Mistystar's Omen

Warriors Novellas #2

by Erin Hunter, Wayne McLoughlin (Illustrator)

A devastating challenge for the new leader of RiverClan . . .

In this original Warriors novella, when Leopardstar loses her ninth life, her longtime deputy, Mistyfoot, steps up to receive her new name—Mistystar—and lead her Clan through a troublesome time. But Mistystar is about to discover a shocking secret about RiverClan, and her leadership is plunged into crisis as soon as it begins.

Genres: Fantasy, Animals, Middle Grade, Cats, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens

102 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 11, 2012

About the author

Erin Hunter is the pseudonym of five people: Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, Tui T. Sutherland, Gillian Philip, and Inbali Iserles, as well as editor Victoria Holmes. Together, they write the Warriors series as well as the Seekers and Survivors series. Erin Hunter is working on a new series now called Bravelands.

Erin Hunter is inspired by a love of cats and a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. As well as having a great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior, shaped by her interest in astronomy and standing stones.

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had really high hopes for this… and they were diminished. Why not just give Mothwing a novella if she is all you’re going to write about. This book should have focused on more IMPORTANT parts like the death of her brother, mother, kits, not just the responsibility of being leader, we’ve seen that before a kazillion times. It didn’t have much emotion and was short even for a novella. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t overestimated how good it would be.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Mistystar’s Omen’ provides a great insight into the life of RiverClan and all the difficulties it faced after the draught that happened in The Fourth Apprentice. Mistystar had always been an appealing character to read about and she presents an interesting perspective since her old age gives her experience to guide the Clan, but also doubts about her abilities as a leader. Moreover, her relationship with her son Reedwhisker plays an important role in the book, and we learn the fate of her other kits.

What I did not like was the main conflict of the story: Mistystar discovering Mothwing’s lack of faith in StarClan. In the first chapters of the book, Mistystar keeps thinking how good it is to have Mothwing as her medicine cat and a friend, how capable and competent Mothwing is and how she wouldn't have coped without her. But after finding out that Mothwing doesn't believe in StarClan, Mistystar spends a chapter being confused and not knowing what to do… and then all but calls Mothwing a traitor and says she lied to the whole Clan and endangered it. It is as if Mothwing didn't spend seasons caring for the Clan, treating wounded and sick and saving lives. When Mothwing points out that Willowshine can talk with the ancestors and receive their signs, Mistystar goes as far as doubting Willowshine’s loyalty, saying that she is too attached to her mentor. Therefore Mistystar forbidding Mothwing to treat Reedwhisker’s wounds came out not as her thinking of the good of the Clan above her own son, but as Mistystar risking her son's life out of her own sheer stubbornness.

And how is it all resolved? Both Stonefur and Mudfur talked to Mistystar, sending her an omen confirming that she should trust in Mothwing. Yes, you’ve read that right: it took StarClan itself saying that it was okay not to believe in StarClan. It’s a right thing, of course, but I always though Mistystar strong and wise enough to make the right decision herself.

[Michelle Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mistystar discover's Mothwing's secret and must do whatever is best for her clan, though the solution is not the one that first springs to mind. This Warriors ebook was more exciting to read than Hollyleaf's story because there was more action, and interaction among several different cats; whereas in Hollyleaf's Story, it was just Hollyleaf (albeit in the rare company of Fallen Leaves).

[Loang · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: 3 out of 10

This was... well, this was just boring. For such a short book, one would think the authors would be able to come up with something worth writing about, but that seems to not be the case here. This novella was incredibly dull, dragged the entire way through, and was unnecessarily long (which is a lot to say considering it’s not even a hundred pages long).

I’ll admit, though, that most of my disappointment stems from the fact that anything that could potentially be interesting here has been already been touched upon in a later book. Those things being Mothwing’s character (she already has her own novella by now), and RiverClan’s general way of life (there’s a Super Edition and a graphic novel that take place there entirely). Even though that is by no means this book’s fault, reading it after all those books means that it doesn’t bring anything new to the table to me.

However, even ignoring that, I still found Mistystar to be a boring character and the plot seemed repetitive and unoriginal.

