Sunset (Warriors: The New Prophecy Series #6)

Children's Literature This sixth book of the "Warriors: The New Prophecy" series is a bit like a soap opera. In this part of the warrior-cats' saga, ThunderClan becomes embroiled in one conflict after another. Having just finished fighting off an attack from a group of badgers, Leafpool must choose her duty to her clan over the love of her life. So, she becomes the official medicine cat. Duty conflicts with personal desire at more than one point in the story, but almost always the cats choose the wiser course. Brambleclaw, son of the rogue Tigerstar, also faces a difficult decision between remaining loyal to his clan and joining a greedy struggle for power over all cats. These conflicts--honesty versus treachery, loyalty versus desire, prejudice versus tolerance--give this fantasy novel at least a semblance of depth. Mentoring also plays an important role in the story, as Brambleclaw gains an apprentice and Leafpool shifts from apprentice to mentor. Overall, this is not the best-written fantasy book, but it is reasonably entertaining. At times, the conflicts feel exaggerated rather than sincere, and the action is a little hard to follow if you are not familiar with the past novels. However, new readers should catch on fairly quickly, with the help of a guide to the characters that is provided at the front of the novel. Reviewer: Laura Ruttig