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Warriors Novellas #13
Redtail's Debt
91 pages, ebook
Published April 9, 2019
About the author
Erin Hunter
289 books11.1k followersErin 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
April 10, 2019
This was... not good. It wasn't all bad, but overall it's very bad, and a likely candidate for "worst Warriors novella".
Let's start with the good, though. I liked seeing day-to-day Clan life. I loved seeing Bluefur, Sunstar, and all the other pre-ITW ThunderClan cats we've all grown to love. Redtail's relationship with Dustpaw was also very endearing.
That's about it for the good, though.
As for the bad stuff, let's leave the worst to last. In terms of pacing, I feel there were some issues. The last few chapters are focused on the battle at Sunningrocks where Redtail dies (not a spoiler btw; this happens at the very start of the first book as RD is a prequel), and the first half is focused on Redtail's "debt" to Tigerclaw. This structure leaves a major timeskip where Redtail goes from straight up admiring and idolising Tigerclaw to being distrustful of him and his rival of sorts. If you were to ask me how to fix this, I'd say that the battle at Sunningrocks doesn't need to be portrayed; we know what happens. I would love to see the entire novella just focus on Redtail's developing relationship with Tigerclaw, rich with dramatic irony, and making his death (which the reader presumably already knows about) all the more tragic. We don't need to see his death or what led up to it; this book could've been great at contextualising the tragedy of Redtail being killed by Tigerclaw by setting them up to be friends/allies, or otherwise giving more weight to Redtail's untimely death. However, I feel that Clarissa Hutton felt obliged to write Redtail's death (as that is pretty much all he's known for), which really prevented this book from being as good as it should have been.
Now, for anyone who's read this book or the spoilers for it, you'll likely know what's coming next. I'll talk about the elephant in the room, and this time there are spoilers. Skip to the next paragraph if you really want to read this book, and read it blindly as well (also spoilers for the first arc of Warriors, but if you're reading this, I'll assume you've already read it).
My final criticism of this book is this: Redtail's Debt should never have been written in the first place. Let me elaborate: the very concept of a book (novella, Super Edition, anything of the sort) where Redtail is the protagonist or narrating character is wrong. Redtail, throughout every single Warriors book so far, hasn't been a character. He's been a symbol, a martyr who's there from the start to show Tigerclaw's crimes and endless greed. He has never been given a personality in the same way that other characters are given a personality: he's noble and a good deputy, but he's not a three-dimensional, flawed character who develops like everyone else. He's quite the enigma, spoken about with reverence but never (or, in the case of some ThunderClan-based prequels, rarely) seen, because he's dead by the timebest boy Firepaw arrives in ThunderClan.
To write a book about him is to completely change the nature of his character from a mysterious, noble cat from the past to an actual character like everyone else. So far, he's been a literary device, a plot device. But this book makes him a character, and that's just... weird.
In conclusion, I don't like this book. Do I think you shouldn't read it? Well, not necessarily. I know that, when I heard the spoilers for this book, I wanted to get my hands on it ASAP so that I could see the shitshow for myself. It's like watching a car crash out of morbid curiosity. Feel free to read this book if that's your reasoning. Or, if you're like me and can't get enough of pre-ITW content, you can also read it for this content. As long as you ignore or don't take the last few chapters as canon, you're probably fine, honestly. I took two days to finish it because I was busy the day it came out, but you could easily finish this in an hour or two, so there's not much harm in reading it. Just know that the verdict is "it's pretty bad".
Let's start with the good, though. I liked seeing day-to-day Clan life. I loved seeing Bluefur, Sunstar, and all the other pre-ITW ThunderClan cats we've all grown to love. Redtail's relationship with Dustpaw was also very endearing.
That's about it for the good, though.
As for the bad stuff, let's leave the worst to last. In terms of pacing, I feel there were some issues. The last few chapters are focused on the battle at Sunningrocks where Redtail dies (not a spoiler btw; this happens at the very start of the first book as RD is a prequel), and the first half is focused on Redtail's "debt" to Tigerclaw. This structure leaves a major timeskip where Redtail goes from straight up admiring and idolising Tigerclaw to being distrustful of him and his rival of sorts. If you were to ask me how to fix this, I'd say that the battle at Sunningrocks doesn't need to be portrayed; we know what happens. I would love to see the entire novella just focus on Redtail's developing relationship with Tigerclaw, rich with dramatic irony, and making his death (which the reader presumably already knows about) all the more tragic. We don't need to see his death or what led up to it; this book could've been great at contextualising the tragedy of Redtail being killed by Tigerclaw by setting them up to be friends/allies, or otherwise giving more weight to Redtail's untimely death. However, I feel that Clarissa Hutton felt obliged to write Redtail's death (as that is pretty much all he's known for), which really prevented this book from being as good as it should have been.
Now, for anyone who's read this book or the spoilers for it, you'll likely know what's coming next. I'll talk about the elephant in the room, and this time there are spoilers. Skip to the next paragraph if you really want to read this book, and read it blindly as well (also spoilers for the first arc of Warriors, but if you're reading this, I'll assume you've already read it).