So yeah, I really didn’t like this. I might if it were 2012, though!”

[Willemijn jufwillemijnopallstars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit boek kun je het beste lezen na serie 4 deel 2.

Wat leuk om eens een kijkje te nemen bij de RivierClan. Als lezer ken je Mistvoet en Motvleugel al, maar in dit mini-avontuur leer je ze beter kennen. Mistvoet komt ook achter een geheim en worstelt er mee. Als je alle voorgaande boeken hebt gelezen, weet je al wat het geheim is. En toen kwam er nog een hele spannende scène aan het einde! Met hopelijk wel een goede afloop... Ik ga snel verder in serie 4 deel 3.

Leuk detail dat ze in de RivierClan met 'vissenbrein' schelden ipv 'muizenbrein' van de DonderClan!

[Kendra Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just reread this and....I was so annoyed this time. I can understand not knowing the whole truth and feeling like you've been lied to. But this time around I could not agree with Mistystar's thoughts at all. It was hard to make it through. And maybe this one wasn't a necessary reread, because I did remember the important details. It also turns out I like Mothwing so much more than I thought I did. I do also understand that with Leopardstar's death, Mistystar has just become leader and it must be a lot. But Mistystar was pretty unbearable for me because even though she's just found out Mothwing doesn't believe in StarClan, she still has all the knowledge about medicine and is still very valuable as a medicine cat. So Mistystar deciding she didn't want to keep her as a medicine cat for a great portion of this was an enormous annoyance. It literally took Mistystar's own son getting injured and almost dying to see reason. I think even that wasn't enough. Her dead brother had to speak to her and she had to see another sign before she fully changed her mind. It was just so irritating. I remember liking Mistystar in the 1st arc, but after this I don't think I'll be able to not have a negative opinion on her as I continue to get caught up on the series.

[Leen Gilis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 stars

Warning: this review might contain spoilers if you haven't read the first two books of series 4!

Mistystar was always one of the most unique cats of the Riverclan, in my opinion. Her background story was always very interesting to me, so of course I wanted to read more about her and how she became a Clanleader. It was interesting to read from her perspective and to learn more about the Riverclan. I really enjoyed reading this book, because for a short story it was worked out very well and detailed. It teaches you a lot about friendships and trust, and has some really nice messages in it. Sometimes it was a little bit heartbreaking and emotional, but the ending was beautiful and I really loved it. This book was a good read very smoothly and I finished it in one sitting. While reading this book you definitely learn a lot about the Riverclan. For fans of the series I highly recommend it!

[mysticofworlds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mistystar has always been one of my favorite characters in the Warriors series and honestly I was hoping she'd get a longer novel, perhaps a Super Edition. This wasn't a bad read, just very short. Still, I enjoyed it and am glad to learn a bit more about her backstory and read about a character in the series that truly doesn't believe in StarClan.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this also in 'The Untold Stories'. Hollyleaf's Story was wonderful. This one is even better.

[Chantal Kloth · Rating 4 out of 5]

love this book and mistystar, just wish the Erins were more forward about what happened to her kits?

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives some interesting lore/insight into the RiverClan camp, but the conflict feels a bit flimsy. Still love Mothwing to pieces, though.

[Roselyn Blonger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mistyfoot was one of my favorite character and now I can't stand her anymore. What she did was unforgivable! And low! She rejected her best friend because she didn't believe in the same things! She almost lost her own son because she didn't want Mothwing to interfere! She didn't let her does her work! What the heck happened with their friendship? And trust? Mistystar is no leader material, at all.

[Historyprincess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Premise: After many seasons of faithful service to RiverClan as their deputy, Mistystar has succeeded Leopardstar as their leader. The gray she-cat knows she has much to live up to. But from the moment she receives her nine lives, she finds herself facing a crisis that she could never have foreseen. Moreover, out of all the four Clans living around the lake, hers has suffered the most from the recent drought and is taking the longest to recover. With so many issues to take on in such a short amount of time, what Mistystar needs is a sign from StarClan.

