by Erin Hunter
First published 2015
Winter grips the forest once again. The cats face starvation and bitter cold while the spirit-cats deliver their urgent warning: expand like the Blazing Star or perish. Clear Sky believes their only hope lies in reuniting all the scattered groups. But his past actions have left him isolated. Gray Wing and Thunder refuse to meet his gaze. The other leaders have chosen their own paths. Tall Shadow works to build a new settlement among the pine trees. River Ripple remains by the water that sustains him. Wind Runner has claimed the open moorland as her territory. Each group carves out its separate existence while the season grows more deadly. The spirit-cats' message becomes more desperate with each passing day. Time runs short for the cats to make their choice. They must decide not only where to make their homes but who deserves their loyalty. Clear Sky faces the hardest truth of all: unity cannot be forced, only earned. The cats stand at a crossroads between survival and destruction, between forgiveness and bitter division.
Genres: nature, animals, adventure, fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Forest, Pine Trees, Moorland
Period: Winter
335 pages · Hardcover · HarperCollins