My final criticism of this book is this: Redtail's Debt should never have been written in the first place. Let me elaborate: the very concept of a book (novella, Super Edition, anything of the sort) where Redtail is the protagonist or narrating character is wrong. Redtail, throughout every single Warriors book so far, hasn't been a character. He's been a symbol, a martyr who's there from the start to show Tigerclaw's crimes and endless greed. He has never been given a personality in the same way that other characters are given a personality: he's noble and a good deputy, but he's not a three-dimensional, flawed character who develops like everyone else. He's quite the enigma, spoken about with reverence but never (or, in the case of some ThunderClan-based prequels, rarely) seen, because he's dead by the time
To write a book about him is to completely change the nature of his character from a mysterious, noble cat from the past to an actual character like everyone else. So far, he's been a literary device, a plot device. But this book makes him a character, and that's just... weird.
In conclusion, I don't like this book. Do I think you shouldn't read it? Well, not necessarily. I know that, when I heard the spoilers for this book, I wanted to get my hands on it ASAP so that I could see the shitshow for myself. It's like watching a car crash out of morbid curiosity. Feel free to read this book if that's your reasoning. Or, if you're like me and can't get enough of pre-ITW content, you can also read it for this content. As long as you ignore or don't take the last few chapters as canon, you're probably fine, honestly. I took two days to finish it because I was busy the day it came out, but you could easily finish this in an hour or two, so there's not much harm in reading it. Just know that the verdict is "it's pretty bad".
May 29, 2024
Als Roodstaart nog Roodpoot is, wordt hij een keer gered door Tijgerklauw. Vanaf dan voelt Roodpoot dat hij in de schuld staat bij Tijgerklauw. Deze zorgt er ook wel voor dat het niet vergeten wordt.
Later, na de dood van de leider Zonnester, als Blauwvacht leider wordt en Blauwster genoemd wordt, wordt Roodstaart benoemd tot Commandant. Dit is een slag in het gezicht van Tijgerklauw, die zelf gehoopt en verwacht had commandant te worden.
Roodstaart is nu ook volwassen geworden en beseft dat hij vooral de Donderclan trouw verschuldigd is, en niet alleen Tijgerklauw.
Het komt tot een gevecht tussen de Donderclan en de Windclan om de Zonnerotsen. Deze strijd is al heel lang aan de gang. Eerst lijken de Donderclankatten te winnen, maar dan komen er meer krijgers van de Windclan en ziet de zaak er hopeloos uit. Eikenhart, de commandant van de Windclan, is al door Roodstaart gedood. Deze had het zo niet bedoeld, maar Eikenhart stond op het punt een leerling aan te vallen en ernstig te verwonden.
De Donderclankatten en de Windclankatten trekken zich gewond terug, alleen Roodstaart en Tijgerklauw bevinden zich nog op de plaats van het gevecht. En net als Roodstaart denkt dat de strijd voorbij is, gebeurt het ondenkbare, want Tijgerklauw profiteert ervan dat hij alleen is met Roodstaart...
Zo, nu kennen we het verhaal van Roodstaart. Er wordt in de serie ook verschillende keren naar verwezen, en dan duurt het een tijdje voor de Donderclankatten de waarheid over het lot van Roodstaart te weten komen.
interessant tussendoortje.
Later, na de dood van de leider Zonnester, als Blauwvacht leider wordt en Blauwster genoemd wordt, wordt Roodstaart benoemd tot Commandant. Dit is een slag in het gezicht van Tijgerklauw, die zelf gehoopt en verwacht had commandant te worden.
Roodstaart is nu ook volwassen geworden en beseft dat hij vooral de Donderclan trouw verschuldigd is, en niet alleen Tijgerklauw.
Het komt tot een gevecht tussen de Donderclan en de Windclan om de Zonnerotsen. Deze strijd is al heel lang aan de gang. Eerst lijken de Donderclankatten te winnen, maar dan komen er meer krijgers van de Windclan en ziet de zaak er hopeloos uit. Eikenhart, de commandant van de Windclan, is al door Roodstaart gedood. Deze had het zo niet bedoeld, maar Eikenhart stond op het punt een leerling aan te vallen en ernstig te verwonden.
De Donderclankatten en de Windclankatten trekken zich gewond terug, alleen Roodstaart en Tijgerklauw bevinden zich nog op de plaats van het gevecht. En net als Roodstaart denkt dat de strijd voorbij is, gebeurt het ondenkbare, want Tijgerklauw profiteert ervan dat hij alleen is met Roodstaart...
Zo, nu kennen we het verhaal van Roodstaart. Er wordt in de serie ook verschillende keren naar verwezen, en dan duurt het een tijdje voor de Donderclankatten de waarheid over het lot van Roodstaart te weten komen.
interessant tussendoortje.
June 3, 2019
I absolutely love the Warriors series and companion books, but "Redtail's Debt" was horrible. Throughout the main series, Redtail is held up as a noble, brave martyr, but this novella paints him as weak-willed and pathetic. The pacing is rather odd, the first 3/4 of the book focusing on Redpaw/tail's development, then suddenly jumping ahead TWO YEARS for the last few chapters, glossing over Redtail's rise to deputy and any strengthening up he may have gone through. Then, the Battle of Sunningrocks at the end of the book is COMPLETELY different from what happened in the main arc. This version makes Redtail a murderer instead of the honest warrior he should have been.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2019
This novella has its fair share of inconsistencies, the biggest one of course being but still, whilst annoying at times, I have grown accustomed to this. Not sure if that is a good thing or not. At any rate, I prefer events the way they are described in this novella to what is said in the first series so perhaps that is why I don't mind as much.
I really loved Redtail's character here as well as his relationship with Tigerclaw. Seeing more of pre-ITW ThunderClan is always a plus for me as I love that time period.