Story/Writing: I've found that when I come to a story in this series, I usually have some idea in my mind of what's going to happen in it. This is one of those rare occasions where I had the barest minimum of what to expect coming in. But that's not necessarily a bad thing! If anything, pleasant surprises are always welcome. And that was definitely the case with this novella! The funny thing is, before I read this title, I didn't really think of how big a deal Mothwing's lack of faith in StarClan could be to some cats – and especially her own Clanmates – given how Leafpool, Jayfeather, and even Willowshine accepted it for what it was. When I realized that Mothwing – as RiverClan's head medicine cat – would have to escort Mistystar to the Moonpool to receive her nine lives, that's when I started getting really nervous. In past titles that I've read, the medicine cat is always with the new leader when they go to StarClan for the nine lives ceremony. And Mothwing never visits StarClan in her dreams, even when she goes to the Moonpool. Yet when the secret was out, there was this weird sense of relief that it was finally known (at least to Mistystar) along with anxiety about how Mistystar would deal with it. And I thought it was handled very well. It could've been far worse given all the issues Mistystar already had to deal with. But I believe the authors on the Erin Hunter team did a really good job of easing RiverClan's new leader into her new responsibilities.

Characters: While I love ThunderClan, I like being with another Clan every now and then. If anything, it fits here because RiverClan suffered the most from the drought. I was surprisingly invested in reading about how they recover from it, since I'm not as familiar with these cats as I am with the ones in ThunderClan.

Mistystar – Ever since I really got to know her in the "Prophecies Begin" arc as Mistyfoot, Mistystar has been one of my favorite RiverClan cats. Given everything she's gone through and everyone she's lost, she deserves to be the new leader of RiverClan in my opinion. I liked that she made her final amends with Leopardstar before the latter died, given that Leopardstar allowed Tigerstar to hold Mistystar captive and have her brother killed when they were discovered to be half-ThunderClan. Again, given all the tough things she's had to go through in her life, Mistystar is surprisingly gracious and merciful. What's also interesting is that she's older than most Clan leaders usually are when they assume their role. She has years of experience already, but she still has much to learn. And I thought the way she deals with these struggles was great. It's always tough assuming new responsibilities, but imagine taking leadership of a Clan on the verge of starvation while having a medicine cat who doesn't believe in StarClan. But Mistystar held up as strong as she ever has under these new trials! I'm proud of her and I know she'll be one of RiverClan's greatest leaders ever!

Mothwing – I was baffled as I think a lot of fans were when it was revealed in the "New Prophecy" arc that Mothwing doesn't believe in StarClan, despite being RiverClan's medicine cat. But I also know that she loves RiverClan and will serve them till the day she dies. While I knew that Mistystar discovering her lack of faith was inevitable, it was also pretty hard to read. And the farther I got into the story, the tougher it was. You get the sense that Mistystar and Mothwing have been close friends for a long time. As awful as I felt for Mistystar when she found out her own medicine cat didn't believe in StarClan, I felt just as bad for Mothwing when she had to own up to it. I understood Mistystar's reasoning, that she didn't think it would be best for her Clan to have a medicine cat who couldn't read signs and omens nor communicate with their warrior ancestors. But at the same time, I wanted Mothwing to prove her worth and how much the wellbeing of her Clanmates meant to her, and I was so happy when she did by saving Reedwhisker's life!

Various Other Characters – Even if he is her son, I definitely think Mistystar made the right decision when she appointed Reedwhisker her deputy. My eyes were glued to my Kindle screen as I read about him risking his life to save the apprentices from the dogs. Given he's the only one of Mistystar's four kits to survive to adulthood, I was so happy when he pulled through! And speaking of the apprentices, Hollowpaw and Rushpaw, their stunt of going to the Twolegplace for food reminded me of when Cloudtail did the same thing in "Rising Storm." I understood their reasoning, that they were hungry and didn't want to take from the fresh-kill pile. But it was still a pretty foolish move and they were lucky to make it out alive! I also loved Mistystar's interactions with her brother, Stonefur. He was always a noble cat in life and proved to be just as noble in death when he gave his sister the omen of the moth flying away on its own.

