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Since the Great Storm shortly after Bramblestar became leader of ThunderClan with the defeat of the Dark Forest cats the four Clans have lived peacefully. When a prophecy is received by not one - but all four of the Clan medicine cats they must unravel it's meaning. That message in turn sends a young medicine cat apprentice on a quest that may have the fate of all the Clans hanging in the balance.

This is the first installment of the next story arc for the series, A Vision of Shadows. I am glad to see a return to ThunderClan in this arc but I do love reading about events from the perspective of other Clan cats. The Dawn of the Clans arc is probably a tie with the first story arc that got me into Warriors - The Prophecies Begin. It is also a nice change for the story to be told from the perspective of an apprentice and not only that but a medicine cat - it always adds an additional layer of Clan life than the one we regularly see with warrior apprentices.

Loath as I am to admit it I've actually found a Warriors cat that I don't particularly care for. Alderpaw is extremely over cautious and indecisive for my tastes especially through almost the first half of the book. Both Bramblestar and Alderpaw seem to exhibit more self-doubt than any of the other cats in prior books. Alderpaw does gain more confidence in his decisions and himself as the book goes on - no cat or person is free from self-doubt sometimes. The quest itself is fraught with danger, taking the Clan cats outside of their normal territory and doesn't leave them unscathed physically or mentally.

I would highly recommend this book (and series) to middle-grade readers who love cats (or anyone who does), low fantasy and anthropomorphism. The book description states that this story arc would be a good place to start fresh - I disagree. I would suggest starting with the very first story arc, as a new reader there would be quite a bit of backstory that you are missing out on. If you wanted to read the books in chronological order you can find that list on the Warriors website here. ( )

For many moons, the warrior cats have lived in peace in their territories around the lake. But a dark shadow looms on the horizon, and the time has come for one young cat to shape his destiny--and the fate of all the warrior Clans.

Alderpaw, the son of the ThunderClan leader, Bramblestar, is eager to find his place in Clan life. When he begins having strange dreams--visions that can only have been sent by the warrior ancestors in StarClan--Bramblestar names him apprentice to the Clan's medicine cat. But the omens in Alderpaw's dreams will soon send him away from everything he has ever known on a quest to ensure the Clans' survival. (

An interesting new adventure for the Clans...very interesting. ( )