Still, it's not all good. We didn't get to see why Bluestar chose Redtail (something I've wondered about for a while) nor much of his deputyship except at the very end. It also added more questions in some places. And though I believe they tried to adress this
Overall, I enjoyed it and it made me like Redtail quite a bit. I hope that one day we get a novella that covers that time that they so like to skip though.
I really loved Redtail's character here as well as his relationship with Tigerclaw. Seeing more of pre-ITW ThunderClan is always a plus for me as I love that time period.
Still, it's not all good. We didn't get to see why Bluestar chose Redtail (something I've wondered about for a while) nor much of his deputyship except at the very end. It also added more questions in some places. And though I believe they tried to adress this
Overall, I enjoyed it and it made me like Redtail quite a bit. I hope that one day we get a novella that covers that time that they so like to skip though.
September 4, 2022
Going into this novella, I knew about the glaring mistake (where Redtail kills Oakheart, even though the first series features a mystery that hinges on the fact that Oakheart died accidentally, from a rockfall). My expectations were low, and I was more than ready to find fault in other elements of the story.
For the most part, however, "Redtail's Debt" was fairly decent, in my opinion. I enjoyed the personality attributed to Redtail; the emphasis placed on his relationship with his sisters; and the theme of owing debts. It makes sense why Bluestar chose him as a deputy, and I liked seeing him grow from an anxious-to-please apprentice into a noble, principled warrior.
Besides the whole Oakheart inconsistency, my biggest complaint is Tigerclaw's brand of villainy, which doesn't always seem consistent in the main series, either. He is so obviously cruel in "Redtail's Debt" (like a Thistleclaw duplicate) that it baffles me how he could have maintained such a good image, especially in Bluestar's eyes. I know that he was far from her first choice of deputy, but if he was so like Thistleclaw (the cat against whom Bluestar dropped everything to protect her Clan), then why wouldn't she have chosen literally anyone else?
Still, I expect these plot holes from Warrior cats, and my nostalgia for old school ThunderClan was enough to keep this novella fun and engaging throughout.
For the most part, however, "Redtail's Debt" was fairly decent, in my opinion. I enjoyed the personality attributed to Redtail; the emphasis placed on his relationship with his sisters; and the theme of owing debts. It makes sense why Bluestar chose him as a deputy, and I liked seeing him grow from an anxious-to-please apprentice into a noble, principled warrior.
Besides the whole Oakheart inconsistency, my biggest complaint is Tigerclaw's brand of villainy, which doesn't always seem consistent in the main series, either. He is so obviously cruel in "Redtail's Debt" (like a Thistleclaw duplicate) that it baffles me how he could have maintained such a good image, especially in Bluestar's eyes. I know that he was far from her first choice of deputy, but if he was so like Thistleclaw (the cat against whom Bluestar dropped everything to protect her Clan), then why wouldn't she have chosen literally anyone else?
Still, I expect these plot holes from Warrior cats, and my nostalgia for old school ThunderClan was enough to keep this novella fun and engaging throughout.
October 6, 2023
I was originally going to give this one a higher rating. I saw someone else make a comment in their review that this book was pointless and ruins the idea of Redtail being a martyr and symbol of Tigerclaw's corruption in the original arc. And I do agree with that, but there were parts of this I really liked. I didn't hate the way they wrote Bluestar in this one, even though I still think having her trust Tigerclaw AT ALL after Thistleclaw's behavior in Bluestar's Prophecy, is a short-sighted move by the Erins.
I liked deputy Redtail. I think he was more or less an okay character and his relationship with Tigerclaw was kind of interesting. Then came the final two chapters. I was kind of excited because I was interested in seeing how the infamous Sunningrocks battle actually played out.
I do feel the need to say that this novella was written by someone who isn't one of the original three "Erins" that worked on the series in the beginning. If what I read on the Internet is accurate, I think this one was written by one of their editors who has helped write a couple other novellas for the series. I'm not sure if that factor has anything to do with it, but even then... if she is the editor, I have A LOT of words for her because these books are so poorly edited.
The reason this book has a one star is simply because whoever wrote this got one of the BIGGEST facts of the entire series WRONG. In the original arc, Tigerclaw tells the Clan that Oakheart, the RiverClan deputy, killed Redtail and then Tigerclaw killed Oakheart in revenge. In this novella, Oakheart threatens Ravenpaw, Tigerclaw's apprentice, and actually states he will KILL Ravenpaw (which is already EXTREMELY out of character for Oakheart). Redtail then kills Oakheart to "protect" Ravenpaw. I stopped reading then and there.
How do you get something so wrong? Did no one read this before it was published? None of the other authors?
I liked deputy Redtail. I think he was more or less an okay character and his relationship with Tigerclaw was kind of interesting. Then came the final two chapters. I was kind of excited because I was interested in seeing how the infamous Sunningrocks battle actually played out.
I do feel the need to say that this novella was written by someone who isn't one of the original three "Erins" that worked on the series in the beginning. If what I read on the Internet is accurate, I think this one was written by one of their editors who has helped write a couple other novellas for the series. I'm not sure if that factor has anything to do with it, but even then... if she is the editor, I have A LOT of words for her because these books are so poorly edited.
The reason this book has a one star is simply because whoever wrote this got one of the BIGGEST facts of the entire series WRONG. In the original arc, Tigerclaw tells the Clan that Oakheart, the RiverClan deputy, killed Redtail and then Tigerclaw killed Oakheart in revenge. In this novella, Oakheart threatens Ravenpaw, Tigerclaw's apprentice, and actually states he will KILL Ravenpaw (which is already EXTREMELY out of character for Oakheart). Redtail then kills Oakheart to "protect" Ravenpaw. I stopped reading then and there.
