Book #13: Warriors: Rising Storm by Erin Hunter

"Rising Storm" is the fourth book in the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. The Warriors books are about a clan of cats who live in the forest. In this installment, Fireheart is now the deputy of ThunderClan and is still dealing with issues from some of his clanmates resulting from the fact that he was once a kittypet-not clanborn.

ThunderClan still faces danger from its former deputy, Tigerclaw. On top of that, Bluestar, the clan leader is not herself after Tigerclaw's betrayal, leving Fireheart to make some very important decisions regarding the clan.

I felt that this book in the series was rather dark and depressing. There was so much turmoil and tragedy that it was hard to enjoy the happier moments that occurred. There is a huge twist at the end though, that keeps me wanting to continue the series.

Even though "Rising Storm" was full-and I mean FULL-of sadness, I still really enjoyed it. The good thing about reading a series is that even if one book is a downer, you can look forward to an upswing in the coming books. I still highly recommend this series, but you MUST start from the beginning with "Into the Wild."

I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this series. Although it's a children's series, I think it's a great option for adults too. What is your opinion?

A New Year, A New Challenge

After (barely) successfully completing my reading challenge for 2010, I feel like I'm ready to step things up a bit. A very little bit. Last year I read and reviewed 30 books. Most of them were books I enjoyed and some of them I absolutely fell in love with. Since things went so well in 2010, I will challenge myself to read and review 35 books in 2011.

There is a change I would like to make to my reviews. I feel as though I should develop some kind of rating system for my reviews, so that is at the top of my list for 2011. I'm not sure when it will be implemented, but I will be creating it in my mind as I go along.

Something I am also hoping to accomplish with my reading this year is to get caught up on a couple of series I have been reading. First, I want to get up to speed in the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. This really shouldn't be hard, but I also want to pick up the "Between the Numbers" books as well. Because of this, I may be reading several of these books in a row this year.

Another series I discovered this year was the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. I would love to work through that series as well.

I appreciate all the suggestions I get via Twitter and Facebook about books I should read. I look into each of them and if I think they suit me-or even if I don't, but the suggestion came from a reliable source-I add them to my "to-read" list on Goodreads. I enjoy feedback from readers of books I have reviewed, so please add a comment if you have read a book that I have posted about. Just remember, if there is a spoiler in the comment, give a heads-up first!

Only 5 More Books To Go This Year!

For book #25 (25!) I read the third book in the Warriors series "Forest of Secrets" by Erin Hunter. I have really enjoyed this series, including this book, but it was hard to get through.

The Warriors series follows the stories of four cat clans living in the forest. Fireheart lives in ThunderClan after living life as a kittypet and struggles with being accepted by the others in the clan at times. He feels that the clan deputy, Tigerclaw, can't be trusted, but isn't sure if anyone would believe him. He continues to look for proof to back up his suspicions while still being a loyal clan warrior.

My difficulties with this book lie with the major changes that occur within the clan. I was in tears at one point, not believing that the story was taking the turn that it did. The end of the book left me feeling down, even though an event I had been waiting for finally happened. Now I can't wait to start on the fourth book. Hopefully, some of the sadness will be resolved in the next story.

As always, the book was well written and the characters and settings are described so clearly I could probably paint them. Although this is a children's series, it is a wonderful read for adults too!

The "Warriors" Series Pleases Again

My 16th book of 2010 is the second in the "Warriors" series. "Fire And Ice" by Erin Hunter picks up where "Warriors: Into The Wild" left off. We are once again following Fireheart, the one time kitty-pet who is now a warrior in ThunderClan. In the second book of the series, he is still trying to prove his loyalty to the Clan, all the while dealing with yearnings for his family.

Fireheart is also dealing with feelings of loneliness because he isn't sure who he can trust within his own clan. He is having vivid dreams with mysterious messages of what is to come in the future. He isn't sure what they mean and doesn't know who he can confide in. Something has come between him and his old friend Graystripe, so he can't even turn to him to discuss his suspicions about one of the other warriors within the Clan. At the same time, Fireheart is developing a new friendship where he least expected it.

Like the first book in the series, "Fire And Ice" is a fast read, but has some very tense moments where the reader is on edge wondering where the story is going to go. The end also leaves the reader wanting to read the next in the series to find out what happens. This is definitely a great series for younger readers, but it's not just a series for kids!