Overall: I thought this was a pretty intense yet at the same time touching story about a Clan leader coming to terms with her new duties and learning about how she should deal with them. It felt needed and necessary, and I can't wait to see RiverClan return to their former glory!

[zzzoe.k · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like Mistystar, but this novella seems out of character and kind of dumb, tbh - plus it mostly revolved around Mothwing. In addition, there were some pretty blatant errors and the writing was weak (not that Warriors books are amazingly well-written, but this felt lazy).

[jarrad winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

Great Book

Pretty amazing book tells side stories that you would never learn Amazing !!!!!!!!! buy it you are never going to regret it

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

4.5/10

[Cami · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novella frustrates me, because it feels like Mistystar takes the whole book to learn what I (as a reader) and what she (as Mothwing's self-proclaimed friend) know what's true: that Mothwing is a good medicine cat. I don't believe that this was the authors' intention, but it's especially frustrating for me to read about Mistystar doubting Mothwing, because it reminds me of how people with disabilities are often condescended to because other people think they know more about the disabled person's limitations than the disabled person themself. Now, I'm not saying that Mothwing's atheism is the same thing as a disability, but it is one reason why I sympathize with Mothwing and have trouble connecting to Mistystar in this book. If Mothwing says that she can fulfill her duties as a medicine cat and get help when she needs it, then Mistystar has no right to contradict her, especially when all evidence supports Mothwing's competence and capabilities.

On the subject of Mothwing's atheism, I really wish that her reasons for not believing in StarClan made more sense (for one thing, she's literally SEEN leaders die and come back to life, and that's not even counting everything that happens in "Omen of the Stars," which to be fair has yet to happen during the events of this novella) and that her timeline for becoming an atheist was consistent. (Based on "The New Prophecy" and Mothwing's conversation with Leafpool, I thought she stopped believing in StarClan when Hawkfrost revealed that he had faked the moth's wing sign, but Mudfur in this novella seemed to imply that she had always been without faith due to her parentage, in much the same way that Cloudtail is ThunderClan's token non-believer.)

I realize that I am fixating on Mothwing in this review much more than on Mistystar, and that's because Mothwing stood out more in this novella to me than the titular character. I would have preferred for Mistystar to have a storyline more centered on her than on a character (Mothwing) whose drama (being a medicine cat who doesn't believe in StarClan) has already been addressed at length by a character (Leafpool) whose perspective was prominent in several books ("The New Prophecy").

I am not rating this book lower, because I enjoy the aesthetics of RiverClan and many characters who make appearances in this novella (Bluestar, Mothwing, Feathertail, Crookedstar, Mudfur, etc.). Even when their storylines aren't especially compelling, the aesthetics of the characters' names alone sets a distinctive tone that I appreciate. Still, I'm not sure what I got out of this book besides frustrated and indignant.

[diana · Rating 1 out of 5]

this one is fucking awful. what's the point of this? why do we need this story from this perspective? why are we talking about cats having elbows and knees?

i can answer my first two questions, actually: the erins wanted to examine mothwing's atheism from the perspective of a clan leader, specifically that of mistystar, someone we've followed for a bit and are finally seeing come into her own. which is a *somewhat* interesting premise, and in my opinion, more so if you only include that first part. because we've done this to death already from the perspective of medicine cats, who may not be clan leaders but have a similar perspective of needing to insist that it's important mothwing believes in starclan. but whose perspective has been missing this whole time? mothwing herself!! what a great opportunity to examine the question from a different angle, even so far as going back to the beginning of her time with the clans. and what a waste, therefore, seeing that this is the result of that half-baked inquiry.

i don't know why this is the warriors book that's getting under my skin. maybe because i know what happens later in the series, i'm disinclined to like anything involving mistystar. she's great in the first series but feels increasingly unimportant and unnecessary as time goes on, and this novella solidifies that beyond being bluestar's bastard kid, she doesn't have much to offer beyond the standard erin hunter tragic-mom-who-becomes-clan-leader bullshit. having a novella that justifies her continued existence in the universe only works if you prove she has something new and exciting to offer, and at this point i'm not at all surprised the erins don't manage to pull that off. even her naming ceremony is lackluster, with none of the awe-inspiring details or tearful reunions that usually accompany them. she also makes a big, dumb, spur-of-the-moment decision that could have worked in a longer book, but then again that would mean stretching out the experience beyond 100 pages. and that sounds like torture.