How do you get something so wrong? Did no one read this before it was published? None of the other authors?
November 15, 2024
3.5
I found this one a little hard to rate but settled on a 3.5 due to the unfufillment of the story and the blatant disrespect of canon.
Initially, I enjoyed it. I absolutely loved Willowpelt and Redtail's relationship, they are adorable. I also love how Redtail was a little awkward and unsure of himself, I think that a lot of good warriors start of questioning their potential, considering Tigerclaw started off thinking he was the best and obviously wasn't (the same goes for Thistleclaw). I know that Redtail was supposed to be a symbol and such but as the series continued to get more fleshed out (specifically the back story) I think it is reasonable for a character like Redtail to get a story. Infact, I think the concept of him owing a debt to Tigerclaw was a great idea.
Tigerclaw says to Redtail "you owe me your life" in such a casual way I absolutely loved it because it clearly foreshadowed his intentions in a way that only the reader would understand.
Although I understand why they wanted to include Redtail's death scene as it would "fulfill his debt," I believe this is where it went wrong. I think it would have been better if it went through little pieces of Redtail and Tigerclaw's relationship until Redtail becomes deputy and is no longer intimidated by Tigerclaw and no longer believes in the debt. I feel like this would have made more sense as by the ending of the story Redtail does not even believe that he owes Tigerclaw anything so therefore the fulfilling of the debt could be Redtail realizing he does NOT owe anything as he matured and grows into a noble deputy.
A 3.5 is still a higher rating because I did enjoy it and I see these issues as not major as the Novella does give insight on a few things and is overall enjoyable and a nice read.
I found this one a little hard to rate but settled on a 3.5 due to the unfufillment of the story and the blatant disrespect of canon.
Initially, I enjoyed it. I absolutely loved Willowpelt and Redtail's relationship, they are adorable. I also love how Redtail was a little awkward and unsure of himself, I think that a lot of good warriors start of questioning their potential, considering Tigerclaw started off thinking he was the best and obviously wasn't (the same goes for Thistleclaw). I know that Redtail was supposed to be a symbol and such but as the series continued to get more fleshed out (specifically the back story) I think it is reasonable for a character like Redtail to get a story. Infact, I think the concept of him owing a debt to Tigerclaw was a great idea.
Tigerclaw says to Redtail "you owe me your life" in such a casual way I absolutely loved it because it clearly foreshadowed his intentions in a way that only the reader would understand.
Although I understand why they wanted to include Redtail's death scene as it would "fulfill his debt," I believe this is where it went wrong. I think it would have been better if it went through little pieces of Redtail and Tigerclaw's relationship until Redtail becomes deputy and is no longer intimidated by Tigerclaw and no longer believes in the debt. I feel like this would have made more sense as by the ending of the story Redtail does not even believe that he owes Tigerclaw anything so therefore the fulfilling of the debt could be Redtail realizing he does NOT owe anything as he matured and grows into a noble deputy.
A 3.5 is still a higher rating because I did enjoy it and I see these issues as not major as the Novella does give insight on a few things and is overall enjoyable and a nice read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 29, 2019
WTf they got Oakheart's death wrong, and Redpaw's age wrong too
March 29, 2024
they said I’m going to publish a backstory that is so contradictory to the entire conspiracy of the first arc. despicable actually…
October 26, 2024
I FEEL PHYSICALLY ILL i need tigerclaw’s downfall NOW!!!
issues: ravenpaw is an asshole for some reason and also redtail kills oakheart??? when. HE DIDNT 😭😭😭
issues: ravenpaw is an asshole for some reason and also redtail kills oakheart??? when. HE DIDNT 😭😭😭
July 7, 2020
I’ve been reading the Warriors books since 2008 when I was about 11 years old. This was one of the only times where I was somewhat disappointed in the end. It had such great potential!
But the 1) disorganization, 2) poor portraying of the characters, and 3) the continuity errors that the author made left me with a bad taste in my mouth. There was THE one obvious moment at the end that I, along with other fans, didn’t like one bit due to its inaccuracy. There’s just always been something about Redtail that I’ve admired while reading the series... yet, I feel this book could have been much better and done more to help us learn more about him and his story.
Overall, I still somewhat enjoyed myself while reading this Novella (until the very end) and learning a bit more about a character who I have always been interested in.
But the 1) disorganization, 2) poor portraying of the characters, and 3) the continuity errors that the author made left me with a bad taste in my mouth. There was THE one obvious moment at the end that I, along with other fans, didn’t like one bit due to its inaccuracy. There’s just always been something about Redtail that I’ve admired while reading the series... yet, I feel this book could have been much better and done more to help us learn more about him and his story.
Overall, I still somewhat enjoyed myself while reading this Novella (until the very end) and learning a bit more about a character who I have always been interested in.
September 27, 2025
It wasn't the best novella, but wasn't the worst either. It was nice getting to see a perspective of Redtail, why he felt he had a debt, and what happened to him in the end! My only complaint is that in the main arc, he didn't kill Oakheart—and Oakheart would've never said that threat about Ravenpaw.
