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A review by chamomiledaydreams
A Light in the Mist by Erin Hunter
3.0
While I loved the first half of The Broken Code, the last few books have fallen relatively flat. "The Place of No Stars" was the least enjoyable for me, so comparatively, "A Light in the Mist" was very good. Still, it's easy to mourn lost opportunities for character arcs and to point out different directions the story could have taken.
My biggest complaint for this series' conclusion is the lack of change introduced to the Clans. With so much complexity added to the cats' afterlives, I can't help but think of "The Good Place" and how it constantly interrogates what an ideal afterlife system could look like. While I don't hold Warrior cats to the same standards, I do wish that the characters would acknowledge that they live in a flawed system, with biased observers in StarClan dictating who ends up in which afterlife (and occasionally getting it wrong, as Ashfur demonstrates several times over).
Additionally, there are minor pet peeves I have concerning cats acting out of character. It felt strange that so much emphasis was placed on Graystripe suddenly being virile and capable of going into battle, as well as everyone in ThunderClan trusting him to do a good job leading them. (Why was his leadership questioned less than Squirrelflight's?)
I also disliked how Silverstream and Feathertail were characterized as jealous of Graystripe, when I firmly believe that Feathertail would get along great with her half-sister Briarlight! (I've always wanted more Silverstream and Feathertail interactions, but seeing them bond over their mutual disdain for Millie/Leafpool is not what I had in mind...)
At least Mothwing is back to being the kind and reasonable cat I love so much. I look forward to seeing her as a mentor in the upcoming series!
Overall, I enjoyed The Broken Code a lot, and I might say that it's my favorite Warriors series so far, considering how long it held my interest and my fondness for the main characters. Still, it's far from perfect, and I would spend just as much time complaining about it as I would praising it.
My biggest complaint for this series' conclusion is the lack of change introduced to the Clans. With so much complexity added to the cats' afterlives, I can't help but think of "The Good Place" and how it constantly interrogates what an ideal afterlife system could look like. While I don't hold Warrior cats to the same standards, I do wish that the characters would acknowledge that they live in a flawed system, with biased observers in StarClan dictating who ends up in which afterlife (and occasionally getting it wrong, as Ashfur demonstrates several times over).
Additionally, there are minor pet peeves I have concerning cats acting out of character. It felt strange that so much emphasis was placed on Graystripe suddenly being virile and capable of going into battle, as well as everyone in ThunderClan trusting him to do a good job leading them. (Why was his leadership questioned less than Squirrelflight's?)
I also disliked how Silverstream and Feathertail were characterized as jealous of Graystripe, when I firmly believe that Feathertail would get along great with her half-sister Briarlight! (I've always wanted more Silverstream and Feathertail interactions, but seeing them bond over their mutual disdain for Millie/Leafpool is not what I had in mind...)
At least Mothwing is back to being the kind and reasonable cat I love so much. I look forward to seeing her as a mentor in the upcoming series!
Overall, I enjoyed The Broken Code a lot, and I might say that it's my favorite Warriors series so far, considering how long it held my interest and my fondness for the main characters. Still, it's far from perfect, and I would spend just as much time complaining about it as I would praising it.