. A lot of people do. So I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it (well, most of it). This series takes place directly after the Power of Three, wherein the third prophecy cat is finally identified as Dovewing. Dovewing is such a likable character with real flaws and quirks. Partnered with Dovewing is her sister, Ivypool, who has absolutely nothing to do with the prophecy. Instead Ivypool, fueled by jealousy to all the attention her sister gets, falls into the Dark Forest where she unknowingly trains with evil cats.

The strength of Omen is that it finally addresses the Power of Three prophecy. Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing actively use their powers and participate in the world around them. The plot, which exists this time, centers around the cats of the Dark Forest recruiting living warriors into their army to eventually destroy the living world.

The fantasy elements are at an all time high here. The reader has to suspend their disbelief through this entire series for it to work, which is a huge stretch. In Omen, dead cats can interact and participate in the living world and living cats dreams.

The positives to this series were:
-Having a cohesive plot, even if it was interrupted.
-Dovewing and Ivypool. These two have such a strong bond. I especially loved Ivypool who is forced to train in the Dark Forest every night, even after finding out the truth of the Dark Forest’s intentions.
-More relationship between Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Cinderheart.
-The Great Battle has wonderful confrontations, and *finally* starts killing off characters again. (Including very old and important ones).

However, this series isn’t without its faults. There are still quite a few of them…
-The mystique of Starclan is basically gone at this point. These cats have no idea what they’re doing. Yellowfang is especially out of character as a fear mongering lunatic loyal only to Thunderclan. Also, the fact that cats fade away after Starclan is deeply upsetting.
-Still some vagueness regarding the Threes powers. Its implied their birth spanned centuries and brought back the ghosts of long dead cats but - what???
-The fucking tribe. Sign of the Moon was a disaster. The plot comes to a screeching halt so Jayfeather can go to the mountains, become Jaywing, and name a new Stoneteller.
-Sol was useless again. He really should’ve done something with the Dark Forest.
-All the Flametail stuff felt… random?
-The Dark Forest’s plan is super flimsy. Cats start betraying them almost instantly when they find out they sided with the baddies.

Omen of the Stars - Super Editions and Novellas

Crowfeather's Trial

I wanted to like this book, I really did. But it’s a bit of a mess.

On a positive note, it was finally the Crowfeather point of view I’ve been waiting so long for. It was nice to see his perspective on the Feathertail incident, on his forbidden love of Leafpool, on his relationship with Nightcloud, and complicated feelings towards all of his kits. I liked seeing things through his lens, and how much he’s matured since the New Prophecy. Learning to forgive and love again is a great theme to explore.

Unfortunately, that’s where the positives end. Right from the beginning the book has me rolling my eyes. The main conflict centers around battling white stoats. This in itself is fine, but towards the beginning the stoats are mistaken for ghosts. The apprentice who makes this claim is laughed and chastised for believing in ghosts, but guys, we are barely removed from Omen of the Stars. You know, the series about fighting literal dead cats?

Additionally, Breezepelt gets a major retcon. In Crowfeather’s Trial he is portrayed as a misunderstood cat whose anger and loyalty fueled him to join the Dark Forest and attempt to murder Lionblaze. But, in Omen, Breezepelt is shown to be cruel and relishes in the destruction of the clans and warrior code. He is not misunderstood, he is actively antagonistic.

Now, giving this book the benefit of the doubt, maybe Crowfeather is an unreliable narrator. Maye Breezepelt is insisting that he was misunderstood so he doesn’t have to admit his malicious bloodlust, and gain acceptance into his clan. But, given the nature of these books, I doubt that’s the case.

Also, Onestar just continues to cement himself as the most unlikable character and worst leader of Windclan.

Bramblestar's Storm

This SE felt very average. It wasn’t horribly written or told, but it wasn’t incredibly compelling either. Bramblestar, as Brambleclaw, used to be my favorite character in warriors, so I was excited to get his P.O.V. again. I like that he’s portrayed as reasonable, but uncertain. Firestar is a big act to follow, and Bramblestar is painfully aware of this. It makes for a good internal conflict.

It was also nice to see him and Squirrelflight repair their relationship further from just being “coworkers”. Other than that, the book felt like just the day to day activities of Thunderclan as they recover from being flooded by a storm. The kittypets were fine. The battles were fine. Everything was just fine.

Also, shoutout to that egregious error at the end of the book. You know that one I’m talking about.

Mistystar's Omen
Hollyleaf's Story
Ravenpaw's Farewell
Dovewing's Silence

Mistystar’s Omen - This story was alright. It was nice to finally get back into Riverclan again. Since moving to the lake, the reader hardly sees them anymore. Mistystar and Mothwing go at it, which makes me wonder how at this point Mothwing can’t believe in Starclan. Dead cats literally just came back to life, like… how are having doubts about this?

Hollyleaf's Story - Better than I expected. I like that it was a rather small setting focused on Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves. It was a good idea to put these two together given their self-imposed exiles into the tunnels. I wish the fox and Hollyleaf stayed friends though.

Ravenpaw’s Farewell - This was a novella I genuinely loved. It goes back to Ravenpaw and Barley who are still vibing in the barn. It explores their relationship, which has become more than platonic. Ravenpaw and Barley explore the old territories, and take Barley’s niece and nephew to meet Skyclan. It’s such a nice final adventure for the two characters, and a send off for Ravenpaw who is finally allowed to pass on.

Dovewing’s Silence - Another book where I like the idea, but not the execution. Dovewing, Lionblaze, and Jaywing have all lost their powers, and now must cope with everyday life. However, the main focus of the book seems to be accepting the Dark Forest warriors back into the clans. There were good moments, but overall it was a weaker entry.