July 3, 2022
I accidentally said I read this multiple times and it fricked up my Goodreads reading goal :') (I fixed it tho)
anyway yeah this book wasn't nessasary and it caused some continuity errors but like Redtail has personality now so that's nice
anyway yeah this book wasn't nessasary and it caused some continuity errors but like Redtail has personality now so that's nice
February 27, 2025
Algunas veces no es fácil que un favor se convierta en una cuenta impagable, no confrontar en el momento puede volverse una carga permanente. Un final insospechado pero que da continuidad a "en territorio salvaje"
December 28, 2022
Eh, this was fine. I wouldn't say it added anything to the story, but it's short enough that doesn't bug me.
March 26, 2023
Not really necessary. Doesn't add to the plot or story.
February 28, 2025
SPOILERS FOR WARRIORS: THE PROPHECIES BEGIN ARC.
Honestly, this book was all over the place. I thought this book would explain Redtail’s death better and actually confirm what happened in the battle with RiverClan (mentioned in multiple arc 1 books) to kill him. I was extremely wrong.
Halfway through the book, it was okay, though I thought Redtail’s character would be more confident and strong as he was described in arc 1. The book is called Redtail’s Debt, and it explores how he apparently owed his life to Tigerclaw, because he saved his life when he was an apprentice. (Which I thought the book exaggerated way too much) Anyways, there was a ton of flaws in this book, which people who read arc 1 would be confused by.
For one, Ravenpaw’s character seemed WAY too fierce. The quiet, nervous, intimidated apprentice we see in Into the Wild? COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN.
In this book, Tigerclaw’s influence catches on to Ravenpaw, and during the battle, he talks back to Redtail and ignores his orders, even going as far as to insult him.
The battle regarding Redtail’s death was extremely confusing, and I honestly don’t think the writer of this book actually knew the whole ‘Tigerclaw killed Redtail’ situation.
In conclusion, if you can, avoid this book, it’s not worth reading and it askews multiple explained conflicts in the main series.
Honestly, this book was all over the place. I thought this book would explain Redtail’s death better and actually confirm what happened in the battle with RiverClan (mentioned in multiple arc 1 books) to kill him. I was extremely wrong.
Halfway through the book, it was okay, though I thought Redtail’s character would be more confident and strong as he was described in arc 1. The book is called Redtail’s Debt, and it explores how he apparently owed his life to Tigerclaw, because he saved his life when he was an apprentice. (Which I thought the book exaggerated way too much) Anyways, there was a ton of flaws in this book, which people who read arc 1 would be confused by.
For one, Ravenpaw’s character seemed WAY too fierce. The quiet, nervous, intimidated apprentice we see in Into the Wild? COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN.
In this book, Tigerclaw’s influence catches on to Ravenpaw, and during the battle, he talks back to Redtail and ignores his orders, even going as far as to insult him.
The battle regarding Redtail’s death was extremely confusing, and I honestly don’t think the writer of this book actually knew the whole ‘Tigerclaw killed Redtail’ situation.
In conclusion, if you can, avoid this book, it’s not worth reading and it askews multiple explained conflicts in the main series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 3, 2020
Roodstaart, aan het begin Roodpoot, is een onzeker personage. Als leerling wordt hij gered door Tijgerklauw en daardoor heeft hij het idee dat hij hem in alles moet helpen. Roodpoot doet daardoor allerlei klusjes die hij eigenlijk niet wil doen.
De RivierClan en de DonderClan hebben ruzie en voeren soort van oorlog over de Zonnerotsen. Deze ruzie duurt zolang dit boek duurt. In de eerste serie wordt veel verwezen naar deze ruzie. Door deze novelle kom je er meer over te weten.
Blauwster wordt leider van de DonderClan en Roodstaart wordt haar commandant, tot grote ergernis van Tijgerklauw. Nu heeft Roodstaart nog meer mot met Tijgerklauw… Wie de serie een beetje kent, weet dat Tijgerklauw geen lieverdje is.
Over het einde had ik een beetje mijn twijfels en te lezen op Goodreads was ik niet de enige… Het gevecht bij de Zonnerotsen wordt in dit boek anders beschreven dan ons wordt verteld in de hoofdserie. Nu weten we nog minder.. Want welke versie is er nu waargebeurd? Ik vermoed wat in deze novelle staat.
Het leukste aan deze novelle waren misschien wel de laatste bladzijden, waarin een vuurrode kat de Clan binnen komt wandelen… 😉
De RivierClan en de DonderClan hebben ruzie en voeren soort van oorlog over de Zonnerotsen. Deze ruzie duurt zolang dit boek duurt. In de eerste serie wordt veel verwezen naar deze ruzie. Door deze novelle kom je er meer over te weten.
Blauwster wordt leider van de DonderClan en Roodstaart wordt haar commandant, tot grote ergernis van Tijgerklauw. Nu heeft Roodstaart nog meer mot met Tijgerklauw… Wie de serie een beetje kent, weet dat Tijgerklauw geen lieverdje is.
Over het einde had ik een beetje mijn twijfels en te lezen op Goodreads was ik niet de enige… Het gevecht bij de Zonnerotsen wordt in dit boek anders beschreven dan ons wordt verteld in de hoofdserie. Nu weten we nog minder.. Want welke versie is er nu waargebeurd? Ik vermoed wat in deze novelle staat.
Het leukste aan deze novelle waren misschien wel de laatste bladzijden, waarin een vuurrode kat de Clan binnen komt wandelen… 😉
June 14, 2020
You know, i could say a lot about wc's issue with continuity, but to change the biggest plotpoint of the first series from an accidental rockfall to a literal murder, is staggering. The start was super interesting with Stagleap and Redtail's concern with an apprentice he hurt, and it's interesting to see how Tigerclaw reuses the same tactics of manipulation and twisted truths. But thats all ruined with the ending, no matter how much they try to make Redtail seem justified by trying to keep Ravenpaw safe. Entire conflicts were focused on how Oakheart and Redtail died/were killed, and now you just negate it all? That's worse than accidentally reviving dead warriors or mispelling names. That shouldn't even be possible to forget.