i continue to hold out faith for the super editions--crookerstar's promise was so good in comparison to so much of this middling part of the series that it almost makes up for the duds--but i'm 0-for-2 thus far with the novellas. thankfully, i can speed through them in under an hour, but at this point, i highly doubt they'll be worth my time. as always, though, i'm willing to eat my words; skyclan and the stranger goes so fucking hard it makes me mad, and i pray for the day a novella evokes that feeling.

1/5 stars

[Noella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Als leider Luipaardster sterft, wordt Mistvoet leider van de Rivierclan. Ze beseft dat haar een zware taak te wachten staat, en hoopt op de steun van haar medicijnkat, Motvleugel, die haar beste vriendin is.
Maar als Mistvoet naar de Maansteen gaat met Motvleugel om haar leidersnaam--Mistster-- te ontvangen van de Sterrenclan en ook haar 9 levens, merkt ze dat in deze (droom/trance) ceremonie Motvleugel niet bij haar is...
Zo ontdekt Mistster het geheim van Motvleugel, namelijk dat Motvleugel niet in de Sterrenclan gelooft en ook niet met hen kan spreken en visioenen ontvangen. Mistster is boos en verontwaardigd dat Motvleugel dit nooit bekend gemaakt heeft, maar ze wordt nu ook onzeker omdat ze vreest dat ze geen tekens van de Sterrenclan meer kan krijgen tot Wilglicht, de leerling-medicijnkat, een echte medicijnkat geworden is.
Mistster ontslaat Motvleugel van haar taak als medicijnkat, en wil dat ze zich bij de oudsten voegt.
Maar dan gebeuren er verschillende dingen, en Mistster beseft dat de Sterrenclan al lang weet dat de medicijnkat van de Rivierclan niet in hen gelooft, maar haar toch een supergoede medicijnkat vindt.

Kort verhaal uit de reeks, leuk om te lezen.

[LM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Until now, I enjoyed all Warriors novella, and Mistystar’s Omen is no exception. I always love some RiverClan POV and to read about Mothwing, since she’s one of my favorite characters from the series.

Like I’ve mentioned before, it’s great how the novellas focus on one cat and their internal struggles and not on the (more or less) overarching plot. Here, the focus lies on Mistyfoot/-star who becomes leader of RiverClan after Leopardstar’s death. Mistystar’s emotions are so well portrayed here and it’s only understandable that she would be fearful of the task that’s coming to her. Her shock about the truth behind Mothwing was also depicted well, but she overreacted a bit in my opinion. She didn’t even listen to Mothwing but made her an elder right away. At least Mistystar later changes her mind thanks to a creative sign from StarClan. I also never thought about the relationship between Blackstar and Mistystar, I wish it would’ve been discovered more in the main series. I wonder if Mistystar ever forgave him for what he did and if yes, how she was able to.

Besides those conflicts, the plot was not that interesting. Of course, a Warriors book needs a silly border conflict because of some prey. The mystery of the disappearing apprentices was weak too and it was really obvious what they were doing in secret. I also didn’t like that the finale was a dog fight, I’m just not a fan of those.

Still, this was a four-star read for me and I hope that the novellas will continue to be as strong as they are now.

[Kurami Rocket · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book. Nothing really happens in this short book, but it was nice to see things from Riverclan's perspective for a change even if there isn't too much of a difference between each clan. But there is just enough for the small differences to be interesting, imo.

Anyways, it was nice to see Mistystar grappling with the realization that Mothwing doesn't believe in Starclan. I think she was too hasty and rash in her decision but I can't exactly blame her for being insecure and fearful as the new clan leader, especially with the lack of food for her clan.

Poor Mothwing though having to deal with that bs. She's right though that her lack of belief and faith in Starclan has never stopped her from being a great medicine cat, but at least Mistystar finally realized this and that Starclan had already approved of Mothwing.

