A Thief in ThunderClan

Warriors Graphic Novels #4

by Erin Hunter

After recovering from the dog attack she survived as an apprentice, Brightheart is once again a warrior of ThunderClan. But moons of battle and betrayal have left her with lingering suspicions about where her Clanmates’ loyalties lie. So when freshkill starts going missing from camp, she fears the worst.

Alongside her mate Cloudtail, Brightheart decides to investigate without alerting the other warriors. But as she struggles to track down the culprit, she’ll have to take a leap of faith about who she can trust—and remember what it means to be part of a Clan.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Animals, Cats, Middle Grade, Comics, Fiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published June 6, 2023

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

[MacKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this one was really cute! I love the fact that they acknowledge Brightheart and Cinderpelt are sisters and they have a cute relationship. And BrightCloud! Good ship

I liked seeing more of Longtail's character development, and Willowpelt's kits were just so cute.

There was this part at the start where Brightheart is singing about her hunting abilities and I read it to the tune of the SpongeBob SquarePants theme lol

Also I love how Cinderpelt just has a pet snail that keeps showing up in the medicine den

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Not quite as fresh and interesting as A Shadow In RiverClan or Winds Of Change, but still a nice read. There was content for a couple of characters that I like personally quite a lot (mostly Longtail). If you don't really care about the cast in and around ThunderClan during Firestar's Quest, you probably won't enjoy this. One of my favourite scenes of all time depicting Sootpaw gets a little rendition here, and it's a gorgeous one. Mostly fluff Brightheart POV content of things we've already scene, but there's some lovely characterisation. The scene between her and Longtail was a really insightful display of both of their personalities, and making it canon that she sings to herself is really cute.

[Stephanie Griffin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lesson in being part of a community.

[Rose of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad our girl Brightheart got her own story! Seeing her and Cloudtail's romance was refreshing as one of the OG Thunderclan couples. Cloudtail is a fluffbrain but you can't help but love him because everything he does is for his deep love for Brightheart, and you can really see that expressed in their relationship.

Yes, this graphic novel is mostly filler, but I liked it a lot. It stayed true to the theme of Brightheart finding the faith and trust in her clanmates. The reasons behind her mistrust make a lot of sense considering her traumatic circumstances with the dog attack and Tigerstar's violence. It was sad to see her struggle with her nightmares. But Cloudtail was beside her through it all. What a sweet, soft boy.

I loved seeing Brightheart wanting to spend time with her sister Cinderpelt. A lot of the older books don't draw attention to side characters and their siblings once they become warriors. The only things that annoyed me about this was that when Cinderpelt was drawn the artist drew both of her legs normally, not remembering that Cinderpelt has a broken hind leg. That seems like a big thing to miss, in my opinion, especially for a story where the main character also has a physical disability. For example, if this story was about Cinderpelt and they drew her broken hind leg, yet forgot about Brightheart, a side character, having only one eye.

Brightheart is kind and forgiving, quick to admit her mistakes, and I'm happy to see how her and Longtail bonded after he was blinded and ended up with a disability like her.

Editing mistakes, because of course there are with Warriors books:

Page 59, 3rd panel from the top, Cloudtail says, "He might want Thunderclan vto accept that Brambleclaw is Tigerstar's son, and then - well - get over it." clearly that "v" isn't supposed to be there.

Page 142, 1st panel at the top, Brightheart says, "Don't you worry, Rainpaw. We're to going to protect you." here's an extra "to" that doesn't need to be in there.

Page 156, 1st panel at the top, Brightheart thinks to herself, "The kind of job that will never be finished, no matter hvow hard you work at it." and again another "v" that is inside a word.

[Alana Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book, but I found several mistakes, and I didn’t like how the thief was just an owl. How could a single owl take all of that prey?

[Thale · Rating 4 out of 5]

very cute, but why did whitekit have fingers 😭😭

[Sienna 💋 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was so quick to read. I usually read graphic novels in about an hour so this is really good for people who don’t want to be reading for long.
This book was really cute and it had a good mystery that inside of it. However, I thought it was a really basic idea and it was really hard for me to grasp where this book is set.
Overall an enjoyable read,
⭐️⭐️⭐️
3 stars.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a series i’ve outgrown since grade 5, especially since it was a graphic novel, but it was fun to go back to my childhood for awhile. The novels would probably be more enjoyable if i picked those back up again.

[Rowan :)]

Since when was this a thing
I'm sorry but it's literally the most basic idea
💀

[nuggi. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ich hab das glaube ich bisher bei jeder neuen WaCa Graphic Novel gesagt. Aber diesmal ist es wirklich der aller beste Band 🥺 Wolkenschweif und Lichtherz sind Relationship Goals ❤️

[Cami · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had low expectations going into this graphic novel, because I feel like Warrior cats' stories often degrade in quality the more they cover the same time period. I also worried that the writers might capitalize off of Brightheart's popularity to ensure a successful book, meaning that they could slack off in the effective storytelling department.