November 2, 2019
Premise: Having recently been appointed a warrior of ThunderClan, Redtail can't wait to finally prove himself to his Clanmates. He particularly hopes to follow in the pawsteps of Tigerclaw, the brave – if cocky – tom who'd saved Redtail back when the latter was still an apprentice. And yet, despite knowing he owes his fellow warrior his life, one revelation after another will force Redtail to seriously doubt that Tigerclaw is the hero he'd once thought he was. Little does the former know, however, just how severely his debt will be paid.
Story/Writing: After sixteen years, fans finally get the story behind the event which sparked the firestorm (no pun intended) of the "Prophecies Begin" arc: the murder of ThunderClan's deputy, Redtail. I don't know why it took so long given this story is in a novella, but I'm not here to judge timing. I just care about if it's good. And boy this was VERY good! I will admit, after I spotted some continuity errors in the previous novella I read, "Spottedleaf's Heart," when I first started reading this one, I was kind of scanning for some. Don't get me wrong, I loved that last novella! And the continuity errors weren't so big that I couldn't reason them out in my mind. But this novella fortunately felt much more in line with the events in the previous titles I read. That all said, like "Spottedleaf's Heart," this title had a flowing narrative for a story that's under a hundred pages, even if the time skip is a bit bigger than it was last time. I also read this novella in an even shorter time than the previous one – when not taking in the shower break I took. I had to know what happened and I was not disappointed!
Characters: Again, like "Spottedleaf's Heart" – and this will be the last comparison, I promise – there were characters I was already pretty familiar with. And given I also kinda know where the characters are gonna go, if my memory from years ago serves me, it was frustratingly fun to read about their origins and what made them into the cats we all know and love, or hate, or love to hate. See what I mean by "frustratingly fun" below.
Redtail – It was pretty cool reading about this character, given the last title I read was about his sister, Spottedleaf. It was also a little weird though since, according the previous books I've read, Redtail is also – though from a different and younger litter – the full brother of Leopardfoot, who's Tigerclaw's mother. So I guess that would technically make Redtail Tigerclaw's uncle…? Well, that's not really relevant anyway. I really liked that Redtail's story was pretty similar to his littermate's, yet also different. Early on, he's an ambitious apprentice who's tired of all the warriors babying him. Yet he also admires Tigerclaw, and wants to be a warrior just as strong and brave as him. Or at least, that's what Redtail assumes of Tigerclaw at first. I will admit, I did kinda feel frustrated at him for just letting Tigerclaw lie to Sunstar and even participate in the pillaging of WindClan's camp, even if he hadn't wanted to. Yet at the same time, I did understand his desire to be loyal to his Clan – even if he was misguided at first – and his feeling of being indebted to Tigerclaw. But in the end, I was very proud of who he eventually grew up to be, even if his end was tragic and unjust.
Tigerclaw – Since I got more of Thistleclaw in the last novella, I was pleased – in a way – to get more of the warrior he'd trained to be even more vicious. And I gotta say, I got pretty much what I expected. Not that that's a bad thing at all though. I know Tigerclaw goes on to be the ultimate big bad of the series; and given what I'd already seen him do at a young age in the previous books, I wasn't surprised at how he is and what he does here. Yet at the same time, it was still appalling. He encourages Redtail to beat up an apprentice, and then he pretty much lies to Sunstar in order to feed his grudge toward WindClan and attack them. Just like his mentor, Tigerclaw has an eager and insatiable thirst for battle, and not the good kind of thirst. If anything, he's arguably more eager for it than Thistleclaw.
Various Other Characters – While I did already like the characters in this book and honestly still do, I felt frustrated at how Tigerclaw seemed to sway both Sunstar and Bluestar with ease. I don't doubt that they both love the Clan they lead and want to serve their cats well, but I remember getting the same feeling when Cedarstar appointed Nightpelt to be Brokenstar's mentor in "Yellowfang's Secret." I was like, "This so-called warrior is clearly provoking a completely unnecessary battle on purpose! How can you not see that?!" Given what I know of good writing, however, I'm glad I had that reaction. It reminded me that, just like in the real world, the Clan leaders are flawed and they can make mistakes in judgment. Not that it's always excusable, I'm just saying I understand. I still think they're both great leaders, especially Bluestar. And if nothing else, the frustration I got out of this story kept me reading!
Overall: If you've been a long time fan of the series – and have not read them in chronological order like me – I reckon you'll be very pleased to read this novella, to read what set off the arc that started it all. I certainly had a ton of fun reading it, even as I quickly and chillingly figured out what was going to happen in the end. Moral of the story? Do not land yourself in a debt as serious as this!
Story/Writing: After sixteen years, fans finally get the story behind the event which sparked the firestorm (no pun intended) of the "Prophecies Begin" arc: the murder of ThunderClan's deputy, Redtail. I don't know why it took so long given this story is in a novella, but I'm not here to judge timing. I just care about if it's good. And boy this was VERY good! I will admit, after I spotted some continuity errors in the previous novella I read, "Spottedleaf's Heart," when I first started reading this one, I was kind of scanning for some. Don't get me wrong, I loved that last novella! And the continuity errors weren't so big that I couldn't reason them out in my mind. But this novella fortunately felt much more in line with the events in the previous titles I read. That all said, like "Spottedleaf's Heart," this title had a flowing narrative for a story that's under a hundred pages, even if the time skip is a bit bigger than it was last time. I also read this novella in an even shorter time than the previous one – when not taking in the shower break I took. I had to know what happened and I was not disappointed!
