Warriors: Changing Skies #4: Guiding Light released on Tuesday, October 6th, continuing its slow pace throughout the ninth arc of Warrior Cats.
I was happier with this fourth book in the arc than most of the others. Although it continues to be somewhat sluggish towards the main plot and conflict, I like reading about all of the character interactions. I’d much rather read this type of writing than the same thoughts from the protagonists over and over again.
HUGE spoilers ahead for Guiding Light and the Changing Skies arc (and the series as a whole), including character deaths and new names.
As a reminder, here’s the blurb:
Erin Hunter’s #1 bestselling Warriors series continues with the fourth book in the Changing skies arc. How long can the Clans endure life without StarClan’s guidance?
Moonpaw, Morningkit and Goldenpaw have made their choice, and there’s no going back. But while Morningkit is happy to be free of the cats who judged her, Goldenpaw struggles with his decision. Racked with guilt, Moonpaw is torn between pleasing her mate and placating the sister who refuses to leave her side.
Meanwhile, Tawnypelt has finally convinced the Clans to agree to look for a new connection to StarClan. Leading a team of cats to SkyClan’s old gorge, she hopes that the Whispering Cave will offer guidance. But as the quest begins to wear on the cats, she worries that the gorge may not hold the answers they seek and that their connection with their ancestors may be gone forever.
Punished for speaking out at the last gathering, Starlingpaw fears that he is the only cat in SkyClan who understands what the prophecies mean for them. With the support of his mother and a few Clanmates, he seeks out a larger role in the Clan, hoping to influence Hawkwing and Leafstar. But will he be able to alter SkyClan’s course before the cat from the prophecies appears?
Skipping the prologue and first three chapters, which I read and reviewed in August, I began on page fifty-five about 15% of the way in. With Darktail’s Judgement being a hit, I was excited to see if Guiding Light would live up to the initial hype I felt.
Before I launch into the meat of the story, I want to talk about Starlingpaw’s character. From the preview, I knew that he was starting to become more ambition and mischievous, but I didn’t expect it to this level. On one paw, his character is relatable. He’s an egotistical teenager who thinks only his way is right. Hawkwing is the villain in his eyes and because of that, anything the deputy does is twisted.
The fox-fib was only the start to his lying, though. Starlingpaw begins to concoct all kinds of stories to try and get cats onto his side, mostly by claiming he talks to Leafstar in his dreams. While he did have one true vision of Leafstar, he leaves out a bunch of information when relaying it to SkyClan. When he realizes how much respect he gets from his Clanmates because of it, he dives deeply into treachery. He is sharply intelligent for this type of manipulation, but that doesn’t mean it is good.
As interesting as it is to read from his perspective, it is starting to feel like the Kin all over again. The young cats are starting to push back and have hesitancy on if they truly need StarClan to be a Clan. Starlingpaw is giving off Darktail vibes with the way he eavesdrops and manipulates others. Maybe that Super Edition is too fresh and persuading my view, but still.
I also don’t believe they’ll actually lean into Starlingpaw becoming a villain. I assume he’ll have some kind of epiphany and be forgiven for all his lies by the end of the arc.
As with the other books in this arc, Tawnypelt’s chapters held the most progress to the actual problem. Sadly, they were less about her development and more about the connection to StarClan. Her chapters still had a lot of wonderful interactions and important moments.
I was delighted to see the old daylight warriors again, Harveymoon, Ebonyclaw, and Snookthorn. I was sad when Harveymoon and Ebonyclaw didn’t go with SkyClan during the move, so it is nice to get confirmation of their statuses. It was, of course, heartening as well for Leafstar to see them one last time.
As for Leafstar’s death, I was heartbroken. All readers knew it would happen this arc, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. Her vigil was respectful and heartfelt. It made me chuckle a bit that she knew the gorge wasn’t the answer and kept them going anyway. Seeing her old home was the least every cat could do for the old lady.
With the rest of the journey unfolding after her death, I wasn’t expecting the twist to be them bringing home a Moonstone shard. It was nice to see WarriorClan again, with Monkeystar her sweet, usual self. Her trained dog George was a good comic relief. My original suspicion was WarriorClan would interact with Moonpaw and Goldenpaw, which proved wrong.
Though not described, Barley’s death was revealed in this book, too. I hope him and Ravenpaw, now official mates many times over, are reunited and happy in the afterlife.
From Frecklewish’s vision, I assumed the Clans would drop the shard into the lake to become a “Moonlake.” So far, this isn’t the case. I’m relieved the Clans aren’t arguing in circles about it and instead working together in a rational manner at least. As her name suggested from the very beginning, this brings me to Moonpaw.
Her journey with Goldenpaw and Morningkit was unimportant in the grand scheme of things, yet held my interest. Their intermission with “WarehouseClan” was refreshing, providing a new experience readers haven’t seen out of Twolegs yet. All of the characters in the warehouse were fleshed out despite their limited page-time. I also loved that Moonpaw broke her tail, as horrible as that sounds. Healed injuries like that add to a character’s design.
Though I warmed to Moonpaw’s chapters in Guiding Light, one aspect seriously bothered me. I’ve already talked about how I hated her and Goldenpaw becoming mates when they still had the ‘paw name, but now she’s expecting kits. I don’t have an exact on their ages, but they can’t be a little older than a year by now. It unsettles me that their relationship is moving so swiftly. To me, it is the equivalent of a fresh eighteen-year-old out of high school marrying their sweetheart and getting pregnant. I know it happens, but as a high school teacher, it creeps me out.
Which makes me circle back to the ending: a simple cliffhanger. As Moonpaw (with a warrior name by then, but that discussion is below this) is preparing to leave ThunderClan again, despite wanting to safely deliver her kits, Jayfeather stops her. On his turn with the Moonstone shard, he has a vision, and in some way, she is part of it. It appears she might be the key to discovering the location of the new StarClan connection.
Before I begin to wrap up this article, I want to call attention to the new names of our characters. While Moonglow is a gorgeous name, I’m not sure it is fitting for her character. Goldenheart is a good name, too; however, they’ve been overusing the -heart suffix. Brightmorning is also interesting, with them twisting her prefix to a suffix. Since they have no rules in their rogue life, it makes sense. Lastly, Starlingflight is… fine. It’s sensible.
Something I didn’t notice until about three-quarters of the way through the book: readers had no ThunderClan POV for a majority of the story (at least, not in the camp or any specifics of their activities). I don’t think that has ever really happened in the series. I didn’t miss it as much as I thought I would; it’s been too long with the same characters that perhaps it was getting stale. As a ThunderClan lover, that was a huge revelation.
On an extra note, before I conclude, I feel as though old fans are having a unique experiences with this arc. We are saying goodbye to beloved characters and reminiscing alongside Tawnypelt. I feel so grateful for it.
For me, it’s even stronger. I am currently on a journey listening to the audiobooks for the first time, starting with The Prophecies Begin. The flickers of memory Tawnypelt relays are moments I’m beginning to re-experience in real time. It’s making it all the more magical.
I wish the next book was coming sooner! I fear I will be starved for Warriors content in these coming months.
Did you miss my review of the latest Super Edition: Darktail’s Judgement? Check it out here.
Fans have a long time to wait for the next books. Check out the pre-order list:
Warriors Graphic Novel: The New Prophecy #2: March 23, 2027
Warriors: Changing Skies #5: False Dawn: March 30, 2027