Still, this graphic novel was more enjoyable than I anticipated. Rainwhisker is one of my favorite background characters, along with Ambermoon, and it was nice seeing him in the spotlight for once. It seems like the writers are aware of fans' discomfort with Brightheart's lack of an apprentice, despite Firestar's promises, and it was a nice (though imperfect) fix to show how she mentored Rainwhisker alongside her mate Cloudtail.

The domesticity and interpersonal relationships are a real highlight in this manga for me. I liked seeing baby Shrewpaw and Spiderwhisker, young Sorreltail and her brothers, and Cloudtail and Brightheart's romance. Even though it overlaps with "Firestar's Quest," it makes a point of filling in the gaps and trying for its own story, dismissing Firestar as too busy with his own drama and forcing Brightheart to deal with things on her own.

I bristled when Graystripe berated Brightheart for trying to tackle everything on her own. She dealt with his criticism with much more grace than I could have mustered. Graystripe has never struck me as the most responsible deputy, and Brightheart already established that his go-to answer is, "Ask Firestar," the cat who was preoccupied with his own worries for the entirety of the manga. Then, as Bright Guardian Akira points out in one of her videos, Brightheart practically solves the problem by herself, despite the illusion of having her Clanmates' assistance.

(Also, remember how I said that Ambermoon and Rainwhisker are my favorite side characters? I am never going to get over how Brightheart saved her quasi-apprentice Rainwhisker from being carried away by an owl, only for that to happen to her daughter Ambermoon a few years later.)

Overall, this manga is fairly decent, although I wouldn't call it my favorite; "A Shadow in RiverClan" still holds that honor. Brightheart was cute enough, both in terms of personality and appearance--although I do wish that her scars had been drawn differently and more dramatically. She felt less like a cat missing half her face than an average cat model with a pink eyepatch. Still, I've never been blown away by the art style for this series (unless we're talking about the Polish translation covers), so it wasn't like this came as a surprise. At least the characters are all easy to differentiate, even if they don't appeal to me aesthetically.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

We follow Brightheart as she during her pregnancy. The book(or some of the book) happens simultaneously as Firestar's Quest which I have not read yet. I hope I didn't spoil anything for myself, since the reading order lists didn't have this book because it was so new. Anyway, she went through her pregnancy, investigated who was the food thief(it was an owl go figure), and fought an owl. There is also the emotional turmoil stuff brought up in the blurb.

[natalie scatorccio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Look, I love this book as much as any other person, and I love Brightheart so much, but the errors were very jarring and took me out of the story. Two that come to mind are Thornclaw being referred to as Brambleclaw then Thornclaw immediately being ordered to do something else (they have completely different coats), and the scene where they say Firestar is going to the moonstone and then a few panels later they call it the moonpool. This story takes place in the forest territory, so the moonpool has not even been discovered yet!

Other than that, this was a sweet slice of life story and it is really nice to get a story from the perspective of a queen.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally loved this standalone manga!

Brightheart had always been a background/side character, so I loved being able to see through her eyes as she still deals with PTSD from the dogs (and helped Rainpaw with their nightmares).

I admire her and her relationship with Cloudtail; I love their dynamic and how they act with each other. They are probably one of my favorite couples now, because of them together in this manga.

[Roselyn Blonger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, but I also found it quite... banal? What's the point of this book other than making money? Nothing seemed relevant, and nothing was genuinely engaging. I'm disappointed.

[Raelyn Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow this is so fricken cute and adds a lot more character to both Brightheart & Cloudtail. Love this art style too!! definitely would recommend!

[Luke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why does Whitekit look like a naked mole rat

[Teragon Bearyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brightheart appreciation

[Niffty · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is beautiful and a big upgrade from the other mangas.

When i first read this book i was concerned with the message that it was heading. It feels like the same message as a shadow in thunderclan an issue with trust. Brightheart specifically has no reason to not trust others compare to any other character. The book mentions the Tigerstar thing but Everyone trusted Tigerstar. We already gone through the conflict of longtail and established that he can be trusted. The book talks about brightheart having trouble with trust but the audience is only shown that she doesn’t trust one cat then her suspicions are dropped later. After a but it doesn’t feel like the message is about trust anymore. Then later it switches to being about asking for help. In end the message didn’t hit because Brightheart could have easily solved it on her own and she is the one that solves the problem. She could have easily done the trap on her own. They didn’t even need that much bait. The other days a small pile was enough for the thief to come. The way it was written any cat could of been

I don’t think this story fits in with Firestar’s quest especially when it is out of Firestar’s character to not care about the stolen prey and to not at least look into it. Why did no one seem to care that the prey was repeatedly disappearing until the end? Also Brightheart was fine before. Why is she suddenly now struggling with trust when it was multiple books ago when it was revealed that Tigerstar was evil? Why is it still hitting her hard when during that time was an apprentice and wasn’t close to Tigerstar? Also after the dog attack Brightheart’s entire existence was relying on others until she healed why is she all of a sudden struggling to trust others now when?