Characters: Again, like "Spottedleaf's Heart" – and this will be the last comparison, I promise – there were characters I was already pretty familiar with. And given I also kinda know where the characters are gonna go, if my memory from years ago serves me, it was frustratingly fun to read about their origins and what made them into the cats we all know and love, or hate, or love to hate. See what I mean by "frustratingly fun" below.
Redtail – It was pretty cool reading about this character, given the last title I read was about his sister, Spottedleaf. It was also a little weird though since, according the previous books I've read, Redtail is also – though from a different and younger litter – the full brother of Leopardfoot, who's Tigerclaw's mother. So I guess that would technically make Redtail Tigerclaw's uncle…? Well, that's not really relevant anyway. I really liked that Redtail's story was pretty similar to his littermate's, yet also different. Early on, he's an ambitious apprentice who's tired of all the warriors babying him. Yet he also admires Tigerclaw, and wants to be a warrior just as strong and brave as him. Or at least, that's what Redtail assumes of Tigerclaw at first. I will admit, I did kinda feel frustrated at him for just letting Tigerclaw lie to Sunstar and even participate in the pillaging of WindClan's camp, even if he hadn't wanted to. Yet at the same time, I did understand his desire to be loyal to his Clan – even if he was misguided at first – and his feeling of being indebted to Tigerclaw. But in the end, I was very proud of who he eventually grew up to be, even if his end was tragic and unjust.
Tigerclaw – Since I got more of Thistleclaw in the last novella, I was pleased – in a way – to get more of the warrior he'd trained to be even more vicious. And I gotta say, I got pretty much what I expected. Not that that's a bad thing at all though. I know Tigerclaw goes on to be the ultimate big bad of the series; and given what I'd already seen him do at a young age in the previous books, I wasn't surprised at how he is and what he does here. Yet at the same time, it was still appalling. He encourages Redtail to beat up an apprentice, and then he pretty much lies to Sunstar in order to feed his grudge toward WindClan and attack them. Just like his mentor, Tigerclaw has an eager and insatiable thirst for battle, and not the good kind of thirst. If anything, he's arguably more eager for it than Thistleclaw.
Various Other Characters – While I did already like the characters in this book and honestly still do, I felt frustrated at how Tigerclaw seemed to sway both Sunstar and Bluestar with ease. I don't doubt that they both love the Clan they lead and want to serve their cats well, but I remember getting the same feeling when Cedarstar appointed Nightpelt to be Brokenstar's mentor in "Yellowfang's Secret." I was like, "This so-called warrior is clearly provoking a completely unnecessary battle on purpose! How can you not see that?!" Given what I know of good writing, however, I'm glad I had that reaction. It reminded me that, just like in the real world, the Clan leaders are flawed and they can make mistakes in judgment. Not that it's always excusable, I'm just saying I understand. I still think they're both great leaders, especially Bluestar. And if nothing else, the frustration I got out of this story kept me reading!
Overall: If you've been a long time fan of the series – and have not read them in chronological order like me – I reckon you'll be very pleased to read this novella, to read what set off the arc that started it all. I certainly had a ton of fun reading it, even as I quickly and chillingly figured out what was going to happen in the end. Moral of the story? Do not land yourself in a debt as serious as this!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2023
Literally not even the canon story of what happened what the actual fuck
December 14, 2025
2.5/5⭐️
Okay listen: I really wanted to learn about Redtail and who he was, since we never have the opportunity to get to know him in the first series. And I think the novella delivers on that pretty well.
I think I expected Redtail to be different than he is here, but I actually like him a lot. I also didn’t expect his relationship with Tigerclaw to be like this but it explains things a bit better.
However - and this is important - what the fuck is even going on in this novella? It felt rushed, halfhearted and like it was written by someone who never read (let alone wrote) the first ARC.
I knew what was coming (Reddit had warned me) but I still felt like the ending was so stupid. The fact that the authors couldn’t remember the most important details of THE situation that started the whole domino effect of Tigerclaw’s betrayal is astounding to me. Like, what the fuck? There was nothing easier to get right than this moment between Redtail, Oakheart and Tigerclaw. And they fucked it up.
So… 2.5 stars because I liked Redtail and actually seeing him as a character was nice. I also liked seeing Ravenpaw pre trauma. But the ending is beyond stupid and makes me wonder if the Erins actually care about the quality of their work or if they only want to pump out book after book after book.
Okay listen: I really wanted to learn about Redtail and who he was, since we never have the opportunity to get to know him in the first series. And I think the novella delivers on that pretty well.
I think I expected Redtail to be different than he is here, but I actually like him a lot. I also didn’t expect his relationship with Tigerclaw to be like this but it explains things a bit better.
However - and this is important - what the fuck is even going on in this novella? It felt rushed, halfhearted and like it was written by someone who never read (let alone wrote) the first ARC.
I knew what was coming (Reddit had warned me) but I still felt like the ending was so stupid. The fact that the authors couldn’t remember the most important details of THE situation that started the whole domino effect of Tigerclaw’s betrayal is astounding to me. Like, what the fuck? There was nothing easier to get right than this moment between Redtail, Oakheart and Tigerclaw. And they fucked it up.