[hannah]

i cannot deal with the erins calling the prison where featherpaw, stormpaw, mistyfoot, and stonefur were held a fox den in the darkest hour; a willow tree in leopardstar's honor; and a rabbit hole in mistystar's omen!!!!! consistency where

anyway this was an interesting crisis of faith for mistystar i suppose, and i enjoyed the glimpse into riverclan as always. also i did in fact almost burst into tears for her leadership ceremony because i am a sentimental sap

i'm also glad they acknowledged she's old because she was a warrior in BOOK ONE. bluestar had already been a leader for several seasons by the time firestar came to the forest in into the wild, so her kits were already at least a year old then, though honestly i imagined them as older than that?

[Book Wyvern · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was so much better than Hollyleafs Story, maybe because it was with more than two cats and had more drama in it. The writing was definitely better here, full of tension and the pace flowed quite nicely.

I liked seeing how Mistystar, a cat we’ve pretty much grown up with handle such a shocking discovery. Did she handle it well? Eh, the debate is up on that on. I think she over-reacted. Just because you find something out about someone that shocks you does not mean they suddenly stop being who they were.

This is a very short review for a very short novella.

Thank you for reading my review.

-Sam

[TreeSpright · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. It takes place after the drought in Omen of the Stars. Leopardstar dies and Mistystar becomes the new leader of RiverClan. Most of this book is her coming to terms with being leader, but also nonstop arguing with Mothwing because Mothwing doesn't believe in Starclan. At the end of the book, she receives a sign of a moth from starclan and decides that Mothwing is a good medicine cat and should be able to do her duties. I just don't see why she needed a sign from starclan to decide that. Mistystar has seen Mothwing do her duties and is a close friend of hers. I guess I just feel like this book was a little pointless.

[Amory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like getting a Warrior Cat story from a non-Thunderclan perspective, and I really loved that Mistystar was the focus here, since she's been in the series for so long. Seeing how her relationship with Mothwing changes after finding out Mothwing doesn't believe in Starclan was also interesting, as it's been a secret for so long and this is the first time a leader in the series has had to decide what to do about a medicine cat in this position.

[Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one just pissed me off tbh. Mistystar comes across as much more understanding and intelligent in the other books than this one. I get learning Mothwing is an atheist basically lol is a shock but still, how were you about to say “let Willowshine do it” especially with her own son? And turning your back on her when you were basically like “omg she’s my bestie”? Like even the other medicine cats had accepted it, get over yourself.

[Hannah Simpson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mistystar is a good choice of character for the second novella that the Erin's wrote, as you don't really get to see much of Mistystar's early leadership in the beginning. With Bluestar as her mother, Mistystar already has a lot to live up to, but when she discovers something, she finds herself in an unfamiliar predicament with no one to turn to for advice. This secret makes Mistystar question everything she thought she ever knew. This novella is certainly well worth the read!

[Nakazja · Rating 5 out of 5]

yay! leopardstar finally died. ik i might sound cruel but come on..she let her warrior die in tigeratar’s paws. that was enough for me. mistystar’s attitude was something i would never and i will never achieve, for sure. her patience for leopardstar’s cruelty towards her brother seems kinda off when she, at the same time, goes insane over mothwing’s beliefs. like, this Innocent kitten did does her job and your ex leader literally killed your brother.

[Awiatka · Rating 5 out of 5]

yay! leopardstar finally died. ik i might sound cruel but come on..she let her warrior die in tigeratar’s paws. that was enough for me. mistystar’s attitude was something i would never and i will never achieve, for sure. her patience for leopardstar’s cruelty towards her brother seems kinda off when she, at the same time, goes insane over mothwing’s beliefs. like, this Innocent kitten did does her job and your ex leader literally killed your brother.

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitly more about Mothwing than Mistystar, I'd say, though i see why it was written from her perspective. Wasn't a fan of how hopeless Mistystar was written, as i've always percived her as strongwilled in what she wanted, but came out much too overbearing in this, where Mothwing was the strongwilled one. Nice to look into Riverclan life, but just a unfortunate plotline to do it in.