The plot is not that good. It is just brightheart believing someone is stealing prey without doing much about it except constantly talking to firestar while firestar keeps on acting out scenes of firestar’s quest. Then brightheart going “hmmm i wonder firestar is trying to solve the prey stealing case”. It feels like Brightheart just reacting to Firestar’s quest. A lot of the scenes are sweet but they don’t connect together in the story. It doesn’t work to work inside the story that was already established and be like “actually this whole time during Firestar’s Quest there was this issue but Firestar just didn’t care”. Why couldn’t this take place during its own time instead of a time that was already set? This book makes Firestar look bad. Especially the books pointing out that Firestar keeps on not giving Brightheart an apprentice. This turns this into a Firestar issue instead of just being an author issue.

Based on the photos it was obvious who stole the prey but Brightheart was still confused the whole time. There was always someone guarding the camp so i don’t know how they were able to steal the prey with no one noticing.

This book feels like it wasn’t suited to be about Brightheart. This story could have easily been about anyone. There are other events that would make more sense for Brightheart to be traumatized by. The dog scene is only shown two times in the entire book and barely plays a factor in the story.

[Jessie (Cabin 13 Librarian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was nothing wrong with this book per say…. It was just a little elementary (which is to be expected).

[Felix Choir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun read, I really liked the ending, and the vigil scene was very sweet. I loved Brightheart and Cloudtail's relationship.

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve always loved Brightheart’s character. I am so glad they finally made her the focus of a story. Now if only she’d get her own Super edition. But I suppose it’s not necessary. What more of her story is there to tell?

[MacKenzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently this was still in my TBR list lol. I read it last year. It was alright, nothing spectacular, but cute. Why did the owl need that much food every night though?

[Toby Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Subpar story, subpar character development. Visible spelling errors throughout

[The Book Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story takes place after The Darkest Hour (#6 from the original series) and just before or during Firestar's Quest.

Tensions rise in Thunderclan as prey starts going missing and Firestar is too distracted to handle this growing crisis. Brightheart struggles to trust her clan after the betrayal of Tigerstar that left her scarred and her worries are only aggravated when she finds out she and Cloudtail are about to be parents.

It's a bit redundant in places with the constant "If only we had proof for Firestar" but it's meant to be more of a mystery. It's not the most shocking revelation (if you know your animal footprints) but to a child, it could be a daring adventure.

[Farah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a simple little graphic novel focusing on Brightheart and Cloudtail's relationship. They were very cute together in this story, and it was nice to see their antics and struggles in day-to-day clan life. It's not something we see a lot in the Warrior Cats graphic novels, so this was a real treat :)

It's not really an expansion to the lore or some story-altering plot. It's more like a slice-of-life for the series as a whole. What Thunderclan (and maybe other clans) experience within their own territories that's not so plot relevant.

The only reason I give it 4 stars is because the ending is a bit anti-climactic, in my opinion. I was expecting a more popping and revealing conclusion. But nonetheless, I recommend it to any Warriors fan, especially if BrightCloud is your favorite ship or if either of them are your favorite characters :D

[Emma Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let's be honest, these books always go hard. Kudos to the Erins for bringing up pregnancy and trauma in the same book! I don't know if the "trusting" solution is perfect, but it's a difficult situation to solve (plus, she wasn't reconciling herself with the worst of the worst, but still an accomplice. I would not accept it if she was supposed to make up with the perpetrator, for example). I appreciate how they represented her emotions about her memories of trauma as well as how this sort of stress can coincide with pregnancy. And, the best part, it's all about cats!!!

[Rebecca Chisam · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the disappointment of the Rise of Scourge, I felt compelled to re-read my absolute favorite Warriors graphic novel. (yes! the one that's fluffy!)

So good... the storylines of Brightheart's relationship with Cloudtail, Rainwhisker, Longtail, and Cinderpelt are weaved together nicely. It's just so... wholesomely adorable, which is so rare for this series. XD

[Good Manticore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute and super sweet! Brightheart is precious.

[Epiphany Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was great but it made me cry if you are familiar with the series Warrior cats then you will love it