So… 2.5 stars because I liked Redtail and actually seeing him as a character was nice. I also liked seeing Ravenpaw pre trauma. But the ending is beyond stupid and makes me wonder if the Erins actually care about the quality of their work or if they only want to pump out book after book after book.
January 7, 2024
This was... Sad. I read it at the very beginning of the series, only right after my introduction to the world in Into the Wild, and I can tell the writing has gotten much better between the first book and whenever this was written. I felt a lot of emotions, a lot of the time genuine frustration at Redtail for being so gosh darn loyal, but loving him at the same time, hating Tigerclaw, lovingly watching Bluefur grow into Bluestar, the character I most highly respect in the series so far. Once we got to the final fight in the last few chapters, I knew the story would go right up to Redtail's death, and I was so apprehensive wondering when and how and what led up to the event that I was almost crying. I also love the immediate connection to the beginning of Into the Wild; since I just read that it was very cool. I think this novella is perfect to read as a prequel to the first book directly after it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2025
This novella was interesting but confusing. Tigerclaw tried to shape Redtail into what he wanted him to be. Redtail ends up not listening to him eventually because he realized Tigerclaw was wrong. The confusing part of the book was the battle with RiverClan at the end. In the main series this battle ended up being a big part of rhe plot because it's where Redtail is killed. Ravenpaw witnessed it. He is only an apprentice so he didn't speak up, thinking he wouldn't be believed. The most unbelievable part of Tigerclaw killing Redtail is Oakheart also died during the battle and it was hard to believe Redtail would kill another deputy. It was discovered Oakheart was killed by a rockfall. In this book it was written that Redtail killed Oakheart. Other than that I did enjoy reading this. It just makes it more difficult to keep facts straight when they change in different books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2022
I wouldn't say this book is completely terrible, but it does bother me that they retcon some details about the battle at sunningrocks. I loved reading about how different Redtail and Tigerclaws relationship was like before his death. I also liked getting to know Redtail a little bit better because in the first series you didn't get to. This book does remind me of some missed opportunities though. I can't help thinking how much better it would have been if Redtail had been a mentor of sorts similar to spottedleaf instead. I never did end up buying that Firepaw loved her in the first place and it would have been excellent pay off if Redtail had been there to help Firepaw with Tigerclaw. Instead, he remains a character that died too soon and is under used in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2023
Though I usually enjoy nearly every Warriors book that comes out, this is one of the worst I read. It was very inconsistent and though the idea of it was good, it was executed very poorly. Ravenpaw was out of character and Oakheart’s death was just not right. In the first main arc, we discover that Redtail didn’t kill Oakheart, and that he was crushed by a rockfall. This is a MAJOR part of the story in the main arc because it proves Tigerclaw to be a liar. But in this book, Redtail DID kill Oakheart and the battle scene was just all wrong. This book just confused me and I think it definitely could’ve been better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2022
Sí, ya sabemos que las Erins se contradicen todo el tiempo, ya sea cambiando abruptamente la personalidad de sus personajes (Cuervo) como cambiando por completo los hechos (no era así como morían ciertos personajes).
Aun así, fue agradable conocer a Cola Roja, un personaje cuya muerte desencadenaria todos los conflictos venideros y la razón por la que Zarpa de Fuego ascendería como el líder del Clan del Trueno.
Grande Cola Roja. Habría sido un líder tan bueno como el mismísimo Estrella de Fuego.
Aun así, fue agradable conocer a Cola Roja, un personaje cuya muerte desencadenaria todos los conflictos venideros y la razón por la que Zarpa de Fuego ascendería como el líder del Clan del Trueno.
Grande Cola Roja. Habría sido un líder tan bueno como el mismísimo Estrella de Fuego.
October 23, 2023
4.5/5 stars
Red tail never deserved anything bad happening to him honestly. He was like such a lovable side character from the beginning and then they gave him this novela to tell you more you just felt more in love with him like he really deserves his own novel. His own Super addition I need more of his story he's such a sweet character and he did not deserve that kind of ending like at all like I remember reading about it and learning about it in the first book and I was still in shock and then reading this hurts my heart.
Red tail never deserved anything bad happening to him honestly. He was like such a lovable side character from the beginning and then they gave him this novela to tell you more you just felt more in love with him like he really deserves his own novel. His own Super addition I need more of his story he's such a sweet character and he did not deserve that kind of ending like at all like I remember reading about it and learning about it in the first book and I was still in shock and then reading this hurts my heart.
June 10, 2026
The characterization of Ravenpaw in this was incredibly bizarre. In Into the Wild it’s implied that Ravenpaw was always shy and didn’t like training with Tigerclaw but his personality in this novella is that he’s just as arrogant and ruthless as Tigerclaw and then it’s implied that he gets scared and timid only after he sees Tigerclaw kill Redtail. Also did we just retcon how Oakheart died? Isn’t that kind of important for the whole drama between Tigerclaw and Ravenpaw? I’m perpetually rating these novellas 3 stars idc there’s not enough material here to be objective.
July 4, 2021
3.5 stars. I thought it was just okay. I was only a little excited to read about Redtail. Erin Hunter is just pulling random cats to give us backstories, and this is one I just didn’t care about. I cared more about Tigerclaw in this novella than Redtail. Overall, it wasn’t bad, but Redtail as a character wasn’t that remarkable. However, he did remind me a little of Ravenpaw, which made me kinda happy.
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